Just shut up. Play the game. Play it from your heart and you know what, I will show you the Kwan.

Tonight was the last Cowboys game played at Texas Stadium. They apparently handpicked the Ravens in the off-season to be their final home game.

Tonight there were two teams with their backs up against the wall for a playoff spot. But one had the luxury of playing at home and playing with the emotional inspiration of playing the last Cowboys game at Texas Stadium for their fans and their watching legends.

But it was the road team who showed up with the heart, passion, and a sense of urgency. The game could be perhaps seen as another choke. I'm just further convinced this team has no heart.

Watching the legends in the post-game ceremony, I was thinking, "Gun, you think Jimmy would have let this happen? You think Michael Irvin would have let this happen? You think Troy or Roger would have let this happen? You think Darren Woodson would have let this happen? You think Randy White would have let this happen? You think Bill Bates would let the special teams be so bad?"

What a way to end their time at Texas Stadium ... losing to a rookie QB, giving up 33 offensive points, and giving up first recording tying 77 yard TD run by an opponent and then giving up a record 82 yard TD run by an opponent on the very next offensive play.

All in all, they put themselves in a position where they have to win a tough game on the road and get help even to make the playoffs. That's a sad shift of gears from the 13-1 first round bye team last year that sent 13 to the pro-bowl.

P.S. Check out photos of our family tour of Texas Stadium the week after this game.

No such thing bad student. Only bad teacher.

(click to enlarge)

(From TeachSundaySchool.com, for which I cannot at this time necessarily vouch.)

Well, then I get all excited. I'm like Jojo the idiot circus boy with a pretty new pet.

I'm starting to get really whipped by exclamation point abuse. I share two recent instances.

1. My wife was perusing houses via the miracle of the Internet, not so much because we want to move, but it's sort of her hobby.

In one she sent me I found the following description noteworthy.

THIS HOME HAS ONE OF THE BEST YARDS IN [town]! SO MANY TREES! VIEW OF GOLF COURSE FROM JUST ABOUT EVERY WINDOW IN THE HOUSE! UPDATED POOL WITH A IRON FENCE! ABSOLUTELY BREATH TAKING! IT ALSO HAS AN AWESOME HOUSE ATTACHED TO IT TOO! AND THERE IS A THREE CAR GARAGE! KITCHEN HAS GRANITE COUNTERTOPS! NEW CARPET AND PAINT!

In case you're keeping score, that's eight (8) exclamation points in that terse bit of text. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's excessive and trying too hard.

2. Today I got a note from school about my kid's "Winter Party," which included a solicitation from the Room Mom for some cag for the party, including milks.

This caught my eye:

"The milk is to be purchased directly from the cafeteria by the parent who wants to donate it just before the party!!"

I thought to myself, "Self, I can understand bolding the text, but is it really an exclamation? If so, does it need two (2) exclamation points?"

Anyway, what's up with that? One should be enough and I've seen three exclamation points, but rarely do you see two.

Why do you take aspirin with champagne? Oh, champagne gives me a headache.

Some random slooge that came my way. The source is unknown to me, but I thought it was good bull enough to share, especially as some reminded me of the great Steven Wright.

Cogitation Questions:

1. Can you cry under water?
2. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
3. Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'... but it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
4. Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
5. Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
6. What disease did cured ham actually have?
7. How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
8. Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
9. If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
10. Why are you IN a movie, but you’re ON TV?
11. Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
12. Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
13. Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
14. Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
15. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?
16. If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
17. Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on al l fours? They're both dogs!
18. If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME cag, why didn't he just buy something to eat?
19. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
20. Why do the Alphabet song and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" have the same tune?
21. Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
22. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
23. Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting dead?
24. Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?
25. Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
26. Why do they use sterilized needles for death by lethal injection?
27. Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?
28. Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
29. Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
30. Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?
31. If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?
32. Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
33. Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?
34. Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
35. Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
36. Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
37. How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
38. When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'
39. Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
40. In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?
41. How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

N.B. The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons are suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Heck, I'm not even mad, that's amazing!

So, I'm driving in the car with my boy and from the backseat I hear him sing the following:

Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost it's wheel
and the Joker got away.

2 things came to mind:

1. How easy some things can be passed down by oral tradition. Many of us probably remember that song, which has never been written down as far as I know.

It's interesting how some things couldn't be suppressed even if we tried and yet other things are so difficult to pass down, typically the stuff of redeeming value.

2. How things can be learned wherein the full meaning is not realized. When I learned the song, it never occurred to me that Robin laying an egg was a play on Robin being named after a bird, and birds do indeed lay eggs.

