Lucy Van Pelt: Aren't the clouds beautiful? They look like big balls of cotton. I could just lie here all day and watch them drift by. If you use your imagination, you can see lots of things in the cloud's formations. What do you think you see, Linus?
Linus Van Pelt: Well, those clouds up there look to me look like the map of the British Honduras on the Caribbean. [points up] That cloud up there looks a little like the profile of Thomas Eakins, the famous painter and sculptor. And that group of clouds over there... [points] ...gives me the impression of the Stoning of Stephen. I can see the Apostle Paul standing there to one side.
Lucy Van Pelt: Uh huh. That's very good. What do you see in the clouds, Charlie Brown?
Charlie Brown: Well... I was going to say I saw a duckie and a horsie, but I changed my mind.
My wife and I sit in the balcony during the early service when we attend church. My pastor is Greg Laurie, and he's a pretty relaxed guy when compared to what I grew up around. As a child, the church that dominated my early teachings in Christianity was Calvary Baptist Church in Bellflower, California, pastored by Dr. H. Frank Collins.
A rather large church, Calvary Baptist even had school buses that brought children to church who wished to attend when the parents did not. The main sanctuary was a large brick building, and the congregation was a typical fundamental Baptist group. In other words, when Dr. Collins laid out the Bible in the most simple terms, every once in a while someone would utter "Amen," and receive a couple glances afterward.
I suppose that is where I get it from. Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California is a little more upbeat. Jeans and a decorative T-shirt is acceptable attire, while Calvary Baptist sent girls home for dresses that were too short, and discouraged the wearing of pants by the ladies. At Harvest, when moved to do so by song, some of the folks in the pews will raise their hands to God in praise. Applause for a well said sermon note, or enthusiastic verbal responses of approval, are not unheard of.
When Pastor Greg Laurie says something especially relative to my own life, a snippet of absolute truth, or something I find to be very important to the walk of a Christian's life, I simply say "Amen," just as I did so many times at Calvary Baptist Church as a child.
As complex as some Christians make The Faith out to be, I find that a simple "Amen" in response to the simple message of salvation is adequate for me. Though many may feel comfortable discussing the Christian Faith with complex, esoteric language of academic theology, I tend to see God as a being that is much less complicated. Don't get me wrong. I have a deep appreciation for the complexities of theology. But when you lay it all out on the table, the message of salvation and God's Love is rather simple, and a simple "Amen" is more than enough confirmation that in its simplicity, the message is powerful and rich with love and common sense.
Politics is similar in many ways. Sometimes I will be in a room full of my friends who proudly remind me that they have a West Point or Naval Academy education. Some of my friends are Stanford, Occidental, Pepperdine, Harvard, and Yale graduates, and they use the academic vocabulary that goes along with their years of studies when articulating the complexities of our current political environment. And while discussing politics with them, though they congratulate me for my incredible political insight and logic, sometimes around them I feel like Charlie Brown looking up at the clouds seeing duckies and horsies, while the academics discuss the more complex issues of derivatives, and Obama's disastrous Cap and Trade tax.
To me, however, it is all really simple, and it should be simple. After all, the U.S. Constitution was written for the people, and for that reason the founding fathers kept it simple, and easy to understand. The first three words do not say "We the Lawyers," or "We the Government." The first three words of The Preamble are "We the People" for a reason.
Amen.
When it comes to economics, the logic is simple. If you spend more than you have coming in, eventually it is going to catch up to you. I don't care how many complex models you use to explain the complexities of the financial market, in the end, spending more than what is coming in eventually ends in disaster. It is true for households, businesses, and churches. Government is no different. Deficit spending cannot be sustained, and will eventually collapse an economy. I don't care what party the leaders are members of. It doesn't change the facts. If you don't have the money, don't spend it.
Amen.
Abstinence is the only 100% reliable form of birth control. This is not to say that other forms of birth control should not be used. If a married couple does not feel they are ready to have a child in their lives, by all means, use contraception. But to argue that teaching the younger generation to practice abstinence doesn't work is ridiculous. The Left has been handing out condoms to kids, putting them in front of sex education videos, and throwing around the "safe sex" mantra for years. How is that working out for you?
Due to human nature, of which I believe our nature is one determined to do the wrong thing if left unchecked, we will never be 100% successful in any strategy used. But to downplay abstinence is insane. We don't tell our kids that it is okay to steal, as long as they use safe methods. We don't encourage our kids to lie, using safe lying methods. No matter what, those behaviors are destructive. Sex outside of marriage is destructive as well, carrying with it the possibilities of consequences that are usually too horrid to even dare imagine. Sex outside of marriage is no longer just about the danger of pregnancy, or getting some minor venereal disease. In the simplest terms, taking into consideration the presence of AIDS, sex outside of marriage can cause death. Imagine the world we would live in if folks practiced Biblically based abstinence outside of marriage. STDs would be all but gone, abortion would be rare if in existence at all, many families would hold together and remain an all important building block of the nation, rather than splitting up because of the selfish sexual desires of a cheating spouse, the porn industry would dwindle and die, and sexual intercourse would return to its rightful place as a special moment of intimacy between a married man and a woman, rather than being some casual toy used for a quick fix of animalistic pleasure.
Amen.
