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Another good view...they think the cookie jar can be forced if they are persistant, they will keep trying.
Commentary: Bankruptcy, not bailout, is the right answer
By Jeffrey A. Miron Special to CNN
...Further, the current credit freeze is likely due to Wall Street's hope of a bailout; bankers will not sell their lousy assets for 20 cents on the dollar if the government might pay 30, 50, or 80 cents...
Only dont think government, think our children!
See also Baalout of Baalam
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Baalout of Baalam
This was good,they really dont want us to understand, some choice tidbits....
Understanding the Bank Bailout by Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers
….First let's get a grip on Toxic Assets….What they mean by "Putting a value on Toxic Assets" is "How to put a value on something that no one wants to buy?" Now, do you see? It's simple.
…..Imagine that you are having a garage sale….Well, most people would do something stupid and sell the stuff for cheap just to get rid of it all... Don't make a whole heck of lot of sense when you really stop to think about it, now does it? This is why there are so many losers stuck where they are and the Big Boys, well shucks, we're players!
….Remember Wood Shop in Seventh-Grade? Remember the crap you made there, but your mother loved it because you made it?..... For today's economics lesson, I'd like to use the salad fork & spoon (I'd also like to use it for dinner – just a little humor there). Now what is the value of that salad fork and spoon? Is it a Toxic Asset, or a precious childhood memory?
…Considering this, what's the true value of the salad fork and spoon? Probably about 0 cents, not even good for firewood. But what's the price of something that you made as a child? Something that's irreplaceable, and priceless? Let's low-ball it at, say, $225,000.
That was easy, wasn't it?
Laugh now, but think about this, my friends: If someone, like Hank Paulson, came up and offered you $225,000 for the salad fork and spoon you made in Seventh grade, don't tell me that you wouldn't sneak into your own mom's house and steal those things back and sell them to him. In fact, I'd wager you'd do it for even 1/10th the price.
Stealing from your own mother! Shame on you.
Understanding the Bank Bailout by Mike (in Tokyo) Rogers
….First let's get a grip on Toxic Assets….What they mean by "Putting a value on Toxic Assets" is "How to put a value on something that no one wants to buy?" Now, do you see? It's simple.
…..Imagine that you are having a garage sale….Well, most people would do something stupid and sell the stuff for cheap just to get rid of it all... Don't make a whole heck of lot of sense when you really stop to think about it, now does it? This is why there are so many losers stuck where they are and the Big Boys, well shucks, we're players!
….Remember Wood Shop in Seventh-Grade? Remember the crap you made there, but your mother loved it because you made it?..... For today's economics lesson, I'd like to use the salad fork & spoon (I'd also like to use it for dinner – just a little humor there). Now what is the value of that salad fork and spoon? Is it a Toxic Asset, or a precious childhood memory?
…Considering this, what's the true value of the salad fork and spoon? Probably about 0 cents, not even good for firewood. But what's the price of something that you made as a child? Something that's irreplaceable, and priceless? Let's low-ball it at, say, $225,000.
That was easy, wasn't it?
Laugh now, but think about this, my friends: If someone, like Hank Paulson, came up and offered you $225,000 for the salad fork and spoon you made in Seventh grade, don't tell me that you wouldn't sneak into your own mom's house and steal those things back and sell them to him. In fact, I'd wager you'd do it for even 1/10th the price.
Stealing from your own mother! Shame on you.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Another view on the Vote today
A great Post from Wilson on todays Bail out vote...
The Wall Street Wastrels
...The second point is this. In the aftermath of its defeat in the House, the doom-saying moved on to a specification of the negative effects that Main Street would soon have experience -- which, to this point, appears to be a severe tightening in the amount of available credit. But Americans were borrowing way too much anyway, and so perhaps this will be an enforced but nevertheless welcome respite. We are like a drunk who did the "drunk and disorderly thing" one too many times, and so the judge gave us 30 days, in which we can do a little involuntary drying out. Explain to me again why this is bad, exactly.
Sure, there will be some discomfort. Market corrections after irrational exuberance always bring discomfort. God gave us hangovers for a reason. Better hard adversity that is honest with you than loose prosperity that lies to you all the time. God is not mocked -- a man reaps what he sows. General sentiment in Washington notwithstanding, this is not a bad thing. whole article here
The Wall Street Wastrels
...The second point is this. In the aftermath of its defeat in the House, the doom-saying moved on to a specification of the negative effects that Main Street would soon have experience -- which, to this point, appears to be a severe tightening in the amount of available credit. But Americans were borrowing way too much anyway, and so perhaps this will be an enforced but nevertheless welcome respite. We are like a drunk who did the "drunk and disorderly thing" one too many times, and so the judge gave us 30 days, in which we can do a little involuntary drying out. Explain to me again why this is bad, exactly.
Sure, there will be some discomfort. Market corrections after irrational exuberance always bring discomfort. God gave us hangovers for a reason. Better hard adversity that is honest with you than loose prosperity that lies to you all the time. God is not mocked -- a man reaps what he sows. General sentiment in Washington notwithstanding, this is not a bad thing. whole article here
How Will we Vote?
Doug Wilson doesnt agree with Botkins recent assement of Sarah Palin. Rc Sproul jr will vote for anyone if they will just stop the baby killing.
I cannot shake Gods instrutction in Ex and Gen about "choose from among you men"...who fear God....And hate covetousness. The need for this trait can be seen on the front page news.
If the oxen treading grain applys to pastors wage's or not cheating workers, applys to us today... how can I disregard these very clear instructions.
From wilson A Slow-Moving Pharaoh
...There are two basic points I need to clarify. First, some of those who have interacted with me here have assumed that I have given up on my previous commitment not to go for the "lesser of two evils." No, not at all. Many years ago, I decided that I was not going to play along anymore with a bogus choice between slow destruction and fast destruction. I was already not going to vote for McCain even though his election (regardless of veep pick) would mean slower cultural apostasy than under Obama. So a veep pick would not alter that decision unless I believed that it quite represented a potential turnaround. If a party is coming away from the abyss slower than I would like, I am still happy to vote for that change of direction. A "change of direction" is different than "slow same direction."
What I am not happy to support is slow destruction being equated with deliverance -- which is the perennial mistake made by evangelicals in national elections. The standards for cultural savior are really pretty low -- just kill us slowly and we will hail you as the new Moses, even though you are actually just a slow-moving Pharaoh.... whole article
I have for years done the "slow same direction." thing forever. No more, I repent.
I cannot shake Gods instrutction in Ex and Gen about "choose from among you men"...who fear God....And hate covetousness. The need for this trait can be seen on the front page news.
If the oxen treading grain applys to pastors wage's or not cheating workers, applys to us today... how can I disregard these very clear instructions.
From wilson A Slow-Moving Pharaoh
...There are two basic points I need to clarify. First, some of those who have interacted with me here have assumed that I have given up on my previous commitment not to go for the "lesser of two evils." No, not at all. Many years ago, I decided that I was not going to play along anymore with a bogus choice between slow destruction and fast destruction. I was already not going to vote for McCain even though his election (regardless of veep pick) would mean slower cultural apostasy than under Obama. So a veep pick would not alter that decision unless I believed that it quite represented a potential turnaround. If a party is coming away from the abyss slower than I would like, I am still happy to vote for that change of direction. A "change of direction" is different than "slow same direction."
What I am not happy to support is slow destruction being equated with deliverance -- which is the perennial mistake made by evangelicals in national elections. The standards for cultural savior are really pretty low -- just kill us slowly and we will hail you as the new Moses, even though you are actually just a slow-moving Pharaoh.... whole article
I have for years done the "slow same direction." thing forever. No more, I repent.
The Baal out Bill Dies,for how long?
The "throw the next generation onto Molechs Alter" bill didnt make it. Things will get ugly. Better on us than on future generations.
Gary North pointed out that one Democrat congressman from North Carolina,Brad Miller, said his calls were running 50/50...half were saying "No!" and the other half saying "Hell no!"
Another of his posts had this jem fromthis Forbes story that noted...
In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy.
"It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."
AAAUUUGGHHHH!!!! and it just had to pass? And when I hear of things like this happening it makes me sick... "The Republicans of the House went into a closed session on Sunday evening. It lasted for well over two hours. The negotiators supposedly made their case to accept the 100-page plan. There was no time to read it, of course. The caucus made no decision."
Mr North says that the money presses have been turned on by Fed chairman Bernanke. He also says they will do whatever they have to to get this passed on another vote. I dont subscribe to cable or news papers. I do think $10 a month is a bargain for Gary North's service. I have gleened a lot from his entreprenuial guidance and ideas.
And I continue to trust in the Lord and His providence. No man or men can stop His directing of history. He lifts up and lowers nations.
Gary North pointed out that one Democrat congressman from North Carolina,Brad Miller, said his calls were running 50/50...half were saying "No!" and the other half saying "Hell no!"
Another of his posts had this jem fromthis Forbes story that noted...
In fact, some of the most basic details, including the $700 billion figure Treasury would use to buy up bad debt, are fuzzy.
"It's not based on any particular data point," a Treasury spokeswoman told Forbes.com Tuesday. "We just wanted to choose a really large number."
AAAUUUGGHHHH!!!! and it just had to pass? And when I hear of things like this happening it makes me sick... "The Republicans of the House went into a closed session on Sunday evening. It lasted for well over two hours. The negotiators supposedly made their case to accept the 100-page plan. There was no time to read it, of course. The caucus made no decision."
Mr North says that the money presses have been turned on by Fed chairman Bernanke. He also says they will do whatever they have to to get this passed on another vote. I dont subscribe to cable or news papers. I do think $10 a month is a bargain for Gary North's service. I have gleened a lot from his entreprenuial guidance and ideas.
And I continue to trust in the Lord and His providence. No man or men can stop His directing of history. He lifts up and lowers nations.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A time when "not many" has morphed into "almost all:"
Its no secret the I get a lot from Doug Wilson. But on the Palin affair I have not been on board with him. Today he linked to this posting for Bayly Blog, which I thought was outstanding.
Governor Palin and the order of creation...
"...When I served as the Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, I tired of those halfway covenant men who showed great zeal to defend the creation order where it maintained the male prerogative in the church and home, while dismissing it Monday through Saturday, everywhere else. Are the Fall and Creation Order really meaningless outside the church and home? Are they really immaterial everywhere else? Does it really not matter a whit that Sarah Palin is a woman?
Yes, I can hear the response: "Of course it matters, but not the way you say. The Creation Order and the Fall have nothing to do with a woman serving as Commander in Chief, Supreme Court Justice, or President. The New Testament never addresses such positions. Adam being created first and Eve being deceived have no--I repeat, no--application to life outside the church and home."
Conveniently, this leaves intact the two-wage household as well as higher education degrees and jobs worthy of reformed believers' social class.
We don't really think the deceitful effects of our great wealth are absent from this debate, do we?
Thus the order of creation becomes a private conviction for Christians only, practiced in the narrow confines of church and home with complete freedom and androgyny of leadership everywhere else.
This is convenient for a time when "not many" has morphed into "almost all:"...whole article
Governor Palin and the order of creation...
"...When I served as the Executive Director of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, I tired of those halfway covenant men who showed great zeal to defend the creation order where it maintained the male prerogative in the church and home, while dismissing it Monday through Saturday, everywhere else. Are the Fall and Creation Order really meaningless outside the church and home? Are they really immaterial everywhere else? Does it really not matter a whit that Sarah Palin is a woman?
Yes, I can hear the response: "Of course it matters, but not the way you say. The Creation Order and the Fall have nothing to do with a woman serving as Commander in Chief, Supreme Court Justice, or President. The New Testament never addresses such positions. Adam being created first and Eve being deceived have no--I repeat, no--application to life outside the church and home."
Conveniently, this leaves intact the two-wage household as well as higher education degrees and jobs worthy of reformed believers' social class.
We don't really think the deceitful effects of our great wealth are absent from this debate, do we?
