The Sensus Plenior [this was that] of Genesis 3:15 and Phillipians 2:5-8

 

Even with GOLDEN JOY

As the dominate emotional backdrop,

when thinking of the Birth of Christ,

I can't help but see some DARK THREADS

Of sobering reality in that tapestry,

When I consider that Christ's suffering for us

BEGAN in His birth –

CULMINATING in the Crucifixion Event.

Genesis 3:15 is the Sensus Plenior of Philippians. 2:5-8

 

 

An Advent Reminder

This Advent Season

I Have Become Increasingly Aware

Of How Much I Practice My Faith

More As An Ideological Worldview

Rather Than A Relationship

With The Living God Of The Universe


God Incarnate Was Born 2,000 Years Ago

Not A Philosophical Idea

A Response To Mark Madden’s Regarding His Tiger Wood’s Commentary

The Madden Apologetic For Choosing Golf Over Marriage and Family

http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details/article/1424/2009/december/14/monday-madden-maybe-tiger-should-pitch-the-wife.html

In a sense Madden's article [Beaver County Times – Monday Madden 12/14/09] is more about what we should value in life vs. what Tiger did or should do... IT IS AFTER ALL ONLY GOLF - A game that culturally we have elevated way beyond its intrinsic and extrinsic value to the life and the world that we live in.

Regardless of what Neanderthal's like Madden write and say; and the blood rushing "man crush" they appear to be intoxicated with, you can never get around the fact that we live in a world where relationships matter and integrity, trust and loving relationships matter even more. For all the wackiness and inconsistency with which we practice these as humans... THEY STILL DO MAKE THE WORLD GO AROUND...
Infidelity of all sorts damages and destroys all of these aforementioned virtues. The commentators, who supported Madden's position can't know what Tiger's wife felt, experienced and believed... they can project from their own experiences, but THEY CANNOT KNOW. They don't know if for example what Tiger promised her in heart to heart conversations and private moments; if he gave her some life altering disease because of the unprotected sex with the 15 or so women that he was unfaithful with, or even how this will clearly affect the Wood's defenseless children etc. The sharp hard-bitten pontificating on what commentators perceive to be the reality of Tiger and his wife is only that pontificating... and it is implacably sad... There is nothing lasting and redemptive and helpful to the world-at-large, with the export of Madden's (and minions) values regarding marriage and families.

In addition, the shrill, biting and cynical responses of these Pro-Madden Commentators, who would use the absurd argument of "moral equivalency" [aimed at Tiger's wife/alleged golf club], in further support of Madden, leaves most of us thankful that we have been spared and/or at least that maybe we have found a way to transcend the kind of practical nihilism they seem to embrace. This kind of attitude (found predominately in single cell organisms) is after all inevitable when we live vicariously through others. The irony of course is that they have given themselves permission to objectify, subsume and accommodate people like Tiger emotionally, but people like Tiger did not give this permission to them – it is a false and pathetic reality, as well as an inwardly miserable kind of existence.

The black hole within which the last visages of Madden's humanity and emotions seemed to have been sucked in to, makes his position on Tiger and his wife just as tragic, for all - albeit in a smaller venue - and for that at least we can all be thankful!

Rich Grassel

Christian Fairness With Other Worldviews

The Only Way To Be

COMPLETELY FAIR

(As a Christian)

To What All Other

Ideological/Worldviews Believe,

Is To Be ONLY "FAIR"

In My Allegiance

To All That I Should Believe.




Its Truth That Should Matter

Not Just Matters of Truth

rsg
(12/09/09)

SNL’s Devastating Critique of President Obama

Saturday Night Live

And Its Depiction of Barak Obama's Effectiveness

Was anyone equally astounded last night with Saturday Night Live's unbelievably irreverent depiction of Barak Obama's domestic policies as they relate to China (unfortunately NOT on YOUTUBE as of this writing)? I guess the thing that surprised me the most, was that it was more devastating and biting than ANTHING they did to the Republican Presidential Party in 2008.

Oh, sure, SNL followed up minutes after, with promotional clips from the Movie 2012, creating a montage depicting a Palin/Beck Presidential (2012) that ushers in the apocalypse of the world. Nothing really surprising there… I suppose if SNL had gone as far as portraying Palin as the eschatological Anti-Christ, (instead of what we know to be the truth) overthrowing Heaven itself, then I still might not only have been surprised, but I would have at that point been offended too… Given the Elite Media's personal, misogynistic and ideological attacks of Palin; and SNL's destructive-voting-swinging-assault on her last year nothing really surprises me anymore with them spoofing her.

UNLESS…

Similar blistering criticism is aimed at Barak Obama who has been nothing but Teflon up until this point. Wow! The three comments by the Chinese Interpreter to President Obama(remember in real time President Obama just came back from a very tepid reception from the Chinese): 1. "Do you want to Kiss Me?" 2. Do You Want To Take Me Out To Dinner And A Movie?" and 3 "Do I Looked Like Misses Obama?" Finalizing itself with the Chinese official progressively assuming a very compromising position… All I can say is WOW! Far more critical than anything they did to Palin last year I think… Unforgiving in their assessment of Obama's Stimulus Package, Cash For Clunker's Program and Healthcare Reform… WOW!!! I found myself actually wanting to walk out of the room where my TV was…

STILL…

In the END for SNL, Palin's potential election for President 2012, DESTROYS THE WORLD, while Barak Obama, in a reversal of fortunes (no pun intended) is merely gittin cozy with a disillusioned seemingly victimized Chinese official.

I say the political winds have shifted and it will be interesting to see where things go from here!

WOW!!!

EXISTENTIAL TIME…

Birth is Not-Requested

Youthfulness is Fleeting

Aging is Inexorable

Death is Wrong

Eternity is Restoration or Dis-Integration

There... IT IS THE CROSS!!!

Life is Right

The Present is Vital

Child-Likeness Is Necessary

Existence is Purpose

HOPE

Restoration, Wholeness, Authenticity,

Relationship, Meaning, Purpose,

Peace , Love and Joy

(SHALOM)

Can Be Ours...

