God's Gift of Children - Property????????

It must be remembered this quote of Benjamin Rush, Founding Father and Signer of the Declaration of Independence, "We should teach our pupils that they do not belong to themselves, but are public property."....................­....................If you think the idea that children are property of the State is new, think again. It's been in America for awhile.

God, Jesus & Caesar - Christian Obedience of the Law

Not one man-made law nullifies God's Commands to us as His Children.

The choice is ours!

Christian Worldview - Contemplative Spirituality for the World

In this age of instant everything, any process that promises anything other than instantaneous delivery is looked on with an ample amount of negativity. Waiting is undesirable and, essentially, not an option in the lives of most.

Looking inward and beyond

This fact is becoming more evident in the spiritual activities and desires of many. In the quest to become one with the cosmos and self (considered by many to be one and the same), all things that promise instant spiritual transformation, experiences and and altered reality are considered legitimate prospects for incorporating into daily life.

Contemplative spirituality and it's related practices have become the spirituality of choice for many. The adherents to these disciplines cross denominational, religious, cultural and national barriers, and even include those who have previously warned about them. The proponents specifically point out their applicability to all religious faiths and mindsets.

While many of the tenets sound great, especially to the uninitiated, the true seeker of Truth will find the Bible lacking in its agreement with many, probably most, of its teachings and practices. Of course, to know this requires a certain amount of time in study of the Bible in order to arrive at some basic conclusions, which is a negative for the instant guru at heart.

God's Ways for Man are different than man's way for man.

Rather than seek the mind of God on any subject, many tend to find the mind that agrees with their own mind and ideas. So tenets, practices and teachings that make sense to the common man are chosen to pursue.

So, instead of pursuing and adopting God's Ways and Thoughts for our life, many are putting into practice ways and thoughts that God doesn't agree with. They are, many times, those of their own heart or the Enemy of God, Satan. They usually are in agreement with each other in their opposition to God and his thoughts and ways. Unfortunately, as popular as they are, they ultimately lead to spiritual death. Many are headed down this path.

The Politics of Truth - Jesus, Truth & Courage

 When it comes right down to it, the truth is something that many don't really take seriously. Talk about? Yes. Live out in you life? Now that's a different matter!

Many issues seem to be open to negotiation. While it might be the right thing to do and it might be what the Bible specifically commands us to do, but to actually do it? Oh, Please, be real! No one really lives that way, not in today's society!

In today's churches, even the Pastors don't, can't or won't come right out and say that something is right or wrong. It's all up to the individual or determined by the situation a person finds himself in. And only that person can determine whether something is right or wrong.

And worse, anyone who says that they know what is right and wrong is "hardcore." They are "judgmental." They are "intolerant."

And then there's Jesus, the one person everyone wants to identify with because He's so soft and cuddly. He never speaks harshly, never raises his voice, never condemns a person and never offends the sensibilities of those around Him.

Yet, when it comes to the particulars of His teaching, well, we shouldn't go too far. After all, to do the same things Jesus did, to actually follow His Words.........well..........we might end up just like Jesus, with people trying to figure out a way to eliminate you from their lives. It's called persecution. And it's something that Jesus promised if you identify with Him, live like Him according to all He said.

The fact is, that in spite of his popularity, the large crowds to hear him teach, the healings, the miracles, the kindness, the love, the gentleness, the anger, the rebukes, etc., they wanted Him dead. And they killed Him simply because He was a threat to their power and influence.

Don't be surprised when you aren't the most popular person in the room or the building for speaking and living the Truth. We are following in His steps.

God is Pro Choice!

When thinking about any moral issue, it must be remembered that God is a God of Choice. He will never force His will on anyone.

While the laws of men may provide a myriad of choices for us to consider, those laws never provide a chance or force us to violate Gods Laws. God's Laws are always there for us to adhere to or violate, regardless of the choices provided by the laws of men.

And while God always leaves the final choice up to us, included in that choice are the consequences that accompany that choice.