Thus the order of creation becomes a private conviction for Christians only, practiced in the narrow confines of church and home with complete freedom and androgyny of leadership everywhere else.
This is convenient for a time when "not many" has morphed into "almost all:"...whole article
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
How Should We See Ourselves
Wilson is so very good at holding a mirror up to us.
Low Empire
...Christians are called by Christ to infiltrate every level of every society they find themselves in, and to do so without the idolatrous commitments that surround them on every hand. If they are living in a time of empire, it is not ungodly compromise with empire to do this -- think of Daniel and Joseph, just for starters. At the same time, temptations to capitulate before the idolatrous pretensions will be common enough -- think of Daniel's three friends...whole article
Low Empire
...Christians are called by Christ to infiltrate every level of every society they find themselves in, and to do so without the idolatrous commitments that surround them on every hand. If they are living in a time of empire, it is not ungodly compromise with empire to do this -- think of Daniel and Joseph, just for starters. At the same time, temptations to capitulate before the idolatrous pretensions will be common enough -- think of Daniel's three friends...whole article
The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
I just love this......"Just because God created the world in seven days doesn't mean we have to pass this bill in seven days," said Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas.
This is from My Way News Ben Bernanke gave this warning.....
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bluntly warned reluctant lawmakers Tuesday they risk a recession with higher unemployment and increased home foreclosures unless they act on the Bush administration's $700 billion plan to bail out the financial industry....
"The financial markets are in quite fragile condition and I think absent a plan they will get worse," Bernanke said.
Ominously, he added, "I believe if the credit markets are not functioning, that jobs will be lost, that our credit rate will rise, more houses will be foreclosed upon, GDP will contract, that the economy will just not be able to recover in a normal, healthy way." You can read it all here
Now remember what Bernanke's has said...
While thinking about this. With a "good economy" we have the Federal government in debt, it has already spent and needs to repay 10.5 trillion dollars. ($10,500,000,000,000,cheap) This is spending beyond what they spent from our tax's.
I'm pretty sure I have heard the number of 4.5trillion of borrowed money, debt, being held by just Fannie and Freddie Mac concerning mortgage's americans owe. They only are holding 80% of the mortgages, so there's more.
Tonight I read here that according to forbes we also have 2.5trillion in credit card debt. So with a good economy, a healthy economy, we have borrowed and spent 17.5 trillion dollars over and beyond what we have earned.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Unless we can recklessly continue to borrow and spend, our economy... "will just not be able to recover in a normal, healthy way." (?)
This is what happens when man believes that he can be the determiner, the definer, of what is right and what is wrong, that which is good and that which is evil.
This is from My Way News Ben Bernanke gave this warning.....
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke bluntly warned reluctant lawmakers Tuesday they risk a recession with higher unemployment and increased home foreclosures unless they act on the Bush administration's $700 billion plan to bail out the financial industry....
"The financial markets are in quite fragile condition and I think absent a plan they will get worse," Bernanke said.
Ominously, he added, "I believe if the credit markets are not functioning, that jobs will be lost, that our credit rate will rise, more houses will be foreclosed upon, GDP will contract, that the economy will just not be able to recover in a normal, healthy way." You can read it all here
Now remember what Bernanke's has said...
While thinking about this. With a "good economy" we have the Federal government in debt, it has already spent and needs to repay 10.5 trillion dollars. ($10,500,000,000,000,cheap) This is spending beyond what they spent from our tax's.
I'm pretty sure I have heard the number of 4.5trillion of borrowed money, debt, being held by just Fannie and Freddie Mac concerning mortgage's americans owe. They only are holding 80% of the mortgages, so there's more.
Tonight I read here that according to forbes we also have 2.5trillion in credit card debt. So with a good economy, a healthy economy, we have borrowed and spent 17.5 trillion dollars over and beyond what we have earned.
Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Unless we can recklessly continue to borrow and spend, our economy... "will just not be able to recover in a normal, healthy way." (?)
This is what happens when man believes that he can be the determiner, the definer, of what is right and what is wrong, that which is good and that which is evil.
Surveying Some Damage
Gary North pointed out this site, the map is great to see how your bank is doing. Check out the losses from some of these places!
A Year of Heavy Losses from the New york Times
A Year of Heavy Losses from the New york Times
SomethingLlike This Has Happened Before
This is a recounting of the 15 year slump Japan went though after their real estate bubble popped.
By Jonathan Ford,Prospect magazine
Turning Japanese
...For a while, they were amply rewarded: share and real estate values rose fourfold between 1984 and 1989. It took time for the crisis to bite hard, but from 1990 share prices started a 13-year decline, punctuated by sharp rallies. Over that period they gave up all their bull market gains, and by 2002, the stock market was back where it had been in 1984. Property values also crashed. In total, the long decline wiped out ¥1,500 trillion ($14.2 trillion) of national wealth, equivalent to three years of Japanese GDP. It was the largest such loss experienced by a nation in peacetime...whole thing
By Jonathan Ford,Prospect magazine
Turning Japanese
...For a while, they were amply rewarded: share and real estate values rose fourfold between 1984 and 1989. It took time for the crisis to bite hard, but from 1990 share prices started a 13-year decline, punctuated by sharp rallies. Over that period they gave up all their bull market gains, and by 2002, the stock market was back where it had been in 1984. Property values also crashed. In total, the long decline wiped out ¥1,500 trillion ($14.2 trillion) of national wealth, equivalent to three years of Japanese GDP. It was the largest such loss experienced by a nation in peacetime...whole thing
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Only the Law of God Which Places Limits on the Civil Magistrate...
Tonight I read from “The Second Mayflower” pg257…”It is only the law of God which places limits on the civil magistrate that maximizes liberty, while preventing the abuses of anarchy and tyranny. It was only when the Church refused to preach the law of God and limit the civil magistrate to the powers enumerated in the Word of God that civil governments in all western, post-modern Christian countries assembled their modern tyrannies.”
If you too are still sorting out how we should stand as Christians in our day as concerns the pot of politics were all sitting in, this column from Wilson and reading the comments afterwards with its give and take, may help.
From Douglas Wilsons Blog called Patriotism and Pom, Poms
Two excerpts’….
….But the question is not whether it is possible for loyalty to your culture and nation to be idolatrous (of course it is), but rather whether use of the right/left distinction is inherently idolatrous….”
…All of us must develop and display hierarchical loyalties, with loyalty to Christ and the Church being always at the top. But we must lean against making the Church into a deracinated third way, a kind of floaty thing above the societies of men. The Church in incarnated in local churches, and all the people who come to church do so speaking a particular language, representing particular cultures and ethnicities, having sons who fought in particular wars, and so on. The Church as genuine third way presents an alternative structuring of loyalties, but does not usually present us with an absolute choice between loyalties….
If you too are still sorting out how we should stand as Christians in our day as concerns the pot of politics were all sitting in, this column from Wilson and reading the comments afterwards with its give and take, may help.
From Douglas Wilsons Blog called Patriotism and Pom, Poms
Two excerpts’….
….But the question is not whether it is possible for loyalty to your culture and nation to be idolatrous (of course it is), but rather whether use of the right/left distinction is inherently idolatrous….”
…All of us must develop and display hierarchical loyalties, with loyalty to Christ and the Church being always at the top. But we must lean against making the Church into a deracinated third way, a kind of floaty thing above the societies of men. The Church in incarnated in local churches, and all the people who come to church do so speaking a particular language, representing particular cultures and ethnicities, having sons who fought in particular wars, and so on. The Church as genuine third way presents an alternative structuring of loyalties, but does not usually present us with an absolute choice between loyalties….
Dominion By Osmosis II , Should We Vote?
Let's come at it from the other direction. What Scriptural basis would we use to say this is of no concern to our Father and it shouldn't be to us either?
When in Proverbs it says that the people rejoice when they are ruled justly, should we not then work to bring it about?
I was suprised to see that Martin Luther dictated to the state what their role should be. Swanson argues that Luther didn't go far enough and a little error turned into a big one by the time of this century. The German Christians of the twentys and thirtys had a faith so disconnected from this world they saw no need to do anything with their politics. The salt lost it's savor?..... and "never mind these Nazis"
Today! Our nation is reaping and us with it, the price of Christians unable to see anything applicable from their faith, God's word, to what the gov't and banking industry did 90yrs ago. We had no savor?
When in Proverbs it says that the people rejoice when they are ruled justly, should we not then work to bring it about?
I was suprised to see that Martin Luther dictated to the state what their role should be. Swanson argues that Luther didn't go far enough and a little error turned into a big one by the time of this century. The German Christians of the twentys and thirtys had a faith so disconnected from this world they saw no need to do anything with their politics. The salt lost it's savor?..... and "never mind these Nazis"
Today! Our nation is reaping and us with it, the price of Christians unable to see anything applicable from their faith, God's word, to what the gov't and banking industry did 90yrs ago. We had no savor?
Dominion by Osmosis?
Part of a discussion on should Christians vote? started here.
I like these verse's concerning voting
Ex18:20 "And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21"Moreover you shall select ( vote?)from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Deut1:10‘The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11‘May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12‘How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 13‘Choose (vote) wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’
God's word says only his people who submit to God's ways are qualified to serve as his choice of minister (Rom13:4 For he is God’s minister ...)
Just wondering? Do we think that pagans will choose "men who fear God"?
The civil magistrate is called to administer justice. And the only justice there is, is God's justice. Everything else is wanna-be justice. Who else but men who fear God can or will do this?
Did you know that early in our nations history you couldn't testify in a court if you weren't a Christian. How can someone believe you to tell the truth?
Are we to take dominion? and of what? On what scriptural basis would we say God doesn't want his people to be his representative's in this area of life. In the "hebrew" what does "take Dominion" exclude?
Dominion by osmosis? Fascinating.
I like these verse's concerning voting
Ex18:20 "And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21"Moreover you shall select ( vote?)from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
Deut1:10‘The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11‘May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12‘How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 13‘Choose (vote) wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.’
God's word says only his people who submit to God's ways are qualified to serve as his choice of minister (Rom13:4 For he is God’s minister ...)
Just wondering? Do we think that pagans will choose "men who fear God"?
The civil magistrate is called to administer justice. And the only justice there is, is God's justice. Everything else is wanna-be justice. Who else but men who fear God can or will do this?
Did you know that early in our nations history you couldn't testify in a court if you weren't a Christian. How can someone believe you to tell the truth?
Are we to take dominion? and of what? On what scriptural basis would we say God doesn't want his people to be his representative's in this area of life. In the "hebrew" what does "take Dominion" exclude?
Dominion by osmosis? Fascinating.
Biggest Crack Addict
Quickly, so the mess has really begun. I have a some questions to ponder as you see and read the news. Watch how things are portrayed. Does any portrayals redefine things away from how the Bible would define it?
We are watching bad fruit appearing all over, It would be a serious error to mis-diag. what the actual cause was. I have heard many times that what is happening is being called a credit crisis. That institutions cannot get more needed liquidity, credit, IE money. But it would appear that what got these outfits in trouble was an unrestrained access to credit?
Lehmen Brother which just filed for bankruptcy owes creditors 600 plus billion dollars. When they were healthy (?) they had, and used lots and lots of credit. So if they could have had more debt, then they would have been ok?
Has anyone ever heard of someone going to a financial counselor with too many bills that cannot be paid and be told, your problem isn’t your debt, its that no one will loan you any more money, we must get you another line of credit?
I have heard many point the finger at Greenspan but so far "the Fed", "The Central Bank" is still only seen as the good guy, and not the real cause.
But the biggest debtor is the US Government. we owe about 7-9trillion,(who's counting?) and I enjoy the irony of the voices that say the government must do something. Help! Nothing like going to biggest crack addict in town and saying you have to help these people, their addicted.
Can we trust those who didn't see this coming, the regular news people and by them running and interviewing the same experts who didn't see it coming for the answers is confirmation that they are the last ones we should listen to. They are defined by God as Fools. Those who would say there is no God.
