Beginning Again

June 11th, 2010 by Mike No comments »

What can I say? I paid for this domain and started this blog with the full intent of having a place apart from the SQL Server Blog to blog about my faith, personal issues and my thoughts (rants?) on conservatism, our nation’s founding principles and liberty.

I took some wrong turns on that plan, though… So, what else can I do but….

Start Over

I’ve felt a desire to get more deep with Bible study, especially since my last semester of Faith Bible Institute ended last year and I graduated from that 3 year journey through the Bible. Since then, my personal Bible study has been… Well mostly non-existent. Sure I’ve opened the Bible at church and at home. I’ve even opened it in sharing my faith with another but that is it.

In that same time frame I’ve managed to, in addition to “family stuff” : Write Several SQL Server blog posts; switch jobs; speak at three SQL Server events; Start a SQL Server User Group; Schedule myself to speak at said SQL Server user group; manage 3 meetings at the User Group; get stuck late at work more than I like…. The list goes on: watch Criminal Minds reruns; watch the final season of Lost;  fill my head with plenty of useless knowledge on wikipedia click fests…

basically? A whole lot of nothing…

Now that isn’t all bad. Sometimes it is great to veg out and have some mindless time but not this much. It is good to put a lot into my professional life and be the best I can be at that, but not that much time. At least not when I am robbing the important tasks.

I have a family to raise and 3 kids to help set an example for. I have a perfect savior’s example to strive to walk closer to. How can I do that if I don’t get in the Word?

I am hoping that this post will be a fire under me to begin studying in earnest and truly prioritize this most important part of my life. I am going to begin an endeavor to study the book of James. Using the Bible (KJV and NASB) and a McArthur commentary on that book and I will look to learn and grow and make study notes, commentaries of my own as I go on this blog.

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Where are our priorities?

October 2nd, 2009 by Mike No comments »

What are we doing as a country?

This will be a short post tonight. I recently switched hosting companies and wanted to get a post out now that the wait for DNS changes on my home ISP is finally dealt with.

I was reading the news this week and just struck by how far down the tubes our culture and society appear to be traveling… I’m not surprised, the Bible tells us it will do that. It has been happening for a while but some of this weeks news highlights it in my mind…

Way too busy, but yes I’ll go to Europe…

President Obama has a lot on his plate. He is commander-in-chief of two very active theaters where our troops are in harms way (like it or not, they are…) He is trying, with the congressional dems to get a healthcare bill passed (Please don’t say it’s the GOP that is blocking it, they have enough Democrats in both bodies… The people don’t want what is being sold).

So what is a busy man to do? Meet maybe a second time in (3 months, I believe?) with the commander of forces in Afghanistan? That would be good, he seems to have a lot of complaints, there seems to be increasing violence and a huge risk of further destabilization. Obama himself said it was a key focus. Nope…

Maybe reach across the aisle and have some serious talks about improving the cost of health care and access to health insurance options in this country? He says it is quite important that we do that, he keeps blaming the right for not having a plan (when again, they have enough Democrats to vote on it, approve it and shut it down right now..) Nope.

Preisdent Obama is in Copenhagen Instead

That’s right. He, his wife, Oprah Winfrey flew to visit the voting and presentations at the International Olympics Committee meeting on deciding an Olympic venue. He is there pushing for his hometown, a town with plenty of friends in high places still, to get the Olympics. I don’t find it a huge deal that he decided to be the first American President to do such a thing. I do find the timing odd.

What’s more is this article about Michelle Obama. She seems to indicate that apparently people are saying she, Oprah and her husband are making sacrifices to be there. I don’t know if it was a “woe is me” kind of plea or what. Her rationale for making such a sacrifice though? “For the kids” I wonder what the Olympics really does for the kids and for their growth. I do know that right now in Chicago, there have been a huge swath of violent incidents, most recently some angry mob behavior resulting in seriously injured kids and one dead kid. I do know that violent crime is up (in a city with incredibly strict handgun laws…go figure) and the kids in the city are suffering.