I thought about the multitude of things we teach our kids at home and at church, particularly of a spiritual nature, the fullness of which they may not realize for years to come. But, I think we lay a foundation for the future, giving them a theological skeleton on which flesh is added over time.

Oh, it's the deep burn!

"[The Steelers] outscored the Cowboys 17 nothing in the last 7 minutes and 15 seconds."
-Joe Buck, last night

I'm a lifelong Cowboys fan, so it pains me to ask this, but at what point do we have to say the Cowboys are choke artists?

It was a statement game, but I don't like what was stated.

Lord 3 things we pray: To love Thee more dearly, to see Thee more clearly, to follow Thee more nearly, day, by day, by day. Amen.

Well it would be to heed Matthew 7:12.

"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

My simple question ... could/would you pray this prayer?
(cf. 6:14-15)



The words of Garth Brooks come to mind:
Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers.
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs,
that just because He doesn't answer doesn't mean He don't care.
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.

I wanna marry you because you're the first person I wanna look at when I wake up in the morning, and the only one I wanna kiss goodnight.

In a movie I saw recently, I found the following dialogue about relationships interesting:

• April: “Forget about the 'real' deal. You don’t find it, it finds you …you know, when you are ready for marriage, a mortgage … the person that you are with THEN is the one.”

• Will: “So, it’s not WHO; it’s WHEN?”

A question I have often been asked regarding when/whom to marry is, "How do you know?"

How do you know (s)he is the right one?
How do you know you're ready?

Really, what is often wondered is, "How do I know someone better won't come along?"

What advice do you give in these areas? If married, how did you know?

P.S. A Happy Anniversary to my mom & dad!

Lady, I got buddies who died face-down in the muck so that you and I could enjoy this family restaurant!

A blow was dealt to the terrorists recently and I have to share it with you.

Subway, as you probably know from the commercials, has $5 footlong sandwiches. But ... what you may not know is that Subway has switched from Pepsi to Coke product.

I have been avoiding Subway for years because I can't hang with the Pepsi product. Now, with free reloads on my Coke, Subway has returned to my radar screen.

Now, if we could just get Taco Bell to see the light and Arby's to switch back, the circle will be complete.

Later. Right now let's play Global Thermonuclear War.

This Veterans Day I would like to attempt to dispel the VERY popular myth that the Republican Party is the "Warmongering" party.

Ironically, I don't think the GOP minds too much being seen as quick to fight, or strong on national defense, depending on your perspective.

But the truth is we have the Democratic party to thank for getting us into the following wars:

• World War I (President Wilson)
• World War II (President Roosevelt)
• Korean War (President Truman)
• Vietnam War (Presidents Kennedy & Johnson)

Anyone want to pit the death totals of those wars against those with Iraq?

Funny, isn't it, how Republicans are seen as "Warmongers"?

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

Some people should not have a driver's license. This driver is one of them. (HT Blazing Center)


Read Tim Challies' review of C.J. Mahaney's book, Worldliness.

Check out a timeline of Martin Luther's life at the Desiring God blog.

Read about the different reactions between "black" and "white" churches yesterday with regard to an Obama presidency.

Check out some of Jade's beautiful pictures of New England.

Read about Stuff White People Like: Promising to Learn a New Language.

Read Jeff Wright's thoughts on presidential elections and the concept of the scapegoat president.

Read Stephen Altrogge's thoughts on what the gospel is not.

Read Lance's thoughts on why Pharaoh did not repent and why God did not allow Pharaoh to repent.

Read John MacArthur's encouragement to Dare to Be Like Daniel.

Read Zach Nielsen's case for adoption.

Read about criticism over Michelle Obama's attire election night.

Read about Orison Piper's Incontrovertible Argument against Spanking.

Read McCain's concession speech.

Watch Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

Read Ramesh Richard's post-election thoughts: Is God Pro-American?

Listen to Dr. Al Mohler's SBTS chapel message on how not to raise a pagan from Deuteronomy 6.

Read about the rape victim who drove the sleeping rapist to the police station in his own car.

Check out The Onion's piece noting that Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are.

Read of a speechwriter for Obama, Edwards, and Clinton on why she’s voting McCain. (HT Brent Thomas)

Read Girl Talk's 10 Ways to Do Your Husband Good.

Read the Wall Street Journal by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro entitled The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace.

Read Mark & Grace Driscoll's Q&A of a sexual nature sparked by a Song of Solomon series.

