A Passover/Easter letter to my family - Eggs & Bunnies

Something worse than commercialization has been foist upon holidays (Holy Days). Distortions, deceptions and attempts to trivialize and dismiss the significance and meaning of these days is gaining momentum with the weight of popular media and culture. But so that I don't join the bitter and disillusioned, a better approach for me is to share my understanding of a holiday that has come to be symbolized by chocolate eggs and bunnies. If you'll stick with me; indulge me, some important themes emerge.

I'll be happy to provide text references but to do so in the body might be off putting (more off putting than the undertaking itself), so here's the story. God created the heavens and the earth. He created man, the bible says, he created them, male and female, in his own immortal image and likeness on the 6th day. So that man would never forget who their Creator is and for man's benefit, he rested from his work of creation and sanctified the seventh day. God placed Adam in the garden of Eden with one proviso, don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because on that day God said he would surely die, he would become mortal. God then made Eve from Adam's rib. Eve was seduced by that serpent, the evil one and she ate the forbidden fruit and then gave it to Adam to eat and their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked and worked to cover themselves.

God asked what happened and Adam blamed Eve. God placed a curse on Adam that now only through his work would he be able to sustain himself. Eve's child bearing was cursed to be painful and God placed enmity between her seed and the serpent. The serpent was cursed to eat the dust and crawl on his stomach and God said that Eve's seed would crush the serpent's head and the snake would only bruise her seed's (offspring's) heel. This was the introduction of sin into the world and God's foretelling of the eventual remedy, his plan of redemption.

Much happened after that but I'll skip to Abram and God's call to him to be the father of many nations. Abram was like the rest of us, a flawed, sinful man, until he responded to God's call with belief and trust. It was his belief that caused God to credit him with righteousness (rightness, right standing, effectively to be seen as sinless) even though he failed to respond appropriately many times after God called him out of Ur of the Chaldees. The bible says that when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect. I would have said, say what? Brother was 99 years old, pre viagra and God told him that he would have more children and changed his name to Abraham. Sarai his wife's name was changed to Sarah and she bore Issac which means laughter because she was pretty old too and when she overheard God promise Abraham that she would have a child, she laughed. Who said God doesn't have a sense of humor?

God later asked Abraham to sacrifice Issac and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham intended to comply. He took Issac and wood for the sacrifice and headed up Mt. Moriah. Issac, who had likely done this with his father many times said to Abraham, father, I see the wood for the fire, I even see the knife but where is the lamb? Abraham replied, God will provide himself, a sacrifice. Before Abraham could kill Issac, God, Jehova Jireh (God The Provider) stopped him and Abraham saw a ram, caught in a thicket, which was used for the sacrifice. The sacrificial system came into place because something has to die when sin occurs and God killed animals to cover Adam's body and his sin. But God only required human sacrifice only once (for all time, past, present and future) and it wasn't going to be someone else's son.

God's promise with Abraham was kept with Jacob, the deceiver, who tricked his father Issac and stole his brother's birthright to inherit Abraham's, God promised, blessing. God changed Jacob's name to Israel and he had 12 sons but only 2 from his favorite wife, Rachel; Joseph and Benjamin. Through Joseph, God saved Israel's entire dysfunctional family and eventually, Egypt. In the process, Israel, the Hebrews, moved into Egypt and after a time, there was a Pharaoh in Egypt, "who knew not Joseph." He decided that the Hebrews had grown too numerous. So, he enslaved them and killed their first born. Through the intervention of God, one escaped death and was ironically raised in the palaces of Pharaoh as a prince of Egypt. His name was Moses because his surrogate mother drew him from the water. I won't go into the story of Moses in Egypt except that the last plague on Egypt was the visitation by the angel of death. The Hebrews slit a lamb's throat and covered the doorframe of their residence with the blood of the lamb. We'll move on to Sinai where Moses received God's law because, as a friend of mine says about other things, ninja's got to be told!

There in the desert, God gave them the law and had them create a sanctuary for him so that his presence would always be with them in a cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. The sanctuary reinforced remembrance of the past and foretold what was to come. It consisted of a courtyard and two chambers. The courtyard is where the people would place their hand on the head of the bull or the lamb to transfer guilt from themselves to the animal and the animal's throat was slit and then burned on the alter. The priest would take some of the blood to the first chamber of the sanctuary called the Holy place, where he would sprinkle the blood on behalf of the sinners, every day. Once a year, the sanctuary would be cleansed on the Jewish day of Atonement (at one ment) and (among other things like sending the scapegoat into the wilderness to symbolically carry the people's sins away from them) the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place that contained one piece of furniture, the arc of the Covenant, where he would offer a blood sacrifice. In the arc, were Aaron's rod which represents judgement, the 10 commandments law and a golden bowl of manna which represented God's providence - Jehova Jireh. On the lid of the arc was the mercy seat which sat between our sins and God's justice.