Will the Olympics help? I don’t know it seems to me that the Olympics are a huge cost to bring in. Areas that will be highlighted are built up, statues are erected, etc. etc. But does that money really flow to the places that need the help? To the local organizations that are working with the kids? Does it even get to the schools? Now I am not saying more money in schools help, I think many stats out there will show what I mean… Spending per pupil does not mean better outcomes, in fact sometimes the opposite. But my point is: what benefit does this bring to the kids? I would rather see more money in the hands of smaller, local charities (faith based ones included) to work with the kids where they are. I would think that Michelle and Oprah making a “sacrifice” to meet with the family of the boy senselessly killed in the recent violence would do more. Not in today’s society…

A Rapist? Or a Hero?

Roman Polanski was in the news a lot lately. He was arrested while passing through Switzerland to pick up an award. He has been on the run for about 30 years now since being charged, and pleading out on some of the charges, of raping a 13 year old girl at the time. He’s a rapist, he was caught. I would think folks would be happy about that.

Not Hollywood – It would seem that a lot of the folks out there in tinsel town are pretty crushed about this and are petitioning to have him released. Different rationales have been given but I have read stories with thoughts like, “He is an artist”, “it was 30 years ago”, or Whoopi Goldberg’s thought that “it wasn’t rape rape”… Doesn’t seem to fit, I wonder if this was a former Republican congressman if the response would be different? Seems to me he should come back, face the music and deal with his side of the story through the legal system. That’s what you or I would have to do…

Many more signs of the times

There are many other signs of the times out there this and every week. This post is getting quite long and it’s time to publish. Maybe next time we can talk about the double standard of us continuing to slap down the people of Honduras who removed a dictator. President Obama’s antics at the UN. More charges of racism from folks who want to “end the name calling” of the health care debate. Or any of the headlines showing the depths of depravity we humans can crawl to (Reminds me of the “evolving standards of decency” argument against the death penalty in the case of child rape.. Because our standards of decency are evolving as a society, the death penalty is a crueler form of punishment for say, “just child rape”…)

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Study a man’s office to know the man…

September 24th, 2009 by Mike 3 comments »

As a lot of my friends and family know, I am working with Jack Kimball’s (Web, Twitter) NH campaign for governor as a committed volunteer.  I have had several opportunities to meet with Jack before getting behind him, in fact I never would have imagined myself going as far in helping a candidate as I am prepared (and excited) to do for this candidate.

Why?

Why am I willing to sacrifice time and energy helping someone get into an elected office? Sure I have done literature drops for other federal candidates in the past. Sure I have made some phone calls and I once threw $20 towards a candidate. Why am I putting this effort in?

Well as you can gather from my posts about the 912 march you will see that I am more awake now. That is part of it. But why this candidate? When I talk with Jack, I see he is a real person. He is a family man, a business man and he loves his country, this state and he is not out for himself here. That is vitally important to me, I am done with self serving politicians. I first heard about Jack from some friends who heard him speak at one of the spring tea party events and they were quite impressed. After talking to him, I can see why.

Jack was the one leading the march to greet President Obama in Portsmouth at the town hall about the health care debacle. Jack was the one warning our statehouse to listen to the people at a rally in the spring and stop spending the money like they are doing. When I recently mentioned the revenue shortfalls New Hampshire again faced last month his response to me was firm, “We don’t have a revenue problem in this state! we have a spending problem!” I told my wife about this and it brought a “great!” out of her. That’s big considering she doesn’t always enjoy my political rants.

Let me talk about his office and my discussion with Jack today. I’ll try and snap some pictures as well if he lets me in there with a camera and update this post accordingly.

The Scene

I was heading over to pick up a key I needed from him. I went to the office of the company he built and runs. I was greeted by an enthusiastic staff that seemed happy, enjoyed joking with Jack and even this stranger walking into their office. I was directed to Jack’s office and approached.

The first thing I noticed was a smiling Jack on the phone engaged in a firm conversation of some sort and pictures adorning his open office door. Being the father of a 4 year old, I instantly recognized the genre: kids drawings, and quite a few. Notes to “papa” on the drawings. Proud pictures from a proud family man.