Get FREE Johnny Mac sermon downloads from Grace to You.

Read The Next Frontier: Overcoming Sexism in America! at Reformed Blacks of America.

Read about smokers in London being banned from fostering children.

Check out an ad in California encouraging opposition to Proposition 8 because the Mormons are for it.

Read Justin Taylor's response to John Piper's assessment of the presidential election.

Read 10 Reasons You Are Rich.

Read John Piper's 10 Reasons It's Wrong to Take the Life of Unborn Children.

Read Rev James Galyon's thoughts on how everyone would be better off if we adopted Cowboy etiquette.

Read about parents discovering that their 7 year old trick or treater came home with meth amongst his other goodies. "The clear crystals looked like rock candy, the parents said."

Check out Kelly's list of misheard song lyrics.

Check out John McCain singing Streisand. (HT Conservative Reformed Mafia)

Check out Ted Tripp's sessions at a recent parenting conference.

Watch Yoda's ad campaign for small group ministry.

Read Christian History's piece on the history of the altar call.

Read Red Sex, Blue Sex: Why do so many evangelical teen-agers become pregnant?
by Margaret Talbot.

Read Michael J. New's piece detailing the progress that has been made with regard to abortion, contrary to the public opinion that nothing has been accomplished.

Read this Christianity Today piece arguing that the Media reaction to Gov. Palin shows ignorance of evangelicalism.

Check out Tim Challies' extensive collection of Reformation Day related material.

Read Tim Challies' review of Michael Horton's book Christless Christianity.

Read about John Calvin's Influence on Today's Churches by Jim Kang.

Read about the sexism evident in criticism of Sarah Palin on issues exclusively feminine rather than political: Palin Deserves Our Respect, by Helen McCaffrey.

Read some great Alistair Begg quotes.

Read 10 reasons a church doesn't do altar calls, written by Ryan Kelly, an Oxford buddy.

Read J.I. Packer's condensation of Calvinism to one point.

Read Kelly's sampling of things you didn't know you wanted to know.

Read about the South Korea court that upheld a law punishing adultery with jail time.

Check out John Piper's candidating sermon from back in the day at Bethlehem Baptist in Minneapolis.

Comment of the Week:
"How can I bow to my sensei when he is AWOL?" (Oilcan)

Listen to a sermon at Providence Church on Ecclesiastes 6:1-12 "Keeping Focused."

Listen to a sermon on Ecclesiastes 7:1-14 "High Times, Hard Times."

“Heaven is not here, it's there. If we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.”
–Elizabeth Elliot

Bow to your sensei.

Today is October 31st, special for at least 3 reasons.

First, it is Reformation Day, celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses of unhappiness with the Roman Catholic system for discussion in 1517. People of the Protestant ilk, and most of western civilization needs to bow to your sensei.

Secondly, it is the birthday of one Robert Van Winkle.

So, I share with you some lyrics from each.

Martin Luther:
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott, ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, Die uns jetzt hat betroffen.
Der alt’ böse Feind, Mit Ernst er’s jetzt meint,
Gross’ Macht und viel List Sein’ grausam’ Ruestung ist,
Auf Erd’ ist nicht seingleichen.

Robert Van Winkle:


Third, Ligonier Ministries is practically giving away genuine leather ESV Reformation Study Bibles for any donation until November 2.

If the good Lord had intended us to walk he wouldn't have invented roller-skates.

The Tampa Bay Rays last year were called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. As Oilcan observed, they exorcised the devil and find themselves in the World Series in their 11th season in franchise history.

That was a good enough reason for me to root for them to win the AL, but I have to root against them in the World Series for the following 2 reasons:

1. They are an expansion team that is still pretty young. It just seems unstable for me to have a team win a World Series after only an 11 year wait when other teams have been waiting decades, perhaps even a century. Even the Cardinals win in 2006 was after a 24 year wait, after several "almosts."

2. They are an American League team. As any true baseball fan knows, the AL utilizes the "designated hitter," which means the pitcher doesn't have to bat. I've written about the instability of that foolishness before, so I'll spare you anything beyond the MLB's lunacy of having 2 different policies for the different leagues.

So, well done Rays, but I hope your ride ends tonight.

A man's got to know his limitations.

Recently, I was called out for being male and being pro-life.

"... did i mention how creepy i find it when MEN are over-zealous pro'life' campaigners/preachers."