The Media Elite: Comparing Radical Islam and Conservative Christianity

    Someone please tell me, in a contemporary context, how it is fair, rational and truthful that "Radical" Islamists (note: a subset of Islam) can be compared and equated with "'Conservative' Christians" – defined ostensibly as: "any Christian who disagrees with any of the big ticket items on the Leftist Liberal Agenda?" This equation has been made by the likes of Bob Shieffer from CBS and Andersen Cooper [Hasan – "Conservative"]from CNN, in their defense of Major Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood Terrorist. If you are a Conservative Christian, this new development, ironically enough should "terrify" you. Here is a clear, intentional and deeply nefarious connection being made by the Elite Media.

    In deference to Mr. Sheiffer ["Christianity has nuts too"], I am not aware historically, of any Conservative Christians who have regularly, over the years, been fitted with vests loaded with plastic explosives designed to blast apart helpless noncombatants, women and children and/or who insidiously creep into helpless, trusting and unsuspecting crowds laden with loaded pistols, mowing them down while shouting "Allahu Akbar!" [God is Great!]. This kind of equitable comparison made by the Elite Media is neither credible, honorable nor intellectually honest. Truth is not the same as ideology.

Rich Grassel

Ambridge, Pa

 

    

There Isn't Anything

More Inspiring or Dangerous

Than A Man Who Has A

Clear And Passionate

Purpose For His Life

RSG

(10/11/09)

The Dynamic In Christian Spiritual Formation

Behind Every Sin

There Is Temptation [peirasmos]

Behind Every Temptation [peirasmos]**

There is a Test [peirasmos]

Behind Every Test [peirasmos]

There is intended godly Wisdom and Illumination

Behind godly Wisdom and Illumination

There is Awareness For Divine Direction

Behind Awareness and Divine Direction

There is True Fulfillment for our
Dire Personal Needs...

(Because of Our Depravity, Brokenness & Woundedness)*

Behind the Fulfillment of Our True Needs

There is Peace [Shalom] & Restoration [Imago Dei]**

Apart From These...

There is only Our Falleness

Behind Our Falleness

There is Only SUFFERING & DEATH****


Note*

Depravity = The Will & Desire To Sin
Brokenness = The Image of God is Damaged
Woundedness = What Others Do To Us That
Accelerates & Intensifies Our Depravity &
Brokenness

Note: **

Cornelius Plantinga offers the following comments and definition of "Shalom."

"This webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets called shalom. We call it "peace," but it means far more than than just peace of mind or cease-fire between enemies. (As a matter of fact, the area-over which two armies may declare a cease fire-fire may be acres of smoldering ruins.) In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight - a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, all under the arch of God's love. Shalom, in other words, is the way things are supposed to be."


Note***

That which is in Red represents "Sin Management"
This is where most Christians live out their entire faith

That which is in Green represents: "The Inner
Life In Christ"

rsg 10/30/2009

How We Motivate People For Christ

Jesus Christ Stands
On The Sufficiency
Of WHO He Is

If That Is Not Good Enough

Then Why Should Hell
Be Any Better?

There is Far More Virtue In
Deciding FOR Christ
Versus AGAINST Hell

Biblical Principles or Personal Preferences

The Church That Is Driven By

Biblical Principles

Is The Church That Leads

Others To Heaven


The Church That Is Driven By

Personal Preferences

Is The Church That Leads

Others To Hell

rsg
(10-18-09)

What Color Do We Live Our Lives In?

First Photo Ever Taken From Outer Space
Of The Planet Earth


Most Of Us LIVE

More According To What What FEAR Inwardly

Rather Than What We HOPE For Outwardly

This Kind of Existence

Is The Difference Between

Portraying Our Life

From The "NEGATIVE" Of A Photo

LIMITED to The Grainy and Dualistic Color Pallette

Of A Black And White Photo

Versus

The Our Life Portrayed As The Photo

That EMBRACES The Joyful, Quixotic, Nuances

Of The Full and Dynamic Color Spectrum

The Problem With Scientism Scientists – aka Richard Dawkins

So I was watching an interview today between Bill O' Reilly and Richard Dawkins (famous or infamous, depending one's perspective). Dawkins', is a self-proclaimed atheist who's two most recent books, are The God Delusion (2006) and The Greatest Show On Earth (2009). O' Reilly's primary point, which Dawkins quickly conceded, was that Science can't explain how it (the universe) all began; and until Science could explain otherwise, said O' Reilly, he chose to believe in God. Dawkins countered saying thing rather than believe in God, seek a way "to do better science (e.g. have "faith" in science)."
I find it interesting that Dawkins, whose worldview is "Scientism," makes this gratuitous and irrational leap in logic, that even though Science can't explain the origin of the Universe, it would still be appropriate to conclude that it could not have been created by God – despite not having the hard conclusive science to the contrary. This was the primary hole in Dawkin's argument, and I would have loved to have seen O' Reilly catch him in it… Again… if you can't prove something with science, then in equal manner you cannot disprove the same something with it either….
There is a kind of palpitating arrogance for those who embrace Scientism. To (in mind numbing fashion) lightly sweep aside all other worldviews,* and privilege ONLY their own exclusively, is something that most other worldviews do not even consider… Even the most hardened, conservative Christian, for example, understands the value of Science in providing perspective when it comes to what is really real; but Scientism Scientists like Dawkins can't conceive of returning the favor, despite enormous deficiencies in their logic and the Scientism mechanism otherwise. Scientists who embrace Scientism can offer us nothing more than a "hypothesis" (educated guess) in regards to the origins of the universe - which is in essence their Worldview.
Let's get this straight. Scientism Scientists like Dawkins fundamentally believe the only appropriate way "reality" can be determined is through the Scientific Method. That being said let me ask this question:

Has everything that could have been discovered by the

Scientific Method,

Been discovered by the Scientific Method…?

NO…

THEN DOES IT EXIST?

Yes! Things Do Exist Outside The Scientific Method

Regardless of Whether It Has Been Discovered By The Sceintism Scientist Or Not!

