This where some business experience would help politicians

from here: http://4simpsons.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/this-where-some-business-experience-would-help-politicians/

If more politicians had business experience it might help solve more problems.  Yes, the Dilbert comic exists for a reason, but I would side with the logic and success of the business world over politicians any day.  Because in business you have to actually solve problems or you lose (money, market share, jobs).  Blaming your predecessor  — for 4 years running, no less – would get you laughed out of the room.

So when you are working on a problem you have to at least ask yourself if your proposed solution would have prevented previous occurrences.  Sounds simple, right?  But many of the anti-gun laws being proposed don’t even come close.  Their logic goes like this:

A. The Sandy Hook deaths were terrible, and guns were involved.

B. Therefore, any laws restricting guns will help prevent future tragedies.

That is their logic, and it is an obvious fail.  Even if the new laws magically confiscated every gun in the country – including those of Chicago gang members – it doesn’t mean that the murderer would have just skipped his successful attention-getting plan.  He could have used any number of means to kill children – knives, bombs, etc.

So any effective solutions must consider how the victims could have been protected, or how the criminal – who broke at least 40 laws – could have been institutionalized.

Or do these politicians know this already and are just taking advantage of the poor critical thinking skills of those who swallow whatever the media tells them?  Whether it is a malicious gun grab or just bad reasoning, they could use a dose of business sense.

Signs Point People The Wrong Way

from here: http://creation.com/glass-house-mountain-sign

by Tas Walker

Almost everywhere you travel today, you will find tourist signs to tell you about what you are looking at. I saw a sign recently at a panoramic lookout over the Glass House Mountains, north of Brisbane. Those who made the sign as well as those who read it probably would not realise that the sign presents a biased view that profoundly affects people’s understanding of the world.

Consider this extract:

“The Glass House Mountains were once lava plugs within volcanic cones. The volcanic cones and surrounding Landsborough sandstone were eroded by wind and water over 25 million years to reveal the lava plugs which you can see today.”

Let’s separate fact from speculation. The mountains that tourists admire from the lookout are fact. Their shape and the rocks they are made of make it plain they were once volcanoes. That they were eroded by wind and water over 25 million years was never observed. It is a philosophy or a belief that what we see happening now is what happened in the past. But it ignores recorded history. The true history of the Bible describes a global Flood in Noah’s day, so the sign should read:

“The Glass House Mountains were once lava plugs within volcanic cones. These erupted about half-way through Noah’s Flood about 4,500 years ago. The volcanic cones and surrounding Landsborough sandstone were eroded by the floodwaters as they receded into the ocean, revealing the lava plugs which you can see today. Relatively little erosion has happened since then.”

Here we have made a few small changes to the wording on the sign, but what a big change it would make to the way people look at the landscape.¹

The war of the worlds comes down to Earth

I read the author's book, "Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection," earlier this year and found it very interesting, logical, and informative - would definitely recommend it!

 

Below article from here: http://creation.com/the-war-of-the-worlds-comes-down-to-earth

 

Australians (among others) believe in little green men

by Gary Bates, CMI–Australia

8 July 2005

A recent survey of Australians by Readers Digest showed that four out of five respondents believed that there is alien life in outer space.¹ Reader’s Digest chief editor Tom Moore said ‘Australians may be genetically sceptical about most things, but when it comes to extraterrestrials, close encounters, and other X-files matters, we really do believe the truth is out there.’² Even more startling were results that showed that over two thirds believed that aliens are likely to be friendly and that around 6 out of ten surveyed believe that aliens are already monitoring human activities. But, to adapt a phrase from ufospeak, Australians ‘are not alone’. Similar polls in America and other countries have highlighted similarly large percentages of extraterrestrial beliefs.³