Know Your Teachers – Beth Moore, Brennan Manning & Others

In this age of having overwhelming amounts of information available at the click of a mouse, it’s easy to be presented quotes of popular personalities without knowing their underlying context. While sounding great on the surface and accepted easily by most, the reality of unseen origins lurks for only the dedicated seeker of Truth to discern.

This is the case for almost all of the currently popular Christian teachers and ministers of today. Interestingly, they all seem to promote practices using traditional Christian terminology and even Bible verses. A closer look, however, finds these ideas and practices cannot be supported by the totality of Scripture. In fact, Scripture specifically warns against them. Yet, these practices continue to be embraced and promoted.

The main area of concern is found within the teaching regarding Spiritual Transformation and Spiritual Formation and their emphasis on Contemplative Spiritually in the form of  contemplative or meditative prayer. 

Popular Southern Baptist Teacher - Beth Moore

 One of the more popular and widely known of these promoters among women is Beth Moore. In her book from 2002, When Godly People Do Ungodly Things, In a section about "Unceasing Prayer" Moore states: "I have picked up on the terminology of Brother Lawrence, who called praying unceasingly practicing God's presence. In fact, practicing God's presence has been my number one goal for the last year" (p. 109). In the DVD, Be Still,  Beth Moore states "If we are not still before Him, we will never truly know to the depths of the marrow of our bones that He is God. There's got to be a stillness."

While there are many other supporting and related statements that could be provided, we will focus on the origins of these statements and practices, which are openly mentioned in her writings and speeches. Probably the person most promoted by Beth Moore is Brennan Manning. Moore builds her case for contemplative practices in her frequent references to Manning in her book, suggesting that his contribution to "our generation of believers may be a gift without parallel" (p. 72).

Renegade Catholic Priest - Brennan Manning

Regarding prayer, Manning believes, “The first step in faith is to stop thinking about God at the time of prayer. Choose a single, sacred word or phrase that captures something of the flavor of your intimate relationship with God. A word such as Jesus, Abba, Peace, God or a phrase such as "Abba, I belong to you." ... Without moving your lips, repeat the sacred word inwardly, slowly, and often. When distractions come, ... simply return to listening to your sacred word.... [G]ently return [your mind] to your sacred word. (Brennan Manning)

The Biblically literate student quickly ascertains that this advice flies directly in the face of Jesus’ warning and instruction on prayer in Matthew 6:7, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetition as the heathen do:”

In Brennan Manning's 2003 book, Above All (foreword written by Michael W. Smith), Manning says the following: “The god whose moods alternate between graciousness and fierce anger ...the god who exacts the last drop of blood from his Son so that his just anger, evoked by sin, may be appeased, is not the God revealed by and in Jesus Christ. And if he is not the God of Jesus, he does not exist.” (p. 58-59) 

In case you didn’t catch that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, specifically, the literal blood atonement by the literal sacrifice of Christ’s literal body for the literal sins of mankind, is specifically denied by Brennan Manning. Unfortunately, he is not alone among the proponents of Contemplative Spirituality in this belief.

Beth Moore also quotes Manning from his book Ragamuffin Gospel calling the book "one of the most remarkable books" (p. 290) she has ever read. But it is this very book that reveals Manning's true affinity with contemplative spirituality. In the back of the book, Manning makes reference to Basil Pennington saying that Pennington's methods will provide us with "a way of praying that leads to a deep living relationship with God." However, Pennington's methods of prayer draw from Eastern religions. In his book, Finding Grace at the Center, Pennington says: “We should not hesitate to take the fruit of the age-old wisdom of the East and "capture" it for Christ. Indeed, those of us who are in ministry should make the necessary effort to acquaint ourselves with as many of these Eastern techniques as possible. Many Christians who take their prayer life seriously have been greatly helped by Yoga, Zen, TM and similar practices.” 

In his book, Abba's Child, Manning says that Beatrice Bruteau is a "trustworthy guide to contemplative consciousness. Bruteau believes that God lives in all creation, stating: "We have realized ourselves as the Self that says only I AM, with no predicate following, not "I am a this" or "I have that quality." Only unlimited, absolute I AM.”