The implication was/is that a male had no business voicing anything with regard to abortion, since it's an issue (only) affecting women.

But ...

• I don't think you have to have children to be against child abuse.
• I don't think you have to have a pet to be concerned about the treatment of animals.
• I don't think you have to have a wife to be against spouse abuse.

And I don't think one has to have a uterus in order to enter the conversation about protecting human babies from violent death, though it probably doesn't hurt.

I'm not about love; I'm about showin' you the money!

I couldn't help but pass this on, the best explanation of the complexities of the tax system. (HT Rick Ballard)


Tax Cuts: A Simple Lesson in Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

I guess the bartender ate the remaining dollar but it is not really germane to the outcome

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money among all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Attributed to
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

These guys are awesome. I want them to broadcast the news in Dallas!


Read this great piece about "collective shame" and a comparison between Nazi Germany and our potential future, by Uwe Siemon-Netto. (HT Jade)

Read about the Nigerian father who took his son to court for idleness.

Read about 12 Greek words you should know.

Read about Britain's release of secret UFO files.

Learn the difference between Purgatory & Limbo.

Learn 6 steps for learning difficult subjects quickly.

Watch the video of Sarah Palin dropping in on Saturday Night Live. (HT Jade)

Watch the video of Sarah Palin's rap on SNL's Weekend Update. (HT Jade)

Read about the return of a lost wallet ... 6 decades later.

Read about VP candidate Joe Biden's prediction that Obama's inexperience will lead to an international crisis on the scale of the Cuban missile crisis.

Read about the repentant burglar who apologized with flowers.

Read Mark Driscoll's list of great books on the cross.

Read about the man suing the strip club because of damages due to a stripper's flying shoe. Just in case you needed another reason to abstain from such houses of ill-repute.

Read about continued persecution of Christians in China.

Read about grave markers that secretly were used for a Michigan walkway.

Read 10 ways to frugal up your finances in a hurry.

Read about the South Korean financial analyst fired for saying greed is bad.

Read about the Eiffel Tower cutting blinking time to reduce energy cots.

Read about grooves being carved into the asphalt to make the sounds to William Tell's overture when motorist drive across it.

Read about the man who moved an ambulance on an emergency call because it was blocking his exit.

Read Politics, Activism, and the Gospel by John MacArthur.

Read about the UN Security Council voting country that mistook Australia for Austria. G'day, mate!

Check out John Piper's Q&A list regarding the book of Job.

Read Randy Alcorn's post entitled,"Not Cool: Obama's Pro-abortion Stance, and Christians enabling him." (HT Jeff Wright)

Read James Galyon's post on the topic of Calvin as dictator (including Servetus slooge), contradicting preconceived notions. This is the post I've been meaning to write for years, but won't have to now.

Watch to see how political discussions should occur.

Read about Brian McLaren's declaration of support for Barack Hussein Obama.

Read Jared Nelson's compelling post that demonstrates media bias in favor of Obama.

Read Denny Burk's exposure of the bogus line of reasoning, "Against abortion? Don't have one."

Read Al Mohler's thoughts on why there is no compromise on such a divisive issue as abortion in "The Abortion Question and the Future."

Read Leland Ryken's overview of reading the Bible as literature.

Read Tim Challies' review of the ESV Study Bible.

Check out Joe Biden's attempts to out Dan Quayle the original Dan Quayle, by a mile.

Read Can a Christian Vote for Barack Obama? (An open letter to self-professing Christians and Catholics who also support Obama for President.)

Comment of the Week:
"The abortionists' assertion that the issue of abortion is about privacy rights and not rights to life, is just as morally wicked and indefensible a position as pre-Civil War slaveowners asserting that the issue of slavery was about property rights." (Oilcan)

Listen to yesterday's sermon at Providence Church on Ecclesiastes 5:8-20 "Right Priorities"

"God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages."
-Jacques Deval

The good does not always triumph. Sometimes the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.

Many may not aware of the Born Alive Protection Act and all that implies where Obama is concerned.

In a comment, Kasey wrote:

"I had planned to vote for Obama... until I saw a video of Gianna Jessen speaking about the Born Alive Infants Act. I had no idea that some infants who were to be aborted were actually born alive, and then thrown away to die. (See bornalivetruth.org.) Obama voted against Born Alive 4 times. My conscience won't allow me to vote for someone who thinks that's ok."

Gianna Jessen survived a botched abortion, but the issue is whether or not those infants born alive should receive medical assistance or be left to die or have their lives terminated. Here's a clip with Gianna on Hannity & Colmes (9/15/2008).


