A Piece of Chalk - Jul 31

Here's a story about an arrogant professor who miraculously gets his comeuppance at the hand of a freshman and a mere piece of chalk. Yes, the LORD is still alive and well! Thanks to Marjorie for the tip. JC

The Presence and Working of the Holy Spirit - Jul 26

What does this mean in our walk of faith? I was talking to another Christian brother at work the other day about the mystery of the Holy Spirit. Here are my reflections on that conversation.

The Holy Spirit in Our Lives

Let's be clear on this critical point: You will be persecuted for your faith. Oh, you can have 'faith' alright. Just as long as you follow the ABC rule, meaning, Anything But Christ. The problems that we see in our lives, our families, our communities and even the world at large can be boiled down to having religion without the Holy Spirit. However it is precisely the Holy Spirit that gives us that much needed wisdom and discernment. Here is a profound thought: You need God in order to talk to God. In more trinitarian terms, it is the intercession of the Holy Spirit that allows us to converse with the Father. We then conclude our prayer in Jesus' name. It is the HS which enables us, gifts us and gives us the fruit of the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit in Our Churches

As any hockey fan knows, every player on the Stanley Cup winning team (in this cas the Detroit Red Wings) gets to spend a day with the Cup. Tomas Holmstrom and his cousin Robert Sundstrom decided to baptize Sundstrom's seven week-old daughter Alva Felicia in the Stanley Cup. I thought this was neat. After all, what are the odds of any child being baptized in such a manner? Naturally, this got me thinking. What makes a baptism special is the presence of the Holy Spirit, not the distraction of a sporting trophy. The Holy Spirit is what makes a church a church. Without it, the church is merely a social club with religious trappings and antiquated props. It makes little difference whether little Alva is baptised in a Stanley Cup or a wooden cup. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit resting on her parents and in the church that she will be attending that matters. I sure hope they treasure the pictures of the occasion!

The Holy Spirit in the World

Let us then be clear what faith is and what faith is not. Faith is not the whipping of oneself into a frenzy. Nor is it falling on the ground whilst speaking in tongues. Similarly, the church should be primarily concerned with comforting the saints and giving our testimony to an unbelieving world. That's it. Once a church decides to engage in (usually) Marxist politics, strange (and un-Biblical) liberation theologies and other secular fantasies (global warming comes to mind), it is setting the stage for it's own destruction. It is with great irony then both the individual believer and the church often become the very thing that make the enemies of the cross giddy. We shouldn't be making fools of ourselves in front of others. Neither is it our job to save the world. As flawed as we are and the churches that we erect in His name, it is precisely this body of believers that stands as an obstacle to man's unholy ambitions. Once Jesus comes for His bride (the church), all manner of evil and hatred will flood this world. In the meantime, we ought to be engaging this unbelieving world and helping our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to be about our Father's business. Anything less will not do.

Johnny Cash

The Great American Divide - Jul 20

"Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants."
- William Penn

There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;
- Psalm 33:16-18

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. - Psalm 20:7

See full article here for the above quotes.


'There are some men out there who simply want to watch the world burn.'

So says Alfred (Michael Caine) to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in 'The Dark Knight'. Alfred relates a story about a jewel thief in the Burmese jungle. Later in the movie, Bruce asks if they ever caught him. Alfred answers in the affirmative saying, 'We burnt down the forest'. Certainly a high price to pay to catch just one man.

What Truly Divides Us Then?

Let me articulate what many are thinking today: The lunatics are running the asylum. I'm talking about the paranoid and the conspiracy whisperers who see all manner of enemies, both real and imagined. As it turns out, we don't have to look far to find these strange individuals.

The Battle for Young Hearts and Minds in the Classroom

From another K-House article:

In Louisiana this week, Governor Bobby Jindal has opened himself to a whole hurrah of criticism from the liberal community because he has signed into a law a state bill that basically allows academic freedom when it comes to controversial subjects like evolution or global warming. The law does not mandate the teaching of anything. It merely allows teachers to teach the controversies, a long as they do so objectively without an attempt to promote religious doctrine.

As John G. West recently noted on National Review Online,

"Opponents allege that the Louisiana Science Education Act is 'anti-science.' In reality, the opposition’s efforts to silence anyone who disagrees with them is the true affront to scientific inquiry. Students need to know about the current scientific consensus on a given issue, but they also need to be able to evaluate critically the evidence on which that consensus rests. They need to learn about competing interpretations of the evidence offered by scientists, as well as anomalies that aren’t well explained by existing theories."

Free and critical thought in our schools? Wow, what a radical idea! If this revolutionary idea actually catches on, more than a few university professors might be out of work!

The Battle for Young Hearts and Minds in the Classroom: Part II
The Rise of Anti-Semitism in Our Universities

There is indeed rot in our Canadian universities. I consider myself fortunate that I graduated McMaster well before 9/11. The efforts on campus to delegitimize Israel and blame America for those fateful attacks have no doubt skyrocketed since I left. If there's one thing I've learned about anti-semites is this: Not reason, not logic, not even the lessons of history can budge an anti-semite from his paranoid, conspiratorial mind-set. Jew-hatred is implacable. There cannot be peace between those that love God's chosen people and those that wish their destruction.