We are watching bad fruit appearing all over, It would be a serious error to mis-diag. what the actual cause was. I have heard many times that what is happening is being called a credit crisis. That institutions cannot get more needed liquidity, credit, IE money. But it would appear that what got these outfits in trouble was an unrestrained access to credit?
Lehmen Brother which just filed for bankruptcy owes creditors 600 plus billion dollars. When they were healthy (?) they had, and used lots and lots of credit. So if they could have had more debt, then they would have been ok?
Has anyone ever heard of someone going to a financial counselor with too many bills that cannot be paid and be told, your problem isn’t your debt, its that no one will loan you any more money, we must get you another line of credit?
I have heard many point the finger at Greenspan but so far "the Fed", "The Central Bank" is still only seen as the good guy, and not the real cause.
But the biggest debtor is the US Government. we owe about 7-9trillion,(who's counting?) and I enjoy the irony of the voices that say the government must do something. Help! Nothing like going to biggest crack addict in town and saying you have to help these people, their addicted.
Can we trust those who didn't see this coming, the regular news people and by them running and interviewing the same experts who didn't see it coming for the answers is confirmation that they are the last ones we should listen to. They are defined by God as Fools. Those who would say there is no God.
Changing Our Worldview, Pulling teeth
I shared this Sunday morning, it was birthed out of my did not our hearts burn within us email from Friday.
Changing our worldview, Pulling teeth.
Isa28:9 “Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”[1]
We say we will follow Jesus anywhere, I do think we mean it. We think of this in terms of leaving someplace and going to a different place.
But sometimes he wants us to follow him into a different paradigm with our minds with our thinking, and we can go crazy, especially if it bumps and jostles what we thought we had together.
Jesus in the boat saying beware the yeast of the Pharisee's and his disciples thought he said this ”its because we didn’t bring enough bread!”
Our mind’s, are like file folders where we store all our knowledge
My son Nathan brains, at 18months has a file for family, sistas, ma ma, dada
He has a Car file: The car file is also where he puts anything that moves, planes, boats, wheels, park benches too, if they have the right shape to them.
You take an 8-12 yr olds, young adults and adults we will have lots and lots more, seniors will have even more than someone middle aged, sometimes you can see seniors refuse to even think about anything more, right? I don’t want to know about computers etc etc. No more, new information. But its line upon line…..
In the example from the World Trade Center, people spoke how their minds couldn’t assimilate what they were seeing with what understood about life. So they could at first only see clothes falling. The information didn’t fit. They had no where to “file it.”
john 3:12“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Its left unspoken but the answer is you cannot.
Even if we were to take a principle from the bible, if it was one that we had never heard of, or maybe it doesn’t fit in well with other principles that we have always accepted as true. What happens? “There is no way we have missed this” “Get thee behind me Satan…. this be not of the lord”
I told you about Nathan's file, for my daughters I want to equip them with Jesus and Bible folders that are so big that I hope as they get older if someone ever says, no, no, this has nothing to do with Jesus or the bible they will go “that’s impossible” and they will then start to look for the error in someone’s thinking that has been take captive to a worldly philosophy. Or if someone brings forth something from the word that they haven’t heard of and if it doesn’t clash with the established Christian creeds and what they know of the Word they will be able to receive it.
A Problem: for most of us we were given a file about Jesus too, but we also got a healthy dose of Americana with ours, so ours is a Jesus that though we know the word says he and the father are one, and we know we worship the one true God, who made everything , sent his son to die for us…..
God is Old Testament, He made it all and is a bit stern.
But Jesus, He loves us! We see him carrying us across the beach when I cannot go further. In many ways we were given folders where God is like room service standing out in the hall, waiting to see if we need something. We can find those baby lullaby units that you hang in the crib, pull the string and hear the tune, you know, maybe “Jesus loves me” Try to find one that plays “Holy, Holy, Holy”
Coorie Ten Boom Jesus file, what did it look like? War, hiding jews, prison camps, a taste of hell on earth, her father dying, her sister dying, under Nazi captivity. I submit that her folder labeled Jesus, was different from ours.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had no folder to fit Jesus so they put him in the Satan folder.
One high priest had some wisdom in Acts when he said, back off and see what happens “lest we find ourselves opposing God.” Now we are saved, we are born again and I have never heard a modern Christian say “we should be careful lest we find ourselves opposing God.” There is no way we missed something like this.
So if we have a God so big that the universe cannot contain him then we better look for extra boxes of file folders and get used to the idea that we will never have it all together, we are finite creatures following an infinite God We must be comfortable with the Idea that we may have to re-label files and folders as we see more of what and who God is, as he reveals himself to us.
The more an area of thinking or life is in rebellion to God the harder it is to see where Jesus is or how it used to relate to him. The truth can be so twisted that its hard to find Gods original truth under the pile of lies.
We think in terms of giving him our hearts as believers, today that has way more elements from romanticism. An effect of modernity, the times in which we live is to compartmentalize things. “My heart says yes! but my mind says no!” We try to separate heart and mind but biblically they are one. Jesus will not save our hearts and send our minds to hell.
With our minds we can stake out the parameters that God fits in and operates from. That becomes a form of autonomy, as Eve in the garden operating as a neutral judge over God’s word.
john 3:12“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Isa28:9“Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”[1]
Changing our worldview, Pulling teeth.
Isa28:9 “Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”[1]
We say we will follow Jesus anywhere, I do think we mean it. We think of this in terms of leaving someplace and going to a different place.
But sometimes he wants us to follow him into a different paradigm with our minds with our thinking, and we can go crazy, especially if it bumps and jostles what we thought we had together.
Jesus in the boat saying beware the yeast of the Pharisee's and his disciples thought he said this ”its because we didn’t bring enough bread!”
Our mind’s, are like file folders where we store all our knowledge
My son Nathan brains, at 18months has a file for family, sistas, ma ma, dada
He has a Car file: The car file is also where he puts anything that moves, planes, boats, wheels, park benches too, if they have the right shape to them.
You take an 8-12 yr olds, young adults and adults we will have lots and lots more, seniors will have even more than someone middle aged, sometimes you can see seniors refuse to even think about anything more, right? I don’t want to know about computers etc etc. No more, new information. But its line upon line…..
In the example from the World Trade Center, people spoke how their minds couldn’t assimilate what they were seeing with what understood about life. So they could at first only see clothes falling. The information didn’t fit. They had no where to “file it.”
john 3:12“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Its left unspoken but the answer is you cannot.
Even if we were to take a principle from the bible, if it was one that we had never heard of, or maybe it doesn’t fit in well with other principles that we have always accepted as true. What happens? “There is no way we have missed this” “Get thee behind me Satan…. this be not of the lord”
I told you about Nathan's file, for my daughters I want to equip them with Jesus and Bible folders that are so big that I hope as they get older if someone ever says, no, no, this has nothing to do with Jesus or the bible they will go “that’s impossible” and they will then start to look for the error in someone’s thinking that has been take captive to a worldly philosophy. Or if someone brings forth something from the word that they haven’t heard of and if it doesn’t clash with the established Christian creeds and what they know of the Word they will be able to receive it.
A Problem: for most of us we were given a file about Jesus too, but we also got a healthy dose of Americana with ours, so ours is a Jesus that though we know the word says he and the father are one, and we know we worship the one true God, who made everything , sent his son to die for us…..
God is Old Testament, He made it all and is a bit stern.
But Jesus, He loves us! We see him carrying us across the beach when I cannot go further. In many ways we were given folders where God is like room service standing out in the hall, waiting to see if we need something. We can find those baby lullaby units that you hang in the crib, pull the string and hear the tune, you know, maybe “Jesus loves me” Try to find one that plays “Holy, Holy, Holy”
Coorie Ten Boom Jesus file, what did it look like? War, hiding jews, prison camps, a taste of hell on earth, her father dying, her sister dying, under Nazi captivity. I submit that her folder labeled Jesus, was different from ours.
The Pharisees and Sadducees had no folder to fit Jesus so they put him in the Satan folder.
One high priest had some wisdom in Acts when he said, back off and see what happens “lest we find ourselves opposing God.” Now we are saved, we are born again and I have never heard a modern Christian say “we should be careful lest we find ourselves opposing God.” There is no way we missed something like this.
So if we have a God so big that the universe cannot contain him then we better look for extra boxes of file folders and get used to the idea that we will never have it all together, we are finite creatures following an infinite God We must be comfortable with the Idea that we may have to re-label files and folders as we see more of what and who God is, as he reveals himself to us.
The more an area of thinking or life is in rebellion to God the harder it is to see where Jesus is or how it used to relate to him. The truth can be so twisted that its hard to find Gods original truth under the pile of lies.
We think in terms of giving him our hearts as believers, today that has way more elements from romanticism. An effect of modernity, the times in which we live is to compartmentalize things. “My heart says yes! but my mind says no!” We try to separate heart and mind but biblically they are one. Jesus will not save our hearts and send our minds to hell.
With our minds we can stake out the parameters that God fits in and operates from. That becomes a form of autonomy, as Eve in the garden operating as a neutral judge over God’s word.
john 3:12“If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
Isa28:9“Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
10For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”[1]
"Compassionate Conservatism"
Bonnie and Clyde, banking pioneersby Pruden from the Washington times
Now we see what Bonnie and Clyde could have made of themselves if only they had gone to Harvard Business School. Machine guns and fast getaway cars are not nearly as efficient as computers, lawyers and imaginative accounting....
But capitalism, with its winners and losers, risks and rewards, is only for the poor. The rich - the investment bankers, the high rollers and the croupiers at the Wall Street casino - get socialism, with never a worry about getting "shaken out" by the free market. So this is what George W.'s "compassionate conservatism" was all about. Who knew?...
Now we see what Bonnie and Clyde could have made of themselves if only they had gone to Harvard Business School. Machine guns and fast getaway cars are not nearly as efficient as computers, lawyers and imaginative accounting....
But capitalism, with its winners and losers, risks and rewards, is only for the poor. The rich - the investment bankers, the high rollers and the croupiers at the Wall Street casino - get socialism, with never a worry about getting "shaken out" by the free market. So this is what George W.'s "compassionate conservatism" was all about. Who knew?...
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Sovereign is he who decides....
There’s no free lunch and no free economy
By Christopher Caldwell
“Sovereign is he who decides whether there is a state of emergency,” wrote the German legal philosopher Carl Schmitt in 1922, on the eve of the Weimar Republic’s great economic crisis. Authorities that can be bypassed in times of stress are not real authorities. Laws that are suspended when push comes to shove are not real laws. Whether this is true in all places and times, it is true for those Americans who believed, up until this week, that they were living in a capitalist country. Having been lectured that there is no such thing as a free lunch, they are coming to suspect that there is now no such thing as a free economy, either.
An extraordinary credit crisis that arose from a real-estate bubble, excess leverage and financial instruments too complicated to value has goaded the US government into action. It has begun a programme of economic interventionism more typical of socialist governments in moments of utopian zeal. In March, a Federal Reserve loan helped sweeten the sale of the dying investment giant Bear Stearns. Treasury took over the secondary mortgage giant Fanny Mae in midsummer. This week the Fed assumed a 79.9 per cent stake in AIG, the world’s largest insurer, in return for an $85bn (£47bn, €59bn) loan. On Thursday, the Fed, the Treasury and Congress began discussing a plan, potentially costing hundreds of billions of dollars, to bail out homeowners with illiquid mortgages and the banks that hold them. whole story here
By Christopher Caldwell
“Sovereign is he who decides whether there is a state of emergency,” wrote the German legal philosopher Carl Schmitt in 1922, on the eve of the Weimar Republic’s great economic crisis. Authorities that can be bypassed in times of stress are not real authorities. Laws that are suspended when push comes to shove are not real laws. Whether this is true in all places and times, it is true for those Americans who believed, up until this week, that they were living in a capitalist country. Having been lectured that there is no such thing as a free lunch, they are coming to suspect that there is now no such thing as a free economy, either.