Do you remember the words of Jesus about the latter days saying that many would come in His name saying "I AM"? We are not to be deceived.

As stated earlier, this only begins to deal with the huge errors of belief and practice being currently taught by most ministers today. Unfortunately, their origin is not with God. It would be worth the time and effort for us to continually undertake the command of the Bible for those professing a genuine relationship with God through the Jesus described in Scripture to “examine yourself, whether you be in the faith.” II Corinthians 13:5

Christian Worldview - Are Christians to Suffer A Political Holocaust?

 

Note: This article was written during President Bush's Second Term

In this article from World Net Daily, Rabbi Daniel Lapin gives a stern warning to American Christians that there are concerted attempts to diminish or actually exterminate the influence and impact Christians have in the world today, especially in the political realm. He provides proof of this campaign by citing the many examples of books currently being published containing overt anti Christian rhetoric and bias.

So, presuming such a plan has been implemented, how is such a large campaign carried out to successful fruition? With hundreds of millions of Christians in the world and tens of millions in the United States and with an Evangelical Christian as President in George W. Bush, how does one eliminate such a large population group? Is it possible that a worldwide holocaust is about to begin? I admit that such a thought seems out of the realm of possibility in such a civilized era such as ours, but do we dare eliminate this possibility, seeing that we are only 60 years removed from the human blight of Adolf Hitler?

Even now, the world is being warned of the potential repercussions of Europe's rejection of Christianity by Pope Leo XVI. And America is faced with the same consolidation of Europe into one bloc of nations, The North American Union. Are we to face the same annihilation through amalgamation of law and culture Europe has experienced? Are we about to see the distinctives of America become merged with those of Canada and Mexico? If so, what are the implications for the Christian?

 

Do the policies of Hitler return under the same type of human rights concerns? Are Christians going to be eliminated because of their negative impact on the world around them? Does the morally high ground of Christians and their God become the sacrificial altar upon which their literal blood is sacrificed. Do we see the policies of Cain make a widespread return? Is this to be the reaction of Cain to the righteousness preached by the Prophet Abel? Or do we turn a deaf ear to such ridiculous notions?

Or maybe the concerted effort to eliminate Christian ideas is to subvert their Christian distinctives. Is it possible that the best way to eliminate your enemy is to convince them to join you? Are Christians even aware of such modus operandi? Is it even a consideration that Christian enemies are subtly luring Christians into beliefs and practices that Jesus Christ never condones. Are we being sold a bill of spiritual goods which the Word of God specifically condemns?

If so, what are the results of such a diabolical subversion? Could it be that the plan is to turn Christians into the same as everyone else around them. They look the same. They believe the same. They act the same. They unknowingly serve the same agendas. Their values are slowly morphed into the will of others they know not. Their ignorance is used against them. And in the name of serving God, abominations against their God are engaged in.

Does this sound rather far fetched? I can understand why if that is the case. But the realities of Jewish elimination under the righteousness of the Third Reich in the not so distant past should serve to tell us that human depravity ever lurks beneath the thin veneer of civilized man. In fact, it could be said at this time that civilization has developed cracks and gaping holes which are in danger of becoming the norm, something the Jews know about intimately.

He that has ears to hear...........

Christian Worldview - School Children, Doctors & Behavior

Ken Ham - Answers in Genesis

I came across this piece of info while perusing the blog of Ken Ham. I thought it might be interesting to ponder.

But only if you don't know what "ODD" and "IED" is. The potential ramifications of such labeling and justification of destructive behavior are apparently ignored in view of sparing the child the unsavory aspect of having the child acknowledge and properly deal with his own actions. Or having someone else deal with them, say the Criminal Justice System.

The Conservative & Liberal Media Bias About Planned Parenthood & Komen

If you've ever heard the rants and raves of liberals and conservatives regarding the bias of each other, then you received a rare treat this past week when the bigoted proclivities of each was on full display. And it wasn't a pretty sight, especially where the truth was concerned.