Kasey also recommends these 2 clips of Gianna's testimony found at
Radical Womanhood: Because being a biblical woman in a modern world is a radical act.




I encourage you to read the whole article, Abortion: The Strong Define the Rights of the Weak.

(See also BornAliveTruth.org, Barack Obama's record against the IL Born Alive Infants Protection Act.)

I am not an animal! I am a human being.

I am unashamedly a one-issue voter. To clarify, there are MANY issues that I find of interest and/or importance, but all those issues are not created equal.

That one issue for me is the stance toward the rights on the unborn, either by a party or a candidate. On Oprah today is Lisa Ling talking about how we treat the animals we eat.

I wonder if Oprah would have someone on her show to talk about how human babies are treated. To further explore the different approaches toward animals or humans, I share John Piper's experience with animals that led him to be a one issue voter.

“…When we bought our dog at the Humane Society, I picked up a brochure on the laws of Minnesota concerning animals. Statute 343.2, subdivision 1 says, ‘No person shall . . . unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate or kill any animal.’ Subdivision 7 says, ‘No person shall willfully instigate or in any way further any act of cruelty to any animal.’ The penalty: ‘A person who fails to comply with any provision of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.’

Now this set me to pondering the rights of the unborn. An eight-week-old human fetus has a beating heart, an EKG, brain waves, thumb-sucking, pain sensitivity, finger-grasping, and genetic humanity, but under our present laws is not a human person with rights under the 14th Amendment, which says that ‘no state shall deprive any person of life . . . without due process of law.’ Well, I wondered, if the unborn do not qualify as persons, it seems that they could at least qualify as animals, say a dog, or at least a cat. Could we not at least charge abortion clinics with cruelty to animals under Statute 343.2, subdivision 7? Why is it legal to ’maim, mutilate and kill’ a pain-sensitive unborn human being but not an animal?

These reflections have confirmed my conviction never to vote for a person who endorses such an evil—even if he could balance the budget tomorrow and end all taxation.”
Read the rest of the article, One-Issue Politics, One-Issue Marriage, and the Humane Society by John Piper (1995).

How looks 2008?

Princeton professor Dr. Robert George:
“Barack Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the office of President of the United States. He is the most extreme pro-abortion member of the United States Senate. Indeed, he is the most extreme pro-abortion legislator ever to serve in either house of the United States Congress…” (HT Justin Taylor)
Read the rest of the essay, Obama's Abortion Extremism by Robert George (10/14/2008).

I think you can do the math on this one. I must oppose Barack Obama, for this issue alone is enough to disqualify him.

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

They're making fun of this poor dog, who is REALLY a creature of habit.


Read about the pastor in hot water as the church's biker outreach ("Set Free Soldiers") got in a barroom brawl with the Hell's Angels.

Read (Part 1 - Part 2) Why Elder Rule?

Read about genealogical results that Sarah Palin may be related to Princess Diana and FDR.

Read Matt Svoboda's thoughts on theological diversity in the SBC and finding common ground.

Read about salvation from within as a prisoner hid a hacksaw in his Bible, Shawshank-style.

Read Al Mohler's response to scientific evidence against the practice of spanking.

Read about the world's tallest man becoming the world's tallest dad.

Read Chris Brauns on when forgiveness might be wrong.

Read about the Cambodian couple sawing their house in house in the divorce settlement.

Read about The Real Obama by Thomas Sowell.

Read about the punishment handed down to rap fans whereby the judge sentenced them to listen to classical music.

Read about the legitimate uses of verbless sentences.

Check out Vladamir Putin's birthday gift, a tiger cub.

Read Tony Felich's thoughts on his link in the "Life Chain," standing for the lives of the unborn.

Read about the woman charged for serving marijuana-laced cake to her real estate agent.

Read Bill Kristol's thoughts on why McCain should fire his campaign manager.

Read Charles Krauthammer's thoughts on the importance of Obama's associations.

Read (pdf) Charles Halton's one page overview of How to Learn Hebrew. (HT Jim Hamilton)

Read Rev's thoughts on the importance of depravity and its lack of contemporary popularity.

Read about one experiment to determine how safe a city is.

Read Kelly's thoughts on the movie "Eagle Eye."

Read Ben Witherington's thoughts on the movie "The Express: The Ernie Davis Story."

Read John MacArthur's thoughts on Hope and Money.