Workers are going to go where the greatest potential for income is. Companies are going to conduct business where the greatest potential for profit is. It is not about doing what is best for their country, unfortunately, and as much as I wish it was, the need for profit in order to keep the doors open is a stronger drive than patriotism. Therefore, if a company is finding it difficult to make a profit in a particular environment because of a workforce backed by unions that demand outrageous benefits, or in an environment where the taxation, regulations, and government intrusions are not beneficial to conducting business, the corporation is going to go where the environment is more business friendly. Basic economics: Product A was manufactured nearby and costs $20, and Product B was manufactured in some foreign country and costs $10. In the long run, most people are going to purchase product B, and if the only way to make Product A competitive in quality and price is to move the production plant outside the U.S., the business will do so. Not because of greed, or because they aren't patriotic. They do so in order to be able to sell Product A - because if they don't start selling the products soon, they will be filing for bankruptcy. So, the simple resolution to the problem is to make the business environment less hostile here in America by cutting corporate taxes, eliminating the federal intrusions we see on the rise, and backing off on regulations that does not allow the industry to produce the products in a manner they feel will be most marketable.
Amen.
Reducing taxes allows citizens to keep more of what they make, as the founders originally intended. This enables the people to increase consumption, which increases consumer spending, which increases production, which creates more jobs. More jobs and a higher profit by companies then result in increased revenue despite the drop in tax percentage because everyone is making more money, and the increased amount of income equals an increase amount of income that can be taxed. Raising taxes, or taxing the citizen with nickel and dime taxes like cigarette taxes, fuel taxes, and the like, discourages the consumer, which in turn lowers consumption, reduces productivity, and results in a loss of jobs and profit - in turn dropping the amount of revenue received by the government, despite the raised rate of taxation. In short, tax and spend policies like the ones currently being employed by the Democrats, is disastrous in the long-run. And, as the revenue drops, in their shallow little minds, they will think the only way to save us is to raise taxes, further damaging the dying economy, and killing the drive for achievement. This is why Obama recently made the statement that his spending tactics can't be sustained. It is a setup for raising taxes.
Amen.
Marriage belongs to God. In the eyes of God, a marriage is between a man and a woman. For the Gay Agenda to attempt to hijack marriage, it is a direct assault on faith, and God. The homosexuals would not desire for the government to pass a law requiring Bible Studies to be held in Gay Night Clubs, and for Bibles to be required reading at these facilities frequented by the gay community. If they want to call themselves "married" in their own community, have at it. Don't redefine marriage from an official standpoint. And it has nothing to do with rights. The same rights of marriage can be obtained through powers of attorney, and numerous other legal means. Face it, the drive for Gay Marriage is nothing more than an attempt to destroy the meaning of marriage, and justify a perverse, unnatural behavior. Gay Marriage is a direct assault on the God that refuses to justify or bless the unholy unions of people who practice the homosexual behavioral fetish.
Amen.
"Infringe," in The American Heritage College Dictionary, is defined as "to violate," or "To encroach on someone or something." The word "Shall" is an absolute. In current language the meaning has changed to mean "should," but in the archaic language used in the Bible, and in the U.S. Constitution, "Shall" means "must." In the years of the American Revolution, and the time preceding the birth of this nation, the Colonies did not have a standing army. So, in order to defend itself, America used a militia. This well regulated militia comprised of local farmers, store keepers, or whoever else was willing to take up arms to protect the homeland from tyranny. The founding fathers saw this militia, which was basically armed citizens willing to fight for liberty on a moments notice, as a necessity for the security of the free state America was becoming. Therefore, they wrote the Second Amendment to read as follows: A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. - Meaning, the federal government cannot in any way restrict or violate our right to own and carry firearms. To take away our right to do so will open up America to foreign invasion, internal tyranny, and turn the populace into what they were before the American Revolution: Subjects.
Amen.
I only cover an handful of issues, here, and there are so many more that weigh heavily on my heart. For some what I just wrote may seem as simplistic as duckies and horsies, and that is fine. As for me, when I die, I don't wish my legacy to be one that was of complacency, regardless of whether my explanations were filled with academic conjecture, or laid out in the simplest terms. I do not wish to be remembered as one that failed to stand up for what is right because I believed the propaganda of the rising evil when they proclaimed it is all just "too complex for right-minded individuals to understand." I desire that after I go to be with the Lord that folks will look at my writings and proclaim that I recognized what the founding fathers intended, and that I was willing to stand up and be counted for in this battle between good and evil that has erupted around us in this great nation.
I want my final words to be remembered as my last "Amen."
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
My memories also harkened back to the first time I stepped into the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. As with Riverside National, I removed my cap as I stepped upon that sacred ground. I read the names in silence, tears welling up in my eyes. The dead called to me, asking me not to weep, for they gave their lives willingly, so that others might live, and live with the promise of freedom.
There were those at the USS Arizona Memorial that were less respectful, leaving their caps on, talking loudly, letting their children run around the solemn place. It made me desire to shout out, "Hey, show some respect!" But I didn't. Perhaps they didn't understand. Maybe they didn't know the price for freedom that veterans like myself have experienced. Perhaps they didn't view the fallen as brothers and sisters, and as heroes that gave the ultimate sacrifice so that our liberty might live.
My grandfather fought in World War II, and though he survived the war to live a long life, many of his fellow soldiers did not. Many of his friends and fellow troops lie in foreign lands. Many lie in graves, much like my grandfather's, in National Cemeteries across America. All of these heroes are owed a debt of unspeakable gratitude by Americans, and Memorial Day is that opportunity to do so.
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