An extraordinary credit crisis that arose from a real-estate bubble, excess leverage and financial instruments too complicated to value has goaded the US government into action. It has begun a programme of economic interventionism more typical of socialist governments in moments of utopian zeal. In March, a Federal Reserve loan helped sweeten the sale of the dying investment giant Bear Stearns. Treasury took over the secondary mortgage giant Fanny Mae in midsummer. This week the Fed assumed a 79.9 per cent stake in AIG, the world’s largest insurer, in return for an $85bn (£47bn, €59bn) loan. On Thursday, the Fed, the Treasury and Congress began discussing a plan, potentially costing hundreds of billions of dollars, to bail out homeowners with illiquid mortgages and the banks that hold them. whole story here
Economy Head Aches
This article highlights a couple of new developments in the markets this week. This stood out….
A Hail Mary Pass
…Then again, maybe the S.E.C. is trying to cover up its own culpability in this crisis. Four years ago, the agency pushed through a rule that allowed the big investment banks to take on a great deal more debt. As a result, debt ratios rose from about 12 to 1 to more like 30 to 1. Guess what Lehman’s debt ratio was when it went bust? Yep: 30 to 1…..
(Money market funds all of a sudden had trouble too…)
….Under the circumstances, insuring the money market funds probably makes sense. It will calm investors and keep the commercial paper market functioning. But think about the moral hazard! It bails out poorly managed money funds — the ones most likely to break the buck — at the expense of funds that haven’t taken the extra risk that causes a sudden drop in value.
And then there’s this: If you have your money in a bank account, only $100,000 is insured. But if you have it in a money market fund — which usually has a slightly higher yield precisely because it has a small element of risk — you now have unlimited insurance. It’s the world turned upside down….
….a growing chorus of voices has called for the establishment of a new Resolution Trust Corporation, the entity the government devised in the wake of the savings and loan crisis to take over, and eventually sell off, the assets of failed S.& L.’s…..
….That crisis, however, was very different from this one. Most of the assets in the S.& L. crisis were real estate — which are always going to have value. And the government didn’t have to acquire them; it simply took them over and, over time, sold them. This time, the assets are complex derivatives of uncertain value that the big firms will actually be selling to the government.
But how is the government going to assess these securities — and what price will it pay for them? In many cases, these securities aren’t being sold because they are still overvalued on a firms’ books. That is, their mark-to-market price is unrealistically high. Will the government buy it at the too-high price? If it does, the firms won’t have to take additional write-downs — but it will constitute a huge, unjustified bailout of Wall Street. (More moral hazard.)….whole story here
A Hail Mary Pass
…Then again, maybe the S.E.C. is trying to cover up its own culpability in this crisis. Four years ago, the agency pushed through a rule that allowed the big investment banks to take on a great deal more debt. As a result, debt ratios rose from about 12 to 1 to more like 30 to 1. Guess what Lehman’s debt ratio was when it went bust? Yep: 30 to 1…..
(Money market funds all of a sudden had trouble too…)
….Under the circumstances, insuring the money market funds probably makes sense. It will calm investors and keep the commercial paper market functioning. But think about the moral hazard! It bails out poorly managed money funds — the ones most likely to break the buck — at the expense of funds that haven’t taken the extra risk that causes a sudden drop in value.
And then there’s this: If you have your money in a bank account, only $100,000 is insured. But if you have it in a money market fund — which usually has a slightly higher yield precisely because it has a small element of risk — you now have unlimited insurance. It’s the world turned upside down….
….a growing chorus of voices has called for the establishment of a new Resolution Trust Corporation, the entity the government devised in the wake of the savings and loan crisis to take over, and eventually sell off, the assets of failed S.& L.’s…..
….That crisis, however, was very different from this one. Most of the assets in the S.& L. crisis were real estate — which are always going to have value. And the government didn’t have to acquire them; it simply took them over and, over time, sold them. This time, the assets are complex derivatives of uncertain value that the big firms will actually be selling to the government.
But how is the government going to assess these securities — and what price will it pay for them? In many cases, these securities aren’t being sold because they are still overvalued on a firms’ books. That is, their mark-to-market price is unrealistically high. Will the government buy it at the too-high price? If it does, the firms won’t have to take additional write-downs — but it will constitute a huge, unjustified bailout of Wall Street. (More moral hazard.)….whole story here
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
We are Told That the Problem is Not enough Debt?
Quickly, So the mess has really begun. I have a some questions to ponder as you see and read the news. Watch how things are portrayed. Does any portrayals redefine things away from how the bible would define it?
We are watching bad fruit appearing all over, It would be a serious error to mis-diag. what the actual cause was. I have heard many times that what is happening is being called a credit crisis. That institutions cannot get more needed liquidity, credit, IE money. But it would appear that what got these outfits in trouble was an unrestrained access to credit?
Lehmen brother which just filed for bankruptcy owes creditors 600 plus billion dollars. When they were healthy (?) they had, and used lots and lots of credit. So if they could have had more debt, then they would have been ok?
Has anyone ever heard of someone going to a financial counselor with too many bills that cannot be paid and be told, your problem isn’t your debt, its that no one will loan you any more money, we must get you another line of credit?
I have heard many point the finger at Greenspan but so far "the Fed", "The Central Bank" is still only seen as the good guy, and not the real cause.
But the biggest debtor is the US Government. we owe about 7-9trillion,(who's counting?) and I enjoy the irony of the voices that say the government must do something. Help! Nothing like going to biggest crack addict in town and saying you have to help these people, their addicted.
Can we trust those who didn't see this coming, the regular news people and by them running and interviewing the same experts who didn't see it coming for the answers is confirmation that they are the last ones we should listen to. They are defined by God as Fools. Those who would say there is no God. On Aug 12 I posted a news story with juicy quotes from these experts.
Our help comes from the Lord.
Semper Reformanda,
We are watching bad fruit appearing all over, It would be a serious error to mis-diag. what the actual cause was. I have heard many times that what is happening is being called a credit crisis. That institutions cannot get more needed liquidity, credit, IE money. But it would appear that what got these outfits in trouble was an unrestrained access to credit?
Lehmen brother which just filed for bankruptcy owes creditors 600 plus billion dollars. When they were healthy (?) they had, and used lots and lots of credit. So if they could have had more debt, then they would have been ok?
Has anyone ever heard of someone going to a financial counselor with too many bills that cannot be paid and be told, your problem isn’t your debt, its that no one will loan you any more money, we must get you another line of credit?
I have heard many point the finger at Greenspan but so far "the Fed", "The Central Bank" is still only seen as the good guy, and not the real cause.
But the biggest debtor is the US Government. we owe about 7-9trillion,(who's counting?) and I enjoy the irony of the voices that say the government must do something. Help! Nothing like going to biggest crack addict in town and saying you have to help these people, their addicted.
Can we trust those who didn't see this coming, the regular news people and by them running and interviewing the same experts who didn't see it coming for the answers is confirmation that they are the last ones we should listen to. They are defined by God as Fools. Those who would say there is no God. On Aug 12 I posted a news story with juicy quotes from these experts.
Our help comes from the Lord.
Semper Reformanda,
Did Not our Hearts Burn..
This is from Friday, I was thinking through, how it is we recover a right understanding of correctly using the sword of the word. We are familiar with the term, but I think it today is to often been used as a letter opener. We are so, so clumsy with it. We are gonna hurt each other with it, not intentionally. Some will think it’s a distraction. But it has always been intended to be used to expose the hearts of men and show the need to repent, to turn back to Gods ways, his truth. Like Pilgrims Progress you dont stop. You rest and move forward. From Friday…
It has been a dead day at work. Standing around. Had only one job. Heard how one of the my co workers is gonna loose his home shortly. Lots of time to think.
When a miner is tunneling and finds a vein of gold, he follows the vein, up, down and through the mountain. I am going to keep digging a little further.
So as I have been reflecting today, asking God to show me what I am missing. I know that I will have to give an account. He has put me in a stewardship position , my life, my wife, kids, he has gifted me as a teacher, all will require an account of me. None of it is mine.
I am 50 now, I am more introspective as I get older, I know the time available to me is shrinking. Its about 42yrs walking as a Christian. About 25-30 yrs of it was generic Christianity, "just gotta keep focusing on Jesus and don’t worry about anything else". Trying to love him. I never understood what it meant when Jesus said …If you love me…keep my commandments.
For the most part I have just been pushed along by the culture, both from within the church and from outside it. The word says my kids are “arrows in a quiver”. Arrows don’t just climb out and head off where ever they feel like it. But that’s the Christian model I was shown.
I cannot reduce any of the claims of Christ for any area of his sovereignty. (Thats everywhere and anything.) To do that would be theft. Or my quiet collaboration with some mans usurpation of a part of his kingdom. If I will be like Jesus, that means “I only say what the father says and only do what the father does”. As Jesus was the Word,one with God and all of Gods precepts Laws and judgments are a reflection of his character, his truth, he could do it. Unlike Jesus I will fail badly at this.
The only way I have seen to increase the likely hood of my doing this is to try and take his law, precepts and judgments as found in the word, and hold them up to what is going on around me and by his word see if this is from the kingdom of man or the kingdom of God. It is foreign to me and it is hard. This does mean I have to take in, from a general sense, what is happening around me in our culture. I will have to focus on it and what people are saying so I can have something to even hold up to his word.
Now I have never woken up, or heard Gods voice just interrupt me and just turn on some light in my head so I could now “be always ready to give an answer for the hope within you”. I had to “study to show myself approved”. It has always taken a bunch of the foundational pieces floating around in my head first. Verses, things I had been meditating on, praying about, reading or talking about with someone else. God promises ” that if we are dragged before rulers to not worry about what we will say”. But no where in the word does he extend this promise to life in general. Proverbs says " it is the glory of kings to seek a matter out”.
Think about it. Is it the norm in your Christian walk or of anyone you know where different believers just all of a sudden start giving biblical foundations or understanding for things that were not read, studied and understood by them or taught to them?
Do our pastors just go through the week and out of the blue God just lays out the message for Sunday on principles that they haven’t first dealt with or read about some how? Rob has never stood up in front of us on Sunday and said, “oh hey I want to expound on some precepts that I have never worked through.”
Have any of us ever met a family who just out of the blue pulled their kids from public school because God just showed them to? Without them having studied Gods principles on this, ( my experience is believers can read over every principle the word has for raising children and not once make the connection, “oh I see, we better get them out”.) without having some other family say “hey this is great”, or from their own experience say “there has to be another way”?
There have been so many times where with Rob one of us will tell the other “what about this? Doesn’t this mean this?” So often the other one will say really? I cant see that. But 10 minutes, a week, a month and one thing I think was a year when the other could then say “yes! I see it!” Did not our hearts burn!!!! Rob you have been such a blessing to me, let me just say it for the record bro.
The bible is full of phrases like “blessed is the man who loves the law” and on it “he meditates day and night”. The point of the meditation isn’t an esoteric practice, it is so we can then apply it to the world God has placed us in.
It remains meaningless if you cannot make application from it, to the world around us. And if we cannot make the application of Gods Law, then someone’s, other than Gods principles, are probably being used. Someone else is asserting sovereignty.
But even if you have memorized all of the Law its another thing to apply it with wisdom. This is why it is so messy as we try to bring it to bear on politics, Palin or whatever. We are so not used to doing it. Just because we are so inexperienced at it, and we will! step on each others toes doing it, we must not stop trying.
I am commanded to disciple my children. I must show them how his law is to be a frontlet for their eyes. If I just leave it at that, as just verse’s without showing how it is, how you really do it. Then I have been derelict in Jesus instructions. First I must have some understanding on how we really use his word, his law to assess all we come across in life before I can teach it. How there is no neutral ground. The point isn’t that we have it all packaged and figured out, rather that we can show them the process by which they and their children’s children can do it. Or at least by Gods grace they will not be afraid to keep trying to do it because they heard their moms and dads trying. And Praise God, If I didn’t understand it to show my kids, then by Gods grace it will be the grandchildren I can show it too!