The war of the world(view)s

Where do such fantastic ideas come from? As I demonstrated in my book Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection belief in aliens is a logical next step if one believes that life evolved here on Earth. Today the majority of space scientists believe that life must also have evolved elsewhere in the universe. NASA’s and SETI’s searches for ET life have an enormous impact on public perception, particularly with the incredible amounts of research money being spent (see SETI—coming in from the cold of space). In addition, millions of ordinary people are being impressed by a never-ending stream of hugely successful science fiction movies that clearly imply evolution on other worlds due to the myriad of strangely evolved creatures portrayed.
This year alone will see several blockbuster movies carrying ‘aliens’ themes, such as Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, The War of the Worlds, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Even the old children’s tale of Chicken Little is due for an ‘alien makeover’. In Disney’s due-to-be-released cartoon version, Chicken Little’s cry that ‘the sky is falling’ now comes true as thousands of flying saucers descend upon the earth. Such themes continue to impact young minds to the extent that if one doesn’t believe in alien life one is the odd one out. Christians have even been accused of being out of touch for resisting jumping on the ET ‘bandwagon’ despite the fact that there has never been a single indisputable case of an alien visitation or a find of sentient life on other planets. Even Tom Cruise, the star of the latest blockbuster movie The War of the Worlds, was asked if he believed in aliens. He said, ‘Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?’⁴ I’m not surprised that he would say such a thing. I believe this is a no-so-subtle barb aimed at Christianity; Cruise is a leading spokesman for his own unique brand of religion, namely Scientology, which, as I demonstrated in my book, has its origins in science-fiction type extraterrestrial beliefs. We need to help our children understand the evolutionary undertones of such movie themes—even using them as a teaching tool—to help them understand that the earth is special and that God did not create alien life on other planets.

Don’t forget that it is science ‘fiction’

The media’s influence in shaping our ideas was borne out in the results of the Readers Digest’s findings. Older respondents thought that aliens would look like humans but younger people believed that aliens would look radically different.¹ Along with other CMI speakers, I have discovered that one of the most popular beliefs among young people today is the idea that older, and therefore more technologically advanced, aliens may have been responsible for the creation of life on Earth—via evolutionary processes or by direct special creation. Such ideas already add to the confusion in the public’s mind on origins issues, especially when many prominent scientists are now claiming that these older/wiser aliens may have even been mankind’s creators (see Designed by aliens?). This is directly opposed to the Bible’s straightforward teaching of God’s creation of the first man and woman.

The UFO connection

Around the world every day there are about 150 anomalous sightings, but still no hard proof of a visiting ET. With so many sightings, many claim that something must be going on, and much confusion reigns on how to ‘fit UFOs and ETs into the Bible.’ Since the release of Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection even many Christians have contacted us to suggest that God may have created intelligent life on other planets or that God’s angels use real physical spaceships to make their way around the universe (read the book for answers to these). These beliefs presuppose that UFO sightings are of real physical craft (as in spaceships). However, research by UFOlogists shows that no two UFOs have ever appeared alike, meaning that either aliens are using disposable craft or we are being visited by hundreds of different alien races every week, and have been, for countless years! Why would our Earth, which is like a speck in the vastness of the universe, be favoured with so many visits? And where’s the physical evidence?
A 1996 Gallup poll claimed that over 70 percent of the population believed that the government knew more about UFOs than it was letting on.⁵ This was also borne out in the Readers Digest polls, which stated that over three quarters of respondents thought UFOs were from outer space and that there has been some type of government cover-up. This is not a weird fringe view of the community. On the rare occasions that youth pastors have surveyed their youth on this subject, they have told me that the overwhelming view of Christian kids today is that UFOs are real craft and that aliens exist. From many years of speaking on this subject I can also confirm from personal experience that many adults in the church would believe similar things, although they might not express them openly. Moreover, Christian leaders would be surprised how many people in their churches have seen something strange or have had experiences they have not be able to explain or have closure on. This demonstrates the extent that popular culture has influenced Christians’ thinking on this subject, mainly because it is an issue that church has not dealt with, or has ever had to deal with before. Such views lead to doubts about the authority of Scripture, because people believe it is silent about such things. It is not. See Did God create alien life on other planets?⁶

Summary

Peoples’ belief in such conspiracy theories, views on alien life, the big bang and evolutionary ideas in general, are being shaped more and more by the popular media. In an age where people are reading less and less, they are getting their information about scientific ‘facts’ continually embellished in a cloud of associated ‘entertainment fiction’, such as modern science fiction (see Evolution and the science of fiction). It’s important to be aware of the forces influencing our modern culture, undermining the biblical worldview in many subtle ways. Christians and their families need to be equipped with solid answers and evidences as never before. The truth really is ‘out there’—though it’s not what most people think!