The 'I Hate Bush' Agenda: The Disturbing Fanaticism of the New Left

In a recent FPM article, the battle to profile terrorists in order to save American lives is one we should all support. Yet, even an attempt to try a more watered-down approach is met with hostility and threats of litigation from the usual suspects (CAIR, ACLU). I can sort of understand their point. Profiling can be abused and given to excess. I think the real reason for opposing the profiling of terrorists has more to do with left-wing fanaticism. The assumption of a 'vast, right-wing conspiracy' led by the President is a pet theory the leftists are loathe to surrender. As with the evolutionists and the anti-semites, any attempts at reason and logic is met with a brick wall of denial and a closed mind.

Of This I Am Convinced

Though we may suffer for the cause of Christ, I am convinced of the need of those who need God's healing touch. Their struggle may not neccessarily a physical one, it is a struggle that causes lack of discernment. It is God and God alone that gives us true wisdom. Therefore let us not hate our enemies; let us pray for them instead. In the meantime, we need to hold fast and continue to look up for our redemption.

Johnny Cash

Two Hostile Camps, One Victory - Jul 5

After Jesus told Nicodemus 'For God so loved the world .....', He gave us this warning about those who choose darkness over the light:

This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
(John 3:19-21)

Saving the World Can Be Hazardous to Your Health

Have you heard of this 'one world' movement? You know what I'm talking about: That annoying touchy-feely Hollywood PC that has all the charm and romance of a malignant brain tumor. Were it not for such conservative thinkers such as Pat Buchanan, this type of doe-eyed pacifism would destroy us.

All Is One, Dammit!

All is indeed one - except for those who see this sham for what it truly is. Do you want to know the greatest lie out there today? It goes something like this:

Truth divides and causes problems (true). Therefore, eliminate truth (and all those who speak it) and all our divisions and problems will cease (false).

To the short-sighted and foolish this logic makes sense. But like all good lies, it must have an element of truth in order for it to be believed. 'Let us rid ourselves of these truthmongers', the elites tell us, 'and then shall we have our godless utopia!'. Know what I call that? A death wish. Here in point form is my refutation of that silly lie:

There is no unity apart from truth.

Truth is not some inanimate object that we play with for a while and afterwards throw it away when we get bored.

Truth is a person whom we know as Jesus Christ. Jesus is the visible, undeniable and physical manifestation of truth. Therefore whoever rejects Christ rejects truth also. Hence, there will never be unity in a Christ-rejecting world.

Truth is both timeless and universal. All the time, everywhere! What a concept! Like it or not religion matters, be it in church, business or in nation-wide elections. Despite all the secularists' best efforts, people are still defending the cause of Christ.

There is no 'Whatever, whatever, whatever' when it comes to truth. Either something is or it is not. If it be true then we must seize it. If it is false it must be vigorously opposed. So yes, truth does divide. Who says that's necessarily a bad thing? What's wrong with making the right kind of enemies? What's wrong with striking fear into the hearts of those who wish to eliminate our God-given freedoms? There's nothing wrong with it!

Calling out our Enemies: Islam, the Loony Left and the Law

As I see it, we have a choice. We can fight in the darkness and lose. Or we can fight in the light and achieve victory. There cannot, nor will there ever be, peace, justice and unity apart from victory. For it is only in the crucible of victory that freedom is upheld.

Recently in Canada and in Europe, it is obvious where the real allegiances of our courts lie. The term 'legal jihad' has greater swath than ever before. Our dhimmi courts have abandoned our Judeo-Christian traditions and have sided with the enemy.

Does the term 'amoral sociopath' mean anything to these MoveOn.org types? Bill O'Reilly exposes an outlandish ad launched recently smearing Republican candidate John McCain. The concept of 'shame' and 'accuracy in journalism' is forever lost to them.

Were they just plain annoying (not to mention rude and abrasive), we could ignore the Left completely. But as observers of both Islam and the Left, it is clear that an 'Unholy Alliance' of sorts has arisen. In this Daniel Pipes article, a particular paragraph for me stood out:

Throughout his life, Michel Foucault's concept of authenticity meant looking at situations where people lived dangerously and flirted with death, the site where creativity originated. In the tradition of Friedrich Nietzsche and Georges Bataille, Foucault had embraced the artist who pushed the limits of rationality and he wrote with great passion in defense of irrationalities that broke new boundaries. In 1978, Foucault found such transgressive powers in the revolutionary figure of Ayatollah Khomeini and the millions who risked death as they followed him in the course of the Revolution. He knew that such "limit" experiences could lead to new forms of creativity and he passionately threw in his support.

Great passion in the defence of irrationalities? No wonder these socialists scare us!

The Forces of Light: The (Hidden) Army of Jesus Christ

Gospel for Asia missionary Layak Kamol risks his life every time he walks to church and back. Anti-Christian fanatics have threatened him numerous times that they will kill him because he continues to share Christ in Chhattisgarh, India. On June 29, they did more than threaten.

You can read the rest here.

Jesus said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26)

Do you believe?

Johnny Cash