Over the centuries, Israel kept failing to keep God's law of love (which is a reflection of his character) and God punished them. God would show them over and over that it was impossible to keep his law by working at it. Yet, he was merciful and Israel's response, too often to the requirements of the law, was to ignore it altogether through the worship of other gods or to become harsh. The prophet Habakkuk told them that without faith, not their self-righteous acts, it is impossible to please God and with a few notable exceptions, they continued to stray. God would punish them and relent, punish them and relent again. Through the prophet Jeremiah, he foretold a time when no longer would a man say to his neighbor, follow the law or love the Lord because it will be in their hearts and minds.

The prophet Isaiah foretold of one who hath nor form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes, we are healed. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

The prophet Daniel foretold of a holy one who would establish a kingdom of grace and then a kingdom of glory. Wise men continued to study the scriptures and looked for the coming king of grace and glory. When Herod, King of Judea, appointed by Rome, heard of the coming king, the messiah, like Pharaoh before him, he had all the children, 2 years and younger, slaughtered. And like before, only one escaped into Egypt. God had decided to fulfill what he promised through his prophet Isaiah to send Immanuel, God with us! There was no need for Ancestry.com. Matthew, the apostle, gave us the rundown of his lineage. In it was the prostitute Rahab, who helped Joshua win the battle of Jericho and Ruth, a former priestess of Moab who, before turning to God, officiated over human sacrifices to their god of stone and then there was David, the King of Israel that committed adultery and had his lover's husband executed. To get a hint of how important faith is to God (and how gracious and merciful he is to those who have faith), see what he says about the adulterer and murderer David, long after he was dead and gone in 1 Kings 14: 7-8. An inauspicious start for a would be king who himself was born in a cave used to keep animals.

This lowly man brought a message from God saying, for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. The bible says, his name shall be called Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus liked the theme Jehovah, his father, used with Moses, "I am, that I am." Jesus said of himself, when you're hungry, I am the bread of life; when you're thirsty, I am the living water; If you fear death, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; If you don't know what to do or how to get it done,  Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life, no man cometh to the father but by me; If you find yourself in darkness, Jesus said, I am the light of the world.

Back to this sin business. What's the big deal?  Most of us can't even recite the 10 commandments but we know that we're wrong (even when we may be technically right) because this knowledge is programmed into the human DNA. It's the feeling that won't let you sleep when you've done something wrong or that causes you to lash out at someone else when you've messed up. It's over generosity in attempted compensation for the thing that won't let you rest. It's knowing, even when no one else knows. If sin hasn't completely destroyed that mechanism in you, the manifestations are almost always self-destructive or unattractive (and ultimately fatal). But can you change your behavior or proclivities through psychology, will power or a self-help program? Perhaps for a time but as the prophet Jeremiah asked, can a leopard change his spots or the Ethiopian his skin? He also said the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it?

God had been pointing to his plan of redemption, the plan to save man, since the Garden of Eden and it was in yet another garden, Gethsemane, that he who knew no sin, became sin for us and offered himself as our sacrifice on Calvary. He rested on Sabbath from sundown Friday night to sundown Saturday night in the tomb because even in his death he remembered The Creator and rose on the first day of the week to begin his work of intercessory grace on our behalf. With his death, he became the lamb, slain from the foundation of the earth. He became Abraham's ram caught in the thicket. He sacrificed himself to save us all from condemnation and guilt and to set us free from sin by applying his own blood on our behalf as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. How do we obtain this grace? 

The apostle Paul, the best expositor of grace, ever, explains, for by grace are you saved and not of works, lest any man should boast. In the book of Romans, particularly Romans the 5th chapter, he explains it best. Earlier in the letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes that he isn't ashamed of the Gospel because it's the power of God unto salvation (from sin). He then writes about the righteousness of the law of God (the 10 commandments) but says that no one will be justified, made right with God by keeping the law. Hearkening back to the prophet Habakkuk, Paul says that only faith in God's atoning (at one ing) death in exchange for our unrighteousness, can make us right with a Holy God. He further explains, that being justified by faith, we now have peace with God. He explains that God made this sacrifice not only while some of us were actively sinning against him, we were, in fact his enemies. He knew that we were helpless and without strength against sin and so he offered us a free gift; grace! We don't have to confess, repent or do anything to be acceptable to God, we simply accept his offer of grace by faith and he justifies us before a Holy God. But there's more!

