As many of you know, we'll be moving to Calgary next year. In the mean time, I have been surfing flickr.com in my spare time (usually after the young ones are in bed) looking for some great photos of the place. Here's an absolutely gorgeous one. Looks cold! [You can see more of photos by this photographer by checking out http://www.vtj.ca.]
I'll be posting cool photos for our friends and family from time to time so you can get a feel for what its like before you come visit us there!
Here's an interesting opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal by Andrew Klavin comparing the recent Batman Movie, "The Dark Knight" to President George "W" Bush and the war on terror. "The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans.
Conversely, time after time, left-wing films about the war on terror -- films like "In The Valley of Elah," "Rendition" and "Redacted" -- which preach moral equivalence and advocate surrender, that disrespect the military and their mission, that seem unable to distinguish the difference between America and Islamo-fascism, have bombed more spectacularly than Operation Shock and Awe.
Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense -- values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right -- only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like "300," "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," "Spiderman 3" and now "The Dark Knight"?
The moment filmmakers take on the problem of Islamic terrorism in realistic films, suddenly those values vanish. The good guys become indistinguishable from the bad guys, and we end up denigrating the very heroes who defend us. Why should this be?
The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified.
The Wall Street Journal has an article on Louisiana's governor entitled, "Rebel With a Cause: Bobby Jindal's Spiritual Journey." Jindal has been mentioned as a possible VP candidate for John McCain. "I don't know why I was struck so hard at that moment," said Mr. Jindal. "There was nothing fascinating about this particular video. . . . But watching this depiction of an actor playing Jesus on the cross, it just hit me, harder than I'd ever been hit before," he said. "If that was really the son of God, and he really died for me, then I felt compelled to get on my knees and worship him."
When I finished college I needed a new car, because after all, I was working and earning a salary and I “deserved” it. I leased an SUV, and several years later traded it in on a newer, used Chevy Silverado. Oh, how I loved that truck–sport trim package, V-8, ice-cold air, CD player, great sound system, etc, etc. It also came with a new monthly payment, and an increase to my insurance premium. For a few months I drove that truck and loved it. My grandfather had offered his old truck to drive, but I wanted a “cool truck.”
One day, after writing out the check for the monthly payment, and the increased monthly insurance premium, something hit me like a ton of bricks. I sat there watching my kids play in our backyard, and then looked over at that “new” truck. How much could their futures be improved by taking this $400 a month and applying it to our other debts, and then saving it for their future education? How could I be so selfish.
...I’ve adopted a utilitarian view on automobiles (and other things). They are literally hunks of metal pieced together, set on four tires, and sold to us for the purpose of transportation. Cars don’t define our social status, and are horrible indicators of wealth. Never again will I fall victim to worrying about what others think, or what marketers try to convince me to think.
Pete Wilson, senior pastor of Cross Point Church in Nashville, Tennessee, is reporting on his blog that famed lead guitarist of Poison, C.C. DeVille, has become a Christian and is seeking ways to grow. Pete has been given access to DeVille and is giving him pastoral counsel, etc. (he now calls himself the unofficial pastor to Poison--I'm jealous.)
This just in from MSNBC...The Pope is a Romanist. Father Augustine Di Noia, undersecretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said the document did not alter the commitment for ecumenical dialogue, but aimed to assert Catholic identity in those talks.
“The Church is not backtracking on ecumenical commitment,” Di Noia told Vatican radio.
The dictionary defines 'ecumenical' as "promoting or relating to unity among the world's Christian churches." So either we need to change the definition, or to quote Inigo Montoya, "I don't think that word means what you think it means" because if he means that he is committed to unity among all Roman churches, well, good for him, but that's a textbook case of stating the obvious. 
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received Gods grace, somehow!!
Summarizing the thoughts of John Bunyan, he asks the question, "Do you see more worth and merit in one drop of Christ's blood to save you, than in all the sins of the world to condemn you?"
Al Mohler comments upon the thought, "You can't have a country where everybody lives in a nursing home" in a post asking "Where Are Europe's Babies?"
As I'm lying here in bed on the 5th day of a sickness that my wife says is the flu, I'm getting lots of reading done and lots of internet surfing between naps. "With, and because of, Jesus the Redeemer I am both fully known and completely safe. At the cross, Jesus met me at my very worst. For at that mysterious moment all my toxic envy, all my deceit, all my secret sins, all my ingratitude, all my self-centered neglect and cruelty--everything that is corrupt and twisted about my attitudes and behavior--was exposed to the full heat of God's justice, attached to Jesus, and punished....By fully identifying with all our sin and then being punished for it, Jesus satisfied God's justice."
"Often times, white people get frustrated with the state of their country. They do not like the President, or Congress, or the health care system, or the illegal status of Marijuana. Whenever they are presented with a situation that seems unreasonable to them, their first instinct is to threaten to move to Canada.
"For example, if you are watching TV with white people and there is a piece on the news about that they do not agree with, they are likely to declare “ok, that’s it, I’m moving to Canada.”
"Though they will never actually move to Canada, the act of declaring that they are willing to undertake the journey is very symbolic in white culture. It shows that their dedication to their lifestyle and beliefs are so strong, that they would consider packing up their entire lives and moving to a country that is only slightly different to the one they live in now."
Living in Peru sometimes has the effect on me in that I don't always hear the latest news, though I try to keep up with what's going on in the world through the internet. For example, I just found out that Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel died last November of natural causes at the age of 69. I think most people would have thought that the high-flying dare devil would have gone a long time ago through 'unnatural causes.'
I read this morning an article in Christianity Today about 'the new day for apologetics' in light of the new challenges of popular atheistic pundits and how folks are being changed by Christians giving good, honest answers about the person and work of Jesus Christ. The article references Lee Stroebel, author of a number of books including, "The Case for Christ." Stroebel speaks of his experience in talking to people about Christ, and one of those people was Evel Knievel who says this book was instrumental in his conversion from atheism to Christianity. Listen to what Stroebel says..."One of those people was Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who died in November 2007. Earlier that spring, Knievel called Strobel after a friend gave him a copy of The Case for Christ. Knievel said the book was instrumental in his conversion from atheism to Christianity. Strobel, a motorcycle fanatic since childhood, and Knievel became friends, speaking weekly over the telephone.
"He just transformed in amazing ways," Strobel says. "I know his last interview was with a macho men's magazine, and he broke down crying, talking about his newfound relationship with Christ. He was so grateful. He knew he had lived a very immoral life and regretted that. He told me many times how he wished he could live his life over for God, and yet God reached down in his last days and dragged him into the kingdom. He was so overwhelmed by God's grace. Here was this macho daredevil who became this humble, loving, and sincere follower of Jesus. It was an amazing thing to behold."
At times, the pain and evil and sadness and brokenness of this world are so evident and so acute that it seems overwhelming. Can we take news of another tragedy? Is there strength to support those loaded down with grief? Will this insanity ever end? Things are not the way they are supposed to be. And so we cry out, "Come Lord Jesus. Come quickly! Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven."
Don't the hours grow shorter as the days go by
You never get to stop and open your eyes
One day you're waiting for the sky to fall
And next you're dazzled by the beauty of it all
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
These fragile bodies of touch and taste
This vibrant skin this hair like lace
Spirits open to the thrust of grace
Never a breath you can afford to waste
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Lovers in a dangerous time
When you're lovers in a dangerous time
Sometimes you're made to feel
as if your love's a crime
Nothing worth having comes
without some kind of fight
Got to kick at the darkness till it bleeds daylight
