Are you kidding me?

I've linked to a 'Yahoo!' News story that really got under my skin. I think I will have to do research on the writer because she is either working for Obama, or she bumped her head, or she is taking some serious psychedelic medications.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080604/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_analysis_6



John McCain and Barack Obama are polar opposites? What planet does this woman live on? John McCain is as liberal as you can be and still be considered a 'moderate'. He isn't a moderate, he's a liberal. Since we keep changing the definition of the terms moderate and conservative however, I guess by the new (but not improved) American definition of 'moderate', McCain fits.

McCain has the liberal view of immigration, global warming, energy policy, freedom of speech (or lack thereof) etc., etc. The only thing he has a somewhat conservative viewpoint on is the war on Islamic Terrorists. I don't believe that he is a true believer on taxes, but he knows he needs to throw a little bone to true conservatives. How about throwing a REAL bone, like changing your liberal viewpoints, and also picking a conservative running mate. How about after picking your running mate, throwing out conservatives for cabinet positions as well. Conservatives are not buying that McCain is the second coming of Ronald Reagan, and please stop using Reagan's name in your speeches. This is what we want Senator McCain:







OR




OR



EVEN


These men may not be perfect, but they are far better than you Senator, and if you want conservatives to trust you, we need to know that the next in line IS a conservative, and will stand up for conservative principles.

Who is this Jesus?

See, my servant will act wisely;
he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Just as there were many who were appalled at him-
his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man
and his form marred beyond human likeness—

so will he sprinkle many nations,
and kings will shut their mouths because of him.
For what they were not told, they will see,
and what they have not heard, they will understand.


Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

This Jesus bore the sin of the world so that we do not have to die an eternal death. He paid the price though we did not deserve it. Still, to those called by God, we are worth the sacrifice of Jesus in the eyes of God the Father. Jesus was mocked, ridiculed, persecuted, beaten beyond recognition as anything human and tortured to death on a cross while bearing the pain of being separated from Our Father at his weakest moment. He was fully human and fully God. Because of His love for us, he suffered a pain that no one can imagine, and did it willingly for our sakes. Praise be to God through Jesus Christ his Son!

Discipleship

"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." (1 Peter 5:8-9)


I just read a book again that I hadn't read in a long time. It's called The Lion Never Sleeps, by Mike Taliaferro. Mike now leads our sister church in San Antonio (where Carmen and I became Christians), the Mission Point Christian Church. But for a long time he lead churches in Brazil and Africa. The point of the book (which is a quick read but impacting nevertheless) is that as a Christian, you are going to face attacks from Satan. If we are not prepared, we are easy prey for Satan. When lions attack, they look for the weak animal, the animal that strays from the herd, the old or the injured animal. They know that if they are injured during the hunt they could die.

Satan is compared many times throughout the bible to a Lion. He is hunting, looking for those Christians who are not close to their bible, not close to God in prayer, not close to other Christians and those who have weak convictions. He wants the easy target. When someone is a new Christian, Satan is even more alert, looking for the opportunity to find that new Christian that strays from the herd so he can destroy their faith, tempting them with a taste of their old life before their convictions are too strong. Mike says in far more eloquent fashion how Satan can attack, using real stories of lion attacks in Africa, as well as real stories of how Satan has attacked Christians. He tells how some have been destroyed because of the attacks, and also, how some have won the victory in Jesus.

This video shows lions in attack, and a very lucky buffalo narrowly escaping with the help of the herd.

Go ahead Liberal, say what you mean.

Let the liberal tell you what she's all about...Socialism. From the mouth of Maxine Waters (D) CA.



Congresswoman, you do your job, and let the oil companies drill for oil so we can do our jobs without our gas prices doubling in the time frame of 1 year.

Memorial Day

This is Memorial Day Weekend. Our Congress is bickering over how much money to send to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and trying to send as little as possible or at least attach wasteful earmarks onto Defense Spending Bills. In the meantime, our soldiers are trudging away. Fighting for the freedom of others and fighting to preserve our freedoms here in America. They don't have all of the tools they need, but they fight anyway. They don't have all of the equipment that they need, but they fight anyway. They aren't always able to contact their loved ones, but they fight anyway. To ensure we have freedom here.

Our media will undoubtedly tell us how many soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and truly I wish there were less killed than have been killed. But there were more killed in many of the battles of the Civil War and World War II than have been killed in 6+ years in Afghanistan and 5+years in Iraq.

The war dead of some of the major conflicts in US History. (Source http://www.militaryfactory.com/american_war_deaths.asp )

Revolutionary War 25000

War of 1812 20000

Mexican-American War 13283

Civil War 623026

Spanish-American War 2446

Philippine War 4196

World War I 116708

World War II 407316

Korean War 36914

Vietnam War 58169

Gulf War 269

Afghanistan 482*

Iraq War 3975*

Ongoing conflicts. This data is probably not current up to the time of this post. It is 2008 data however.

While everyone of these men and women is valuable, and while it is unfortunate that they had to pay the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, they did not die in vain. They died for freedom. Freedom for America and freedom for others. I hope that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be over quickly with those nations able to defend themselves against aggressors and with a democratic government which supports freedom for its people. When Iraq and Afghanistan can stand on their own two feet, our men and women can come home. But, if we leave before those nations can defend themselves, it is likely that we will have to go back later with many more dead in the future. So please, this Memorial Day, pray for our troops, and pray for the President and Congress. Pray that our nations leaders will make good decisions. Think of the troops who have died in the past, and those currently in harms way. Remember their sacrifice, and the freedom their sacrifice has paid for.