Fortunately, someone displayed the patience necessary to actually read the official statements of the Susan G. Komen Foundation regarding their decisions about funding future grants to further their specific aim of helping in the fight against breast cancer and breast cancer detection.

That someone can be found HERE!

Curfews & The Role of American Parents

The issue of curfews for children occasionally resurfaces in various locations in the United States. This time the State is California. As reported on One News Now, The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will review a proposed daytime curfew for children under the age of 18.

These laws, when proposed, usually create a firestorm of negative response from parents and parental organizations, especially among those homeschooling their children. The reason is rather obvious from a parental viewpoint. A daytime curfew would "restrict the constitutional rights of minors and instead encourage officers to selectively detain the youngsters."

Surprisingly, Finn Larsen of Christian Educators Association International says that parents are partly to blame for the problem. ""It is unfortunate that many parents, for whatever reason, are not providing good oversight and care for their children," he laments. "So what this does is it allows the state, if you will -- the police, the government -- to have a little bit more exercise of authority in a problem that, again, is growing.""

For those who may possess a little more curiosity than the normal resident, it may be interesting to know how the State views its citizens. Does it strike you as hypocritical that any State of the Union would attempt to impose itself within the family sphere in order to alleviate a problem, especially when that problem stems from a lack of parental oversight?

The answer is very simple. It is also written into law. The fact is that the State claims ownership of its citizens through the legal doctrine known as Parens Patriae, the State is the Parent of the Nation. So, when the property of the State, in this case the parents, aren't performing their civic duty, the State has the right, nay, the duty, to step in and correct the problem. The state is simply taking care of what is legally theirs. And, ultimately, the State's property will not and cannot determine what the State will do.

If you think that this is un-American and Unconstitutional, save your breath. This concept is as old as civilization and was present in the American Revolution. Benjamin Rush, a Signer of the Declaration of Independence and Founding Father extraordinaire, had this to say about children. "We must teach our pupils that they do not belong to themselves, but are public property."

Do you remember hearing that in history class? I didn't think so! Think about it.

Crystal Clear Delusion

With the continuing debacle at the Crystal Cathedral comes this observation from Craig Huey of Election Forum.

The sad part of this observation is that the Gospel of Christ and the longtime message of Crystal Cathedral Founder Robert Schueller are thought to be the same. Sadly, many others think so, too.

The strong delusion promised by God for those continuing to seek such waywardness abides still, even in the hearts of professing Christians.

The Unity of The Flag and Jesus

In the wake of the 10th anniversary memorial remembrances of 911, the one common theme that still echos from the ashes of that tragedy is the call for national unity. And the one common symbol significantly prominent in every gathering was the red, white and blue American Flag, Old Glory. It is the symbol of American unity.

And how important are symbols in the life of a nation? They are so important that the ones you see proudly displayed are not late comers on the national scene. They have, instead, been present since the founding era, and even earlier. These symbols represent certain traits and characteristics which have been deemed vital to being an American. And it's around these virtuous symbols that America's rich heritage is remembered and promoted.

But a nation's flag bears a unique duty. It's the one symbol in which all desired and praiseworthy characteristics are embodied. It's the one symbol which all true Americans can agree upon and rally around, especially in times if tragedy and crisis. And this has happened throughout America's colorful history.

Interestingly, the Bible Speaks of a flag which will one day be lifted up for all the World to come together in unity. In a time of extreme World crisis and desolation, this flag will appear and be the embodiment of all things unified. But this flag will not be completely sought after to represent the World. In spite of this non-consensus of World citizens, this flag will be the one flag visible to all.

This Flag is Jesus Christ. And He will one day rule this world in unity. As Creator and Savior, he has every right to do so. Do you know the Flag of Flags?

The Final Authority

When it comes to life, we all have a final authority. When it comes to Christians or those professing a right relationship with God through His Son, Jesus the Messiah, nothing changes.