Not only does he offer us grace and peace, he offers his life in exchange for ours. Remember how Jeremiah asked can the leopard change his spots? How can we who are sinful, really do anything different? At Calvary, he exchanged his life for ours in more ways than one. In his letter to the church at Philipi, Paul says, let this mind be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? He makes the perfect life, the victorious, overcoming life Jesus led while on earth, available to us through the Holy Spirit. The writer of Hebrews declares for we don't have a high priest that's unfamiliar with our struggles; but in all points he was tempted like as are we, yet he did not sin. But there's more still!

Again Paul in his letter to the church at Philipi writes, He who began a good work in you will perfect it. In other words, relax, don't be uptight about this. It's his work from start to finish! The author of Hebrews writes, look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame... Getting the picture? Not only is he justifying you, releasing you from condemnation and death and freeing you from sin, he is willing to abide in you, to make changes you can't make yourself and not a bit of it has anything to do with your worthiness to receive these gifts of grace. It has nothing to do with your repentance or confession and it certainly has nothing to do with your will power or effort. He's offering liberty, not bondage. He is help for the helpless and when you yield to his work in you, he is life giving and life changing.

As the songwriter said,

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel's veins 

And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains!

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day

And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,

Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

So, enjoy the candy but try Jesus, He's sweet, I know!

Haze

My family and friends will by and large vote for Barack Obama. If some of them don't, they probably won't tell me. Most of them have always voted for Democrats. My own journey from liberal Democrat to natural rights conservative began with becoming a father but continued through military service and a most significant event was a meeting arranged by my economics professor between me and Walter Williams in 1984 while I was at The Citadel. Dr. Williams was there, like Mitt Romney last year, as a speaker in the College's "Greater Issues" series.

I still had a few liberal notions and Dr. Williams crushed them, stomped the life out of them, burned them and buried them in about 15 minutes. As I sought to defend myself, after the fact, I realized that what I believed wasn't the result of thought, it was simply atmospherically prevalent, unchallenged utterances that I'd had the privilege to live my life both accepting and ignoring. Don't most of us just want to not sweat paying bills, train up our children, watching some football, spend time with our families, friends and occasionally get a few things that make life incrementally more enjoyable? What happens though when your ability to pursue your own way is increasingly thwarted?

Most of us are our own worst enemy but I'm referring to what seems like a thickening haze that even when you're not in your own way, seems to make each step forward more uncertain. You may even notice yourself watching what you say around people you don't know or limiting your interactions to those with whom you're confident share your worldview. This is a new sensation for many of us that were born here. This haze isn't isolated to work or career aspirations, it seems to pervade social interactions of all kinds. It's not sharp, it's a low level throbbing but it's persistent, it's foreign and exogenous. Yet, few relate this haze to the unexamined atmosphere because it's not yet as pressing as the next holiday party or church picnic. But like the frog that doesn't leave the pot that is slowly heated to boiling, we float and sweat.

My family and friends are, for the most part, well educated, intelligent people and many are financially successful. When I explain my political and economic views, they will often agree with issues here and there but most are children of the atmosphere (because there are other things more pressing). However, regarding Obama, they are not passive. For most, criticism of Obama is met with fierce resistance, especially from the women, who will only listen for a short while. This is understandable particularly for older black children of the atmosphere, though they rarely cede that their defense is related to only to Obama's "blackness." 

I love my family and friends and wouldn't trade them.  It's unlikely that even after 28 years of exposure to another perspective, with which they often agree and find it hard to argue when they don't agree, that they will wade through the unexamined atmosphere, at this point, to find the source of the haze, not now.

Behold the Salvation of the Lord

The principle condition that afflicts man is not scarce resources, wars, pestilence or even indifference. The principle challenge of man is sin. Psychologists, sociologists, scholars and theologians have grappled with this question through the ages. Faith traditions, belief systems and philosophies have tried to address this problem. Self-improvement courses, drugs, alcohol, money, sex and other forms of entertainment divert us for a time from dealing but it does not change our permanent state of being.

I have faith that Jesus put on sinful human flesh, that he walked out his life without a mistake or sin and that he lived an overcoming life, an obedient life, a victorious life. Having done so, qualified him to become sin for me and all of humanity who believe that he is able to reconcile them to God. So, he volunteered for the cross, where he gave up his peace, the joy of communion with his father and indeed his very life, so that we who believe will acquire his peace, his joy and though the Holy Spirit we have access to his victorious life.

