Opus 2012-115, Filthy Rags Are Better Than None

In Christian circles there are two references that keep coming up when we talk about living moral lives and what God expects.  The first is from the Old Testament,

(Isaiah 64:6 KJV)  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The second is Paul in the New Testament, quoting the Old Testament.

(Romans 3:10 KJV)  As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

These are glorious proof texts that are used to emphasize that we are dirty, rotten, no-good sinners and can do nothing right.  The implication is that since we all deserve hell, God is free to send us all there.  I can live with that.  The extension is what I have a problem with.  Some people extend this to say that only the elect, after the cross, have any hope because we are covered with the righteousness of Christ.  This would rule out any of the Old Testament saints and anyone in your circle of friends that felt they had trusted in Christ and were not one of the chosen.

The Bible refers to many people as if they were righteous.  In reality, none of the people picked would have thought of themselves as righteous.  They would have been doing a lot of repenting and mea culpa, browbeating and sackcloth and ashes.  They would be totally unaware that they were behaving as God would have them behave.

Remember John 3:16?  It does not say,

“For God so loved some of the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever He had already chosen and forced to believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.”

For those who have forgotten it goes like this:

(John 3:16 KJV)  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.

Someone once said, “God don’t make no junk.”  I tend to think He doesn’t make filthy rags either.

Have a righteous day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-114, Plow and Crown: Voter Nominated Offices

This year, in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia, we voted under a new system which was installed under the “Top Two Candidates Open Primary Act.”  It represents a big step backward in the concept of liberty and elections.  It was passed by the large majority of Democrats in California with the purpose of disenfranchising all who were not Democrats.  It does away with most primaries that were originally implemented to pick the candidate of a political party.  I quote,

“Previously known as partisan offices, voter-nominated offices are state legislative offices, U.S. congressional offices, and state constitutional offices.”

What this did in our current election was to reduce the chances of a Republican being elected to the United States Senate.  On the ballot were about 20 names.  Most of them were different Republicans.  There were so many Republicans that the chances of coming in second after the Democrat incumbent were decreased.  I would not doubt that if you could look into the hearts of the people on the ballot a large number of the Republicans were really Democrats in drag, running to water down the chances of opposition.

Manipulation of the voting system is a mark of tyranny.  Part of the goal of the elites is to remove any influence they do not control and make it harder for people to know what their choices are.  In the general election you will not know if the person on the ballot is a Republican or Democrat.

“A candidate for nomination to a nonpartisan office may NOT designate his or her party preference, or lack of party preference, on the ballot.”  (Emphasis in original)

This in effect is what the Communists of the Soviet Union and the Soviet block did when they had single party elections.  You can vote for our man or you can vote for our other man.  Long live the Republik.

I would venture to say that such a device will be coming to a primary near you in the near future.

This is not the end of the world, just a step in the wrong direction.

We hear a lot of talk about how the founding Fathers did not intend for this country to go in the direction of political parties.  Historically we need to understand that our party system was developed after the Constitution.  True, but it was not a new idea.  England, our role model, had parties, the Whigs and Tories, so it would come naturally to the Americans.  But it was not codified so it is possible that the open primary is more in tune with the original intent.  But political parties did develop and we have been stable with this system for 200 years.

The secret ballot that we are so accustomed to is also relatively recent in history.  In the old days everyone knew how you voted.  It made coercion much easier, that is why we have gone to the secret ballot.

The problem is changing the rules in the middle of the game and demanding the power to change them again if you start losing.  We need to wake up to the elite forces that are trying to strip away our ability to live in a Republic of self governing people.

All quotes from California Presidential Primary Election, Tuesday, June 5, 2012, p. 4.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-113, Discernment Watch: Voter ID

I have two contrasting appointments in my calendar.  One is past the other is future.  It is interesting what is required for each.