Men Don't Have It All Either - from CNN

from here: http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/13/opinion/granderson-men-work-balance/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor

updated 7:19 AM EDT, Wed March 13, 2013

LZ Granderson.says men face challenges like those women do in balancing work and family.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• LZ Granderson: The question of the moment is whether women can have it all
• Granderson: It's a ridiculous question since it implies men have it all, but we don't
• He says instead of this fruitless debate, we should focus on what makes us happy
• Granderson: "All" is a mythical concept, not obtainable

(CNN) -- Can women have it all?

That seems to be the question of the moment.

And it is a rather ridiculous question if you ask me, because it implies that men have it all.

But we don't. Not even close.

Believe me, I recognize the cultural and anatomical challenges and respect the sacrifices women make in order to balance family and a career, or family with no career, or career with no family. But constructing this entire conversation around the premise that men are exempt from this balancing act minimizes the role of fatherhood, discounts our stake in romantic relationships and blinds us all from this greater truth: No one who needs to work has it all.

Yankees pitcher Andy Pettitte has fame, World Series rings and millions in the bank and he doesn't have it all. The season is 162 games long -- half of which is spent in hotels, away from his wife and children -- and that doesn't even include spring training. He's been doing this since 1995. Imagine how many once-in-a-lifetime moments he has missed.

George Clooney has good looks, model girlfriends, fame and fortune, but no wife and kids to come home to.

Twitter founder Jack Dorsey became a billionaire before 40, and worked 80-hour weeks to get there.

So, I don't know where this notion of having it all in the workplace came from, but very few people with jobs have it.

Women may think men have it all, but only because we've been socialized to express the emotions that are tied to this reality differently, which is to say, men are not to express the emotions that are tied to it.

But that antiquated code of silence comes with a price, like not being home to see our newborn's first steps. Not to mention how internalizing stress contributes to heart disease and depression and negatively affects our mortality.

As much as women worry about the affect maternity leave will have on their careers, so do men worry about taking paternity leave. America is the only first-world country that doesn't have a mandatory paid family leave policy. That is why some working parents feel worried when they actually do take a leave.

Last year, the National Partnership for Women and Families found that only 14 states and the District of Columbia have laws that help new fathers and mothers who work in the private sector. Another 18 states only help new mothers or state employees. Considering how far behind the United States is compared to other developed nations with regards to parental leave, that's shameful.

Instead of this fruitless debate about having it all, men and women should focus on what make us happy. Instead of comparing our lives with people we don't know who are making sacrifices we don't see, we should try to find the right balance between home and work life. It's a very personal choice.

There is no way to physically always be there for your children and always be at the office and always be present for your significant other and then take care of yourself. The laws of physics necessitate that somebody or some thing is going to get the short end of the stick.

That's why it's more important for women to define their own sense of priorities instead of adhering to someone else's. At the end of the day, they are the ones who have to live with the choices they make. Same for men.

Last summer Kirk Gibson, the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks, raised some eyebrows when he decided to skip his son's high school graduation in Michigan in order to spend more time at the office.

"You're supposed to graduate,'' he said after the game. ''His mom and the rest of the family will be there. He's coming to see me next week.''

To some, what Gibson did wasn't that big a deal.

To others, he was an ass.

To me, it's just another example of men not having it all.