Scientists and Scientism Scientists discover new things almost everyday – from sub-atomic physics to biological life forms. Yet, to be logically consistent, those things can't exist according to the Scientism Scientist. Could it be possible, that the Scientific Method is simply a too impoverished a device for discovering all that there can be? Including the existence of God? If one starts with the a priori position that the only reality is a physical one… then the only Worldview one can use is Scientism… And, if one ONLY uses the Scientific Method and no other, how can one know of its potential limitations? The Scientific Method in this way is all exclusive and self-validating all at one time – it reserves the right to be above and beyond all critique, from any other Worldview. After all, one could argue surreptitiously that the Scientific Method hasn't been proven by the Scientific Method - right? So, hmnn... Does it exist?

*The Four Great Questions
of A Worldview

1. Who(se) Are We?
2. Where Are We?
3. What is Wrong?

4. How Do We Fix It?

“Who’s Minding The Store?!”

If The Cultural Mentality Was "Response-Ability"
Before The Mid 1970's

(You Do What You Have To Do, To Make This World A Better Place)

And If It Morphed Into A "Culture of Therapy"
Until The End of The 20th Century

(There is an Ambiguous Correlation Between The Degree of a Person's Victimization
And The Amount of Responsibility They Can Be Held Accountable For)

Then It Has Tragically, Since Become
A Culture of "Play" In The 21st Century

There Isn't Anything

More Dangerous To Our Current Culture

Than A Group of Self-Identified Victims

Who Gratuitously Theraputize Themselves

Through An "Entitlement" Life-Style, of

Self-Absorbed Play

CALLING

Most “callings” are never fully realized.
Because many of us
unwittingly constrain and orient
our lives relationally:
More according to what we Fear in
rather than what we Hope for,
more of what we are Doubtful of
rather than what we Trust in;
more against what we Hate
rather than for what we Love.

It is the difference between
being rooted and embracing our existence in
the grainy negative
of a black and white photo
and a photo that exhibits
the full-color spectrum.

rsg
(9/29/09)

There Isn't ANYTHING

More Inspiring OR Dangerous

Than A Man Who Has A

Clear And Passionate

Purpose For His Life

rsg
(9/27/09)

My Thoughts Of What The Church Should Be

The Church

The church [ecclesia] is a group of people 
   graciously called by God the Father
into right relationship(s),through Jesus Christ 
   living as a dynamic "incarnational" [Christ in 
   our flesh] presence within the world, 
rooted in and emanating out of 
  an authentic and transparent community 
   [koinonia], 
dedicated to reconciling and restoring all things 
  over to the image and purpose of Jesus Christ…

• Illuminated by the Holy Spirit
• Instructed by the Scriptures
• Informed by Church tradition

rsg (May of 2009)

An Escapable Truth

We Live For And Serve

That Which We Love Most
r.s.g.


(Matthew 6:21)

TIME

To fully live, is to live fully in the moment...
Life is so incredibly fleeting otherwise...

It would seem wise to intentionally commit
to a heightened awareness....

To live fully in the moment, means to willingly step
into the heat of the crucible,

From which is formed the linchpin that fuses
our past and future together.

To fully live acts, as a hinge, that regularly opens or closes
a myriad of opportunities.

Just One of Many Reasons...

Why We Should Be VERY Wary Of Government Run Healthcare A Report By A Not-So-Conservative (Moderately Liberal) Ideologue Check It Out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9GMKK_fWKg

Draft: Part 1 of 6 of Chapter One – Your Thoughts?

BIBLICAL THEOLOGY

And Biblical Christian Spiritual Formation

Chapter One

Introduction:
How are we to understand the flow and development of Christian Spiritual Formation in a Biblical historical sense? What are the historical highlights from a Biblical perspective that provide a comprehensive understanding of what it means to be spiritually formed over into the image of Jesus Christ?
Perhaps the best mechanism through which to accomplish this study is provided by scholars Bartholomew & Goheen in their text: The Drama of Scripture, who postulate the view of Biblical History as a "Six Act Play." While similar to the perhaps better known Reformed view of Biblical History: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Glorification, Bartholomew and Goheen's variation provides one additional critical piece having to do with the role and work of the institutional Church.
Act I – God Establishes His Kingdom: The Creation
The author of Genesis is careful to affirm that it was a Sovereign and omnipotent God that brought order out of chaos (Gen. 1:2; see also Jer. 10:12; Col. 1:17). In a concluding statement, Genesis 1:31 records: "God - Elohim [~yhil{a] saw all that he had made, and it was very good [daom bAj]. And there was evening, and there was morning-- the sixth day." In essence, by declaring His act of Creation "daom bAj", God is saying of the Created Order that it was perfect, without flaw or defect; whole, with nothing damaged or missing; complete, with nothing needing to be finished; pure, with no evidence of corruption; integrated fully and faultlessly balanced within and among all of its diverse components; and finally holy, set apart for the glory and purpose of God. And in particular, Mankind, the lovingly created apex and vibrant nodal point, around which all of the Created Order was organized, basked in the absolute fullness of Shalom.
An additional crucial thread to be indentified within the tapestry of Creational theology is that having to do with relatedness. In other words, each entity within the Created Order was not only intrinsically perfect and good in and of themselves; but each of those entities, in the most exquisite detail, was intrinsically perfect and good in their connectedness with one another. In essence, there was a faultless interrelatedness and integration of all relationships with one another; and it was by this condition of perfect integration that the whole of the Created Order experienced the state of Shalom. Quintessentially, all Creational forms and their functions were ideal in balance and harmony. Cornelius Plantinga Jr. offers the following description of Shalom:
This webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it "peace," but it means far more than just peace of mind or cease-fire between enemies. (As a matter of fact, the area over which two armies declare a cease-fire may be acres of smoldering ruin.) In the bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, all under the arch of God's love. Shalom, in other words, is the way things are supposed to be. (Plantinga 14-15)
Therefore for Man, to experience true Shalom it necessarily meant to be fully integrated, balanced and whole in the following arenas:
1. Between himself and God,
2. Between himself and others;
3. Within himself
4. Within the totality of the Created Order.
The state of Shalom means for all things relationally to be what they were supposed to be originally, in terms of their nature and in their relationships… This portrait of the Created Order (pre-Fall), is vital to understand for the Christian in the post-Fall era. because if we are to understand from which we must be saved regarding the evils of chaos and "dis-integration" (Rom 1:21, Eph 4:18);" then there must be a clear picture of what Christ intends to save Mankind to - and to restore us to our Pre-fall condition (Is 65:17, Acts 3:21)