Take the Yankee or Dixie? quiz. (HT Reepicheep)

Read about the punishment handed to the man who choose humiliation over jail time.

Read about Christianity Today's investigation into a potential connection between emerging theology and liberal politics.

Read about the woman killed in her sleep when a chunk of ice crashed through her ceiling, the origin of which is unknown.

Vote in Said at Southern's blog tagline contest.

Comment of the Week:
"Pets really do a little something for the self-esteem." (Michelle K)

Listen to yesterday's sermon at Providence Church on Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 "Worthwhile Worship"

"If the people who make the decisions are the people who will also bear the consequences of those decisions, perhaps better decisions will result."
-John Abrams

What if I'm looking for a bathroom, I can't find one, and my bladder explodes?

Ever stop and wonder, what's the Christian way to roll with this? Here's a real life applicational situation ...

A guy slips in the through the back/side door at Dairy Queen. He goes right into the restroom and he's in there ... a while. He comes out and slips right back out the back/side door.

I thought, "That's pretty brazen, especially as I think he did more than #1. I would have had to buy something."

Even at a gas station I feel inclined to buy a pack of gum or a Coke. Is that misplaced guilt or obligation?

So, do you feel inclined to buy something when you use an establishment's restroom?

Is that the Christian way to go, buying something?

Are gas stations in a different category? Does the cleanliness affect whether or not you make a guilt offering?

How do you roll?

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

A little good bull to brighten your day, and make you wish you had raised a lion cub. These 2 men raised a lion cub, but when the lion got too big it was released in Africa. This is a clip from their reunion.


Read about the dog that saved an elderly couple from a fire. I think the dog's name is "Lifesaver."

Read about the controversy in California where the marriage license no longer uses "Bride" & "Groom," but "Party A" & "Party B" instead. (HT Timothy) Why not add "Party C" while you're at it?

Read about the man who stole dead animals from the vet hospital and stuff them in high school lockers.

Learn the difference between Freud & Jung.

Read about Sarah Palin being invited to be the honorary VP & "Hockey Mom" of a California hockey team.

Read about one landlord's attempts to get rid of tenants via the smell of rotting cats.

Enter for a chance to win a FREE ESV Study Bible from monergism.com.

Read about the man brought up on charges for hugging a police officer whom he thought "just needed a hug".

Read the transcript from the Palin/Biden Vice-Presidential debate.

Read about police being called out to deal with a troublesome "kitty cat," only to find out it was a 80-90 pound mountain lion.

Read John Armstrong on Planned Parenthood and Politics.

Read about the German construction worker who turned over the package he found to authorities. The unemployed father of a disabled son said he conscience would not allow him to keep the 16,000 euros (@ $20,000) or jewelry.

Check out English Grammar 101: All you need to know.

Read about the human skeleton selling for $500 at an Indiana auction.

Read Belinda Luscombe's TIME magazine piece on why some women hate Sarah Palin. (HT Tim Challies) It's very insightful and reminiscent of high school.

Read about the politician who punched out the TV host for asking antagonistic questions.

Read Rev's piece What Is an Invitation? regarding altar calls & public invitations in SBC life.

Read about Finland pulling the game "Kindergarten Killer," an Internet game whereby you roam the halls of a school shooting children with a shotgun. After experiencing the country's worst school shooting ever, they decided it wasn't a good idea.

Read about the landlord who spied on his female tenants via hidden cameras in their apartments.

Enter (by Wednesday) for a chance to win Chris Brauns' book, Unpacking Forgiveness. I liked it and I think you will too.

Read about the Algerian baby found ... alive after spending 4 days stuck in the mud after flash flooding.

Read 7 online blunders than can ruin your computer or invite identity theft.

Read Timothy's sermon Why Is Abortion Sin against God?

Read Faith, Feelings and Corrie Ten Boom by Mark Altrogge.

Search Google 2001, getting the results you would have got in 2001, on this their 20th anniversary.

Read about the Vatican official who called the Democratice party the "Party of Death."

Read a collection of tributes to Jonathan Edwards on 305th anniversary of his birth.

Read the Truth about Christian Bookstores by Dan Edelen.

Read about Joe Biden's 14 Lies after the VP debate.

Read about Shrinking Cooperative Program Giving & The Future Of The SBC by Tony Kummer.

Read as Rebecca Brown asks, Where Are Our Manners?

Read Soldiers of Christ by John MacArthur.

Read what John Piper has to say on things to do and things to not do with evil.

