Happy 500th Birthday, John Calvin

John Calvin
July 10, 1509 - May 27, 1564

Without the gospel
All of us are useless and empty;
Without the gospel
We are not Christians;
Without the gospel
All wealth is poverty,
Wisdom is foolishness before God,
Strength is weakness,
All human justice is condemned of God,
But by the knowledge of the gospel,
We are made children of God,
Brothers of Jesus Christ,
Fellow citizens of the saints,
Citizens of the kingdom of heaven,
Heirs of God with Jesus Christ,
By whom the poor become rich,
the weak powerful,
the fools wise,
the sinners justified,
the desolate comforted,
the doubting certain,
the slaves set free.
It is the power of God
For the salvation of all believers
And the key to the knowledge of God
Which opens the door of the kingdom of heaven
To unbelievers lying in their sins.

Happy are all those
Who hear and keep it.
For by that they show
That they are children of God.
Miserable are those
Who wish neither to hear nor follow it:
For they are children of the devil.

Taken from John Calvin's preface to Pierre Robert's French translation of the New Testament (1535), as recorded in The Piety of John Calvin: A Collection of His Spiritual Prose, Poems, and Hymns (page 206), translated by Ford Lewis Battles (1915-1979)

Two days, two funerals

Today, thousands will gather and millions will watch as celebrities glorify Micheal Jackson.

"As long as we remember him, he will always be there to comfort us." - 'Pastor' Lucious W. Smith of the Friendship Baptist Church in Pasadena.

"Michael made us love each other. Michael taught us to stand with each other" - 'Rev.' Al Sharpton.

Tomorrow, hundreds will gather to glorify God.

"My body has betrayed me and I have no control. When I am lying in bed, I can do none of the things that I mistakenly think give me value or purpose. I can’t take care of my kids. I can’t make a meal for my husband. I can’t work to make money. Clinging to Him is all I can do. He is my comfort. He is my strength. He is the one who can heal me. He is my hope that things will be better. He is the one who will bring good from my suffering. It’s not bravery. It’s desperation. And it’s exactly where I should be. Clinging.

Sometimes when I think about Jesus coming back, I imagine I am suddenly 7 years old running towards him and throwing my arms around his waist. As he reaches down to embrace me, I hear him say, “Well done, daughter. Welcome home.”

And so I cling." - Rachel Barkey, September 19, 2004

I Dare You...

...to laugh at this guy.

A brave guy: As for a bright red T-shirt he also was wearing, Boyd said he wasn't overly worried about drawing fire that day. "The enemy already knew where I was," Boyd said. "If they want to shoot at me, then that's less fire they put on the guys that are pinned down, so that's fine with me."

I don't think his buddies really cared what he was wearing, he was in the fight with them.

His boxers will be displayed in the 1st Infantry Division museum at Fort Riley, Kansas. I am sure that they will be drawing attention for years to come.

I am glad that he is now at home, and I hope that all of you will join me in thanking him for his service.

Maybe she just wants to be a Mom

At the time of this writing, Google shows 9,621 news items about Sarah Palin for the past hour. I also heard about an hour's worth of TV news coverage of her resignation. All of the talking heads and pundits seem to be trying to figure out what she is up to. Will this help/hurt her in a Presidential run in 2012? In 2016? Has she committed political suicide? Will she spend the next two years writing a book/boning up on foreign affairs/raising money/ building support/etc? Was she run out of office by the criticism/family attacks/ethics complaints/etc? Is there some deep dark secret or scandal that she is trying to keep from coming to light? I actually heard one joke that possibly she had recently been to Argentina (!?!)

Maybe, just maybe, she is resigning so that she can be Mom. Maybe she recognizes that the most important task she will ever have is to invest herself in the lives of her children. Maybe she really does have her priorities straight.

If so, then she has my renewed respect.

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