I don’t know how many times people have said “but David, God said he would write his law on our hearts”. But I have never met anyone who has been adept at explaining and showing how to apply his law that hasn’t first studied it. I mean really studied it. Gods Law, its only10 commandments and 600 some case examples. It doesn’t take too many pages in the Bible to list them out to us. If God is going to spiritually implant it in us? If we just automatically get understanding on how to use and apply Gods law then why do we all look like we just got off the short bus as we try? But Praise be to Jesus we are trying!
I don’t think we grasp how much truth is here. Clarkes biblical law from the 1940’s, 370 pgs showing how to apply Gods law. Wasnt that enough? Why did Rushdoony spend 850pgs! with his biblical institutes of the Law vol.1 in 1973. Why did Greg Bahnsen in 1977feel like he could write another 600 pgs of his own, after he had read Rushdoonys. But wait in 1982 doony does another 700 pgs on Law and society and since he wrote the forward for Bahnsen’s book he still thought he had some more to contribute. And then again in 1999 doony does another 215 pgs on just the intent of the Law.
I have just BARELY scratched the surface of only three of these books and I feel like my son Nathan, pointing at the page in a book and going “car, car”
We have a heavenly Father and I as a father am well pleased when my son is trying to do what I tell him to do. I don’t get upset as he is learning, “you fool! you spilled water down the front of your face again!” So too, I believe that our father is well pleased that we are trying to be obedient. Oh Lord we don’t want to hurt one another! But If we allow the stepping on of each others toes, keep us from walking out your word, than we have made of ourselves idols and may it never be so. We will not allow the fear of our inability to do it perfectly, keep us from trying, to be obedient, stumbling forward, trying to walk. That the next generation may run.
It has been a dead day at work. Standing around. Had only one job. Heard how one of the my co workers is gonna loose his home shortly. Lots of time to think.
When a miner is tunneling and finds a vein of gold, he follows the vein, up, down and through the mountain. I am going to keep digging a little further.
So as I have been reflecting today, asking God to show me what I am missing. I know that I will have to give an account. He has put me in a stewardship position , my life, my wife, kids, he has gifted me as a teacher, all will require an account of me. None of it is mine.
I am 50 now, I am more introspective as I get older, I know the time available to me is shrinking. Its about 42yrs walking as a Christian. About 25-30 yrs of it was generic Christianity, "just gotta keep focusing on Jesus and don’t worry about anything else". Trying to love him. I never understood what it meant when Jesus said …If you love me…keep my commandments.
For the most part I have just been pushed along by the culture, both from within the church and from outside it. The word says my kids are “arrows in a quiver”. Arrows don’t just climb out and head off where ever they feel like it. But that’s the Christian model I was shown.
I cannot reduce any of the claims of Christ for any area of his sovereignty. (Thats everywhere and anything.) To do that would be theft. Or my quiet collaboration with some mans usurpation of a part of his kingdom. If I will be like Jesus, that means “I only say what the father says and only do what the father does”. As Jesus was the Word,one with God and all of Gods precepts Laws and judgments are a reflection of his character, his truth, he could do it. Unlike Jesus I will fail badly at this.
The only way I have seen to increase the likely hood of my doing this is to try and take his law, precepts and judgments as found in the word, and hold them up to what is going on around me and by his word see if this is from the kingdom of man or the kingdom of God. It is foreign to me and it is hard. This does mean I have to take in, from a general sense, what is happening around me in our culture. I will have to focus on it and what people are saying so I can have something to even hold up to his word.
Now I have never woken up, or heard Gods voice just interrupt me and just turn on some light in my head so I could now “be always ready to give an answer for the hope within you”. I had to “study to show myself approved”. It has always taken a bunch of the foundational pieces floating around in my head first. Verses, things I had been meditating on, praying about, reading or talking about with someone else. God promises ” that if we are dragged before rulers to not worry about what we will say”. But no where in the word does he extend this promise to life in general. Proverbs says " it is the glory of kings to seek a matter out”.
Think about it. Is it the norm in your Christian walk or of anyone you know where different believers just all of a sudden start giving biblical foundations or understanding for things that were not read, studied and understood by them or taught to them?
Do our pastors just go through the week and out of the blue God just lays out the message for Sunday on principles that they haven’t first dealt with or read about some how? Rob has never stood up in front of us on Sunday and said, “oh hey I want to expound on some precepts that I have never worked through.”
Have any of us ever met a family who just out of the blue pulled their kids from public school because God just showed them to? Without them having studied Gods principles on this, ( my experience is believers can read over every principle the word has for raising children and not once make the connection, “oh I see, we better get them out”.) without having some other family say “hey this is great”, or from their own experience say “there has to be another way”?
There have been so many times where with Rob one of us will tell the other “what about this? Doesn’t this mean this?” So often the other one will say really? I cant see that. But 10 minutes, a week, a month and one thing I think was a year when the other could then say “yes! I see it!” Did not our hearts burn!!!! Rob you have been such a blessing to me, let me just say it for the record bro.
The bible is full of phrases like “blessed is the man who loves the law” and on it “he meditates day and night”. The point of the meditation isn’t an esoteric practice, it is so we can then apply it to the world God has placed us in.
It remains meaningless if you cannot make application from it, to the world around us. And if we cannot make the application of Gods Law, then someone’s, other than Gods principles, are probably being used. Someone else is asserting sovereignty.
But even if you have memorized all of the Law its another thing to apply it with wisdom. This is why it is so messy as we try to bring it to bear on politics, Palin or whatever. We are so not used to doing it. Just because we are so inexperienced at it, and we will! step on each others toes doing it, we must not stop trying.
I am commanded to disciple my children. I must show them how his law is to be a frontlet for their eyes. If I just leave it at that, as just verse’s without showing how it is, how you really do it. Then I have been derelict in Jesus instructions. First I must have some understanding on how we really use his word, his law to assess all we come across in life before I can teach it. How there is no neutral ground. The point isn’t that we have it all packaged and figured out, rather that we can show them the process by which they and their children’s children can do it. Or at least by Gods grace they will not be afraid to keep trying to do it because they heard their moms and dads trying. And Praise God, If I didn’t understand it to show my kids, then by Gods grace it will be the grandchildren I can show it too!
I don’t know how many times people have said “but David, God said he would write his law on our hearts”. But I have never met anyone who has been adept at explaining and showing how to apply his law that hasn’t first studied it. I mean really studied it. Gods Law, its only10 commandments and 600 some case examples. It doesn’t take too many pages in the Bible to list them out to us. If God is going to spiritually implant it in us? If we just automatically get understanding on how to use and apply Gods law then why do we all look like we just got off the short bus as we try? But Praise be to Jesus we are trying!
I don’t think we grasp how much truth is here. Clarkes biblical law from the 1940’s, 370 pgs showing how to apply Gods law. Wasnt that enough? Why did Rushdoony spend 850pgs! with his biblical institutes of the Law vol.1 in 1973. Why did Greg Bahnsen in 1977feel like he could write another 600 pgs of his own, after he had read Rushdoonys. But wait in 1982 doony does another 700 pgs on Law and society and since he wrote the forward for Bahnsen’s book he still thought he had some more to contribute. And then again in 1999 doony does another 215 pgs on just the intent of the Law.
I have just BARELY scratched the surface of only three of these books and I feel like my son Nathan, pointing at the page in a book and going “car, car”
We have a heavenly Father and I as a father am well pleased when my son is trying to do what I tell him to do. I don’t get upset as he is learning, “you fool! you spilled water down the front of your face again!” So too, I believe that our father is well pleased that we are trying to be obedient. Oh Lord we don’t want to hurt one another! But If we allow the stepping on of each others toes, keep us from walking out your word, than we have made of ourselves idols and may it never be so. We will not allow the fear of our inability to do it perfectly, keep us from trying, to be obedient, stumbling forward, trying to walk. That the next generation may run.
$$$ Up in Smoke, Down another 450 points
This is a great picture of what is going on in the economy. From Gary North....
Reefer Madness and Subsidy Madness
In 1936, there was a low-budget movie called Reefer Madness. It has become a cult classic. It is online here.
It was produced during Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. A really accurate movie describing the New Deal would have been called "Subsidy Madness." Few people saw the connection in 1936. Few see it today. About 95% of those few who do see it deny it whenever the withdrawal pains begin. I call them the libertarian cheerleaders.
The addiction to government subsidies is much greater because the results seem more pleasant, the market is far larger, the resistance is minimal, and the result is the same. Just as with hallucinatory substances, you need ever more government regulation and more fiat money to get the same buzz.... whole article here
Reefer Madness and Subsidy Madness
In 1936, there was a low-budget movie called Reefer Madness. It has become a cult classic. It is online here.
It was produced during Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. A really accurate movie describing the New Deal would have been called "Subsidy Madness." Few people saw the connection in 1936. Few see it today. About 95% of those few who do see it deny it whenever the withdrawal pains begin. I call them the libertarian cheerleaders.
The addiction to government subsidies is much greater because the results seem more pleasant, the market is far larger, the resistance is minimal, and the result is the same. Just as with hallucinatory substances, you need ever more government regulation and more fiat money to get the same buzz.... whole article here
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Free Books, Hath God said?,Gary North
The breadth and scope of topics covered of all the free materials From this archive site of Garys is mindboggling. Some date back to the 70's. Put on your Bib,grab a topic and enjoy!
The Bible Gives God's Rules for All of LifeFrom Gary north
....Maybe you're tired of hearing the old line: "The Bible isn't a textbook of [ ]." The person who says this is really saying: "I don't want to subject my conclusions to what the Bible says. I don't want to re-think my life's work in terms of the Bible. The Bible doesn't tell me what to think!"
We've heard this before: "Hath God said?" (Gen. 3:1). The answer is clear: "If it's in the Bible, then God hath said!" This Web site will provide you with more Bible- based ammunition than you've ever seen before to let you answer the old "Hath God said?" question.
A pastor once lamented: "I came to this church expecting an armory. I found a nursery." This website was not designed for Christians who are comfortable in a spiritual nursery....
You can find one of Greg Bahnsesbooks here By This Standard
He has what looks like old copys of a news letter called Biblical Economics here
find it all here
The Bible Gives God's Rules for All of LifeFrom Gary north
....Maybe you're tired of hearing the old line: "The Bible isn't a textbook of [ ]." The person who says this is really saying: "I don't want to subject my conclusions to what the Bible says. I don't want to re-think my life's work in terms of the Bible. The Bible doesn't tell me what to think!"
We've heard this before: "Hath God said?" (Gen. 3:1). The answer is clear: "If it's in the Bible, then God hath said!" This Web site will provide you with more Bible- based ammunition than you've ever seen before to let you answer the old "Hath God said?" question.
A pastor once lamented: "I came to this church expecting an armory. I found a nursery." This website was not designed for Christians who are comfortable in a spiritual nursery....
You can find one of Greg Bahnsesbooks here By This Standard
He has what looks like old copys of a news letter called Biblical Economics here
find it all here
How Much More can We put on the National Credit Card?
We have been living on borrowed money. Especially the government. We have gone very deep into debt. The biggest crisis is comittments the Government has made for medicair,madicaid and prescritpion druggs. that alone will eventually bankrupt the nation. But if uncle Sam jumps at each chance to keep any economic pain from being felt it will bring it on sooner. Gary north reffered to this article as proof that the mainstream media eyes are starting to open.
Possible fallout from Fannie, Freddie bailout
Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Like profligate cousins you can't bear to see penniless, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are getting a bailout from their good old Uncle Sam - the same deep-pocketed fellow who already rode to the rescue of Bear Stearns and depositors at IndyMac.
Now that the government has established a precedent for outright rescues of tottering financial titans, where else might it need to intervene? The potential trouble spots are wide-ranging and, well, troublesome.more...