Not only does he save us from our sins in the past but in the very same way we could not save ourselves through any amount of effort of our own, we cannot live out our lives in a righteous manner now without the Holy Spirit giving us the mind of Christ who will walk it out for us. When we step in and take control and sin again (before he fully places his character within us) he covers us in just the same way he covered our past sins. What a promise! He does it from start to finish or as Paul wrote to the Philippians, He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Some will be concerned that if we have no role in salvation, if staying in belief is all that's required, then won't some take license; isn't it an invitation to get over on Jesus? Frankly, isn't that what anyone who is saved is doing? Aren't we all getting over? My prayer is for those who hold back for this reasoning, especially if they're teaching others to do the same.

The Psalmist declares,

The Lord is high above all the nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth! He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.

Nothing is required to receive his grace but belief! No works, no confession or repentance, just belief. The fullness of God's salvation cannot be comprehended nor sufficiently appreciated. He has liberated us from the bondage of sin and death. God's righteous ten commandments law of love convicts us as sinners, belief in Jesus sets us free - not to sin but from the law's penalty. Having the mind of Christ transforms our characters to the point where we observe the law as a natural consequence of a relationship with God without even being aware of our compliance.

God's salvation may not change your temporal circumstances but now they are placed in perspective. After all, when you're in the presence of a Holy God, what meaning do your circumstances have? That's not to minimize what a given person may be dealing with but it is to place those issues in the proper context. David said "O, taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Won't you try Jesus?

Since Sarah's Not Running

Four years ago, after Fred Thompson dropped out of the GOP primary, I was a supporter of Mitt Romney because he was the most conservative candidate remaining. Four painful years hence, Barack Obama is president and has unleashed a leftist gauntlet unlike anything seen since Wilson and FDR. So now, a middle of the road Republican is unacceptable, the battle must be joined because the fate of the Republic is at stake.

My choice for engaging in this battle was Sarah Palin for many reasons but three in particular. She has been attacked from every conceivable angle possible and savagely, at that. Yet, she still stands strong. She also has a deep understanding of what has gone wrong and has fought the battle against even her own party's corruption and won. Finally, she is unapologetic and fearless. She doesn't accept the leftist media premise and formulations on important issues and boldly speaks out and gives voice to Americans of all stripes who understand the blessings of liberty but who also want to hold both those in government and private sector actors accountable for abiding by the rules that have been established for the rest of us. Her identification of cronyism as the issue that animates most Americans and her articulation of the problem is as clear and relevant a manifesto as exists anywhere among the political class.

Sarah Palin is not perfect, nor was Reagan, yet I was willing to fight with her and die on that hill if necessary. If Palin is imperfect, most of the GOP presidential field is less so. I can eliminate Ron Paul and Gary Johnson from consideration because I don't agree with their take on foreign policy. Huntsman may as well be a Democrat and Romney authored Obamacare among other problems I have with him. Perry who as he entered the race fought comparisons to George W. Bush is looking more Bush-like with each debate performance. "Compassionate Conservative" anyone? That leaves Bachmann, Santorum and Cain.

Bachmann is fearless too and I like her. Until she got caught up in trying to take down Rick Perry, I was hoping that she would perform well because her philosophy and instincts are often very right. She had a good debate performance at the Bloomberg event . . until she again went after Rick Perry and that was awkward. Given where she's polling, I understand but it doesn't look good on her. Then there's Santorum. I agree with him on most issues but he too is not polling well and looked angry at the last debate. He's not getting traction. That leaves Herman Cain.

First, the big issue I have (and I suspect a number of conservatives share this concern) is his support of TARP and his tone deafness on the Federal Reserve. While the latter can be understood in light of his own chairmanship of the Kansas City Fed, without adequately understanding the problems of having a private bank manage our currency untethered to any hard valuation leads to inevitable devaluation of our currency and inflation. More problematic is his support for TARP with his only criticism being of its implementation and management, not the concept itself. If you don't see an issue, you may think that bailouts or government intervention is acceptable and find other areas where the government may step in. That is a problem!

However, just as Palin is imperfect, Cain is imperfect but his appearance on Meet The Press has placed me decidedly in his column of supporters. He has the strengths of Palin and Bachmann, not to accept leftist formulations and premises, he is unapologetic in his beliefs and he is likeable throughout, even in the lion's den of leftist media trap interviews. He is well spoken and able to articulate his beliefs and management philosophy which all translates to presidential bearing. I could talk about the merits of his "9-9-9" plan but that will become more clear in the days ahead. Ronald Reagan too was unabashedly conservative, yet cheerful and likeable and this is a great strength of Cain's that will be hard for his competitors to overcome. His "heritage" is also something that resonates with many of us; humble beginnings yet never complaining, never a victim and appreciative of the opportunity society that is America.

