It is as sport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom. (Pro 10:23)

A few days ago, I discovered a blogsite that was bashing one of the blogs I write. A group of "Christian feminists" frequent the site and make a practice of picking apart other Christians whose lifestyles they do not like.

Of particular relish to them is the opportunity to put down, mock and slander women who submit to Biblically established authority.

I admit that I did feel somewhat sorry for these women, because many of them mention how they've been abused by the men in their lives. I think there is evidence that some of this is true.

For example, one woman stated that if a Christian father was concerned about protecting his daughter's sexual purity, that father was obsessed with his daughter's genitalia. Tell me that doesn't scream out to you a sad relationship to her own father.

On the other hand, as I engaged them with the risk of becoming like them — a temptation I found impossible to resist (Prov.26:4) — I realized something. Gossip, backbiting, slander, bickering and wrangling are a form of entertainment to these folks.

Now, you may think that perhaps I should have held my peace and refrained from engaging them altogether. In retrospect, I see you're right.

Nonetheless, ignoring slander is not necessarily a protection. In the spring of 1997 someone fabricated a rumor that the police had been called out to my house because I had threatened my wife with a gun.

Let me be clear on this. I have never threatened my wife with physical harm; I have never pointed a firearm at her. The police were not called to my house; the rumor was a total fabrication (i.e., a lie)

Well, I was never able to pin down the source of the rumor. But about a year later, I left the state, my reputation ruined by more slanderous rumors.

Slander is vicious and hurtful. People who call themselves Christians should not engage in it. And if they engage in it as a form of entertainment, it gives me cause to question their profession of faith.

Posted on Thursday 22 of January, 2009 [00:42:01 UTC]

Christian Austrian national, Sacha Walicord would like to return to his native land to plant churches among the German-speaking peoples of Europe. He envisions his ministry as the German Reformation Project.

In commenting on the rising tide of Islam in Europe, he says that it makes little difference if Europe is lost in humanism or Islam — it is still lost. To illustrate his point, he mentions a college-age young woman who had never heard of Martin Luther. Indeed, Walicord says that German culture has so eradicated the memory of the great reformer that he must read Luther's works in English, because they are no longer published in German.

Also, in regard to Islam, he emphasizes that it is NOT a religion of peace.

You may listen to Sacha Walicord's message here:

Sacha Walicord speaks at Unity ARP Church

Posted on Thursday 03 of July, 2008 [16:56:27 UTC]

Here is a link to my Christian Martialism blog:

http://warskyl.blogspot.com

Posted on Thursday 21 of February, 2008 [15:04:23 UTC]

My daughter Merrianna, who's 15, wrote this. I thought it was really insightful.

Only Me

When I was compassionate,
I did not know I was.
I knew only
I had been there;
I knew how it felt,
So I said so.

When I was courageous,
I did not feel brave.
I knew only
It had
To be done,
So I did it.

When I was full of loss,
I did not feel noble.
I felt only
The pain,
And alone
I wept.

But those to whom I had compassion
Remembered me.
Those for whom I was courageous
Thanked me.
Those who saw I was full of loss
Honored me.

But it was only
Who I was
And what was
To be done.
God worked it all.
I was only me.

Posted on Thursday 17 of August, 2006 [19:23:18 UTC]

WARNING: TERRIBLE PUN AHEAD

String theory posits multiple dimensions beyond the four dimensions (length, breadth, height & time) we experience. Here is a link to a site that gives an animated tour of the Ten Dimensions.

It's a fascinating mental exercise, but after the presentation of the Fifth Dimension, I found myself laughing more than once at a theoretical construct that posits all possibilities except that of a sovereign God. I also laughed as I saw CS Lewis's "world between" (The Magician's Nephew) in the description of the eighth dimension.

The whole exercise reminds me of the intro to "Twilight Zone". "You are now entering a new dimension . . . a dimension of mind." (Did I get the quote right? No matter, this one serves my purpose.)

The point is, do all of these ten dimensions exist outside the imagination of the theoreticians? We know that the dimensions of height & depth are created entities(Romans 8:39). Did God create other dimensions, as well? Are they necessary adjuncts to the dimensions in which we live & move & have our being?

We cannot, at present, answer these questions with any certainty. Until we can, string theory hangs by a thread.

Posted on Friday 04 of August, 2006 [15:06:31 UTC]

I'm really getting soft in my old age. There was a day when I would step out of the shower into an unheated bathroom in mid winter. The steam rolled off my skin as I toweled it dry — it was (brrrr) invigorating. Besides, heat costs money.