Chances are if Gibson was working in town he would have gone to his son's graduation before it was time for him to head over to the baseball park. But he was 2,000 miles away and he had to make a choice. It's not the one I would have made, but then again the work-life balance that Gibson needs in order to be happy is probably different from mine. I suspect the work-life balance that one woman needs for happiness is different from what another may require.

It's personal, not universal.

"All" is mythical, not obtainable.

So, just because men have been conditioned not to express remorse (or many other emotions), doesn't mean we don't have any. The trick is to find the remorse you can live with.

Gospel-Centered Counsel for Moms from girltalk

Right on! From here: http://www.girltalkhome.com/blog/gospel-centered-counsel-for-moms

“I feel like such a failure. I’m a horrible mom and a terrible wife. I’m exhausted, depressed, and overwhelmed.”
Sound like a mom you know? How would you counsel this woman? What gospel-centered words would you give her? Maybe you are that mom. As your soul’s counselor, how do you apply the gospel?
So often, in our sincere desire to be gospel-centered, we skip over a biblical diagnosis and assume we know what the problem is.
“You’re caught in the performance trap,” we tell the discouraged mom. “You just need to remember that God’s approval isn’t based on your performance. He loves you, in spite of all your failures. He doesn’t expect you to do it all or be a perfect wife or mom. You just need to rest in God’s grace.”
True, to a point.
But Scripture trains us to be more careful counselors, to apply the varied grace of God appropriately to various mothering discouragements:

“[A]dmonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all” (1 Thes. 5:14).

In other words, gospel-centered counsel looks different for different counselees.
“Discouraged Mom” may, in fact, be experiencing genuine conviction for anger or impatience or some other area of sin in her mothering. She may need an exhortation to repent and encouragement in the grace of God available to help her to grow (1 John 1:9).
Or a mom may be discouraged because she is comparing herself to other moms or cultural expectations of motherhood. She may need to hear our Savior’s words, “What is that to you, you follow me?” (John. 21:22)
Maybe a mom is looking to her children’s performance as the measurement of her mothering success. She may need to be reminded of her call is just to be faithful, and to trust God with the fruit. Her children’s sin isn’t the final measurement of her motherhood (Gal. 6:9).
Often a discouraged mom is an exhausted mom. She needs a good night sleep and an hour in God’s Word.
I could go on, but point is, gospel-centered counseling doesn’t make a blank check out to grace and hand it over to a discouraged mom. We must be diligent to discern the specific gospel-truth that applies to a particular discouraged mom in her unique situation.
So whether we’re counseling a friend or our own soul, let’s be wise, gospel-centered counselors.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes - Kenneth E. Bailey

I recently read this book and really enjoyed it!

 

 The following is taken from ChristianBook.com

Author Bio

Kenneth E. Bailey is an author and lecturer in Middle Eastern New Testament studies. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he also serves as Canon Theologian of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh. He holds graduate degrees in Arabic language and literature, and in systematic theology; his Th.D. is in New Testament. He spent forty years living and teaching New Testament in Egypt, Lebanon, Jerusalem and Cyprus, still holding the title of research professor (emeritus) of Middle Eastern New Testament studies at the Ecumenical Institute (Tantur), Jerusalem. Bailey has written many books in English and in Arabic...

Editorial Reviews 

"While no book on Jesus and the Gospels can be perfect or final, writing any really good book on them places staggering demands on an interpreter. To name just seven: literary aptitude, linguistic competence, critical shrewdness, cultural sagacity, theological acumen, spiritual sensitivity and hermeneutical sophistication. In this highly stimulating study Kenneth Bailey manages to reflect them all, and more besides, in part because he stands on the shoulders of Middle Eastern interpreters whom few in the West can even read. This book will sharpen historical understanding, improve much preaching and fuel new scholarship. It may shed as much new Licht vom Osten ('light from the ancient East') on Gospel passages as we have seen since Deissmann's book by that title a century ago. And in all of this, Bailey keeps the cross and the message of his sources at the center where they belong."

" Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is intended', explains its author, 'to contribute new perspectives from the Eastern tradition which have rarely, if ever, been considered outside the Arabic-speaking Christian world.' Strictly speaking, of course, Kenneth Bailey does not offer new perspectives, but ideas frequently as old as the earliest church and as the ancient church fathers, that may well be new to many of his Western readership. Here is an imaginative, humorous reading of key Gospel passages, an engaged and engaging set of studies that emphasize the concrete world presupposed in the New Testament. Bailey is informed not only by faithful contemporary scholarship, but also by the great exegetes of the past, and shows his humility by offering alternative explanations of passages where these may be of help to the reader. His writing and argument are cogent to the ordinary reader, tackling problems for the contemporary church, without allowing twenty-first-century debates to dictate the scope of his discussion."

"Kenneth Bailey, a master storyteller and expert observer of Middle Eastern culture, applies his sixty years of experience living in this region to produce a groundbreaking work on Jesus' world. Bailey animates the Jewish cultural world of first-century Roman Palestine through clever, often humorous personal vignettes and observations of current Middle Eastern culture. The blurry outlines of enigmatic biblical characters such as King Herod or Zacchaeus take clearer shape, and unnamed women such as the Syro-Phoenician mother or the adulterous woman are painted with colorful, culturally sensitive strokes. Bailey offers a feast for the mind and heart in his brilliant discussion of the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' parables; each chapter has plenty to savor. Throughout, Bailey connects theological and christological significance to his cultural insights, producing an original, engaging study. Bailey's passion for the biblical story coupled with his conversational prose render Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes a captivating read for scholars, pastors and laypeople alike."

"Kenneth Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is rich with interpretive and cultural insight. He sheds light on what is so often missed in most commentaries and books about Jesus written from a Western perspective. Indeed, Bailey's book provides the much-needed corrective to the dubious results of the Jesus Seminar, whose distorted Jesus is a product of Greco-Roman culture and literature, instead of the Judaic culture and literature of Palestine. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is easy to read--students and pastors will benefit from it tremendously--but there is also much for scholars."

"I have long been an admirer of Kenneth Bailey's helpful insights. As in his earlier works, his breadth of knowledge of Middle Eastern culture sheds rich light on numerous points in the Gospels, providing fresh perspectives and often illumining details we have rarely considered. He provokes those of us who depend mostly on ancient written sources to consider new approaches, often cohering with but often supplementing such research."

"Among the many New Testament scholars interpreting the Gospels today, few offer new and dramatic insights like Kenneth E. Bailey. From a childhood in Egypt to a career working within the Middle East, Bailey has established himself as the premier cultural interpreter of the life of Jesus. Using insights from cultural anthropology and skilled exegesis, suddenly the Gospels come alive as the Middle Eastern stories that they are. Long after other scholars' books are forgotten, Bailey's work on the Gospels will continue to be a timeless resource into the world of Jesus. This newest volume, written for the nonspecialist, is a splendid place to begin. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes is guaranteed to become a favorite on many Christians' bookshelves."

"Learning to read Scripture through other people's cultural spectacles, as well as our own, always brings huge enrichment. Kenneth Bailey has done a fantastic job in enabling us to put on the spectacles of a Middle Eastern believer and to therefore gain new insights into what was always there in Scripture but not quite so clear when only viewed through our lenses."

The Same Love - Paul Baloche

 You choose the humble and raise them high
You choose the weak and make them strong
You heal our brokenness inside
And give us life

The same love that set the captives free
The same love that opened eyes to see
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name
The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name

You take the faithless one aside
And speak the words "You are mine"
You call the cynic and the proud
Come to me now

The same love that set the captives free
The same love that opened eyes to see
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name
The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name

Oh oh...

You're calling You're calling
You're calling us to the cross
(Repeat 4x)

The same love that set the captives free
The same love that opened eyes to see
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name
The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified
Is calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name

You're calling You're calling
You're calling us to the cross
You're calling You're calling
You're calling us to the cross