I think he should go have a good long chat - no, a serious conversation with Todd and Sarah about cronyism and TARP but given what we're facing, his philosophy, approach to problem solving and demeanor, I'd say Herman Cain may just be the man for this hour in American history. I support Herman Cain's candidacy for the Presidency of the United States of America.

Church of The Public Trough

In the many protestations from Democrats and their media allies about how dysfunctional the democratic process is (dictatorships more efficiently confiscate our wealth and erode our liberties) one of their orchestrated complaints is that government employees are being laid off. They present this as if it is obvious that this will harm the economy. To buy this premise one would have to believe that a government job benefits society in the way that a private sector job benefits society. This is false.

Without going into the numbers, let's examine what happens with generic private sector employment versus public sector employment. Private sector employment provides income and benefits for the employee and it also provides skills and experience. Public sector employment does much the same thing, to the extent the skills and experience are transferrable. This is where the similarities begin to sharply depart.

With private sector employment, productivity and profitability matter. If the enterprise for whom the employee lends her time and effort is profitable, it enriches her employer. It may or may or may not be as the result of her direct contribution but her efforts are presumably self-sustaining. Conversely, the enterprise may not be profitable and the employer may decide to close shop or redirect those resources elsewhere. This aspect of private employment is as important as profitability.

There is another important aspect of private employment that public employment does not provide. Private employment is a conduit for wealth but also of value. I'm sitting on my couch as I write this. Not only did my wife enrich the manufacturer and help to provide employment for those who sold their time and effort to produce the couch, our family gets to use it now and for some time into the future. This ongoing value is a key aspect of our standard of living.

Whereas private employment is a conduit of wealth and value and a feedback mechanism for resource utilization, public employment is a shunt of wealth, value and is largely impervious to feedback on the proper utilization of resources. Public sector employment doesn't by and large produce value (usefulness in excess of the price paid) or wealth and its effectiveness and efficiency is part of the lexicon of our common humor.

So, while elected Democrats and pundits suggest to us the harm that a decline in the public sector will induce, they skip over the part of how those jobs are funded, how they siphon resources from individuals and families and the marginal benefit they produce for society. If it were not for the massive spending and "shovel ready infrastructure" jobs (the same ones they want to really fund this time) they say, things would have been worse.

This faith in "stimulus" that elected Democrats say, "most serious economists believe" is again in order, beyond the demonstrably failed and logically flawed Keynesian argument is really nothing more than a thinly veiled faith in Marx's dictum that private property rights should be abolished. Why? Because the struggle of man is to meet his material need and the principle thing standing between "the masses" or "workers" are those that own the resources to employ. The hymnal of this church includes songs about evil corporate jets, coal and oil, grievance group dirges, spirituals on the virtues of the public sector. This faith compels them to deny the evidence before them in their evangelistic crusade to win converts and to hold on to adherents. Let's see whether their pews are filled in November 2012.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Warrior Silhouettes

I don't want to see their faces, their vitality, their competence, willingness, their distinctly American spirit. Had they died at Thermopylae, Stirling Bridge, Bunker Hill, Iwo Jima or any number of battles or engagements that have advanced the enduring cause of liberty, I would be pleased to see their likenesses memorialized in bronze. Why are our elite warriors so vulnerable, dying helplessly, for at best, an obliquely understood mission.

Yes, there are ideologues who are determined to destroy us gathered in distant hard lands. That we can track them down and kick their ass on their home turf is not in question but the sissification of our civilian leadership has their hands tied with rules of engagement suitable for flag football, not the violent mayhem in which these warriors excel. Define the mission, provide whatever resources are necessary, kick ass, let them swagger home and dare anyone to say a m#therf*ckin' word!

What's worse is, there is something strange about this result. 22 SEALs, 3 Air force spec operators and 5 other support team members on one transport vehicle on a combat mission? Are you serious? Was there an intelligence breach, poor planning or just one giant fustercluck? I will emphasize that I don't know what the circumstances were but I am pissed off and I hurt for their families. I don't want to see their faces because, I am angry and ashamed. America has lost the courage to support these young men; the support they absolutely deserve. Because we lack the discipline of a well defined purpose for their continued presence there and the resolve to see it through, we may as well have shot them down ourselves.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Obama, Democrats & RINOs Finally Downgrade America!

For the first time in history, America's debt rating is below AAA. Hope 'n change, indeed.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad