Cauterize the Madness- Happy New Year 2007

More than ever before this holiday break was stressful and absurd with family infighting and bickering.

It is very good to be home. God bless the families that live by the good Book and think of others more than themselves. It is a rare quality indeed and one that we are blessed to observe here in our home town more than other places.

The specifics are many – the problem is singular:

Selfishness.

I have heard it said and do believe it is true that Greatest Generation gave up everything for their survival through the Great Depression and World War II. My grandparents (on both sides) came home from the war and built the greatest democracy in the world --all with a selfless spirit and focus on duty.
What came next was the Baby Boom which brought us the 60’s and the WIIFM generation (“What’s In It For Me”?) They had it so good from the sacrifice made by their parents that they got lazy and started expecting everything and expecting it now. Credit cards, lawyers, yoga, tofu and ADHD are what we have as a legacy.

It has run amuck.

The fruit of the selfishness is greed and the pursuit of money. Not that these things didn’t exist before, but I’m not sure it was as prevalent before. Now it seeks to separate families!

It shouldn’t have to be this way.

It won’t be this way.

God willing.

The Inconvenient Truth- Al Gore's Really Bad Movie

My oldest son (6th grade) came home one day last week and told me that they were watching Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in school and would have to report on it. After my head lifted off my head and spun three times I took some Valium and decided to do some research with him so that we could put together a academically proper report. In my zeal I decided to write a report as though I was the student who was forced to listen liberal propaganda in the movie. What follows is MY report unedited with all the colorings that would SURELY get me kicked out of school. My son also wrote his report (based heavily on mine, I might add) without the sarcastic musings.

...........

I do not believe that global warming is caused by human beings. Global warming is part of a long term cycle caused by geo-climatic conditions occurring in hundred year cycles. I therefore believe that if humans cannot create global warming they cannot stop global warming. God made our wonderful earth to build glaciers, melt glaciers, spew billions of tons of toxic ash into the atmosphere from volcano’s and create hurricanes like Katrina. None of these were caused by people- they were caused by God. Although it takes faith to believe the way I do, in my opinion it takes a faith and arrogance to believe that global warming is caused by people.

Since 1895, the media has scared the public with global cooling and warming scares. From 1895 until the 1930's the media promoted a coming ice age. From the late 1920's until the 1960's they warned of global warming. From the 1950's until the 1970's they warned us again of a coming ice age. The present man-made global warming hype is just the latest scare.

The “hockey stick” was used in the movie to prove human caused global warming in the 20^th century. It is a hoax.

According to Surface Temperature Reconstructions for the Last 2,000 Years a publication of the National Academy of Sciences published in 2006- the authors reaffirmed the existence of the Medieval Warm Period from about 900 AD to 1300 AD and the Little Ice Age from about 1500 to 1850. Both of these periods occurred long before the invention of the SUV or human industrial activity. In fact, scientists believe the Earth was warmer during the Medieval Warm Period when the Vikings grew crops in Greenland, than today. Maybe that is why they named it G R E E N land?

Alarmist politicians, Hollywood producers and teachers have been attempting to erase the Medieval Warm Period from the earth's climate history for at least a decade. David Deming, a professor at the University of Oklahoma's College of Geosciences, can testify to that. Dr. Deming was welcomed into the close-knit group of global warming believers after he published a paper in 1995 that noted some warming in the 20th century. Deming says he was then contacted by a global warming “scientists” who told him point blank "we have to get rid of the Medieval Warm Period." When the "Hockey Stick" graph first appeared in 1998, it did just that.

Speaking of this Al Gore movie, a pile of liberal excrement vainly propagated on young formative minds, the government recently published his A Skeptics Guide to Debunking Global Warming. The pamphlet available at: http://epw.senate.gov/repwhitepapers/6341044%20Hot%20&%20Cold%20Media.pdf. What follows is an excerpt from a floor speech given by James Inhofe Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works delivered Monday September 25, 2006.

What follows is a very brief summary of the science that the former Vice President promotes in either a wrong or misleading way:

· He promoted the now debunked “hockey stick” temperature chart in an attempt to prove man’s overwhelming impact on the climate

· He attempted to minimize the significance of Medieval Warm period and the Little Ice Age

· He insisted on a link between increased hurricane activity and global warming that most sciences believe does not exist.

· He asserted that today’s Arctic is experiencing unprecedented warmth while ignoring that temperatures in the 1930’s were as warm or warmer

· He claimed the Antarctic was warming and losing ice but failed to note, that is only true of a small region and the vast bulk has been cooling and gaining ice.

· He hyped unfounded fears that Greenland’s ice is in danger of disappearing

· He erroneously claimed that ice cap on Mt. Kilimanjaro is disappearing due to global warming, even while the region cools and researchers blame the ice loss on local land-use practices

· He made assertions of massive future sea level rise that is way out side of any supposed scientific “consensus” and is not supported in even the most alarmist literature.

· He incorrectly implied that a Peruvian glacier’s retreat is due to global warming, while ignoring the fact that the region has been cooling since the 1930s and other glaciers in South America are advancing

· He blamed global warming for water loss in Africa’s Lake Chad, despite NASA scientists concluding that local population and grazing factors are the more likely culprits

· He inaccurately claimed polar bears are drowning in significant numbers due to melting ice when in fact they are thriving

· He completely failed to inform viewers that the 48 scientists who accused President Bush of distorting science were part of a political advocacy group set up to support Democrat Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.

The movie we watched was nothing more than wild propaganda. It had a very one-sided point of view about global warming in saying that humans cause it. This movie is nothing more than an angry looser going insane in a desperate attempt to find legitimacy. He lost the presidential election in 2000 and has faded into obscurity. This movie was his attempt to find meaning in his life. He is a lost soul and a lost mind just as in the tradition established by his racist father who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

...............................

ASSIGNEMENT QUESTIONS

List several harmful effect of global warming.

1. Bigger electric bill from running our air conditioner
2. More suntan lotion for when I go fishing and swimming
3. Having to listen to junk science being forced down our throat in school.

State some small changes we could make in our lives to be less harmful to our environment.

1. The premise is wrong. I don’t believe that we can affect the environment with individual changes in lifestyle

Conclude by stating the following:
What I will do to make a positive impact upon this problem?

1. The premise is wrong. Global warming is not a problem. It is a natural cycle that our earth goes through. We are not gods, we cannot control the path that this earth takes and to think so is arrogant. There is no impact whatsoever that I can make on global warming.

Summarize my stance on this sensitive issue.

My stance on global warming is that naturally occurs without human intervention. This movie is based on junk science and arrogance. It is junk science because global warming and cooling has happened naturally for thousands of years with and without industry pollution. The idea that humans created global warming is arrogant because we are not God. The idea that we can stop global warming morphs arrogance into clinical stupidity.

PayPal Goes Postal- In a Good Way

Leave it the United States Federal government to continue to demonstrate irrelevance. This time (or as always) with the postal system.

I do a LOT of shipping with FedEx Ground, USPS and least of all UPS. For years I struggled to efficiently ship out items sold on eBay or items sent to customers. I usually guess as to shipping fees to charge eBay customers- but finally bought digital postal scales.

For years I have used our FedEx Ground stickers to adhere to boxes and it has been great because we get billed later and can pay for everything once per month. But FedEx charges more than USPS and occasionally have screwed up deliveries I have sent or received. So I have searched for a way to use USPS as long as it lessens my hassle.

So USPS finally came out with stamps.com. Cool – right? Not. You have to PAY just to use that service in addition to your postage fees. How about the USPS web site? Well there is “Click-n-Ship” but you still have to type in the addressee to see the costs and print out the label to stick on your box. USPS’s address import feature is bug ridden as is their desktop software – Shipping Assistant 3.0.

So yesterday the sun came out and God shined down upon me. It was right there all along but was hidden.

PAYPAL!

I have seen their “Print Shipping Label” feature for months but upon selecting that option was taken to PayPal’s UPS portal. NOT. I don’t like UPS because of the complete hassle in dropping off my package to their Gaylord location which is a TOTAL hassle. And of course, they charge to come here to pick it up.

But- when I dug deeper in PayPal I found that I could select USPS as the default shipper and use that to ship all items. Bingo!

No importing of addressees, no package drop off hassles (my Post Office is just 2 miles away), no pick up hassles (our mailman will pick up anything), shipping fee hassles are gone – I can pay directly from PayPal when printing out the USPS label, AND THE COSTS ARE THE LOWEST!

The stars have aligned.

Reagan Lives Again

We know only too well that war comes not when the forces of freedom are strong; it is when they are weak that tyrants are tempted. We simply cannot learn these lessons the hard way again without risking our destruction.

Ronald Reagan
RNC Convention in Detroit
July 1980

For some unknown reason, I decided to find Ronald Reagan audio clips online. I found a site that lists his most famous speeches beginning in 1964 when he campaigned for Barry Goldwater. I cannot begin to communicate how refreshing it is to hear the greatest president in my lifetime state (with clarity) the principles I embrace.

I actually listened to four or five entire speeches in mp3 format including is farewell in the Oval Office. They have been refreshing, inspiring and (dare I say), emotional.

In this present time there is NO conservative leadership, NO conservative ideal being modeled in Washington and certainly with NO conservative agenda from George W. Bush. Reagan has rescued me.

I came into my political awareness during the Reagan presidency but have always relied more on adulating fans of Reagan than my own first hand experience. It was time for me to go back, look and listen for myself.

With internet marvels such as Google image clips, audio clips and YouTube – Reagan’s leadership and charisma can be experienced once again. I think it’s what many conservatives need – it certainly is what I needed.

Couldn't Have Said It Better

"We Transformationed to a New Democractic Super Majority"

I know what you're thinking Don...."what a dumbass"!

Compassionate conservative do-nothing - unable to lead a conservative movement for congressmen to follow.

Jerk.

Bush No More

Reluctantly and angrily today I no longer support George Bush.

It is though I cannot believe what I am writing. No one has been a more rock solid Republican voter than me! I have NEVER voted Democrat. I always vote straight Republican except for the U of M Board of Regents, MSU and Wayne State University boards- in which case I vote straight Libertarian.

After listening to George Bush’s firing of Donald Rumsfeld and the following news conference yesterday- I find Bush to be simply embarrassing. I used to think his stutters and misspeaking were endearing, but have now become pandering, apologetic and whining.

For the sake of ensuring a Democrat loss, I never broke ranks in the past. Now there is nothing to loose. Bush lost the election by failing to lead a conservative movement.

Bottom line: George Bush is NOT a conservative. He does NOT promote a conservative ideology. He does NOT demand conservative points and agenda items down through the ranks of Congress. He does NOT lead a conservative movement.

That is why Republicans lost. Democrats put on their sheep’s clothing and talked like conservatives for the last four weeks deceiving the electorate while the Republicans slept. The Republicans were silent on values, silent on partial birth abortions, silent on Marriage Amendments, silent on all the things that win in elections. Barak Obama sounded like a born-again evangelical in the last four weeks of his Democratic run. All this while his voting record shows no sign of the conservative values he spouted in his campaign.

Because conservatism wins every time.

Conservatism did not lose, REPUBLICANS DID.

Democrats filled the vacuum.

George Bush is a jelly-spined president on most every issue except terrorism. Although he has been effective on national defense, he has done NOTHING to promote his cause by helping win congressional elections NECESSARY in getting his supporters in office.

Two steps forward – two steps back. Thanks George!

God Help Us All

I’m so depressed I’m cancelling all my appointments today and going fishing.

Jennifer (Oh Canada!) Grandholm, Debbie Stab-me-now and Nancy Pelosi now make the governmental decision affecting my life. NANCY PELOSI of San Francisco! HELLO!

My old idea that 50% of everyone you meet is an idiot is outdated.

It’s now 56%.

God help us all.

Much more to come….

Got Religion?

It amuses me to look back on history and see how the pendulum of meaning changes from generation to generation.

Take cigarettes, they were commonplace and accepted in the 1950’s but are a bane today. Churches were once bastions of denominational heritage and are now in competition for superior ecumenicalism.

Take the Christian faith. A popular and at times- misleading statement from the pulpit is, “you don’t need religion, you need Jesus”. Well what’s wrong with looking at Jesus religiously? If the point of that statement is forsaking all other faiths in preference of Christianity, then fine. But maybe more religion is what we really need. Maybe we need to approach our relationship to Jesus more religiously.

Where has duty gone? I mean duty as being a virtue. Duty once held a prized position in a virtuous life. It was held highly by the likes of George Washington, John Wesley, Clara Barton and Mother Theresa.

There is the heroic tale of Lord Nelson who saved England from conquest at Trafalgar in 1805. They remembered his signal to the sailors of all ships of the line, “England expects every man to do his duty.” Then there was that dreadful day when the young (queen to be) Elizabeth learned, when she was ten years old, that her Uncle David, King Edward VIII, was not going to do his duty, but was to give up the Throne in 1936 for the woman he loved.

Duty: a moral obligation to act, an impulsive response to a higher calling.

Duty’s virtue is apparent in sermons of yesteryear. Take the first sentence of John Wesley Sermon 101 written in 1787: I am to show that it is the duty of every Christian to receive the Lord’s Supper as often as he can.

What does this mean for today? To me it means that we have forsaken duty in several areas of our Christian walk.

Church Attendance
“Forsake not the assembling” has turned into “I’ll go to church if I feel like it”. This command given to us in the book of Hebrews is non negotiable, but how often we don’t see it as a divine instruction, but instead worship corporately on our own schedule.

Meaningful Liturgy
Twenty-first century evangelicalism has devolved to a church service that is many times staid and void of meaning. I categorize current church worship liturgy into what I think of as a liturgical triangle: Modern Pentecostal, Conservative Baptist and Liturgical Catholicism – with all shades of difference in between.

We sing two praise choruses, have the offering, listen to the announcements, sign and pass the register book, sing a couple more songs then listen to the sermon and go home. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a true communion with God every Sunday? What about a quiet, darkened sanctuary with a few lit candles at the altar while we commune with God? What about approaching God in reverence and awe instead of hoping to catch a glimpse of Him through the over-amplified Christian rock/praise appealing to our baser instincts?

The same goes for another side of the church triangle in those churches whose weekly church service consists of hymns written with archaic words accompanied with a loud out-of-tune piano, poorly sung bluegrass music, then a “fire and brimstone” sermon.

Finally, there are the quiet, repetitive and rote utterances of Roman Catholic liturgy which can lack the element of a personally relating with Jesus Christ. Maybe this could be taking duty a little too far.

So how can we be more religious in our Christian walk?

Obligatory Prayer
How about teaching our children that prayer and devotion are expected daily? I know that this only had a positive effect on my parents and family who practiced it. What was at times a hassle turned into a valued and regular talk with God. This time can become cherished and provide a good heritage.

Compulsory Sacrifice
Our sacrifice can be as simple as opening a door for an elderly person at a restaurant. Sacrifice is the idea that other people (and a higher purpose) are more important than us. This may be the hardest thing to achieve in our world. We live in a world where it’s “all about me, all about I, all about #1” as the song goes. We need to give up our comfort and pride for the benefit that others would see Creator of the world.

Holy Reverence for Christ
This means living Christ in our community with the idea that we represent saved sinners only by the grace of God. For most of us, this would mean living in humility and reverence.

So duty and religion go hand in hand. Instead of viewing God as just casual friend we need to view Him with greater piety. Granted all Christian are different and all Christians will view God differently, but I maintain that we could all use a little more religion in our walk.

Time for Labor Day to Die

Labor Day is the most useless of all the holidays. Besides that, it is the most oxymoronic with an emphasis on “moronic”. Where did Labor Day come from? Basically, it was started by labor unions in 1884 in New York City. By June 28, 1894, Congress passed a law making Labor Day official.

Whatever you think about Labor Unions of yore, now they are clearly illegitimate (observe the disintegration of GM and Ford). But like all things governmental, traditions and programs are retained regardless of their meaning. Just look at FDR’s Social InSecurity program and the Income Tax (Achievement Tax) that was implemented to assist in the time of war. These are programs that once may have been effective but are now Jurassic and disfunctional.

Now Michigan politicians, with their infinite reservoirs of wisdom and moral light, have passed an IDIOTIC law banning schools from starting until after Labor Day. So it is good for the tourism business? Great! Let’s think of some new laws that negatively affect education for the benefit of business. How about a new law mandating that each HS student spends one week each school year working for local businesses pro bono? Now there is a surge in Michigan’s economy.

This STUPID school start date law combined with the MEAP testing mandates are forcing schools into an almost impossible scheduling situation.

I don’t rest on Labor Day. I’m stressed for the first day of school which is TOMORROW. My kids are stressed, my wife is stressed and my dog is stressed. Labor Day adds one more day to the school year pushing the year end out farther into June. With all the snow day we have already - who wants that?

So let’s face it. Labor Day is useless.

Labor Day celebrates Unions which don’t work.

Labor Day screws up the school calendar.

NO ONE rests on Labor Day- they are too busy stressing about the next day!

Labor Day is a bad excuse for a holiday. It must die.

My Take on the Whole JonBenet, John Karr Thing

I cannot help but be delighted at watching the media squirm in anger as they realize that they have been had. John Mark Karr is not their man. DNA tests yesterday proved he did not rape JonBenet. God- what a stupid name. It just sounds so pompous and erudite. What a bunch of pompous blow hard parents that would name their kid after French, patẻ eating surrender monkeys.

Granted, I hope they do find the rapist and the killer. I still think it is possible that John Mark Karr may have killed her. Maybe someone else raped her and then he killed her – who knows. He is still a creep. He looks like a lot of college students I remember in music school. I think it’s the polo shirts buttoned to the neck.

It is just that the media was already demonizing Mr. Karr and had him convicted before the truth came out. The TV gaggle couldn’t rush to the microphone fast enough. It would be hard to label any one talking head – but the one I saw last night was the substitute for O’Reilly. I can’t think of his name, but he is otherwise a decent guy (former conservative Congressman from Ohio, I think). He was ranting in disgust at how the Boulder DA screwed this up.

Ha ha - sucka's!

And also let me give the final word on the Ramsey’s. Mr. Ramsey, I hear, is a decent man. I have heard this first hand from a local politician who knows him. Frankly, if I had a chance to meet him, I’m sure we would agree on lot being that we are both conservatives. (Well, I’m 50% Republican, 50% Libertarian- so maybe we would agree on most things.)

But I’m sorry.

Any parent that names their kid JonBenet is screwed up. Then to smear your kids face with make-up, put evening gowns on them and cover them with jewelry shows a serious Oedipus complex.
To me it is the height of arrogance and dysfunction. The poor girl ate it up; I’m sure to no fault of her own. She was a normal girl forced into tragic circumstances by her “popularity fiend” parents.

And if it was Patsy who was the driving force behind the beauty queen pageant complex- I still blame Mr. for being a willing accomplice. As the man in
the family he should have had put his foot down. NOTHING positive comse from these stupid youth beauty pageants! All it does is glorify outward appearance as a primary factor of character. Besides that- it gives the kid a false idea that they are “above” other kids who may not be as attractive- thereby, leading to a contorted view of the world. Also- it pits one couple against another for “the title” of having the “best girl”. What a bunch of crap.

Besides my daughter is way more beautiful than theirs anyway. After all, Kaylee made it to the cover of People Magazine. Suckas!

I don’t mean to resurrect all the negativity especially since Patsy died last hear from cancer- but the frankly- it’s not me who has resurrected these emotions. It is the media who has gone wall-to-wall with JonBenet coverage.

John Mark Karr is a perv – there is no question about it. He is a mistake waiting to happen or maybe it’s already happened. I’m not sure what the facts are regarding his criminal activity- but what is clear is what had been left in his wake – a broken home, abandoned kids, multiple firings from multiple elementary school teaching jobs, residency
in Bangkok .

Folks- let me be blunt about Bangkok. If you are not in the military, missions or just passing through- you are probably there to get attention from 10 year old girls. I could be more graphic- but will try to keep this post somewhere above the gutter.
It is a depraved city. The Sodom or Gomorrah of the far East.

Still, pray for his soul.

Why I Voted “NO” on the Jail

[Letter to the Editor of the Gaylord Herald Times submitted August 12, 2006]

After seeing Jail Initiative Fact Sheet published by Otsego County it was clear that I would vote “NO” on the construction of a new jail.

Before seeing the fact sheet I was more concerned with cost of 1.6 mills over 20 years, which would have personally cost me over $4,000 over 20 years. After seeing the fact sheet I was shocked to see the type of people that are being jailed in Otsego County most of which should never be in jail to begin with.

According to the Fact Sheet Crime Statistics, in 2005-2006 there were 3,627 charges against inmates residing at the jail. Fifty-one percent (51%) of charges were drug related. Apparently, many of these are people smoking dope, getting high and ……..threatening public safety? No, just screwing up their own lives. Why waste valuable jail space on pot heads? Hey, if inmates are truly a public threat, such as drunk driving, I believe they should be in punished in jail and detoxed, but for idiots who want to shoot LSD and watch Pink Floyd videos, why send them to jail? That is not an efficient use of my tax dollars!

In addition, I do not see the value of jailing misdemeanor criminals which were 67% of the outstanding warrants as of May of 2006. I see the failure of the New Jail Proposal as a catalyst for proper pruning of the criminal justice system of Otsego County.

Secondly, for those who DO belong behind bars, I want the most discomfort possible. Jail is should not be a social service, it should be punishment. My, how the pendulum swings from cruel Medieval torture to 21st century “rehabilitation” (and cable TV). Where is the middle ground of punishment by confinement? While I am personally compassionate towards the remorseful that have broken laws, I see the role of the county jail to punish.

If you think that 8-12 inmates per cell is crowded, go talk to submarine crew from the U.S. Navy, maybe they could explain what overcrowded accommodations are. I frankly do not care that hardened criminals are uncomfortable. Committing serious crime is not a ticket to Club Med.

If there is a valid safety concern for inmates such as putting hardened criminals in the same cell as first time offenders, then slap the first time offenders with a hefty fine and let them go. Next time they won’t be first time offenders. If Bubba wants to “play” with the other inmates, then either Bubba needs serious restraints placed upon him, or perhaps he belongs in a more restrictive correctional facility.

Thirdly, my “NO” vote on the jail proposal was a personal referendum on what I have seen as over-zealous laws and police officers.

The most recent example is that a good personal friend was stopped by the Gaylord City Police this past week and the corner of Dickerson and M-32 and given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. When asking the officer what else he had done to be stopped, there was no other reason. The officer said that they were in the middle of a “campaign” to enforce seat belt use. A “campaign?” Without going into a diatribe on my views of useless and intrusive laws, let me say that stopping a driver for not wearing a seat belt is government tyranny.

When fines are delivered to the citizenry to enforce useless laws (“air crimes”) it is strictly revenue raising. In the past it was know as highway robbery, now we call it “Click It or Ticket”. Police need to stop acting as the county pillagers and focus on something serious, such as, oh…..crime fighting.

While this is not directly tied to my nixing a new jail, the “NO” vote is my voice of opposition to law enforcement gone amuck.

Incidentally, I voted “YES” on all other proposals, which provided an actual benefit to me, a citizen of Otsego County.

“Respite to Reload” for Hezbollah

What a bunch of crap! According to the ABC NEWS online headline, Israeli PM Has Accepted Cease-Fire Deal.

Condoleezza has reluctantly taken the bait and caved to the pressures of the “international community” (whatever the hell that means). Time to cycle through the same mistakes that have been happening for the last 60 years.

What’s the phrase? THOSE WHO FORGET THE MISTAKES OF HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT THEM.

Here we go again.

Every time Hezbollah and Israel have a “cease fire” or a “time-out” or a new “land for peace” deal, it always ends up as “respite to reload” plan for Hezbollah.

Mark my words. This will not work. It is a merely the calm before the storm. Prime Minister Olmert has accepted this “cease-fire” because of U.N. pressure once again, but the pot is boiling. The time is coming when the godless and demon possessed Hezbollah will again commit an atrocity against Israel, and the camels back will be broken.

There is only one solution to the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. TOTAL DEFEAT OF HEZBOLLAH.

Nothing short will do. Civilians will be killed as all total defeats have shown us. Here are a few battles in history where TOTAL VICTORY meant the killing of civilians.

DATE: February 13, 1945
PLACE: Dresden, Germany
U.S. bombing killed at least 35,000 civilians to ensure the Nazi’s were stopped.

DATE: August 6, 1945
PLACE: Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan
U.S. atomic bombs killed 214,000 civilians resulting in defeat of the murderous Empire of Japan

So let’s see if this new “cease-fire” will be the one that will bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

Kum-by-ah.

Three Cheers for the MI-5

Have you noticed that EVERYONE is a suspect? The granny with a cane, mothers with baby food and white guys with golf clubs. All because we are afraid to profile.

All Muslims are not terrorists but have you noticed that all terrorists are Muslim?

So we have slowed air transportation to a crawl because now we assume that every traveler is a terrorist. Well, that would be the easy way out wouldn’t it? Since we can’t (won’t) identify Middle Eastern Muslim men as the higher risk for sinister activity, we inconvenience the masses to avoid being called a racist. This is all part of the exposure of white guilt so poignantly championed be Shelby Steele.


Thanks to the British patriots we are safer again for a while. With laser precision, dogged persistence and steel resolve they have taken down the twenty-one Muslim men who were intent on blowing up airliners over the Atlantic. No CIA leaks, no international diplomacy, no treason by the New York Times and no “cautious restraint” from Kofi Annan, the chief anti-Semite.

Our Homeland Security has much to learn from the MI-5 and the Mossad, if only they would. Take the fight to the enemy and defeat them. Most likely, Middle Eastern Muslim men, that is.

No More Slavery

What a challenge! Dave Ramsey, a financial counselor has put us to the test. The question is “can we succeed”? Debt is bad – that is the point.

We are on a mission to become debt free. In our culture it is not taught to defend against the constant onslaught of credit card offers, refinancing offers, home equity and the like. I certainly bought into the whole thing back in college. It started with a yellow credit card application from Citibank on my dorm desk in 1986. It gave me instant access to $2,000 which started me on an undisciplined binge lasting until, well – lately.

I have heard people like Larry Burkett and others on the radio counseling about proper financial living, but frankly, it always sounded unrealistic and boring. No more.

Thanks to Dave Ramsey, who’s “in your face” style is what I needed. I could not recommend anyone more highly. He has shown us how all our debts can be erased with some laser focused attention for the next seven years. It is seriously possible to have everything paid off – including our home – in seven years. For those of you who know me- that sounds like a big leap. You may wonder if we can even have normal life at the same time. The short answer in no. My “normal life” has always consisted in getting stuff, stuff and more stuff. For us it is monumental to be debt free by the time our oldest graduates from high school.

Can we do it? It is a big mountain. I think so and I’m determined.

My short sighted view of finances has gotten the best of me over time and has made me a slave. Proverbs 22:7 says it all – “the borrower is SLAVE to the lender”. I really feel like a whipping boy to our mortgage company and I’ve had enough.

My slavery to the lenders has choked off my ability to tithe properly, give to caused that we believe in and made many of the little things in life a struggle.

Maybe some of you are in the same rut. Drop me a note if you can relate.

Uncle Tom Ritchie - 1946-2006

Today my uncle Tom Ritchie of Lowell, MI died of meningitis that suddenly attacked his weakened immune system after undergoing chemotherapy for the last few months.

My memories of Uncle Tom go back to my earliest days. He and his family have always been part of the "inner circle' of family gatherings. His father and my grandmother were orphaned siblings in the 1920's. Their sibling bond held tight even among their respective children, that being my dad and Uncle Tom and subsequent families.

Uncle Tom was a very successful businessman having started his own paper products brokerage then expanding into other recyclable products then eventually into meat and deli products. He was very successful by this world's standards but even more successful in building the kingdom of God through his ministry with Baptists for Life and many short term mission trips to Romania working with adoption agencies there. He is to this day known as "dad" by many Romanian people. His love changed many lives.

He radiated love in so many ways. He always had a smile on his face - and always had a funny joke to tell. You knew he loved his kids and grandkids because of the love they showed to him. It was obvious- he was full of love. I know the love came from Christ who meant everything to him.

I also remember Uncle Tom as being able to give a whooping when he needed to. One time many year yore- I was on the receiving end of that much needed discipline and I am grateful for it. He always disciplined in love.

My dear wife had the privilege of working for Uncle Tom the year we met at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in Muskegon, MI. Darlene actually worked for him for two full years until we moved to Portage, MI. I'll never forget Uncle Tom crying as we loaded the moving truck from our Grand Rapids apartment in regret that Darlene would be moving away. He was really fond of Darlene and it was clear that she was more of a daughter than an employee.

Darlene loved Uncle Tom and has always thought the world of him. Uncle Tom in a way was an "ambassador" of the Perrine family to Darlene in that he represented all the positive traits that I wanted to show to Darlene of my extended family. In fact, Darlene could not imagine a better work experience with such a Godly leader and boss as Uncle Tom was. To this day, Darlene compares every boss to him. The measuring stick is very tall making it tough for any boss to compare.

Most of all, Uncle Tom was a Godly man. I'm sure those closest to him knew his shortcomings, but to most everyone he came into contact with, he was Christ. He loved so deeply.

Matt, John, Phil and Leah and Aunt Terre - I have no idea how you can cope with this loss. Only through prayer, time and a clear image of Uncle Tom sitting next to Jesus.

Uncle Tom- you are a model to me and I praise God for you. Your life was pillar of love and goodness for all to see.

To your beloved family -
from Mark, Darlene, Kellen, Benji, Kaylee and Brianna Perrine

Darlene & Mark - 14 Years Together!

To Darlene -

For the fourteen years of our marriage, God has seen fit to bless us in unimaginable ways. Once again, this year – I am given to write you a sonnet, plagiarized, though it may be. I hope it can express my love to you better than through a card.

These words, though not in foresight of my death, express my heartfelt love.

Sullivan Ballou, a Major of the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers, fought for the Union cause. On July 14, 1841, he wrote a letter to his beloved wife two weeks before the Battle of Bull Run.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but omnipotence can break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly with all those chains to the battlefield. The memory of all the blissful moments I have enjoyed with you come crowding over me, and I feel most deeply grateful to God and you, that I have enjoyed them for so long. And how hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes and future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and see our boys grown up to honorable manhood around us.

If I do not return, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I loved you, nor that when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name...

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless, how foolish I have sometimes been!

But, 0 Sarah, if the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they love, I shall always be with you, in the brightest day and in the darkest night... always, always. And when the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath, or the cool air your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for me, for we shall meet again...

Sullivan Ballou was killed one week later in the 1st battle of Bull Run.

If I could live every day as though it were my last it would be with these thoughts. I love you and am the most blessed of men to have you in my life.

Love,

Mark
June 6, 2006

SHE'S ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!

A case of mistaken identity. A small glimpse of the grace of God. A visual demostration of the love of Jesus in coming back from the dead.

Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, Jesus!

Visit the blog of the Laura VanRyn (authored by her parents), the girl who died and was thought to be alive.

I'm Baaaaack

I'm baaack. Since the foliage has sprouted from our home to the radio tower, we lost internet. Until, that is, I ordered "The Silver Bullet" a powerful antenna that cuts through the forest to optimize the signal. I installed that up on the roof yesterday, in the freezing rain. Why? Because I was desperate for my internet. I suppose it's like an alcoholic needing booze.

So I went up the ladder with an umbrella, socket wrench, crescent wrench, utility knife, tacky tape and a towel. It was ok for the first 10 minutes, then I started feeling, umm- queasy. After all, I was just 3 feet from a 50 foot drop.

Anywho. It turns out that my transmission problem is more likely due to a wireless router problem than anything else.

Long story- short. It finally works!

Show Your Sis Some Love

Kellen and Benji, you are two of the greatest gifts your mother and I have been given. Kellen, you were born at a time of tumult in our lives at the end of teaching career and beginning of my venture into the scary world of sales and business. Your early formative years saw many changes from living in a busy metropolis, to a serene country farm in Suttons Bay and finally to our forest home. You started kindergarten in Detroit, 1st grade in a school comprised mostly of native Americans and now in Gaylord.

Ben, it hasn’t been quite as turbulent for you, but you too, have had your share of adjustments.

What has your mom and I concerned at this time is your jealousy and resentment towards your younger sisters. Truly, I can understand why you feel this way. Kaylee is a people pleaser. She loves to be around us. She craves approval and love. She is a girl. Ponies, princesses, pink and pretty posies. Brianna is the shadow of her older sister, just slightly funnier.

You love video games, Lord of the Rings movies and watching TV. But just because the girls want to spend more time with us DOES NOT make us love them more than you. I hope and pray that someday you will see that your natural inclinations as boys does not make you less special than them.

Realize that your mother and I made a commitment before you were born that we would never show favoritism and would give you each all the love you deserve. We love you for the boys that you are.

Actually, you are just like me! I was the same way. You wouldn’t catch me coloring pink or asking my parents to watch me dance. I was too busy shooting crows, snakes and trying to get myself killed. Totally boy.

I hope it is sooner than later that you learn to love your “annoying” sisters for who they are. Realize that they look up to you and admire you. To them you are their cool brothers. Hopefully, you can model the chivalrous men someday they will want to associate with.

In the mean time, hold on to love that your little sisters want to show to you and just pretend – just imagine the possibility that their admiration for you may not last forever. Their admiration for you is something that some boys never get and live their whole lives wishing to receive.

Start giving your sisters a big hug.

We love you. Hey – let’s go fishing tomorrow!

In Loving Memory of Whitney Cerak

In loving memory of Witney Cerak. I never knew her directly, but I know, love and respect her parents, Newell and Colleen Cerak. You could scour this earth and never find two nicer and more decent people.

Last night a truck crossed the median on I-69 in Indiana ripping in half the van containing college students from Taylor University.

The sadness emanating is beyond words. We are to bear one anothers burdens. In that light, I can only describe the overwhelming grief as God's call for us to hold up Colleen, Newell and Whitneys older sister's at this time.

Whitney- I know that you had a positive effect on so many if your life. It is a regret that I never got to know you personally. I am certain that you are now dancing in the arms of Jesus and waiting for you dear family to join you.

Darlene and I tearfully, send our sympathies to the family and close friends and lift them up in prayer at this time.

5 Politically Incorrect Thoughts

God is bigger than government.

Tobacco is a savory and magnificent gift of God, suitable for human consumption as chocolate.

Ken Burns is a smart and talented fruitcake.

Good programming on PBS does not justify forced excise against the American people.

Gaylord is an unfortunately named city and should be changed.

Michigan's Economy- What Could Have Been

Here is the legacy of the UAW over the last 40 years. This is my short summary of what has been written by George Reisman at the Ludwig von Mises Institute.

FIRST
The Big Three would have not made “Monday morning” automobiles. That is, poorly made cars due to a production date falling when too few workers showed up.

SECOND
Without the UAW, GM would have been free to produce in the most-efficient, lowest cost way and to introduce improvements in efficiency as rapidly as possible.

THIRD
Without the UAW, GM would have an average unit cost per automobile close to that of non-union Toyota. Toyota makes a profit of about $2,000 per vehicle, while GM suffers a loss of about $1,200 per vehicle, a difference of $3,200 per unit.

FOURTH
Without the UAW, the cost of employing a GM factory worker, including wages and fringes, would not be in excess of $72 per hour.

FIFTH
As a result of UAW coercion and extortion, GM has lost billions upon billions of dollars.

SIXTH
Without the UAW, GM would not now be in process of attempting to pay a ransom to its UAW workers of up to $140,000 per man, just to get them to quit and take their hands out of its pockets.

SEVENTH
Without the UAW, GM would not now have healthcare obligations that account for more than $1,600 of the cost of every vehicle it produces.

EIGHTH
Without the UAW, GM would not now have pension obligations which, if entered on its balance sheet in accordance with the rule now being proposed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, will leave it with a net worth of minus $16 billion.

NINTH
Without the UAW tens of thousands of workers — its own members — would not now be faced with the loss of pension and healthcare benefits that it is impossible for GM or any of the other auto companies to provide, and never was possible for them to provide.

TENTH
Without the UAW and its fantasy-land mentality, autoworkers would have been motivated to save out of wages actually paid to them.

Instead, like small children, lured by the prospect of free candy from a stranger, they have been led to a very bad end. They thought they would receive endless free golden eggs from a goose they were doing everything possible to maim and finally kill, and now they're about to learn that the eggs just aren't there.

And the Big Three are complicit. They didn’t have to go along – but did.

Pay to Praise?

Keith Green led by example in his life. One of the more memorable things that he is did was his fight against the commercialization of Christian Contemporary Music (CCM). Specifically, he was distraught at CCM artists charging admission for their concerts. One artist who carries that banner today is Steve Camp. Here is his powerful opinion on charging admission for Christian concerts.

Keith Green’s method was to accept love offerings to finance his ministry. In this way, people were free to come to his concerts regardless of their ability to pay, thereby letting all who came to hear the gospel of Jesus. His example is rarely followed now except in rare circumstances.

I think money truly becomes a stumbling block with outrageous prices to "worship" concerts, namely, the ones I see advertised in our Michigan Christian concerts events magazines. Maybe some CCM artists and event promoters have become misguided in their pursuit of fame. Money really has become a distraction. We in evangelical society have come to accept the norms of secular entertainment into our “music ministries”. Where is our reliance upon God for “supplying all our needs”? Is our reliance on charging admission a way of taking God out of the process?

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

**WARNING** Do NOT look at this picture.

PIC

Doing It For the Kids

For all you public school teachers out there. Here are some of the salaries YOU are paying.

Gotta love it!

Response to comment on my former post - "Half True Praise Songs"

I received a very thoughtful comment on my previous post that I felt I should respond to and post here. I really appreciate being challenged on this topic and really enjoy the discussion. I also know that while my opinion are not always popular, I do think that iron sharpens iron and that I can learn from others views. As mentioned, my particular views on this subject are in the context of CORPORATE WORSHIP through song and somewhat reflected in the book mentioned by Nick Page.


(commentor says.....)

Regarding your "Half True Praise Songs" piece: You mentioned "shallow biblical truth" several times. I'd like to know: Which attributes of God do you consider to be "shallow"?

No biblical truth or attribute of God is shallow! Nor can we make it shallow by repetition. It can only become shallow or boring in our own minds. God's Word tells us to meditate day and night on His words, to ponder them, to think about them when we wake up, when we go to sleep...Doesn't he know that His truth will become shallow or boring to us if we do this though? See, the issue is the spirit with which we take in the truths of God. That will determine whether truth becomes boring and shallow or deep and sweet in our hearts.

There are no shallow attributes of God. In that sentence I could have used more precise language to say that there are some Biblical truths that are shallow in the context of a praise song when it comes to living the Christian life. I should have better written that sentence.

For instance, in Leviticus 3:17 it says “You must not eat any fat or any blood.” If we repeated that Biblical truth in a praise song – it would be shallow to living Christian life. If I were to sing a song with those words, they would have absolutely no meaning to me in living the Christian life. Repeating them would not help.

Unless, God made it a point that eating fat or blood was a spiritual issue and relevant to worship, then it would not have relevance for spiritual growth.

Maybe we could agree that your statement is "half true". :-)

I believe my statement is TOTALLY true. Unless, you are legalistic and abstinence of fat and blood – (i.e. steak) is a benefit to your Godliness. I’m sure I could find many more statements in the Bible that, while inspired and inerrant, would do very little or nothing for my spiritual life sung repeatedly in a praise song.

Secondly, I feel your pain in being "forced" to sing songs you don't like in church. But have you ever wondered what makes God upset about our worship?

I would suspect that God is upset about songs sung about Him in church that are not sincere worship. I also think that God hates being mocked (Galatians 6:7) and so songs sung with poorly constructed words and shoddy poetry make a mockery of our worship. Music just doesn’t fall out of our mouths in abstract ramblings on Sunday morning to find a cohesive organized sound for God almighty. There are musical forms that we as a culture have adopted to allow for the Holy Spirit to work as a church body.

Your idea that “as long as it is from the heart – it’s OK” philosophy is fine for singular worship, but does nothing for the church body (congregation) praising God with one voice.

I agree that some songs are poorly written. When they come on the radio, I turn the radio off. Can't do that in church, so I sing along. I focus on the truths of the song, and I worship. I think God probably chuckles often at our feeble attempts to express our love for Him through music poetry, dance, whatever... I don't think God ever chuckles though, at a spirit of cynicism or deriding the heartfelt worship of others. (Check out how God punished David's wife, Mical, for citicizing his worship!)

Again-you are not getting the point. The cynicism and criticism is not towards the “heartfelt worship of others” – it is of the poor way that some artists construct and some worship leaders execute praise and worship songs. The criticism is not of the person worshipping.

I’m sure that you could use a metal pot, some pans and begin screaming at the top of your lungs, some Biblical truth – and SOMEONE in the congregation can worship to that! But, a congregational whole in a blended church in 2006 cannot worship to that.

OK- let’s go where the rubber meets the road. A few Sundays ago. I know some wonderful and Godly people in the church who were totally worshipping God with music where cues were missed, slides were not being shown on the right verses and most people in the church had no idea how to sing many of the melodic intervals in the song. While they had no problem getting into it, many people did (all I had to do was look around). The dysfunction of the singing service led to a poor worship experience because I could not focus on the words and the spirit of the words.

So, are there many poorly written worship songs? Yes! Do they make for "bad" worship? No. As long as a song is true theologically, we can still worship in spirit and in truth. (I've sung Jesus Loves Me about a trillion times in my life...it's a song that lacks for creativity and depth, yet when I sing it with my daughter before she goes to sleep, it's pure and unadulterated worship!

Again- that is SINGULAR worship, not corporate worship. By the way, I disagree that "Jesus Loves Me" lacks creativity and depth, I think it is a deep spiritual truth that is set to music in a way that is simple and creative and is especially meaningful to kids.

So, as you suggest, does poor songwriting equate to "dumb worship"? I'll be generous and give you a "half truth" credit with the recognition that God desires our very best worship, and sometimes we offer Him only second best, and that's dumb.

Thirdly, you wrote, "I have a good friend that believes that there is no such thing as a bad praise song! He believes that if the song brings him or anyone closer to God in worship that the words simply don’t matter."

Wow, your friend sounds like he isn't very sharp, unless of course, that's not exactly what he said, making that statement at best, only "half true".

Hmm- the quote may not be word for word- but that was certainly, the spirit of what was conveyed to me. And if that spirit was conveyed, I think it is noble and understandable but misguided. I do think that corporately sung praise songs do depend on good poetry, syntax, flow, form, Biblical acuracy, meaningfulness to Christian living, cultural relatability and a broadly accepted style. And as Nick Page has so articulately written in his book, there are many poorly written praise songs. And I do agree.