As much as the hot weather enervates me, we've also always pinched the pennies during the summer, as well. For me, summer — especially in the South — has always been a time to melt into a sluggish, sweaty lump.

I have to confess that, for the past few years, I have preferred a warm bathroom in winter (even the mild South Carolina winters). Now, I have also surrendered my summers to the comforts of the flesh. We have air conditioners in two rooms.

We put an A/C unit in Laura's & my bedroom so I could get some sleep on the hot days after working at night. Thanks to the kindness & generosity of a couple at church, we also have a unit in our tiny study. This will keep the computers cool & dust free as it also provides a refuge from the heat of the day for Laura & Merrianna as I snooze in the cool of the bedroom.

You can call me a wimp, but if you do, I'll be a lot less likely to get hot under the collar.

Posted on Monday 31 of July, 2006 [14:56:11 UTC]

Here's a link to a site where you can type in your address & then you'll see a very special map. The little house in the center represents your house. All the little colored squares on the map indicate registered sex offenders.

You can click on each square to get name, address & offense of each offender.

Posted on Friday 28 of July, 2006 [14:47:03 UTC]

Raquel, Merrianna & I were avid watchers of "Firefly" during its short run. It was an outer-space action/drama that Gabrielle (a friend of Raquel) described as a Western set in space.

Recently, Raquel gave an interpretation of the "Firefly" theme song on her blog. I thought it was really good. I see it a little differently, probably because of my stage of life. So, here's my take on it:

::Take my love, take my land,
Take me where I cannot stand.
I don't care, I'm still free;
You can't take the sky from me::

Here is someone whose whole world (literally, in the story) has been taken from him. I'm seeing it as a metaphor for the fact that you can take my life, but you cannot take away the sky — my hope of heaven.

Take me out to The Black;
Tell them I ain't coming back.
Burn the land; boil the sea;
You can't take the sky from me.

"The Black" is death. Taking someone out to The Black is to kill them. Burning the land and boiling the sea represent total destruction of everything one has worked for — his life calling.

In short, the message I see in the song is that you can take everything in this world from me, including my life, but the one thing you can't touch is my Eternal rest in Christ — The Sky (Heaven).

Did the song writer intend this meaning? Very probably not. The lyricist was just expressing the line of the story.

Then again, since all stories just borrow themes & plot lines from the One Story, perhaps the connection isn't so far-fetched as, at first glance, you might think.

Posted on Thursday 27 of July, 2006 [21:43:44 UTC]

I have gone into zombie mode. This has happened to me before, when I've worked nights & swing shifts.

Zombie mode is my name for the chronic state of sleep deprivation that results from inability to get sufficient sleep during the daytime hours. It involves loss of mental acuity, slowed reflexes, and a general fogginess of perception. All last week I was in bad zombie mode.

Bad zombie is so tired, it hurts. Everything he does takes a gigantic effort, and all he can think about is his longing for sleep. Yesterday, however, I went into good zombie mode.

Good zombie is just as tired & sleep-deprived as bad zombie, but he feels relaxed & mellow (like working hard on a cold day & then sitting by the fire). I like good zombie more than bad zombie, but good zombie is more dangerous.

Good zombie's mental focus, reflexes & perception are just as faulty as bad zombie's, but that false sense of well-being can lull you into thinking everything is fine, when it's not.

The other day I pulled out right in front of a vehicle that was coming straight toward me. In God's providence, he stopped in time. Had he not, the collision would have been my fault: lack of focus as a result of fatigue. That was in bad zombie mode.

In good zombie mode, who knows what stupid (related to the word stupor) thing I might do.

When all is said & done, I still like good zombie better than bad zombie. If I had my way, however, I'd really rather not be a zombie at all.

Posted on Wednesday 26 of July, 2006 [21:44:55 UTC]

In my last post, I mentioned that wealthy special interests dominate American foreign policy. Providentially, I also rec'd the link to this article:

"The Twilight's Last Gleaming?"

The material on Biblical prophecy is, I think, totally mistaken, but the historical facts are accurate. The author does not go into the behind-the-scenes manipulations regarding Bretton Woods, but his conclusion that the invasion of Iraq had everything to do with the hegemony of the dollar is right on.

As I said previously, "Follow the money."

Posted on Thursday 20 of July, 2006 [20:43:13 UTC]