The only difference may be in the consistency of someone's professed Final Authority. While many proclaim God and/or His Word to be their Final Authority, the reality is sometimes painfully evident. It usually ends up being the thoughts of men regarding various areas of life which are exalted and practiced. The true Word of God is, somehow, explained away to the point where it negates Truth. All is left is a plethora of conversation and discussion concerning the exalted nature of their pursuit of that which mimics Truth.

Who is Your Final Authorrity? How Truthful are you when it comes to this issue?

Emerging Conversation: The Limits of Friendly Dialogue

The following is a post from more than a year ago. I returned to the Jesus Creed site again just to have another look around and found that nothing has changed. My conversations with other emerging types has revealed the same. How about you?

I've been visiting the well known and popular Emerging Blog named Jesus Creed, moderated by Scot McKnight, Professor of Religious Studies at North Park University in Chicago, Illinois. Other emerging Leaders are Brian McLaren, Alan Hirsch, Dan Kimball, Mark Driscoll, D. A. Carson, Leonard Sweet, Doug Pagitt, Ed Stetzer, John Burke, Scott A. Bessenecker, and Dennis M. Doyle.

Actually, I've been participating in the conversation for awhile. I've found it interesting, thought provoking, frustrating, enlightening and most of all, revealing. Emerging or The Emerging Church Movement is a major religious movement which has made a major impact in many parts of the world, not the least of which is the United States. The American Evangelical Church, otherwise know as Protestants and other non Roman Catholic churches have been impacted greatly by this movement over the last 10-15 years. In fact the impact has been so great that most have not known exactly how to respond to the Emerging refusal to go along with the traditional religious life of Evangelicals. They have increasingly put pressure on leadership to, not only listen to their complaints and suggestions, but to agree with their complaints and implement their suggestions. Otherwise, they will leave to start their own ministries. And they have. And Evangelicals are suffering because of it.

As I said, Evangelicals don't know how to respond to prevent or counteract their influence. One of the hallmarks of Emerging is Conversation. They will talk about anything, anywhere at anytime. Open and honest dialogue is encouraged among all. No question is considered taboo. Answers are provided in high quantity. If you disagree, that's OK! Simply verbalize your disagreement. You are accepted in spite of any disagreement you or anyone else may have. But conversing about that disagreement is guaranteed which means your participation in the conversation is also guaranteed. This is one area where Emerging frustrates Evangelicals. Emerging provides a forum as well as acceptance for the religiously downtrodden, marginalized and rejected. In other words, those not traditionally accepted by Evangelicals for various reasons, legitimate and not so legitimate.

But I found out today that their friendly dialogue has its limits. Yes, their are certain things they will not talk about.

I wonder if others have encountered this outer limit of Emerging Dialogue. If you have, tell me about it.

Would you care to hazard a guess as to what the subject matter could possibly be to so suddenly send Emerging types into a blatantly silent refusal to acknowledge reality?

Trusting God

It seems there are times where you are left with no choice but to trust God.

That may seem like an odd statement, so I'll explain.

It simply means that you know of no means to meet your need. And you feel no need to explain your plight to anyone because those you've considered your friends in the past have separated themselves from you. In other words, they're gone. They consider you to be akin to an enemy. And resources which you have accessed in the past are not available to you, either. They are also gone.

And as far as you know, there's no help available. Yet, the need has not disappeared. In fact, it appears larger than ever.

Thus, the apparent need to simply trust God to supply your need.

In one sense, it greatly simplifies matters. You can't look to another person. You can't draw from your pool of resources. Yet, the God who originally provided these people and their resources has not changed. He has not moved. He has not abandoned anyone. And His resources have not diminished.

So, when continually asking God to meet your needs, even when those needs are rather large, it is sometimes necessary to just settle down and wait on God, especially when you don't even have the means to go searching for the supply of your need. And having been in this position before, I at least have a history with God to fall back on. I've been in this position before. I've watched as God performed as only He can, maybe using people I've never met and may never see again. Others have come to be a regular part of our lives.