Possible fallout from Fannie, Freddie bailout
Carolyn Said, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Like profligate cousins you can't bear to see penniless, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are getting a bailout from their good old Uncle Sam - the same deep-pocketed fellow who already rode to the rescue of Bear Stearns and depositors at IndyMac.
Now that the government has established a precedent for outright rescues of tottering financial titans, where else might it need to intervene? The potential trouble spots are wide-ranging and, well, troublesome.more...
Saturday, September 13, 2008
If Martin luther had said, just forget it....
In responce to the view that we are to man centered and need to just focus on Jesus.....
Our man centered thinking will only die as we surrender and yield it to the law of Jesus for every area of life. We provide protection/shelter to our man centered thinking if all we do is narrow the focus. Even if the focus is Jesus.
If Martin luther said forget it. "Im just gonna focus on Jesus." We would all be going to Mass again this week.
Again this is just a powerful display using Gods word on how what happens with a Just Jesus mentality in your Orthodoxy. The Kingdom of heaven on Earth by Kevin Swanson
Our man centered thinking will only die as we surrender and yield it to the law of Jesus for every area of life. We provide protection/shelter to our man centered thinking if all we do is narrow the focus. Even if the focus is Jesus.
If Martin luther said forget it. "Im just gonna focus on Jesus." We would all be going to Mass again this week.
Again this is just a powerful display using Gods word on how what happens with a Just Jesus mentality in your Orthodoxy. The Kingdom of heaven on Earth by Kevin Swanson
If You Cannot Understand Earthly Things....the kingdom of heaven on Earth
I am excited because we are trying to take every thought captive! We are trying to apply Gods word like it is the standard! We are trying to submit our reason and logic to Gods word.
Remember the two men who had been walking and talking with Jesus, but didn’t know it was him after his resurrection. Jesus made clear many things to them and after he left them they said, did not our hearts burn inside us! (luke24:32) There have been so many times the last two years , maybe at Robs house, talking with my wife, during a Sunday service or during lunch afterwards or just as I am thinking through something I’m writing, where as you press in on a point solely on the basis that Gods word says XYZ and you realize that you must let go of what your mind says is the accepted normal conclusion and lo and behold that allows your mind to see something that before just couldn’t be. The scales fall away.….did not our hearts burn within us!
Jesus made the point, if you cannot understand earthly things how will you understand heavenly things? (john3:12) For the longest time we have dismissed the earthly things so we could focus on spiritual things. We have had it backwards! We must get adept at applying Gods word to the earthly things first! Or by the words of our Lord there will be much that we may see and understand wrong concerning heavenly things.
Because for the most part we have all come out from evangelicalism where Christianity was a truncated shadow of what it is supposed to be. At least my understanding and worldview resembled more of a raisin than that of the robust faith Martin Luther proclaimed, which enabled him to stand before popes and emperor’s and defy them on the basis of Gods word. Hallelujah!
Believers for a long time have been having this huge rummage sale with all of Gods stuff. (Col1:16-20 ) It made the bus stop untidy and cluttered up the area. But as with the servants, the master will return and say what did you do with my stuff? (matt25:15, luke 19:13) We know from the word that if we take what belongs to Christ and hide it, that we will be described by him as a wicked servant. (luke 19:22) I am at a lost, scripture wise, as to what he will say for what we evangelicals have done. We didn’t even bury it or sell it, we kinda pushed it away.
All of the stuff and systems of this world is what we where to take captive and make them obedient to Christ, it was what we were to make disciples over. Because Who made it all? Why does it exist? Who has authority over it? Who does it belong to? What sayeth the scriptures? How should we then live?
Why isn’t this easy? Because we were given the wrong worldview and now its rough for our brains to make this new wine fit into the old wineskins. But our minds try to do it. Even if it must fold things in half to make them fit.
My son Nathan at 18 months will bring a book to you, bend over and twist up his head so that he is looking straight into your face and while tapping at the page and say “car, car” He has limited cubbyholes formed in his brain and he is always trying to relate new info, to that which, he already knows.
A pertinent example, for today being 911 is this description from that fateful day…..
….The first boom shook our office walls. I scanned my desk and asked my team, "What the hell was that?"
One of our analysts yelled "The World Trade Center's on fire!" as we turned to see flames raging and black smoke billowing into the clear blue sky.
At 40 Fulton St., we were a few blocks away from the towers, and from the 24th floor we had a bird's-eye view.
….. I've since learned that the reason we couldn't look away from the towers was that our minds had no way to process the information.
No matter how hard we tried to mentally digest what our eyes were seeing, there was nowhere to "file" images of human beings diving from the World Trade Center.
It's an image I can't shake to this day: bodies falling through a maze of confetti like ants falling from a tree. It's a sight I wish I never saw…( whole story is from here)
There is a documentary about the people in the world trade center after the first plane crashed saying they saw clothes falling down outside their windows. It was really people wearing clothes falling to their death but there minds couldn’t accept it, it just couldn’t be. Their eyes did see people in the clothes, but the mind wouldn’t accept it and so made the information fit with the world as they knew it had to be.
We are trying to take every thought captive with minds that have been soaked in pragmatism and we can see how it cripples our thinking as Christians. This is why we are commanded to disciple our children in the light of Gods word and can never give them to Caeser to be fitted with the Americana view of life that has been given a spritz of ode de neutered Christianity perfume, but which is really humanistic to the core.
Now, just because we were disobedient and slack and let society, government etc etc go to pot doesn’t mean we can say “no way will we touch this ungodly mess.” Imagine you have a family that you haven’t cared for in a biblical manner, and now you are saved. How would we counsel that person? Forget it, it’s too far gone. Its too corrupted. Would we not disciple that person on what God has said pertaining the family and get on our knees in prayer with them and say put your hands to the plow and don’t give up till the savior returns or your family kills you.
Like people who have come inside from a muddy humanistic yard we must now take time to make sure we don’t drag old unbiblical thinking through the new house with us. Palin has just been a ripe topic. To most Christians its a no brainer, but we are going, wait a minute…. To the law and to the testimony! (Isa8)
Ok final thing, Kevin Swanson has this talk that exactly addresses the Pietist idea that we aremissinf themark to be looking at all this political stuff.
, mp3 the kingdom of heaven on earth. I could’ve just sent this hyperlink but I was ready to shuck some corn. Just for you Rob!
Remember the two men who had been walking and talking with Jesus, but didn’t know it was him after his resurrection. Jesus made clear many things to them and after he left them they said, did not our hearts burn inside us! (luke24:32) There have been so many times the last two years , maybe at Robs house, talking with my wife, during a Sunday service or during lunch afterwards or just as I am thinking through something I’m writing, where as you press in on a point solely on the basis that Gods word says XYZ and you realize that you must let go of what your mind says is the accepted normal conclusion and lo and behold that allows your mind to see something that before just couldn’t be. The scales fall away.….did not our hearts burn within us!
Jesus made the point, if you cannot understand earthly things how will you understand heavenly things? (john3:12) For the longest time we have dismissed the earthly things so we could focus on spiritual things. We have had it backwards! We must get adept at applying Gods word to the earthly things first! Or by the words of our Lord there will be much that we may see and understand wrong concerning heavenly things.
Because for the most part we have all come out from evangelicalism where Christianity was a truncated shadow of what it is supposed to be. At least my understanding and worldview resembled more of a raisin than that of the robust faith Martin Luther proclaimed, which enabled him to stand before popes and emperor’s and defy them on the basis of Gods word. Hallelujah!
Believers for a long time have been having this huge rummage sale with all of Gods stuff. (Col1:16-20 ) It made the bus stop untidy and cluttered up the area. But as with the servants, the master will return and say what did you do with my stuff? (matt25:15, luke 19:13) We know from the word that if we take what belongs to Christ and hide it, that we will be described by him as a wicked servant. (luke 19:22) I am at a lost, scripture wise, as to what he will say for what we evangelicals have done. We didn’t even bury it or sell it, we kinda pushed it away.
All of the stuff and systems of this world is what we where to take captive and make them obedient to Christ, it was what we were to make disciples over. Because Who made it all? Why does it exist? Who has authority over it? Who does it belong to? What sayeth the scriptures? How should we then live?
Why isn’t this easy? Because we were given the wrong worldview and now its rough for our brains to make this new wine fit into the old wineskins. But our minds try to do it. Even if it must fold things in half to make them fit.
My son Nathan at 18 months will bring a book to you, bend over and twist up his head so that he is looking straight into your face and while tapping at the page and say “car, car” He has limited cubbyholes formed in his brain and he is always trying to relate new info, to that which, he already knows.
A pertinent example, for today being 911 is this description from that fateful day…..
….The first boom shook our office walls. I scanned my desk and asked my team, "What the hell was that?"
One of our analysts yelled "The World Trade Center's on fire!" as we turned to see flames raging and black smoke billowing into the clear blue sky.
At 40 Fulton St., we were a few blocks away from the towers, and from the 24th floor we had a bird's-eye view.
….. I've since learned that the reason we couldn't look away from the towers was that our minds had no way to process the information.
No matter how hard we tried to mentally digest what our eyes were seeing, there was nowhere to "file" images of human beings diving from the World Trade Center.
It's an image I can't shake to this day: bodies falling through a maze of confetti like ants falling from a tree. It's a sight I wish I never saw…( whole story is from here)
There is a documentary about the people in the world trade center after the first plane crashed saying they saw clothes falling down outside their windows. It was really people wearing clothes falling to their death but there minds couldn’t accept it, it just couldn’t be. Their eyes did see people in the clothes, but the mind wouldn’t accept it and so made the information fit with the world as they knew it had to be.
We are trying to take every thought captive with minds that have been soaked in pragmatism and we can see how it cripples our thinking as Christians. This is why we are commanded to disciple our children in the light of Gods word and can never give them to Caeser to be fitted with the Americana view of life that has been given a spritz of ode de neutered Christianity perfume, but which is really humanistic to the core.
Now, just because we were disobedient and slack and let society, government etc etc go to pot doesn’t mean we can say “no way will we touch this ungodly mess.” Imagine you have a family that you haven’t cared for in a biblical manner, and now you are saved. How would we counsel that person? Forget it, it’s too far gone. Its too corrupted. Would we not disciple that person on what God has said pertaining the family and get on our knees in prayer with them and say put your hands to the plow and don’t give up till the savior returns or your family kills you.
Like people who have come inside from a muddy humanistic yard we must now take time to make sure we don’t drag old unbiblical thinking through the new house with us. Palin has just been a ripe topic. To most Christians its a no brainer, but we are going, wait a minute…. To the law and to the testimony! (Isa8)
Ok final thing, Kevin Swanson has this talk that exactly addresses the Pietist idea that we aremissinf themark to be looking at all this political stuff.
, mp3 the kingdom of heaven on earth. I could’ve just sent this hyperlink but I was ready to shuck some corn. Just for you Rob!
Enlightenment,Renaissance, Reformation,Charles finney
I keep pulling the feathers off of this chicken and underneath I keep finding more chicken. This is longer, as I was thinking about it all over Colorado…some observations from recent history and its connections to us today and a suggestion on being relevant in our world today.
Do we have a view of Christianity that is closer to Obama’s walk of personal discovery than compared to the historical record of our fore fathers? It does seem that over time Christianity has become like some interpretive trail that each believer is encouraged to find for themselves. The focus shifted from God and what his word says about Him, His creation and how we should see ourselves in it, to one of, what does the word say about how much God loves us.
During the “dark ages” Gods revealed law was higher than popes and even Kings, all had to submit to Gods Law. Never before had monarchs or rulers seen themselves as under a higher authority, for the first time their every whim and wish was not absolute law. (other than early Israel) This was an out growth of the good news of the gospel.
But with the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, Adam and Eve’s example from the garden, of being in judgment over what God has said, re-asserted itself in the form of Greek thinking.