A Response To J.D. Prose Beaver County Times

Debate On Healthcare

There is a difference between being an informed political pundit and an ideologically blind propagandist J.D. Prose's (Beaver County Times Editorial 8/9/09) shrill and condescending diatribe against those not supporting government sponsored healthcare was only slightly less offensive than his arrogant check-your-brains—I-know-it-all(ism). Counterpoints to J.D. Prose:

• There are 37 million Americans and 10 million illegal aliens who ostensibly lack health care. Free (Public Option) Healthcare invites millions more…
  
• There're millions of young, healthy, mostly single, amply employed adults who intentionally opt out of healthcare, they could otherwise afford.
  
• The World Heath Organization's antiquated study (2000) is often considered faulty because it failed to compare apples to apples and is ideologically driven (leftist) – their research template is no longer used.
  
• (Big) Government can't be trusted with social programs. Tricare aside, consider the scary, teetering status of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
  
• Prose astutely avoids how to pay for Government Healthcare – in July, Government borrowed $6 Billion dollars a day for maintenance; and Federal Government income is down 18% so far this year!
  
• There is no Obama mandate
  visa viz. the Presidential election - people liked what Obama said during the election, but not the reality of what he meant by it, as President now.
  

  
  

Rich Grassel –

Ambridge Pa

Media Fairness In The Beaver County Times

Another Response to JD Prose's Response On 9/16/09

 

I couldn't help but notice this past week that the Times published only ONE Letter to the Editor in response to JD Prose's RANT in favor of government sponsored Healthcare (8/9/09). Then Mr. Prose reserved the right, as an Editor on your staff, to selectively cut and paste fringy, nonpublished Letters-to-the-Editor, in favorable fashion for his follow-up Editorial (8/16/09). Clearly, he intended to insinuate all those who disagree with him were INCAPABLE of offering thoughtful, intelligent well defined arguments against his position on Healthcare. This is clearly not the case and it is reprehensible that the Times would PROPAGANDIZE the Healthcare issue in this way.

    Considering Mr. Prose is a member of your Editorial Staff, I can't help but wonder, how he might influence, not only what important News Stories might make it into your paper, but also those stories which might not… …Maybe, just maybe, ONLY those stories that don't agree with his particular WORLDVIEW…?

    A PUNDIT offers his (usually informed) perception of a certain kind of reality… …A PROPAGANDIST however seeks to CONTORT that reality over into his preconceived worldview image… To be intellectually honest, perhaps you should reconsider renaming your paper "PRAVDA?"

 

Rich Grassel

Ambridge Pa, 15003

 

 

Jungles to Defeat – Thoughts About A Missions Experience In Honduras

This is a excerpt taken from my Journal that I kept while doing some short term missions in Honduras. I spent some time at a place called El Sembrador, near a small town in Eastern Honduras called Cantacambas.

This Farm School was started by a couple in the middle of the 20^th century. They were rejected by every Missionary organization that applied to… Not to be deterred they sold their farm in Washington Courthouse OH, rented an ocean-going barge, shipped their remaining equipment and moved to Honduras with their 1 year old son Timothy

Amazingly, after some 25 years, they cultivated over 2,000 acres of farmland (carved out of the jungle), fed, clothed and educated 200 young boys every year. El Sembrador, as it came to be known, educated most of the pastors now working in Honduras. Some of their students have risen to the highest positions in the government. There is more to say, much, much more… But here are some of my sentiments after my experience there…

FINAL THOUGHTS: (Hand Written Journal Pg. 73)

Jungles to Defeat!

Wednesday, July 20, 1994

4:45 a.m.

Rose at 3:50 a.m.

El Sembrador Farm School Dining Room

Here I am in the Dining Room... One last time. I have many things going through my head. I hope to have the time to write them all down[…]

[…]For the last time I've heard the almost deafening, driving whine of the crickets outside the bathroom window. This was quickly followed by the familiar rhythmic ebb and swell of the kind of cricket that lives where we do - the darkness hiding all but their faithful persistent song.

This morning I have heard, for the second time in my life, the blood-freezing, guttural growl of a native monkey - high in the tree tops. It's voice pounding through the forest and semi-darkness - inquiring about companionship, food and safety. I have heard his voice for the last time... While, his voice may have reverberated and died in the distance, the echoes of his song will remain forever in my memory.

After gently brushing away my faithful morning companions - the termites, I will sit at this table for the last time, recording my thoughts from the day before. Coleen and Cheryl, two missionary women from the States are always there before me, preparing for the days meals – poised to feed 40 plus men three times a day. With the subtle and indistinct sounds of their quiet efficiency in the background I bend to my task of collecting my experiences from the days before[…]

[…]For the last time this week I have worshipped with them [my new friends from Honduras]. The three churches we visited and ministered in are forever, indelibly fixed in my mind.

I will never forget their proud yet humble determination to live on and make the absolute best of what they have. I will always be mindful that there wasn't a student among us - who if they sold half of what they personally owned - couldn't have bought any of these people out - lock, stock and barrel!

What amounted to a life time of back-breaking work, for these people, could be more than compensated by a few birthdays and maybe a Christmas or two. I couldn't imagine what it would be like to marry and raise a family in what amounted to a small one room hut. Carved out nothing more than inconsistent small opportunities; in a land that has no mercy for the poor. I will always see their liquid brown eyes, sun darkened faces and arms, calloused hands, work bitten features, humble abodes clumped together in isolated communities - scattered across a rugged unforgiving land - governed by a small group of questionable and corrupt men - in a city of a million jumbled and ruined lives - most dwelling in disasters called "neighborhoods".