This summer I am going to see a doctor for an eye examination.  This is for two reasons.  First, I am diabetic and need to have my retinas checked on a regular basis.  Second, it is getting harder to focus when I read so I think I need a new prescription.  I have been going to this doctor for years.  He knows me.  My bills have always been paid.  This should be routine but when my wife made the appointment I was told that three things would be required.  The third was only an irritation.  Now I had to bring my own sun-glasses.  In the past they would give us these cheap plastic things that fit behind my glasses.  I guess they can’t afford that any more. 

That is the mundane.  What got my attention was that they demanded that I bring ID and my insurance card.  I am the same person who has been in their office many times.  I have the same insurance but I am required to produce ID before they will see me.

This brings me to my second appointment, on Tuesday, June 5, to be exact.  I was scheduled to vote.  In order to exercise this most important activity I was not required to show any ID or proof of insurance (citizenship).  The person checking the role could not even find my last name on my sample ballot.  None of the people behind the table seemed to have done this before.  I was the first one in line and I was not allowed to examine the ballot box to see if it was empty. 

What a contrast.  I need ID and proof of qualification in order to have my eyes examined.  I can vote for the leadership of my society with no checks at all.  I will concede that I live in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia.  It may be different where you live but the Democratic Party seems to go ballistic when people are expected to produce ID to vote.  If they were consistent they would also be demonstrating against my optometrist. 

I needed my eyes examined.  We need our heads examined.

Vote the suckers out while you still can, if you still can.

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-112, Win/Win/Win

Recently, as I was getting into my car outside a bakery where I had eaten my two slices of bread and drank my coffee, a fellow hit me up in the parking lot for food.  I don’t give money out but I am willing to help with hunger.  Often they will turn down the offer of food because that is not what they really want.  This guy did not bat an eye when I offered to buy him something.  So I took him in and bought him a power sandwich and a large coffee. 

I had no problem with what I did.  He was hungry, I am blessed.  I did not really have time, but I took it anyway.  I got to thinking, after the fact.  Why was I buying a sandwich for this guy when I was not willing to spend that much money on myself?  This was a question of stewardship, not his need for food.  I got to thinking about the things I keep in the car for snacking.  I realized I could have fed him with food that was just as nutritious without walking away from my car.

This stimulated another thought.  Many of us plan for emergencies by having food on the shelf.  We are ready if things go down for a few days or weeks.  It is part of who we are.  One of the issues we face is rotating.  Food and other supplies often come with expiration dates.  Whether it is real or just applied because the federal government says to, it is there.  It occurred to me that we can kill two birds with one stone.  I can take the things getting old on the shelf, still edible but getting close to expiration, keep them in the car and give them out to people in need.  This could apply to all kinds of things from canned tuna to water.  I could supply their needs, not their wants.  It would use items needing to be rotated.  It would save money.  This is not just a win/win, but a win/win/win.

Would it work or it just one of those stray thoughts that keep popping up?

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-111, Tax Dollars at Work: It Starts with Us

We are voting today.  We start the process of selecting state and federal representatives.  In California we also are voting on Superior Court judges.  On my ballot there are also two attempts to increase taxes, one state wide and the other in our school district.

The state of California continues to live in a fantasy world.  They refuse to cut spending and see the only answer is to raise taxes.  They refuse to notice the sound of individuals and businesses leaving the state and shrinking the tax base. 

Locally the school district wants to get more money.  They claim it will not raise taxes.  No.  What it does is keep a tax going that would have died out.  It increases the amount of money I will be paying out in the future.  Lets see, it quacks.  It waddles.  It eats bugs.  Yep, it sounds like a tax increase to me.

The state does not need more money, it needs more discipline.  Schools do not need more money, they need more discipline.  I say that as a teacher.  I watch the waste and fraud.  At our school we received a $3,000,000.00 federal grant (that is tax money for those of you from Oz).  We shared it with five other schools.  What was it for?  To implement an anti-bullying curriculum and pay some social workers to come on campus two days a week to counsel students who were habitually tardy.  At the same time we claim to have no money for books, are cutting back on custodians and shortening the school year because we don’t have any money.