With the Enlightenment and Renaissance, reason became the key to truth. Not Gods word. This is why liberals always swoon over these time periods and never cease to heap praise on those who push this mindset.
Otto Scott has said that if you don’t tell people what you are doing you can go a lot farther, as compared to if you come out and really say what you are doing. Try and find a school book on history that says the enlightenment and the renaissance were about casting off any restraints from God.
“ Scholasticism now asserted the sovereignty of reason, the sovereignty of the university over church and state, the modern idea of academic freedom…freedom of the school from any responsibility to God and man.” (Rushdoony’s Institutes)
The divine right of Kings and what the pope said became higher than Gods word.
“…as sovereignty began to be asserted on all sides, by the people, church, state, universities, the authority of law began to recede…”(Rushdoony’s Institutes)
Up to this time it was agreed by all that law was from God, based on his revealed word.
Peter Abelard, a church leader, in about the 1200’s really helped to get the ball rolling. He said …” a doctrine is not to be believed because God has said it, but because we are convinced by reason that it is so…” Today we are at the place where we have entire sections of the bible that are just ignored because we have reasoned that they don’t apply to us anymore.
In contrast to this, the reformers, by use of the bible, saw no area of life that was not called to be subject to Christ in the 1500-1600’s. “ …the commandments all have their origin in God, who as the sovereign lord, issues the law to govern his realm…” (Rushdoonys institutes, my emphasis)
But as I found out while reading Charles Finneys autobiography last week, during the second awakening ,1800’s, just getting people converted, to have them see their need for Christ, was what Finney would call, advancing the Kingdom of God. There was no discipleship. I’m up to about page 80 and I still don’t what to think about him. He did declare Gods holiness and a wrath that can be expected by those separated from God. But no instruction on what, to turn too, wholesome goodness? Today by and large the church still is unable to point his people towards where they should go. As a bonus we gave up Gods holiness and his wrath to come, the need to repent. Its what happens when the New Testament floats away from the foundation of the Old Testament. When the book of the law is lost.
If Gods law is dismissed than all is up for grabs, who has the best argument? Never mind arguments, how do you… feel about it? We all become Popes in our own right and woe to the pastor who feels compelled to speak Gods truth to us. The legalist.
Here is relevance. God and his word is the one unchanging constant for all peoples in any age. Line up with Gods word, and be ready in love, to speak what God has said to any situation. As His witness you will be relevant, but you might not be popular,. (2chron 18:7And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” 8So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”[1] ) Even believers upon hearing the law of God applied to their situation might consider it evil! God calls all of us to give up our autonomy. Gods truth from his word is the relevant factor/factors in any/every situation.
2 chron 16:9“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him….
Do we have a view of Christianity that is closer to Obama’s walk of personal discovery than compared to the historical record of our fore fathers? It does seem that over time Christianity has become like some interpretive trail that each believer is encouraged to find for themselves. The focus shifted from God and what his word says about Him, His creation and how we should see ourselves in it, to one of, what does the word say about how much God loves us.
During the “dark ages” Gods revealed law was higher than popes and even Kings, all had to submit to Gods Law. Never before had monarchs or rulers seen themselves as under a higher authority, for the first time their every whim and wish was not absolute law. (other than early Israel) This was an out growth of the good news of the gospel.
But with the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, Adam and Eve’s example from the garden, of being in judgment over what God has said, re-asserted itself in the form of Greek thinking.
With the Enlightenment and Renaissance, reason became the key to truth. Not Gods word. This is why liberals always swoon over these time periods and never cease to heap praise on those who push this mindset.
Otto Scott has said that if you don’t tell people what you are doing you can go a lot farther, as compared to if you come out and really say what you are doing. Try and find a school book on history that says the enlightenment and the renaissance were about casting off any restraints from God.
“ Scholasticism now asserted the sovereignty of reason, the sovereignty of the university over church and state, the modern idea of academic freedom…freedom of the school from any responsibility to God and man.” (Rushdoony’s Institutes)
The divine right of Kings and what the pope said became higher than Gods word.
“…as sovereignty began to be asserted on all sides, by the people, church, state, universities, the authority of law began to recede…”(Rushdoony’s Institutes)
Up to this time it was agreed by all that law was from God, based on his revealed word.
Peter Abelard, a church leader, in about the 1200’s really helped to get the ball rolling. He said …” a doctrine is not to be believed because God has said it, but because we are convinced by reason that it is so…” Today we are at the place where we have entire sections of the bible that are just ignored because we have reasoned that they don’t apply to us anymore.
In contrast to this, the reformers, by use of the bible, saw no area of life that was not called to be subject to Christ in the 1500-1600’s. “ …the commandments all have their origin in God, who as the sovereign lord, issues the law to govern his realm…” (Rushdoonys institutes, my emphasis)
But as I found out while reading Charles Finneys autobiography last week, during the second awakening ,1800’s, just getting people converted, to have them see their need for Christ, was what Finney would call, advancing the Kingdom of God. There was no discipleship. I’m up to about page 80 and I still don’t what to think about him. He did declare Gods holiness and a wrath that can be expected by those separated from God. But no instruction on what, to turn too, wholesome goodness? Today by and large the church still is unable to point his people towards where they should go. As a bonus we gave up Gods holiness and his wrath to come, the need to repent. Its what happens when the New Testament floats away from the foundation of the Old Testament. When the book of the law is lost.
If Gods law is dismissed than all is up for grabs, who has the best argument? Never mind arguments, how do you… feel about it? We all become Popes in our own right and woe to the pastor who feels compelled to speak Gods truth to us. The legalist.
Here is relevance. God and his word is the one unchanging constant for all peoples in any age. Line up with Gods word, and be ready in love, to speak what God has said to any situation. As His witness you will be relevant, but you might not be popular,. (2chron 18:7And Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not still a prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of Him?” 8So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord; but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”[1] ) Even believers upon hearing the law of God applied to their situation might consider it evil! God calls all of us to give up our autonomy. Gods truth from his word is the relevant factor/factors in any/every situation.
2 chron 16:9“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him….
And Again the government says, Let me pick up the Tab for that
I never realised that i had such deep pockets.
Yesterday the fed had assumed responsibility to make good all the bad mortgages that Fannie and Freedie Mac have been accumulating. This is a bailout of foreign governments more than anything. How long can our government avert everyone from actually reaping what they have sown? People will continue to lose their homes, but it’s the protecting of these giant firms and soveriegn wealth funds. How long can you say "lets do over" and pretend it didn’t happen and let the taxpayers make up for it? A government can stand against Gods principles only as long as he allows it.
Yesterday the fed had assumed responsibility to make good all the bad mortgages that Fannie and Freedie Mac have been accumulating. This is a bailout of foreign governments more than anything. How long can our government avert everyone from actually reaping what they have sown? People will continue to lose their homes, but it’s the protecting of these giant firms and soveriegn wealth funds. How long can you say "lets do over" and pretend it didn’t happen and let the taxpayers make up for it? A government can stand against Gods principles only as long as he allows it.
Palin, What sayeth the Scriptures?
I’m almost done with The Second Mayflower. Kevin has this quote from John Jay, first chief justice of the United States on page 249 “God has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers”
Question: has anyone seen a contrary exegetical work, making an affirmative case for women magistrates? I bring it up because Einwechter has added to what he wrote on women magistrates in a Response to Al Mohler and David Kotter. (???) Its here on Doug Phillips Blog.I do like how Sarah Palin is just sand in the teeth of the liberal elites. Its hard not to take delight when they act like there little heads are just gonna explode. They truly don’t know what to be outraged over more. Guns, allowing a down syndrome baby to live, a Christian, how she doesn’t kow tow to them… her betters, how she smiles and seems to enjoy herself as they try to destroy her, her daughter having unprotected sex, and then not aborting the baby! Well I never!
God is at work. But we don’t know how. So you cannot second guess but must revert back to the word as our compass and guide.
Heard RC Sproul Jr on his basement tape called “some dance to forget” while on the road. Sproul makes the point that as we live as God has directed it will highlight the hollowness of those who are living for the here and now. It resonated also how it can even cause a check in believers who are living for less than what God wants.
While away I was able to share with my insurance agent who is a believer that I have to be obedient to God and vote in a manner that complies with his word rather than what used to seem like the obvious thing to do. I do think we will be like sand in the teeth of believers. “I would love to vote for her! But I must obey God and his word” also the phrase from the Bradleys about ”if you think this is wrong, is it because you believe the word of God teaches something else?” We are to be his witness. We must obey God rather than men.
Question: has anyone seen a contrary exegetical work, making an affirmative case for women magistrates? I bring it up because Einwechter has added to what he wrote on women magistrates in a Response to Al Mohler and David Kotter. (???) Its here on Doug Phillips Blog.I do like how Sarah Palin is just sand in the teeth of the liberal elites. Its hard not to take delight when they act like there little heads are just gonna explode. They truly don’t know what to be outraged over more. Guns, allowing a down syndrome baby to live, a Christian, how she doesn’t kow tow to them… her betters, how she smiles and seems to enjoy herself as they try to destroy her, her daughter having unprotected sex, and then not aborting the baby! Well I never!
God is at work. But we don’t know how. So you cannot second guess but must revert back to the word as our compass and guide.
Heard RC Sproul Jr on his basement tape called “some dance to forget” while on the road. Sproul makes the point that as we live as God has directed it will highlight the hollowness of those who are living for the here and now. It resonated also how it can even cause a check in believers who are living for less than what God wants.
While away I was able to share with my insurance agent who is a believer that I have to be obedient to God and vote in a manner that complies with his word rather than what used to seem like the obvious thing to do. I do think we will be like sand in the teeth of believers. “I would love to vote for her! But I must obey God and his word” also the phrase from the Bradleys about ”if you think this is wrong, is it because you believe the word of God teaches something else?” We are to be his witness. We must obey God rather than men.
Palin Questions
I give my two cents here to some more questions on Palin.
Mal.3:6 “I am the Lord, I change not”
And in psalm 102:27 speaking of God…”But you are the same….”
Deut. 12:8 “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, everyman whatsoever is right in his own eyes”
I missed the Legacy mens meeting tonight. But I did make it to Swansons mens meeting on weds, where Kevin noted…..” Eve stood as a neutral judge over Gods word.”
We cannot make the same mistake, to lean on our own understanding. No one gets to be neutral…” you are with me or against me…”
Questions are always good! It brings forth clarity. We just need to function in love. We do probably hold back from asking more questions, out of pride. It also is so easy to misunderstand what is meant sometimes. We cannot approach any topic in a neutral manner. So its...."To the law and the testimony!!!"
the Questions are in italics and
Ok! We can all agree that Isaiah 3 clearly points to the fact that a woman ruler is a judgment on the people, but that is not the equivalent of, "All women rulers govern unrighteously!" ( Amen)
I am not saying that anyone is making this statement, I'm simply trying to phrase a question!! Also, if a person voted for a woman, would that be sinful??? (God gives qualifiers for this position, “choose from among you men…” If you no longer your own, if you have been bought and paid for, if you have a Lord and you know what his will is, and you don’t do it. Is it sin?)
And if it is, what does that mean for our Lord ordaining Deborah to rule??? (First: He is God. Second: Saul watched Samuel perform the offering many times. It was presumption and pragmatism and disobedience on his part as he thought “where’s Samuel? This needs to be done!” He lost his kingdom by ignoring Gods commanded methodology. Jesus walked on water ,we know it violated Gods laws of physics. But we can never think that we can violate Gods Laws of physics on the basis that God himself seems to have set them aside at times. Third: We moderns have a habit of ignoring Gods normative commands and then taking Gods exceptions, making them the rule.)
I'll grant you it was judgment, but it was not sin, and as far as I can see, she did a decent job---what are your thoughts??? (To focus on how good of a job someone can do, will miss the point. I can just hear someone after Saul’s sacrifice saying “ I thought Saul did a pretty good job!”)