He jumped out of his skin to see me, like I was bringing him great news. He gave me a  firm handshake with a great smile and a commanding, “Hey!” We had some chat about work, about the great weather, about his fun experience answering questions at a Manchester 912 meeting (and his amusement at the positive reaction he got to actually answering all of their questions without being evasive). While chatting, I was actively engaged in conversation (anyone who has spoken with him understands it’s impossible to be any other way when talking to him) but I was looking around his office and I felt another affirmation in the back of my head, “This is the man you need to help get into Concord.”

Behind him was one of those hand made wooden country motif signs you see on walls at houses in New England. It read “Home of the free * Because of the brave”. To my right on the wall, a picture of his graduating Recruit Training class from Navy boot camp.

Behind me, several framed photographs. One was a print of the painting about Allies Day (new york city, covered in flags) commemorating our entry into WWI and the thanks received by our allies. Other frames held pictures depicting heroism and sacrifice during the tragic events on 9/11/01. Next to all of that was a touching poem giving tribute to our nation’s flag and it’s meaning.

Next to his desk hung his calendar. It wasn’t a free industry calendar from a sales rep or one to impress a client. It was a calendar celebrating our armed forces. This month’s picture showed a soldier in his desert camouflage with one look that both seemed to show me determination and remind me of the sacrifice he was prepared to make for me sitting back comfortable at home.

I asked Jack, “How long have these been here?” I know he is genuine, I am far too busy to waste time helping someone that I can’t trust but still I was curious, did these just go up when he decided to get active as a candidate for the first time? Or was it another example of who he was? His answer showed various dates.. The pictures behind me since shortly after 9/11. The photo of the boot camp since he found it this year. The calendar has been up all year. A little bit of dust (sorry Jack :-) ) on the message on his window sill showed me that pre-dated his recent decision.

Pease Greeters

I mentioned something about the soldier on the calendar and we got into a discussion about his time with the Pease greeters. He loves doing that. He has been (long before this decision) taking his personal and professional time to try and greet most inbound and outbound flightd that comes into Pease and show his support for our troops. Why? Because he loves them. Because he respects what they and their families are willing to put up with for this nation.

The timing couldn’t have been better, he said, “Hey! there is a flight coming in shortly, what are you doing?” (I had to go back for a meeting at work but I may try and greet the 2:45AM flight on Friday). He called a number to a hotline the greeters maintain to confirm flight status and said, “Yup! still on at 3.. I’m leaving in a bit.” He then talked about the experience and told me I had to go at least once. The experience of seeing these soldiers being loved, greeted and cheered is humbling. He told me, “You’ll never be the same after going to do this and you will always go back for more.” I believe him, he is proof of that. He doesn’t go to win votes or get business, these soldiers aren’t voters in NH, he only recently put his hat into the ring and these soldiers likely don’t run medical facilities in NH where his business is. He goes because that is the kind of American Jack has decided he wants to be. He goes, not because of how it makes him feel but because of the message it sends to these soldiers who are either scared, getting homesick en route to a war or returning home, tired and longing for a hug back home.

So?

I’m not saying go spruce up your office, in fact his was even a little “busy” with paperwork (like mine at work and home). I’m not telling you to look more into this man because of his office but I am saying that his office backs up the first impression I formulated of him in a one on one lunch when wanting to learn more about this man a close friend was stepping behind. It backs up the consistent reinforcement of that view I get after each conversation with him. That view is of someone who has others best interests at heart, has a plan, has determination and knows what it takes to display courage and leadership on the tough issues and decisions.

I believe Jack needs to move his pictures, his drawings and his passion into a new office in Concord. I am committed to putting a dent in my schedule helping that happen and seeing him in his office today only increased that drive.

This blog is not about Jack. I decided to move the faith posts onto their own forum and take some of the political/liberty “ramblings” from Facebook to a dedicated blog as I feel like I have a calling and desire to write and share, perhaps to inspire. I may post quick blurbs linking to events that Jack is going to or quick thoughts but the main focus here is about my walk with Christ and my journey into becoming more of a “patriot”. Jack’s positions will be updated on his website and he will probably maintain a blog over there as well.