Check out the new Herman Bavinck website, dedicated to "Maintain a fresh and uncluttered corpus of books, articles, lectures, news, information, and discussions on the life and writings of Herman Bavinck (1854-1921)."

Read Martin Luther on harsh language from his sermon on Ephesians 5:3-4.

Comment of the Week:
"I can see both "Old Yeller" and "Where the Red Fern Grows" if your still a boy, but "Star Trek II" and "Forest Gump"? Really?" (mlanders)

Listen to yesterday's sermon at Providence Church on Ecclesiastes 4:1-16 "Any Comfort in the Cosmos?"

"The nice thing about egotists is that they don't talk about other people."
-Lucille S. Harper

First class, that's what's wrong. It used to be a better meal, now it's a better life.

Reminds me of my sermon series on Ecclesiastes. (click to enlarge)

Of my friend, I can only say this: Of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most . . . human.

I came across a list of "10 Movies It's Okay for Guys to Cry at." The list is all wrong, but I thought the concept was interesting.

Here are the movies it's okay for a man to cry while watching and still be considered a man (i.e., his Man Card is not put in jeopardy).

In no particular order ... The Top 20 Movies during which Men May Cry:

1. Old Yeller - This is beyond dispute. If fact, there's something wrong with you if you didn't cry when Old Yeller got shot.

2. Rocky II - When he says, "Yo, Adrian! I did it!" ... Niagra Falls, baby.

3. The Green Mile - Knowing the end of an innocent man.

4. Schindler's List - Many moments, of course.

5. Forrest Gump - When Forrest reads the letter at Jenny's grave ... oh yeah, touching.

6. The Champ - Little Ricky Schroeder crying, saying, "Wake him up, Jackie." Maybe it was because I was a kid, but that left quite an impression.

7. Where the Red Fern Grows - If you've seen it you know, especially if you're a dog lover.

8. One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest - Great movie and even greater book, but seeing what Chief does prior to his exit is quite moving.

9. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - The touching scene between Kirk & Spock centered around sacrifice.

10. Men of honor - When DeNiro orders Cuba Gooding, Jr. to walk in his suit.

11. The Passion of the Christ - Never have I been so moved by a movie, especially one I could never watch again.

12. City of Angels - The end ... I won't spoil it for you, but it's good.

13. Excalibur - Being caught by the Lady of the Lake at the end.

14. The Mission - The ending, naturally.

15. Pay It Forward - The ending, of course.

16. Remember the Titans - When they win for their fallen teammate. One of the best movies of all time in its own right.

17. Family Man - Late at night when he ponders his last moments with his kids.

18. Butterfly Effect (Director's cut, not sloogey version) - How Devon brings about the end of the/his narrative.

19. Somewhere in Time - Richard Collier's departure and denouement.

20. ? ? ?

No offense to Oilcan, but An Officer and a Gentleman didn't make the list, nor did Terms of Endearment. Beyond that, I'm open to suggestions for number 20.

Sounds like somebody's got a case of the Mondays.

Vintage Steve Martin with Johnny Carson demonstrating how his new gadget (the answering machine) works.


Read about the House defeating bail out plan.

Read Ray Fowler's roundup of the Fireproof movie.

Read about 10 Animal Myths Debunked, particularly interesting about elephants and important about rattlesnakes.

Check out this roundup page for the recent Desiring God conference, with audio, video, and transcripts.

Learn the difference between Marvel & DC.

Read as mother of child with special needs shares 10 things she'd like you to know.

Read about the California ruling that lapdogs can remain lapdogs in traveling cars. Thanks for Gov. Arnold who vetoed a bill that would have outlawed the practice.

Read Al Mohler's thoughts on overturning Roe vs. Wade.

Read about the 6 year old girl in Nepal declared a "living goddess," so declared by the government, not the church.

Read the Ten Commandments of Blogging.

Read about the ruckus in Spain over a political candidate sharing of his first sexual experience coming in a brothel, to the ire of his female opposition, making accusations of encouraging prostitution.

Read Tim Challies on Evangelism and Calvinism.

Read about the woman who had a bat in her house and inadvertently cooked the bat in her coffee while it was in the filter. Oh yeah, she drank the coffee too.

Read as Matt Svoboda asks, Is Baptist diversity holding us back?

Read about Egyptian prisoners being allowed to order out for restaurant food during Ramadan.

Read the transcript of the first presidential debate.

Read about UCLA "discovering" the largest prime number, a 13 million digit prime number, that is.

Read Jesse Johnson's Evangelism: Event or Lifestyle?