By the way, I am-at this point- probably not going to be voting.. Kind of a strange thing--I almost feel that voting for an earthly governmentwould be equal to fence sitting! , ( it was Gods ordained method for his people to be self governing and that process included “ ..choose from among you…” we are part of a tiny minority on this planet that can still do this. The fact that our system is so messed up is that Christians walked away from it for so long.)
Terry family is back on the road tomorrow. It will be a bummer to miss Sunday again.
May we be found obedient when the Lord returns! David
Mal.3:6 “I am the Lord, I change not”
And in psalm 102:27 speaking of God…”But you are the same….”
Deut. 12:8 “Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, everyman whatsoever is right in his own eyes”
I missed the Legacy mens meeting tonight. But I did make it to Swansons mens meeting on weds, where Kevin noted…..” Eve stood as a neutral judge over Gods word.”
We cannot make the same mistake, to lean on our own understanding. No one gets to be neutral…” you are with me or against me…”
Questions are always good! It brings forth clarity. We just need to function in love. We do probably hold back from asking more questions, out of pride. It also is so easy to misunderstand what is meant sometimes. We cannot approach any topic in a neutral manner. So its...."To the law and the testimony!!!"
the Questions are in italics and
Ok! We can all agree that Isaiah 3 clearly points to the fact that a woman ruler is a judgment on the people, but that is not the equivalent of, "All women rulers govern unrighteously!" ( Amen)
I am not saying that anyone is making this statement, I'm simply trying to phrase a question!! Also, if a person voted for a woman, would that be sinful??? (God gives qualifiers for this position, “choose from among you men…” If you no longer your own, if you have been bought and paid for, if you have a Lord and you know what his will is, and you don’t do it. Is it sin?)
And if it is, what does that mean for our Lord ordaining Deborah to rule??? (First: He is God. Second: Saul watched Samuel perform the offering many times. It was presumption and pragmatism and disobedience on his part as he thought “where’s Samuel? This needs to be done!” He lost his kingdom by ignoring Gods commanded methodology. Jesus walked on water ,we know it violated Gods laws of physics. But we can never think that we can violate Gods Laws of physics on the basis that God himself seems to have set them aside at times. Third: We moderns have a habit of ignoring Gods normative commands and then taking Gods exceptions, making them the rule.)
I'll grant you it was judgment, but it was not sin, and as far as I can see, she did a decent job---what are your thoughts??? (To focus on how good of a job someone can do, will miss the point. I can just hear someone after Saul’s sacrifice saying “ I thought Saul did a pretty good job!”)
By the way, I am-at this point- probably not going to be voting.. Kind of a strange thing--I almost feel that voting for an earthly governmentwould be equal to fence sitting! , ( it was Gods ordained method for his people to be self governing and that process included “ ..choose from among you…” we are part of a tiny minority on this planet that can still do this. The fact that our system is so messed up is that Christians walked away from it for so long.)
Terry family is back on the road tomorrow. It will be a bummer to miss Sunday again.
May we be found obedient when the Lord returns! David
Pikes Peak,nope we couldnt hide from Palin up here either
Did you know that at 14,000 feet its very cold?
More questions is ok to vote for women is it sinful? Here i refer to the Best example of Biblical research concerning women magistrates that i have seen.
I am coming from the reformation angle, that Gods word is not silent. Bahnsen would say that many think we serve "the God of omni hiddenness."
Before we dive into questions, have you read Einweichers article on what can be extrapulated from Gods word on this topic as a starting point? What sayeth the scriptures?
More questions is ok to vote for women is it sinful? Here i refer to the Best example of Biblical research concerning women magistrates that i have seen.
I am coming from the reformation angle, that Gods word is not silent. Bahnsen would say that many think we serve "the God of omni hiddenness."
Before we dive into questions, have you read Einweichers article on what can be extrapulated from Gods word on this topic as a starting point? What sayeth the scriptures?
In the Days of Palin..Where are the Christian men?
So the Question was asked where are the Christian men? This was my responce to the question. Its like we thought there are no Christian men. but there are this type of men and they were tired Of the compramises of the Republican party so a new party was birthed that made no bones about being Christian. The constitution Party.
To depart from the fear of God is to lack any sense of reality. .”.Rushdooy1)
I believe it was Martin Luther who argued to the effect , that at whatever point the enemy is attacking, that the Christian must be there with Gods word, or he is missing in action.
"The follower of Christ today confronts a political tradition which has divorced itself from Gods sovereign authority over it…" Bahnsen 2)
“…The Christian cannot be satisfied so long as any human activity is either opposed to Christianity or out of all connection with Christianity…” Machen
Huzza huzza! Rob, and Amen! The church has been silent on most areas of life. Machen noted that the church was too busy trying to be relevant to man a hundred years ago. What man has always needed was to be shown his only relevance, meaning, purpose, is in relation to God. We will either be in rebellion or in obedience to God and his word. There is will be a lot of believers that are gonna be in a snit as we show them the words of the God they serve, in relation to issues of the day. But that, is where the battle is today. We must be his witness. We must Christianize the Christians as Wilson would say.
And where are the men? Here’s a couple.
This is the preamble to the Constitution partys platform….
"The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.
This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here…".more Sign me up. Oh wait, I already have.
Concerning Republicans and Palin…. Doug Phillips nails it “…After decades of Christian leaders fighting against the feminstic vision of the working supermom, Republicans are now showcasing the vision in the most high profile election in the world…
The church is without excuse. Gods word is not silent. If you want clearer understanding on what God directs concerning women as rulers, here is an exegetical teaching by Einweicher and this is how it starts...
"With more and more women entering the political sphere and running for political office, the conscientious, biblically oriented Christian is confronted with the question of whether or not he should give his support and vote to a woman. This question becomes more pressing for many when the “best candidate,” i.e., the most conservative, pro-life candidate in a particular race is a woman…".more
As Gary north would say....."Gods plan for man is one of unconditional surrender to Him"
We in the church, will either lead the way in obedience, or in rebellion.
God bless, David
To depart from the fear of God is to lack any sense of reality. .”.Rushdooy1)
I believe it was Martin Luther who argued to the effect , that at whatever point the enemy is attacking, that the Christian must be there with Gods word, or he is missing in action.
"The follower of Christ today confronts a political tradition which has divorced itself from Gods sovereign authority over it…" Bahnsen 2)
“…The Christian cannot be satisfied so long as any human activity is either opposed to Christianity or out of all connection with Christianity…” Machen
Huzza huzza! Rob, and Amen! The church has been silent on most areas of life. Machen noted that the church was too busy trying to be relevant to man a hundred years ago. What man has always needed was to be shown his only relevance, meaning, purpose, is in relation to God. We will either be in rebellion or in obedience to God and his word. There is will be a lot of believers that are gonna be in a snit as we show them the words of the God they serve, in relation to issues of the day. But that, is where the battle is today. We must be his witness. We must Christianize the Christians as Wilson would say.
And where are the men? Here’s a couple.
This is the preamble to the Constitution partys platform….
"The Constitution Party gratefully acknowledges the blessing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as Creator, Preserver and Ruler of the Universe and of these United States. We hereby appeal to Him for mercy, aid, comfort, guidance and the protection of His Providence as we work to restore and preserve these United States.
This great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been and are afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here…".more Sign me up. Oh wait, I already have.
Concerning Republicans and Palin…. Doug Phillips nails it “…After decades of Christian leaders fighting against the feminstic vision of the working supermom, Republicans are now showcasing the vision in the most high profile election in the world…
The church is without excuse. Gods word is not silent. If you want clearer understanding on what God directs concerning women as rulers, here is an exegetical teaching by Einweicher and this is how it starts...
"With more and more women entering the political sphere and running for political office, the conscientious, biblically oriented Christian is confronted with the question of whether or not he should give his support and vote to a woman. This question becomes more pressing for many when the “best candidate,” i.e., the most conservative, pro-life candidate in a particular race is a woman…".more
As Gary north would say....."Gods plan for man is one of unconditional surrender to Him"
We in the church, will either lead the way in obedience, or in rebellion.
God bless, David
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sarah Palin
Great contribution fom Voddie B on the Palin issue.
Don't miss Doug Phillip's blog and Douglas Wilson has been trying to work through this topic on his blog. I think Wilson is on the pragmatic side.
Bottom line what has God said? One of the
qualifications to be a civil magistrate,(Govt official) is to be a man.
Don't miss Doug Phillip's blog and Douglas Wilson has been trying to work through this topic on his blog. I think Wilson is on the pragmatic side.
Bottom line what has God said? One of the
qualifications to be a civil magistrate,(Govt official) is to be a man.
Colorado Trip and Reformation Church
So it's only a short 15 hr drive from Phoenix to Denver. We were pretty dead Saturday night but managed to get over to Castle Rock to have Sunday worship at Reformation Church. Swanson's Church is at about 300 people now. They average 7 visiting families a week and it is hard for them, even with four elders and constantly exhorting the body to welcome in new ones, to make sure they meet these new families. We almost slipped through the cracks.
Kayla was a little put out. She now has in the middle of her notes from the book of Luke, notes from a different book of the Bible. That one is a Legacy inside joke.
Another very full day as after church we went and had dinner at Kevin's house with one other family from Reformation Church, the Bobb’s. Turns out this other family has done what I think I should do, sell and buy something outright with no debt. He sold his very nice house on a golf course and bought a fixer upper on two acres for 130k, well outside of town. He too re-positioned himself for the future. The land here stinks when it comes to growing “crops”, bad soil. Oh well.
Much fun visiting, talking about the state of the church, the family int. movement, abolishing seminaries and God's law. They want us to encourage all back home to come join them during their family camps in Sante Fe. They have some come up from California, Texas.
I shared how we are seeing the splintering of long, deep relationships as God keeps sharpening our vision and those from the mainstream just think we are now “too far” out there. Kevin wants us to make “them” aware of our prayer needs. God is knitting together those fellowships that are embracing all of His word. It's way more than just being family integrated churches. It's His word being acknowledged as “the standard” that will be the real glue and bonding agent I think. There will be many F.I.churches that will be unwilling to see all of God's word as applicable today, and that, will just be water and oil in a hurry I think.
I got Kevin worked up (who me?) about Otto Scott, “I use to love his writing, I have to get it out again!” and then he is bringing out a Rushdoony book to read a choice quote. I tried not to let on too much how I have gotten so much from the doonyman, when Kevin just says “Rushdoony was a genius.”
Kevin liked how we are using emails to get in some extra Iron sharpening.
Kayla was a little put out. She now has in the middle of her notes from the book of Luke, notes from a different book of the Bible. That one is a Legacy inside joke.
Another very full day as after church we went and had dinner at Kevin's house with one other family from Reformation Church, the Bobb’s. Turns out this other family has done what I think I should do, sell and buy something outright with no debt. He sold his very nice house on a golf course and bought a fixer upper on two acres for 130k, well outside of town. He too re-positioned himself for the future. The land here stinks when it comes to growing “crops”, bad soil. Oh well.
Much fun visiting, talking about the state of the church, the family int. movement, abolishing seminaries and God's law. They want us to encourage all back home to come join them during their family camps in Sante Fe. They have some come up from California, Texas.
I shared how we are seeing the splintering of long, deep relationships as God keeps sharpening our vision and those from the mainstream just think we are now “too far” out there. Kevin wants us to make “them” aware of our prayer needs. God is knitting together those fellowships that are embracing all of His word. It's way more than just being family integrated churches. It's His word being acknowledged as “the standard” that will be the real glue and bonding agent I think. There will be many F.I.churches that will be unwilling to see all of God's word as applicable today, and that, will just be water and oil in a hurry I think.
I got Kevin worked up (who me?) about Otto Scott, “I use to love his writing, I have to get it out again!” and then he is bringing out a Rushdoony book to read a choice quote. I tried not to let on too much how I have gotten so much from the doonyman, when Kevin just says “Rushdoony was a genius.”
Kevin liked how we are using emails to get in some extra Iron sharpening.
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