My last night at El Sembrador, I stand on a section of newly poured concrete in the Auditorium, completed by our Missions Team. In front of me - to the west rise some of the highest mountains in Honduras. With quiet exhilaration I witness the sun, with slow majesty recline behind the jagged peaks. In wonder and awe, I watch as these mountains pull a mantle of mist around their shoulders and slowly fade into the darkness.

A chorus of evening birds, thousands of frogs and a million crickets sing a postlude fair well. Now immediately above the knife-like ridges is a surreal white light. A wonderful cool breeze blows into the horizon - its gentle hum, like that of a mother taking her sleeping toddler to bed for the night. Behind the wind creeps the dusk - encouraging the chorus into a melodic fortissimo – all the while steadily pulling behind it, a blanket of darkness.

This is my last day here and so for the last time I have a chance to draw some important conclusions about my experience here...

Despite all of the heart pounding grandeur and beauty of this tiny rugged country, I believe that it's nothing more than veritable wasteland - next to the soul lifting, eternal beauty of Don and Twila Hawks RECKLESS FAITH AND LOVE FOR MINISTRY. A man and woman, who with complete abandonment, unswervingly heeded God's call. This couple: who subdued, not just a wilderness of untamed plants, animals and disease; but an even more formidable jungle of poverty, illiteracy and faithlessness.

In addition to the corn, rice, beans and trees they planted - they cultivated hope, love and faith! By the grace of God they sowed and harvested from the hearts of men and women - and changed the world around them!

This morning just before we rumbled down a packed red clay lane, I could see the gutters were swollen with orangish red water from last nights rain. Dawn was breaking and covering the land with a bluish white light. Crickets, completing their last refrain, were instantly drowned out by the roar from the engine of the bus, as it came to life. Before we boarded, I inhaled a subtle perfume - the sweet smell of rain as it hung heavy in the morning air - bringing with it a sense of refreshment and newness. I couldn't help but think of how refreshed I was; and wondered how this tremendous experience might bring something new to my life!

Slowly we rumbled down the lane. The squeak and clatter from windows would be our journeys music now. Out of the faint light of the cabin of the bus, came half a dozen murmuring conversations. The bus continued to rumble on down the lane. With each splash and spray of the muddy water flying past the window, the thought of our final departure saddened me more and more.

I will miss you El Sembrador. God willing I will come back again.

I too want to be a man who with reckless abandonment, exercises a living and vital faith. The kind that will change lives - change the world....

Somewhere out there, there is a jungle for me to defeat. A wilderness to cultivate and a myriad of hearts to grow and nurture our God's love, truth and call in...

And thus ended capitalism

clipped from www.dilbert.com

Conflict and Violence

Evil Cannot Always Be

Shamed Into Submission...

Insanity Cannot Always Be

Reasoned Into Compliance...

It Isn't "Peace" That Stops Chaos

Peace, Is The Result Of What Happens When Chaos Is Contained

There Might Be Circumstances When A

Double Negative Is Necessary

And The Only Alternative By Which To Make A Positive

rsg 4/16/09

Fairness In The Media:

I would be very interested in reviewing any empirical evidence that many in the Liberal Media (I.e. Beaver County Times Editorial Board – "Terrorists Within" 4/8/09 & JD Prose 4/12/09) have with clearly linking Poplawski's horrible crimes to the influence from the "far right" (whatever that is exactly) talk radio and "faux news" outlets. Their opinion may well be singularly tragic and overt leap in logic that intentionally serves only to advance their own political ideology and agenda. Recall that there are MANY faithful and life-long liberals in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County who were fearful of what might happen to their Second Amendment rights, were Barak Obama to be elected. Indeed you will recall that Beaver and Washington County (solid historical Democratic Party bastions) were won by McCain in this last Presidential election.

Without evidence, their conjecture that it was the "hateful" speech from the "far-right" that goaded Poplawski might not be true at all. Could it be rather, that they might be capitalizing on that terrible event to advance their own Political bias? Unfortunately, I really cannot say for sure because I don't have any evidence, my comments I freely confess, are nothing more than "conjecture."

By Way of Example: With an astounding, almost apples to apples and oranges to oranges, macabre-sort-of-irony, these same Liberal Media Outlets refused to offer a similar critique of those supporters (ostensibly from the "Far-Left") of Lovelle Mixon. The supporters of Mixon openly paraded and celebrated in the streets - the deaths of three police officers and fourth one grievously wounded, by the hand of Mixon, in Oakland California, Saturday March 21, 2009. Mixon's weapons of choice were a handgun and an assault rifle. It is worth noting that Mixon was in violation of his parole, had an "extensive criminal history." His killing and wounding police officers is one thing, but for the Liberal Elite Media to offer virtually no commentary in response to those who celebrated his actions is truly appalling. Why were those "celebrants" who were arguably from the "Far-Left" not implicated at all? If the "Far-Right" is responsible for contributing to Poplawski's demonic actions, then can the same argument be made against the "Far-Left" with Mixon's? And if so, where is the balance within the Elite Media? Something to think about…

Rich Grassel

What Should The Individual Christian And Church’s Role Be Regarding Abortion? Thoughts? Comments Responses?

April 6, 2009
Notre Dame's betrayal of faith

By Selwyn Duke

When John the Baptist said to King Herod, "It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife," the price he paid was his head on a platter. He had spoken Absolute Truth to power in a time when power was absolute. It was the bravest of acts, the kind only undertaken by those very rare men for all seasons.

Lying in stark contrast to this is catholic (note the small "c") Notre Dame University's genuflection before Barack Obama, a man embodying the very antithesis of Catholic teaching. As most are aware, the university extended an invitation to Obama to deliver a commencement address and, to make matters worse, will bestow upon him an honorary doctorate.

This is despite the fact that Obama has distinguished himself as the most militantly anti-life president in American history. In fact, his support of abortion extends to the point of infanticide, and I speak of his, at best, indifference to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. In opposing the Illinois version of this legislation — thereby signaling his willingness to allow newborn babies to die in soiled store rooms — he showed his true colors. That is to say, it's not so much that the matter of when a baby gets human rights is above his pay grade; it's that he is morally degraded.

Adding to his impressive pro-death resume, Obama has rescinded the Mexico City Policy, thereby allowing our tax money to be used to promote abortion in foreign lands. He is also using tax dollars to fund the harvesting of stem cells from nascent human life. And he endeavors to establish a policy that would force health-care workers to either be party to abortion or risk losing their jobs ("Freedom of Choice" Act).

But it isn't just on life issues that Obama is found wanting. He also supports special rights for homosexuals (euphemistically called "gay rights"). Additionally, he apparently was a member of Chicago's socialist New Party in the 1990s, an association he has never adequately disowned. This is relevant because socialism seems incongruent with Catholic teaching. As Pope Pius XI said plainly in 1931, "No one can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist." (In fact, the Church has long condemned socialism — here and here, for instance).

Yet the inappropriateness of honoring Obama at Notre Dame doesn't have to be inferred from pronouncements from the past. Contemporary Church leaders have made their voices heard as well, with 13 bishops publicly criticizing the invitation. Among them is Bishop Edward J. Slattery of Tulsa, who said,

"For President Obama to be honored by Notre Dame is more than a disappointment, it is a scandal."

Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark said,

"When we extend honors to people who do not share our respect and reverence for life in all stages, and give them a prominent stage in our parishes, schools and other institutions, we unfortunately create the perception that we endorse their public positions on these issues."

Bishop R. Walker Nickless of Sioux City wrote,

"Catholic institutions of higher learning must always be places where the Catholic values we hold so dearly will always be supported and promoted — not where the culture of death is allowed to be honored or valued."

And, in a letter to Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, Archbishop John Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis called the invitation an "egregious decision" and said,

"It is a travesty that the University of Notre Dame, considered by many to be a Catholic University, should give its public support to such an anti-Catholic politician."

Now, here some will say that Jesus was also criticized for consorting with sinners and responded with that heavenly wisdom, "The healthy are in no need of a physician." Yet this isn't an analogous situation. More appropriate here is, "The unhealthy are in no need of a podium." I would have no problem with anyone offering Obama counsel — he could certainly use it. I myself would be happy to talk with him if he asked; maybe I could muster shades of John the Baptist. But what Notre Dame is doing is quite different: It is honoring Obama by bestowing a doctorate upon him. Additionally, it is not giving him an opportunity to receive counsel but a forum in which to dispense it — and to malleable young minds at that.

Then there are those, such as the writers of this silly Los Angeles Times editorial, who accuse those on my side of hypocrisy, saying we were silent when pro-death penalty George W. Bush spoke at Notre Dame in 2001. Well, let's examine this.

First, I think I speak for many when I say that Obama is objectionable not just because of his profound lack of respect for life. From his apparent socialism (and I believe communism) to his support of "age-appropriate" sex education for kindergarteners to his opposition to California's Proposition 8, he has served notice that he is pushing a hard-left agenda (which I documented here) that certainly violates the letter and spirit of Catholic teaching.

Second, there is no equivalency between abortion and the death penalty or, for that matter, what is supposedly President Bush's mortal sin, launching military campaigns. The Church teaches that while capital punishment is hardly ever necessary in modern societies, it nevertheless is the right of "legitimate temporal authorities" to determine when it is justifiable. The Church also promulgates something called "Just War Doctrine."

There is no Just Abortion Doctrine.

Unlike capital punishment and war, direct abortion is never morally licit under any circumstances.

Having said this, there is a deeper issue to address. We're all sinners, and we could probably pick any president and find ways in which he violated Catholic teaching. And what about academic freedom? As the L.A. Times opined, the issue at Notre Dame is "whether a distinguished university should ban a speaker with whom it disagrees or engage him . . ." and that all universities "sometimes need to be reminded of the importance of uninhibited debate."

But the university isn't "engaging" Obama; it is giving him a forum in which to speak unopposed. There will be no debate. Of course, I realize that when the editorialists speak of "uninhibited debate," they refer to a general climate of academic inquiry and give-and-take fostered over time by exposure to different ideas. But while this sounds good, it's nonsense.

While leftists can pontificate all they like about "academic freedom," they draw lines like anyone else. Would they hire a professor or schedule a speaker who would advocate the extermination of a minority? If not, why? I mean, whomever they chose will be a sinner, and do not judge lest ye be judged, right? And, would they entertain a debate about the reinstitution of slavery or whether or not germs really cause disease? How about trephination (drilling a hole in someone's head) as a solution to mental illness?

The point is that our gratuitous talk about "open-mindedness" is mere sloganeering, because we all consider certain issues to be settled. As G.K. Chesterton once said, "The point of having an open mind, like having an open mouth, is to close it on something solid." A child cannot advance in math if he won't accept simple truths such as two plus two equals four, and science would never have ascended from a childlike state of primitiveness had man not accepted and then built upon simple scientific truths. We might have debated Aristotle's geocentrism versus Copernicus' heliocentrism in 1600, but if we had still been wrangling over it in 1910, we would have been insane. Perpetual open-mindedness in all matters is not a virtue because it isn't "mindedness" at all; it is the trumping of the mind. The mind is there to find answers, not just ask questions.

And moral truths should be treated with at least the respect of scientific ones. Of course, "open-minded" secularists will be quick to point out that morality isn't science, and I'll be even quicker to say they're hypocrites. I reiterate that they draw their lines (slavery, racism, sexism, extermination of minorities, etc.), proving that their relativistic creed is mainly for use on other people's values. They have their dogma, just like everyone else.

But, leftists, here is a newsflash: This isn't about your dogma — it concerns Catholic dogma. You have your values — twisted and distorted though they may be — and you're very self-centered to believe they should prevail in a Catholic setting. Not everyone is as numb to morality as you are, and believing Catholics understand that many matters you're confused about are actually settled issues. We also understand that, as with science, man cannot progress morally unless he accepts known truths and builds upon them.