Granted, this is just my opinion, and I love to get opinions and debate them in a spirit of grace and growth. But I do find that some people have a very difficult time in peacefully disagreeing or being challenged on Biblical topics. I have been wrong many times, but hopefully admitted it and been teachable.

So, maybe you should title this piece "Half True Statements About Worship" :-)

Thanks, but I will stick with the title as is. I believe that we have really dumbed down worship to God in many ways – and I, too, am guilty of letting it effect me. One thing I do pray is that I remain teachable and let myself “be wrong” – which is something I’ve had to learn to do over the years. My experience with some people, who dispense Biblical wisdom, is that they get hostile when being challenged.

Love ya, brother!

I love you,too, actually closer than a brother. Now it’s just showing it by my actions!

K

Half True Praise Songs

Originally written on 1/11/06

I recently bought a book recommended by Bob Kauflin (former Glad musician and current Worship Music Pastor somewhere in Maryland). The book is "And Now Let's Move into a Time of Nonsense: Why Worship Songs Are Failing the Church" by Nick Page. The book is very funny but embarassingly acurate. P.S. I also reviewed this book at the same link above.

Some modern praise songs are theologically rich and can express deep Biblical truth through a worshipful spirit. Others tend to focus on a single attribute of God by frequent repetition. Though Biblical, that truth can be shallow when it comes to living the Christian life.

For instance, it is true that Psalms 118:5 says the following:

“In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.” NIV

But if we were to worship using a song that was written as follows:

I cried to the Lord and wept
The weeping of my eyes, tears for the Master
I felt the stirring of the Lord on my journey
Which kept me from disaster.

Oh Lord, my tears are for You
Oh Lord, my fears are for You
To seek you in the morning
To weep for you in the evening
Oh Lord, my tears are for You.

OK, I admit – poetry is not my thing. The point is that sometimes we take a shallow Biblical truth; build words around it, then make a song. This (bad) song above which I wrote in 24 seconds, is Biblically true but completely incomplete.

When our church worship music is dominated by these kinds of songs, we dumb down our worship.

Other songs twist Biblical truths to fit into a poetic schema the author wants. The words ‘sound’ Biblical and maybe even exude worshipful feelings, but are simply inaccurate.

This post is a direct result of my wife’s explanation of worship this past Sunday at church while I was away. The song was “This Is Your House” and the words are as follows:


As we gather in this place today; Holy Spirit come and have Your way
Have Your way; As we lay aside our own desires
Sweep across our hearts with holy fire; Have Your way

This is Your house Your home; We welcome You
Lord we welcome You; This is Your house Your home; We welcome You today

As we offer up our hearts and lives; Let them be a living sacrifice; Have Your way
Be glorified in ev'rything we do; Be glorified in ev'rything we say; Have Your way

As we pray (As we pray); O Lord draw near; It's Your voice (It's Your voice); We long to hear

This is Your house Your home; We welcome You
Lord we welcome You; This is Your house Your home
We welcome You today; This is Your house Your home
We welcome You; Lord we welcome You
This is Your house Your home; We welcome You today
We welcome You today; We welcome You today


There a few good lines in this song, but a vast majority of it are that “This is Your House, we welcome You today”.

Think about that line. I mean, besides the general feeling that it sounds Biblical, actually READ the line and find the paradox.

If it is HIS house, then why are we welcoming Him? If it is His house wouldn’t we be the ones who are visitors? Never once since I have been a homeowner have I ever had someone come to my house and said “welcome”.

The proper expression of this would be that HE welcomes us into His presence, not the other way around.

Many don’t care if the words don’t make sense. I have a good friend that believes that there is no such thing as a bad praise song! He believes that if the song brings him or anyone closer to God in worship that the words simply don’t matter.

I see his point that the ultimate objective is a personal connection to God, but if we lower our standards to the point that the words can loose their meaning, then why have words at all? What’s the point?

Here is another spontaneous composition to make my point:

The air, the grass, the sand the sea
The air, the grass, the sand the sea
The air, the grass, the sand the sea
The air, the grass, the sand the sea

It is so beautiful to me
The air, the grass, the sand the sea
Your majesty is what I give to you, not me
The air, the grass, the sand the sea

How is that for a 10 second composition with the help of ‘copy and paste’? You see my point? I know the words are poetically terrible, but do you see a theological inaccuracy here?

A Fine and Pleasant Youth Trip

Again I’m faced with the choice to write about a topic that puts me at risk in that people I know and love who know the situation will read it and vehemently disagree. It also can potentially be a very politically incorrect move. But again, in today’s world of blogging it is only natural that personal opinions can be public. Since I am neither running for church office or political office (and have no aspirations to), I feel free and even compelled to share my thoughts.

If you don’t want to hear my opinion – this is your chance to go read some meaningless pap – say the New York Times web site.

Once a year, our church has a youth trip to Florida during the week of spring break that transports about 70 high schoolers down to Florida to have fun and grow in Christ. Following the trip, the group takes a Sunday morning service to share their experiences and testimonies with the congregation at large. Today’s youth service was mediocre at best and too much of it was downright embarrassing. It took all of the worship hour then went into our communities’ hour (“Sunday School” for most of you) effectively taking the entire morning.

Community time was cancelled by default.

At risk of being perceived at being a curmudgeon I must say at the outset that there were at least two outstanding youth testimonies- the first being a young lady who spoke of being confident in Christ and the other was a young man who articulately read Bible verses that he lives by. The rest was either OK or a total waste of our church worship hour.

My problem is not with taking a Florida trip, it is solely with the content of the service. One hour of the two hour service was allocated to describing the fun and games. Dating games, shaving cream fights throwing girls in the ocean and ice cream parties- “it was all so much fun”. Literally, most of the congregation had to cringe through all this pap until we finally got to the spiritual part in the testimonies- an hour later.

The students did sing about 4 or 5 songs, and unfortunately the most memorable ones were, “Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything” from Veggie Tales and “I’m in the Lord’s Army” both popular songs for 5 and 6 year olds. Some thought it cute- I thought it was terribly embarrassing. My wife, especially, cringed thinking on how shallow youth activities have gotten since her Word of Life youth group days as a teenager.

I am generally irreverent and you may be surprised to hear my take on this – but I usually desire to be spiritually fed on Sunday morning, not entertained.

What is success in a youth spring break trip? From what I gathered, it was overwhelmingly the fact that everybody made it back safely and no one was seriously hurt. They were safe. Thank goodness. “Don’t worry, parents, we made sure that everybody was supervised and always safe.” Did I say that no one got hurt?

I remember a time when success was defined by the lives that were changed. Spiritually charged teens got up and gave voice to what God had done in their lives. Teens sang solo’s, played instruments, gave testimonies and challenged others to live for Christ. This used to be the predominate theme.

Spiritual growth did happen but it came across as the rare exception, not the rule.

Another unfortunate distraction of the youth service was the short (very short) skirt being worn by a very attractive tanned young lady in the front row of youth on stage. Did I mention her velvety skin and finally shaped body. My entire family noticed it, and I am willing to bet that every red-blooded American male in the service did, too.

But I know – I shouldn’t judge the length of skirts worn on the “stage” at church. I’m sorry for bringing it up. I guess I shouldn’t frown on lingerie, teddies and brass poles up there during testimony time, too. My bad.

“Discern not, lest ye be discerned.” Is that in the Bible?