Read about the hospital telling a 71 year old grandfather the good news, that he's pregnant.

Read Sinclair Ferguson's 20 Resolutions on Taming the Tongue from the book of James.

Read about the apartment squatter arrested when he called 9-1-1.

Read A Christian View of the Economic Crisis by Al Mohler.

Read about the firefighter accused of stealing a man's severed foot.

Read about Tony Blair teaching religion at Yale. (HT Brent Thomas)

Read about PETA urging Ben & Jerry's to use human milk in their ice cream.

Check out church vs. social club from E. Dewey Smith.

Read about the man hit by a truck while jaywalking. He was then fined.

Read about Barak Obama's negligence in being his brother's keeper, literally, his brother.

Read about China reporting a successful space flight, prior to liftoff.

Read about Kirk Cameron refusing to kiss anyone onscreen other than his wife in the movie Fireproof.

Read about twins charged with fraud when judge has her twin sister sit in for her.

Read Is Success a Hindrance to Marriage? by Suzanne Hadley. (HT Tim Challies)

Check out the cornfield sculpted to display the image of Sarah Palin from the sky. Eat your heart out crop circles.

Read why Mark Driscoll loves John Piper.

Read about the German thief who apologized and paid restitution after feeling guilty.

Read about the Muslim man convicted of child cruelty for encouraging kids to flail themselves.

Read Denny Burk on Using "God's Will" to Manipulate.

Check out the slide show Presidents Say the Darndest Things. (HT Jenn)

Read about the inventor of the :-) emoticon (smiley).

Read about the priest stabber inspired by the Da Vinci Code.

Read about God's High Call for Women per Grace Community Church (John MacArthur).

Read about the pastor sentenced for stealing the church's Hurricane Katrina relief funds.

Read about the candidate for governor who drowned in a publicity stunt in Bangkok.

Read How to Be a Fool, in 4 Easy Steps by Dan Phillips of Pyromaniacs.

Read about the man who stole the beer truck, but abandoned it once he saw it was empty.

Buy your life size Sarah Palin wall sticker from WallMonkeys.

Read about R.C. Sproul's talk on If God is sovereign, how can man be free? at the recent Ligonier conference.

Read about Japan holding an adult diaper fashion show.

Read about Johnny Mac's talk on Why does God allow so much suffering and evil? at the recent Ligonier conference.

Check out the recap of the recent Founders Conference Southwest in Mansfield, which I attended and enjoyed greatly.

Comment of the Week:
"More validation that I can and should preach in my Speedo Sunday. Service starts at 10:40." (Lance)

Listen to yesterday's sermon at Providence Church on Ecclesiastes 3:1-22 "More than a Watchmaker"

"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do."
-Bob Dylan

Luke's got more guts than brains.

Friday saw the passing of Paul Newman, dead at age 83.

My favorite Paul Newman movies:
3. The Hustler
2. Slap Shot
1. Cool Hand Luke

In his honor I plan to watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, for the first time.

For your amusement/edification, I share some great Cool Hand Luke quotes ...

• Takin' it off here, boss.
• Babalugats, we got a bet here.
• He's called, "Captain." You call the rest of us, "Boss," you hear?
• Cuttin' the heads off of parkin' meters, Captain. We never had one of them.
• In case you get rabbit in your blood and you decide to take off for home, you get some bonus time and leg chains to slow you down.
• Any man forgets his number spends a night in the box.
• Any man loud talkin' spends a night in the box. (etc.)
• You don't have a name until Dragline gives you one.
• He back-sassed a free man. They got their rules.
• Anything so innocent ... and built like that just got to be named, "Lucille."
• Oh, boy, she knows EXACTLY what she's doin'.
• Yeah, well ... sometimes nothin' can be a real cool hand.
• I can eat 50 eggs.
• Luke, what did you say 50 for? Why couldn't you say 35 or 39? It seemed a nice round number.
• What we've got here is failure to communicate.
• Some men you just can't reach.
• I'm shakin' it, boss.
• A quick look, but no memorizin' job.
• You run one time, you got yourself a set of chains. You run twice, you got yourself two sets. You ain't goin' to need no third set, 'cause you're goin' to get your mind right.
• Wish you'd stop bein' so good to me, Captain.
• Callin' it your job, don't make it right.
• Stop feedin' off me!
• Luke's got more guts than brains.
• What's your dirt doin' in his ditch?
• I never planned anything in my life.
• He's a natural born world-shaker.