The bottom line is that Catholic institutions (if they are to be authentic) have a responsibility to apply Catholic dogma, not the secular variety. They have an obligation to draw Catholic lines, not merely replicate those of the Los Angeles Times. They have a duty to instill students with Catholic teaching, not that of Berkeley. Thus, in such an eminently sane setting abortion isn't a debated issue. It's a settled issue. And Barack Obama isn't just another president. He is way over the line.

Really, this whole affair smacks just a bit of evangelist Billy Graham's obsequious behavior with respect to the Clintons. I'm referring to how he once called them a "great couple" and "wonderful friends," implied that Hillary Clinton might make a good president and once quipped that Bill Clinton "should be an evangelist" and "leave his wife to run the country." Ah, Rev. Graham, "if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way . . . ."

We should remember that since every age has its Herods, we have to ask ourselves a couple of questions. Would recognize one if we saw him? And, then, would we have the faith and strength to be a John the Baptist?

© Selwyn Duke

Reading, Studying and Community – An Online Conversation About Faith and Life

Searcher: Rich, Thanks for your comment on my blog! did you get my reply ?

Searcher: I am reading "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them" by Robert Wilken

Rich: Cool... I bet that is interesting... I love the cultural stuff! LOVE IT!!!

Searcher: That is certainly new territory for me. It is interesting. I haven't done much reading that has to do with strictly biblical stuff meanwhile I am reading through Acts also..I will see if the two complement each other.

Rich: Wonderful! My reading range tends to be Biblical, Anthropological, Sociological, Cultural and Theological as well. My teaching in the DCP also pushes me into Humanities, Leadership, Business and Communication as well... it really helps

Searcher: That sounds great... those are my interests as well..I am thinking of exploring philosophy more

Rich: That would be good as well... BUT, while you read all of those kinds of things, you gotta make sure you are grounded to your core

Searcher: yeah...that sounds responsible

Rich: All disciplines are inherently "evangelizing" and "polyannic."

Searcher: Right…

Rich: I know that you probably know all of this, sorry if I sound obvious

Searcher: no it's good to hear...I was talking about accountability

Rich: I just have had a few former students swerve off the path recently... makes me sad... maybe they'll swerve back!

Searcher: Yeah...sometimes I wonder if I am swerving

Rich: Why do you say that?

Searcher: Well...when we have these discussions about politics... especially with some of the stuff I wrote last time... I think to myself... I have formed these opinions just by reading the news by myself and then when I present these ideas a some people I respect disagree with me which is ok

Rich: Question: My sense is that you are still trying to find yourself... your true non-negotiable core... Given where you are... do you find yourself living in such a way that "greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world; or does the world make more significant inroads into who you really are? Who is affecting the other more in a healthy way?

Sent at 11:20 AM on Thursday

[The Following Comments Allude More To The Searcher's Comments In Their Blog]

Rich: Believe it or not, I have experienced the same here to a certain degree... The question for all of us is: Do we get what we get in a balanced fair fashion and how does what we get square with our core values about life and faith? Just so you know... I read or skim three Newspapers a day... all three would fall into the "liberal" category... Recently, I cancelled one and subscribed to a more conservative one. I also subscribed to Newsweek Mag. I watch (normally) the evening news, local and national and then I usually watch Fox - where I get both views... normally... Greta, Hannity and Combs (Combs can be formidable) Bill O'Reilly (he's Right of center) Shepherd Smith (I think he's one of the closest of the unbiased journalists that I have seen so far) whew!

Sent at 11:24 AM on Thursday

Rich: So, I try to get a fairly well rounded view. Again, so that you know... Politically... I grew up in a blue collar home... my father worked for the steel mill.. Earlier in my childhood we had to go on welfare for a short period of time.... I grew up on the bastion of blue collar, liberal of the USA... So all of these things have helped to inform me... Still learning though!

Searcher: Haha....I feel like have oscillated from Conservative...and have swung towards liberal...but I am still trying to find my spot I guess

Rich: One final thought... I have done inner city ministry in the following cities, many numerous times: Wash DC, Philadelphia (Campolo's EAPE Program), Pittsburgh, Chicago, The Bronx in New York City... I just don't want you to think that as a moderate conservative, I have not had some background and experience from the other side.

Searcher: Gotcha....Rich I know that you have the ability to see things from both sides...that is why I respect you...but it is interesting to hear that you have EXPERIENCED things from both sides

Rich: Re: your last post: Given your stage and place in life... and educational discipline... that experience would be normative. You are in a sense, testing what your real core values are and ought to be... which is excellent... If I may... just don't do it alone, in a vacuum or in some worldview socio/political ghetto... You are a wonderfully bright, sensitive person... with REAL ability...

Searcher: so you keep yourself grounded by [being] in a learning community?

Rich: I was just talking with my students yesterday and said to them, that in as much as we "pursue, KNOWLEDGE, WISDOM AND UNDERSTAND" we imitate God. Biblical interpretation as well as "life" interpretation should always been done in "community."

Yes! And people like yourself, have kept me balanced the other way... [One of the functions of community] Because you articulate yourself well... I respect your ability to see "reality" and to represent it well. You are a thinker and I love and respect that about you. Duh... so many "respects" you'd think I could come up with other synonyms! :-)

Searcher: Haha..so I need you...we need each other...I must find people here also...to keep me grounded

Sent at 11:37 AM on Thursday

Rich: I think one of the key dynamics is: "What does truth (reality) look like; and what does love (compassionate implementation) of it look like in this world? How do we strike that balance and/or the dynamic interplay of those things in life? People, because of their wiring and experiences tend to fail on one side or the other... not the healthy tension that is necessary... Remember that the healthy tension, which is so hard, is counter to the Fall (dis-integration) and closer to Shalom (integration - life in its original balanced relationships of all things)...

Searcher: Wow... yeah

Rich: Sort like the Ying Yang thing... [Only in terms of the need for "balance" as a phenomena – NOT an equal balance between good and evil] A concept that our oriental friends devised through natural revelation

Searcher: Haha...I love it "common grace."

Rich: yep!

Searcher: Hahaha.......isn't "common grace" one of the essential teachings of Reformed thought? I mean i learned about common grace at Geneva....that idea is heresy in the fundamentalist places i came from originally?

Sent at 11:45 AM on Thursday

Rich: Sure it is... by I am not sure they would want to take it that far... McGrath would argue, I think, what he calls a kind of "cautious inclusivism" meaning: that JESUS [NOTE; If He Wanted To] works throughout the world, through: the image of God in us, the Law of God written upon our hearts and minds, whatever "truth" that is imbedded in their indigenous religion, Natural Revelation, and His omnipresence to bring people - independently apart from the church into a restorative relationship with Him. That is to say, we cannot know for sure all the ways and means that Christ works in this world to draw people into a saving relationship with Himself. Christ may, IF HE WANTED TO, use the things listed above to save those who have never heard of Him.

Searcher: gotcha

Rich: Some "Cautious Inclusivists" would argue: "Do we REALLY want to place the salvation of the entire world (60 billion historically) into the hands of the institution church? Given that, are we really prepared to say that in the 2,000 year history of the church (this is changing radically now south of the equator) that most of the Elect are from Europe, North America and a few million in South East Asia?

Searcher: I wrestled with this some while I was in Greece...this is what makes me liberal...when constructing a theology on things like this I always like to error on the side of love

Rich: To extend their argument... Historically, the Jacobs that he loved were mostly white Europeans... Hmnnn... and the Esau's that he hated were Africans, Indians, Chinese etc.. Does Jesus work to save them in some way? Without putting a number or percentage to it?

Searcher: I feel as though I must error on one side b/c I cannot know absolute truth [absolutely].

Rich: We encounter these problems when we privilege a single attribute of God over (and sometimes against) all of the other communicable attributes of God.

Searcher: again...tension...balance soverignty....love

Rich: We... We never know exactly how God works right? Yep... Think about it... God is like a Perfect Diamond, each facet representing an attribute of His. No one facet is greater, better, or more important. For the diamond to be perfect all the facets must be represented in some way... Denomination and faith traditions tend to privilege one facet over the others... See now I sound like a social scientist liberal! LOL!

God must be known and experienced by the fullness of who His is, not just one part... If that happens... they you have set the stage potentially for heresy... This does not mean that you won't experience, at times, one part more than another, it just means that the light that comes through the other facets are reflected through the one primarily experienced. [Edited In] The reason why certain facet(s) are privileged more than others by certain faith traditions is because: 1. They tend to resonate with certain personality types and 2. Strong leaders for whom a particular facet works well, tend to privilege that facet for their followers – resulting in those leaders developing a theological system. 3. Certain facet(s) may speak more powerfully during a time of historical need and crisis for the Body of Christ.

Searcher: Wow..this is great stuff so working out common grace takes a lot of experience being close experiencing God

Rich: I enjoyed talking with you... Maybe you are just being kind... sorry if I took too much time. I am going to have to go in a minute! I am supposed to be working on my sermon and thesis today. :-( Yes common grace is more than just a theorethcal proposition, that we give a nod to and then move on... it is work

Searcher: No rich I enjoy talking as well and you did not take to much time discussions like this take me out of the vacuum..and put me in community

Sent at 11:59 AM on Thursday

Searcher: Thanks, Rich. Take care. I will pray that God guides you as you prepare your message. Take care

Rich: Thanks man! Love you brother!

Being…

"Knowing and doing are so intimately related that if you do not act in the light of what you claim to know, you do not really know it." - James W. Sire

A Human Parts Industry

Zygotes and Stem Cells

Developing Humans NOT Bio-Mechanical Parts

I find it fascinating the many of the arguments and parallels used to justify Abortion and Stem Cell Research were also used to justify slavery in the 19^th Century and the Holocaust in the 20^th Century.

Slavery in the Mid 19^th Century:

The Argument: They are NOT really "human" and as such they are really "useful" and indispensable to us for our health and well-being. This was the kind of argument that Slave Owners and Southern Politicians used to maintain their material wealth and thus in a related manner "well-being." In like manner, Great Britain's Pro-Slavery politicians of the 18th and 19th centuries, used this argument tirelessly against the great emancipator, William Wilberforce, for over 30 years – declaring that the entire British Empire - an empire that was so vast that "the sun never set on it," would have its entire economic system collapse through the outlawing of slavery.

Some sources are estimating that the Abortion Industry makes almost a Billion Dollars a year. Just Planned Parenthood alone claims 4,000,000 activists, supporters and donors

In terms of Stem Cells that come from embryos or an aborted fetus, they are now being used to research how to manufacture new parts for the living - who in turn are suffering from disease, birth defects and old age. Imagine, if you would, people intentionally participating in and producing embryos simply to manufacture parts and harvest them for someone else. It is that cold and that crass – that evil. In principle, this is no different than that dark subversive human parts harvesting industry – that exists throughout the world - designed to kidnap selected people for the sole purpose of removing their organs, so that some other more privileged person can have harvest those same organs, to replace their damaged or diseased one(s) – stolen - without their permission - ripped from their bodies because those in power have not come to terms with their mortality, their physical reality and their arrogance.

The Holocaust

The Argument: They are NOT (the Jews) really "human;" and in addition look how they rob us from having those things that are "useful" and indispensable to us for our health and well-being. The Nazi's believed: "If we allow them to continue to exist among us, then they might threaten the Aryan - Ubermensch existence beyond us" - as if that were logically possible...

Unforeseen pregnancies can interrupt our current manner and standard of living. A child in the uterus can and eventually does affect one's resources – in many cases they can appear to threaten one's quality of life economically as well as the inconvenience associated with its existence. The overwhelming and vast majority of abortions and the fetus' that come from them are performed because of "convenience" not because of necessity. The horrifically detailed accounts of the Nazi's experimentations on pregnant women, children and adults are legion and legend.

Abortions aside… producing zygotes and embryo's simply for their human parts making capacity transcends most of what can be called evil in this world.

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Martin Niemoller

It may not be popular, it may offend and it may even cause me to lose some valued relationships… I still choose to speak up.

Rich Grassel