Forever. And always has been. Can you imagine it? No. He never was not and always will be.
His knowledge has no limits. I don’t know what that means, but do know that Scripture teaches He knew each of us by name before He laid the foundations of the Earth. He knows each hair on our head and every one of the trillions and trillions of stars that He created. Boundless in time and boundless in comprehension.
He is loyal and faithful, even to those that leave him. Us. He loved us before we loved him and after we betrayed his love.
But his love and justice are also limitless and eternal. Christ. Cross. Grace.
Just a few months ago, our family was studying the rich history of the English. We admired how the English planted worldwide highly refined views and systems of law, culture, and society. The English system as reflected in its former colonies and former and current Commonwealth has been a blessing to millions if not billions over time. The English belief in the rule of law, the common law, and the integrity of civil institutions has led to some of the freest and materially blessed countries in the world, to include our United States. Our British friends are a long way from Runnymede and it’s been a dark hour in what used to be the center of an empire where the sun never set.
Are the English riots symptomatic of something fundamentally astray in the UK? Are these the latest signs of the West unraveling? Or are these isolated, unique occurrences?
Michael Youssef opines in Americans Should Learn from London, that those who sounded the warnings and tried to fix the UK’s unsustainable policies are being blamed for the violence and lawlessness – “whoever tries to bring sanity to a nation or a culture heading in the wrong direction will become the scapegoat.” The UK Socialist party readily agrees, at least that the Tory party reformers (conservatives) are to blame for the riots. Indeed, they argue that the violent protests are a response to “Tory attacks.” The British socialists explain the nature of these supposed attacks – reductions in social welfare and overall government spending. See here.
A Brit, Iain Murray has perhaps the most pointed and stinging critique of what gave rise to these mass acts of violence:
Most [rioters] have no jobs to go to or exams they might pass. They know no family role models, for most live in homes in which the father is unemployed, or from which he has decamped.
They are illiterate and innumerate, beyond maybe some dexterity with computer games and BlackBerries.
They are essentially wild beasts. I use that phrase advisedly, because it seems appropriate to young people bereft of the discipline that might make them employable; of the conscience that distinguishes between right and wrong.
They respond only to instinctive animal impulses — to eat and drink, have sex, seize or destroy the accessible property of others.
…
So there we have it: a large, amoral, brutalised sub-culture of young British people who lack education because they have no will to learn, and skills which might make them employable. They are too idle to accept work waitressing or doing domestic labour, which is why almost all such jobs are filled by immigrants.
They have no code of values to dissuade them from behaving anti-socially or, indeed, criminally, and small chance of being punished if they do so.
They have no sense of responsibility for themselves, far less towards others, and look to no future beyond the next meal, sexual encounter or TV football game.
They are an absolute deadweight upon society, because they contribute nothing yet cost the taxpayer billions. Liberal opinion holds they are victims, because society has failed to provide them with opportunities to develop their potential.
Most of us would say this is nonsense. Rather, they are victims of a perverted social ethos, which elevates personal freedom to an absolute, and denies the underclass the discipline — tough love — which alone might enable some of its members to escape from the swamp of dependency in which they live.
Only education — together with politicians, judges, policemen and teachers with the courage to force feral humans to obey rules the rest of us have accepted all our lives — can provide a way forward and a way out for these people.
They are products of a culture which gives them so much unconditionally that they are let off learning how to become human beings. My dogs are better behaved and subscribe to a higher code of values than the young rioters of Tottenham, Hackney, Clapham and Birmingham.
In unwittingly supporting Mr. Murray, two English women explained their motivation to riot: “It was madness, good fun … . Showing the rich people we do what we want.”
As always, Jonah Goldberg in Riot Rationalization Misses the Mark, makes eminent sense in cautioning against reading too much into a riot or series of riots, since riots have been around as long as human nature.
The problem, of course, is that even if conservatives are right, there’s precious little government can do to fill the holes in such souls.
Moreover, I think we put way too much effort into intellectualizing or romanticizing mob violence. Whatever the root causes of such behavior, the simple and unavoidable truth is that looters loot because they can.
…
[T]he people tearing apart English society are simply criminals, whose villainy is not diluted by their numbers, but magnified by them.
Solution? I think Mr. Goldberg provides a valid short-term solution: “If Britain lacks prisons to hold them, build more prisons. Call it a jobs program if it helps.”
Ultimately, however, Mr. Goldberg’s suggestion is myopic. You can never build enough prisons to restrain the vices of an immoral culture. The disease of systemic immorality is spreading across the West. Whether it’s a lack of respect for civil authority, rampant sexual promiscuity, normalization of perversion, a disregard for your neighbor’s property, or gross fiscal irresponsibility, the Western nations are rapidly loosing their moral bearings. Indeed, we’re rapidly becoming exemplars of Romans 1:18-32. This should not be surprising to Christians since over the past 100 years, particularly in Europe, westerners have strayed further and further away from Biblical truth and morality. You can build more prisons, but the answer long-term is in building more churches and training and equipping the next generation in the truths of God’s word.
A beauty of the West, thus far at least, is that we can openly observe, comment and argue over what we’re doing incorrect and right ourselves before it’s too late. While there is presently much going wrong with western liberalism, there’s nothing so drastic that an open, free and determined people cannot overcome.
Derived from the same worldview as the laws that sanctioned and recognized the institution of slavery, the ultimate form of tyranny.