Regardless, the need to look to God and no one else remains. And I smile when I contemplate the end result. As surprising as the result may be, I can rest assured that it is exactly what He wanted for me and my family. I'm glad that I am in His hands, a much safer place than my own.

Christians, The World & Rebels

Have you ever been accused of being a rebel? Or a person who just wants to disagree with authority for the sake of disagreeing?

I have. And after awhile, it's not fun. Especially because it not true. I'll explain.

You see, I don't have a problem with legitimate authority. I don't have a problem with submitting to legitimate authority. But I refuse to willingly follow that legitimate authority as they lead me over the side of a cliff. In other words, I refuse to follow leadership when they expect me to engage in activities that I know are detrimental to me and/or my family.

Such is the current state of churches in this country. Most Pastors teach doctrine and engage in policies that are detrimental to the ones listening to and following them. The problem lies in the fact that most have not thought through their position on a variety of issues. They simply parrot what someone else has taught them, especially when it is accompanied by verses of Scripture. They don't truly take the teachings to Scripture for comparison with the totality of Holy Writ.

This doesn't mean that all they teach is wrong. It just means that whatever amount is wrong is vital to living a life as Christ would have us live, not someone else. That someone else is the World.

Most Pastors have unknowingly adopted the World's ways and thoughts concerning vital areas of life. There are various reasons for this, but the fact remains that certain policies have been adopted and implemented simply because of pressure from those who don't know their Bible and what it has to say about these vital areas.

The real problem begins to surface when these policies are not readily accepted by some in the congregation. It's not that the resistance is public in nature. It's just that they refuse to go along for the sake of going along. It matters not that they can even reasonably articulate their opposition from Scripture. Non-conformity is not allowed. Thus begins the process of applying various sorts of pressure upon these resisters to follow the lead of everyone else. It can get rather unpleasant as relationships are strained. Usually, unless conformity is attained, these relationships are severed, all in the name of God. This is sad, but true. I've experienced it myself. It is in no way easy. Nor is it desirable. But the Word of God is the Word of God. If we will one day give account according to this Book, then following it precepts is mandatory.

In the mean time, there are many wounded People of God within local congregations. They remain untreated because no one recognizes what is happening. Many are pushed aside and never accepted again as viable members of the congregation. Most of these leave, never to participate in a vibrant relationship with other Believers. God only knows how many blame God for the manner in which His People conduct themselves.

And in the mean time, there remain a certain number who faithfully follow Christ. They may not receive recognition for their actions, but God has all recorded. And He faithfully backs up His Word as His People trust Him while leading their families. Many of these are considered Rebels.

I might be considered a Rebel. But my study of Scripture hasn't revealed that I am required to follow anyone over the cliff.

A Christian Worldview? Which One?

Within the ranks of Christendom, there has arisen over the last couple of decades, a rising interest and promotion of, what has come to be known as "A Christian Worldview." This pious sounding title supposedly contains the elements of Truth by which all children of God are mandated to live on this earth.

Unfortunately, what has come to be espoused as "A Biblical Worldview" has very little to do with the Bible. While much Scripture is used to construct this supposedly biblical model for life, it focuses mostly on "The World." God is relegated to the role of a lofty afterthought, prominently insignificant.

To further the confusion of such an integral part of the modern Christian life, there seems to be a plethora of biblical worldviews available for the spiritual consumer to choose from. These usually deal with how the Christian can take dominion of, or at least, heavily influence the World system. This group is usually contrasted with just one other radically opposite worldview, the one where Christians are mandated to withdraw from all worldly activity and seclude themselves from the evil influences of the World. This unfriendly bunch is left to deal almost exclusively among themselves for any material goods and/or services.

The sad part of this scenario, however, is that the truly Biblical Worldview is seldom brought into the mix to consider. Significant statements of Jesus Himself, as well as the words of other inspired biblical writers are either not discussed or they are rationalized or explained away as being culturally inexpedient or unattainable. In other words, they are impossible. So, rather than Truth being properly proclaimed and taught, it is left for the spiritual seeker to trust God to fulfil his Word and have the Holy Spirit "lead them into all truth." Such is the climate of the current Biblical Worldview wars as ministries vie for the heartstrings of men, women and young people.