Our Deepest Worship

Originally written on 1/3/2006

Your deepest worship of the week generally can’t occur on Sunday morning if you attend a blended church.

That statement may sound strong, but I wish to back it up if I may.

For the purpose of this post, a blended church congregation would have people that like hymns (exclusively) and others that like modern praise choruses (exclusively) who can be irritated at having to experience too much of a differing style. Everyone has their preference.

In a blended church there has to be a compromise of stylistic preferences on Sunday morning because of the natural diversity of people who attend. This would naturally come at the expense of another’s preference.

So to come to church on Sunday morning and expect to be bless and be blessed more than other times of the week is folly. Worship on Sunday morning will always be at the lowest common denominator of the depth of people there.

In addition to worship style differences there is another reason that Sunday morning may not be the best time to worship. How many people do you know that are at their peak at 9:30 AM? I certainly am not. Especially after corralling four kids to get up, get dressed, get fed and get in the car.

So to expect deep spiritual connection then might be an exercise in futility. This isn’t to say that it cannot happen or that we should not expect it. Certainly, given time to settle we are better prepared to come into the presence of the Living God.

But my larger point here is that our best and most sincere worship might best be done outside of Sunday morning either privately or in a small intimate group when inhibitions are at a minimum.

Personally, I know that the most significant times of my worship to God occur in the basement in a sound-proof room. Many times, the worship is sparked by a song I hear by a group such as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir or Fernando Ortega or St. John’s Episcopal Church in Denver.

I also can confess that my Sunday morning worship is lackluster at best. There are occasionally songs that help me contemplate or evoke praise, but most of the time I stand there irritated at the disorganized congregational singing due to unfamiliarity with the song or that they simply are not sure on which note to put the syllable or the wrong slides for the songs.

To realize the unlikelihood of deep, significant worship on Sunday morning in a blended church is to realize the need for deep worship at other times of the week.

With this in mind- I am challenged to deepen my personal devotions and to think of it as daily “worship” instead. Maybe then, I can experience a more unrestrained and uninhibited worship to He who deserves the best of my praise.

Sunday morning has its purpose in unifying the body of Christ but it cannot replace deep uninhibited singular worship.

Princess Kaylee

As some of you know, I have been having fun with photography. Mainly cutting and pasting. Well this time I found an old magaine with Princess Di on the front and decided to insert my daughters face. Dont' worry- I do not have a "Jon Benet'" complex. Far from it. But since my beautiful daughter loves Barbie and princeses and ballerinas - I decided to do this for fun.

731 Bourgeoisie

I have come to notice something about the Gaylord phone system. Maybe it’s the self-loathing thing or maybe just insecurity. I think all the pretty people get 732 numbers.

Let’s just take a look at some of the beautiful people who have the status and connections to rise to the 732 level. You have Keith Berger, an esteemed Federal employee working in the mansion on the hill weather station. Steve Johnson, rich oil tycoon with castle by the sea. Ed Hunt, perfect husband, father, family man and pillar of the community. Northern Christian Radio, vestige of purity and angelic light. Craig Ryan, esteemed political insider and future President of the United States.

Then there are the 731 street sweepers, people that don’t make it into the club, people that didn’t form the proper connections in their move to Gaylord. Included are people like Andy Willett, self confessed pounder of rocks. Mark Perrine, a traveling motivational speaker who eats a steady diet of government cheese and lives in a van down by the river. Matt Book, a man who appears to have insider connections but instead of paying cash for his phone number used a buy one get one free coupon.

The Musik Haus, who really goes there anyway? All Gaylord Public Schools, government education- need I say anymore? China One- great food, but cheap labor can’t buy you a 732.

Then there is the 705 class. These are the people that are just discovered the Rubik’s Cube. Late comers to Gaylord trying to fit in. It’s hopeless for this class.

What about the 231 class? Snooty. They think they are above everybody else because they have a number NOT starting with 7. Woooooo! These people live in places like the Gaylord Country Club, Black Forest and ……..Mancelona. Don’t even talk to them about fitting in- no! They just sit above and watch all us 7## parasites feed off each other.

I have come to accept my lot in life. Once a 731, always a 731. My kids, if they grow up to live in Gaylord will also be 731’s. It’s a hard knock life.

Feedback Please

My wife and I have finished watching all the previous seasons of 24 on DVD. Are there other network TV shows that are worth renting the back seasons? We have not seen any regular shows. Is the Sopranos a good show to get in to?

Found Near Fermi

PTO Purgatory

Never has there been a more dysfunctional, irrational and more incapable organization in the history of the universe than the PTO. Thirty-something moms all making decisions based on hormone peaks.

This is a rant- pure and simple. My job puts me face to face with PTO’s on occasion in which allows me to operate in a completely different world - a world where angst and estrogen compete with SIMPLE LOGIC in a vain attempt to TRANSACT BUSINESS.

For the past two years, an elementary school PTO in mid state has been courting me to come to their school to complete for their business. It started when the alpha PTO mom (heretofore known as PMOM) saw me launch a program at a neighboring school. She was enamored with my presentation to the student body and insisted I come to her school to present to her PTO because my “prizes and presentation were awesome”.

So I did what I hate the most, I went to their PTO cattle call. That is where a bunch of fundraising companies come to a school PTO meeting and pole dance for a bunch of fickle Prozac popping ex-prom queens. And yes- I pole danced for all 25 of them and still lost the cattle call. Guess they didn’t like my wig. That was last year.

So this past fall, after another terrible school fundraiser, this same school came to me on their proverbial knees begging me to return for another presentation. Their dissatisfaction with my competitor was again a poor prize program.

The PMOM told me that I was a shoe-in because I had the best looking fundraising catalog and my prizes were awesome. This time, since I am a promotion coordinator for my company – I would do them a favor and bring samples so they could choose their own prizes. This is a privilege that very few schools ever have. I gave them an opportunity to hand select their favorite prizes for next year.

Then tonight I get the gut socking surprise email that they are signing with another company. The same company that provided a terrible prize program for them two years ago. The one that made them look for alternatives. It turns out my prizes were “empty promises” as she put it. I have no idea how to respond to that. Empty promises – WHAT? I showed them everything I have – the very things that they told me they loved and were “so much cooler” than the other companies.

I never got the business, so never had the opportunity to NOT fulfill any empty promises!

Whatever.

And folks, this is not a unique PTO story. This represents why people in my line of work avoid working with PTO’s. Variations on this incident happen all the time throughout the country and smart salespeople have learned to avoid them at all costs. Thankfully, most of my business is with school principals and teachers, people far more capable of making business decisions on principle-- not whim (or time of the month.)

Unless I am begged to come to a PTO meeting to do a presentation, I do not (and will not )seek PTO business. I will not become a whore to the lowest bidder. Even if I did get the business- it is always fickle at best. Their decisions made within the safety of consensus. There is no loyalty as history has proved they move on to another company next year, and the again and again.

Back in Detroit I was the whore doing cattle calls almost every weeknight going from PTO meeting to PTO meeting seeing how much I could give away to get the business. The only thing I lacked was lipstick and a wig.

Thankfully, tonight’s news is rare because of the consistent business I have built on customer service and friendship, but it is still extremely frustrating to go through the dog and pony show only to get kicked in rear once again by a PTO.

There. I feel MUCH better.