~ Tea Party activist, author, and motivational speaker Frantz Kebreau comparing a 1662 slave law to current abortion legislation via his Facebook page, August 8
(Check out his wife’s updated pro-life clothing line at Life Rocks)
I almost hesitate to mention it, but I maxed out my credit line, again. I owe only slightly more than half of what our entire country generates in revenue in a year. How about increasing my limit a few trillion more? Four trillion should hold me over for the rest of the year. I’ve got this spending habit I’m trying to kick. Despite being paid BILLIONS a day, I need more right now. I commit to getting that under control, soon. After the next election for sure. In the meanwhile, I think I should be paid more. Would help with my spending habit. Also, you better act quick on helping me out or somebody’s going to suffer. It’s going to look bad. I promise. Not a threat, just saying.
U.S. Long-Term Debt Situation Is One of the World’s Worst :
This year, the U.S. public debt is projected to reach 62 percent of the economy—up from 40 percent in 2008 and nearly double the historical average, according to recent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates. The financial crisis and recession drove much of this debt swing, yet larger problems loom in the future. By 2030, the CBO projects that debt will more than double to 146 percent of GDP.
“Our very nature demands home. It is the first essential element of our social being. This cannot be complete without home relations. ” John Potts
One of the best fringe benefits of practicing intellectual property law is meeting creative and innovative people. Several years ago I was blessed to receive a call from Vicky West, who with her daughters went by the name The West Girls. They needed help copyrighting their new album, Further Along, which they independently produced and wrote most the songs from their remote holler somewhere in the back hills of Tennessee. I quickly realized that not only was the album independently produced, the family itself is simply independent — self-sustaining (in the temporal sense) and off the grid — four miles from the nearest power line! Their album is simply great blue grass and is available in CD directly from them and via download through Amazon. Greenbeans in the Garden is one of my family’s all-time favorite songs. (It appears that when they’re singing about greenbean gardens, they know what they’re talking about – see here.) There’s not a bad song on the album; the entire album is a favorite of mine. I understand that they may be soon releasing their second album … Can’t wait to hear it.
The West Girls, now more commonly known as The West Ladies, have also been involved with several other productions under their label Homestead Blessings, such as a multi-part DVD series on valuable homemaking skills, including instruction in bread making, candle making, soap making, canning, gardening, herbs, cooking, dairy, and sewing.
Tim Jore, of Distant Shores Media, is a guest contributor to the Sapphire Sky blog. He, together with his wife and a great team of people at DSM, are helping to equip the global church with unrestricted discipleship resources that are intended for use on mobile phones. Find out more in the video and join the community at facebook.com/distantshoresmedia and facebook.com/door43!
The rise of the Internet and worldwide mobile phone technology is the greatest opportunity for the advance of the global church since Gutenberg’s press half a millenium ago. But taking advantage of this opportunity requires discipleship resources that are released from copyright restrictions so that they can be legally translated, adapted and redistributed without restriction.
This video introduces Door43, an open-access project to create and translate discipleship resources that are free of charge and released from copyright restrictions under an open license so that anyone, anywhere has the legal freedom to use and improve them. Join the movement at door43.org and help us make this vision a reality: Unrestricted discipleship resources, in every language, and on any mobile phone. Find out more at dsmedia.org/intro.
Excellent article by Michael Hyatt on how to become your spouse’s best friend. He recommends the following very simple three step process:
1. Make a list of what you would want in a best-friend. 2. Now become that person for your spouse.
3. Keep sowing the seeds, until the relationship blossoms.
Sometimes controversy. A boy named Sue, fundamentalist, fascist, liberal (or liberals renaming themselves (again) “progressive”), etc. … Names can evoke powerful responses. Some say controversial names generate interest. The label or mislabel of something or someone often introduces presumptions or starting points for how people, ideas, and things are initially perceived.
Answers in Genesis recently published an interesting article on whether the name “young earth creationist” is the most accurate name for those that read the first chapter of Genesis literally regarding origins.
“I’m a young-earth creationist.”
To evolutionists, a person claiming this title is akin to saying, “I’m an anti-science mystic.” To Christians who have compromised with naturalistic presuppositions, young-earth creation implies just one more opinion on the earth’s beginning.
Many Christians have conceded to uniformitarian dogma by imposing theories on Genesis like the day-age view, gap theory, and the framework hypothesis. Christians taking on names—progressive creationist, theistic evolutionist, or even young-earth creationist—implies Genesis 1–11 does not have one clear interpretation.
By making our primary title “young-earth creationists,” we seem to agree that the debate is merely over the scientific evidence of the age of the earth. We get caught up in arguments over whether the fossil record, radiometric dating, and celestial bodies are evidence for a young or old earth. While examining the evidence is valuable, the issue is not the evidence itself. The main issue is our starting point for interpreting the evidence—either fallible human opinions or infallible Scripture (Psalm 119:160; 2 Timothy 3:16). Therefore, the title of those who hold to biblical authority should identify their starting point.
“I’m a biblical creationist.”
This title accurately conveys the biblical Christian’s starting point. Two starting points exist: man’s opinion or God’s Word. Creation compromise positions come about when Christians start with man’s opinion of long ages and then reinterpret Scripture to fit the uniformitarian beliefs of God-rejecting naturalists.
What happens when a gifted worship minister struggles with God’s call to leave his (and his family’s) comfort and enter the foreign mission field? Well, if it’s David Loftis with a camera and an Internet connection, it’s a new song and video about the struggle to follow God’s call and what happened when he prayed for the faith that moves mountains:
On a more serious note, see Justice Scalia’s thoughts re law school here.
If still interested, look for schools and organizations with mentors who understand the intersection of Christianity and the law, both in practice and in jurisprudence. See for example here,here and here.
Sapphire Sky 