So what is a Truly Biblical Worldview? Let's list five things which the true student of Scripture cannot afford to overlook or misinterpret when attempting to determine such important doctrine;

1. The Pleading of Jesus to Pilate.

• My Kingdom is not of this World
• If it were, then would my servants fight to not have me delivered to the Jews.

2. The Polemic of Satan to Jesus

• The Offer of Satan to Jesus.
• The Response of Jesus to Satan's Offer

3. The Position of the World to Christ

• The World is lost and in need of A Savior
• The World is the Enemy of Christ

4. The Position of the World to God's People

5. The Politics of God's People

These points are not exhaustive by any means, but are significant enough to merit the application of strict hermeneutics by the serious student of Scripture. They are not to be so lightly thought of that they are easily replaced by any cultural or philosophical mandate of man.

After all, the five points are alliterated. That alone merits serious consideration for infallibility!

More to come................

Emerging Direction: Which Way Do We Go?

After 15 seconds of meditative meandering, I have decided that the definition of up needs to be modified. No, I'm not going to redefine it, just adjust it to the point where other people can legitimately question the reality of up and feel good about themselves in the process. That way, no one has to feel guilty about not understanding the true nature of up.

Is up really up? Or is there more to Up than we first thought? Maybe up is really made simple by understanding that up is simply not down. Or, it could be not as down as directly down. It is less down. It could be sideways or sorta sideways. Or it could be East, presuming East is not as down as any other direction. But we are not to exclude any other direction. Let's not let our lack of exactness lead us toward inexactness, regardless of our direction. We must be sure, even in our doubt. As long as we doubt not our doubt and are sure of our lack of direction. If there's anyone I hate, it's the person who is sure he's lost.

Maybe up is best defined by the person is is consistently living life on an arc. So, while he's currently in a state of down, he's headed toward up, which means he's headed toward down. Of course, our new definition, I mean modification, of up must be taken into consideration when dealing with such pinpoint accuracy, seeing that such pinpoint accuracy is constantly in a state of flux, which means that the arc possesses flexibility not unknown to the life of meandering reality.

Welcone to Emerging, where everthing is open to question and conversation, but bound to get lost in the pursuit, seeing that the pursuit of Truth is the reason for conversation and dialogue. For if we actually arrive at and grasp Truth in any shape, manner or form, the conversation and dialogue are, then, ended. So................we keep talking........and pursuing the multitudinous facets of non graspable Truth..........or, at least someone's perception of it.

Do I detect the odor of Brimstone? Let's converse!

The Standard of Life; Do You Have One?

I have a question for you.

If every law on the books in the United States were officially abolished today, by what standard would you live your life? How would you conduct your life? How would you treat others? How would you conduct business?

How would this affect your current obligations and responsibilities? Would you abandon them or continue to fulfill them? Why?

Do you live your life by a standard that goes beyond the mere civil laws passed by men? If so, what is it? And why does it matter? What makes this standard better than another standard outside the laws of men?

Fred Thompson, Ronald Reagan's Successor?

Who saw this coming????? Well, it hasn't actually happened yet, but the fact that Fred Thompson is publicly stating that he's considering running for President as a Republican candidate is extemely significant for conservatives.

As this article from WordNetDaily reveals, the former Senator from Tennessee and star of the television series, Law & Order, doesn't think it is too late to enter the race.

If he does enter, how does this change the field? From whom would Thompson take support? Or would he simply receive the vast majority of the undecideds at this early point in the campaign? How does the strategy of the other candidates change?

Does Thompson have a presidential image? Is he conservative enough on the issues that count, such as Prolife, gun control, illegal immigration, Marriage, Homosexuality, Civil Unions, the war on terror, Iraq, Middle East, Israel, etc?

Is he, as one person has stated, another Ronald Reagan? You be the judge. Either way, the race may become alot more interesting before too long!