I don’t know what is on your ballot but if it involves more money for those of us lined up at the public trough, vote “no.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-110, The Perfect Ruler

No, not Obama, I am talking about a measuring stick.

In education we have what used to be called “In service training.”  I am not sure what the current jargon is, I try not to pay attention to the latest mantra.  I have been doing this long enough that they are being recycled on a regular basis.  They did not work the first time.  I see no reason to think they will work this time because no new thinking has been applied, just loyal lip service to the Elites of Education.

One of the problems is that we tend to focus on the superstars as our examples.  We have this idea that if Michael Jordan does it a certain way we should all do it that way.  It doesn’t work that way.  Few areas of life does one size fit all.  In most endeavors the techniques of the best don’t work for us that are not the best.

Let me give an example.  About five years ago someone talked me onto a golf course.  I found that the game I had been mocking for years was actually enjoyable.  In my course to learn how to play I read books by the big names in golf.  I read golf magazines.  I got frustrated.  I could watch Tiger Woods play and need to be reminded that my mouth was hanging open.  I enjoyed what he would write in the latest issue.  I didn’t have a clue to what he was talking about when he gave a tip on follow through.  You see, I am not that tall.  I am not long and lean.  I have not worked out rigorously.  I did not have a father who taught me the game and instilled the basics into my psyche.  Above all, I am not, nor ever will I be, coordinated.  I can walk.  I can chew gum.  Don’t ask me to do them at the same time.

So the Tips of Tiger lead to nothing but frustration.  The Knowledge of Nicklaus leaves me saying, “What?”  They really can’t teach me a thing.  But Mike did.  Mike was one of the teaching pro’s at a local golf course.  I took a few lessons.  He watched me.  He said, “Do this.”  I did that.  My ball went straighter and farther.  He never said, “This is the way that Lee Travino did it.”  He said, “This is what you need to do.”

Some people are the Michael Jordan's of Education.  They have this unique gift of teaching that they have developed and honed over the years.  What they do may work, but then again, it may not.  I am guessing for most of us it won’t.  It doesn’t matter how long I practice, I will never have the hang time of Michael Jordan.  It doesn’t matter how hard I try, I will never have the natural touch of the truly gifted teacher.

Does that mean I quit?  No.  It means I accept my limitations, keep experimenting, work hard and accept that fact that I will always be second string.  It reminds me that UCLA basketball coach John Wooden started his winning streak with a bunch of short unknowns.  He went undefeated because people who would have been second string on any other team were willing to listen and work hard.

So be the best second stringer the world has ever seen.  How many yards would O.J. Simpson have gained if he didn’t have a lot of guys you never heard of taking out the majority of the other team?

homo unius libri

Opus 2012-109, A Good Word for the Calvinists

If you are not into theology you might want to skip this post and have another cup of coffee.

Currently, part of my morning worship involves reading some sermons of Jonathan Edwards.  He quoted a verse that had been under my radar.  It is a good verse for those Calvinists who are into the U, L and I of TULIP.  It drips with the undeserved, limited and irresistible.

(Acts 13:48 KJV)  And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

If my total exposure to the Bible rested on this verse I would sign up at my local Baptist church.  Or maybe I wouldn’t.  It all depends on whether I was scheduled for it or not.  Of course, if I was not scheduled for it, I won’t be interested.  If I am interested, it is not because I am really interested but because I have been programed to be interested.  My head spins with the circle I am locked into.

Anyway.  As an Arminian, I am aware of selected verses that support the main points of Calvinism.  As an Arminian, I am also aware of the multitude of verses that make it an incomplete understanding of grace and sovereignty. 

I consider this a disagreement in the family.  Please don’t throw me out with the bathwater, I might be elect and you just don’t know it.

homo unius libri