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Tea Party March on Washington, DC

September 14th, 2009 by Mike No comments »

The below is an excerpt from a Facebook note I wrote after returning from the 912 March on DC, I have left it as it was structured in my Facebook posting:

I wrote this while coming back from DC and shared it at the 912 group tonight. My first time going to their meeting but I was with a lot of them while in DC as we gathered under our state flag:

September 11, 2001 is a day I will always remember. 3,000 of my brother and sister countrymen were killed by people who hate our way of life. By people who hate the things we stand for.

I will also always remember the first time I voted. My brain was not involved in rational thought then – I believed the lies of liberalism. But deep in my American DNA, something still stirred: I had goose bumps as I uncapped that permanent marker. I was making a difference. Or so I thought… Or so I thought..

Now 13 years later I have a new day to remember. I will always remember where I was on Saturday September 12, 2009. I was in Washington, DC with countless friends as motivated as I was and still remain. I marched shoulder to shoulder with American Patriots making sacrifices to be there.

We WERE NOT there in support of the Republican Party.

We WERE NOT there simply in opposition to our President.

We WERE NOT there for selfish greed or fear of losing money from government healthcare (though we will lose that money)

We WERE NOT there to be hateful racists, not me, not the diverse crowd I saw.

We were CERTAINLY NOT there to claim a paycheck, small business owners gave up money to be there!

We DID NOT see 4 hours worth of people march down Pennsylvania Avenue to whine, hate and go home to live our lives unchanged.

WHY Then? Why were we there?!

We were there because our sensors are finally tripping. We were there because the sense of our GOD GIVEN liberties being stolen by men who can hold no claim on these rights has finally stirred.

You’ve probably heard about what happens to boiling frogs? Apparently, if you apply heat slowly the frogs don’t know they are being boiled. They don’t know until they are cooked.

Well, for over 100 years we have been like frogs in a pot. We have been warmed slowly by progressive ideals that make us feel better about ourselves at first. EVERY administration, EVERY congress has dutifully bumped the knob on our temperature the required slight amount. These moves are disguised by phrases like “It’s the right thing to do”, “It will be voluntary”, “We can undo it later”, “It will only affect those evil wealthy people”, “it’s only fair”, or lately by folks who normally attack my faith telling me, “it’s the Christian thing to do”. Always small bumps, adding more over time.

Well this congress’ and this administration’s only fault is that they slipped while on the knob. They listened to the czars who thought we were ready for a bigger temperature adjustment. They moved it ten clicks instead of one & you know what? THIS FROG felt his legs burning. THIS and MANY other frogs finally woke up and said, “OUCH! WHAT IS HAPPENING!!!?!, HOW DID WE GET HERE?!”

I commend those patriots who have been saying ouch long before me but I join your ranks now, I wasn’t there in April or February. I am here now and I will remain vigilant.

This is important what we are doing, why we marched. It is all important – I truly believe that we are close to the boiling point about to get cooked. We MUST get control of the temperature to the right hands: OUR hands, MY hands, YOUR hands WE THE PEOPLE’s hands. We must do it now. Or it is too late. Inaction cooks us. Laziness come voting time will kill us.

For Too long I have believed the lies of the major parties that divide the people. They divide us while together laughing at how easy it was to divert attention from the closed doors in Washington and Concord where deals are made and freedom is LOST.

WELL…….NO MORE!

NO MORE will I be a patsy in a game of quid pro quid and feigned outrage.

NO MORE will I justify being in favor of a “not so bad” gateway to assault on liberty in favor of all of the “good” it will do us or the security it will offer us like the.

NO MORE will I allow myself to be used for the gain of those who SERVE US.

NO MORE will I vote for the “lesser evil”

This booklet. This tiny booklet contains our Constitution, Our Declaration of Independence and several other foundational documents. LOOK AT HOW SMALL IT IS!
September 12, 2009 is the day I reaffirmed my duty (second to my duty to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ) to the principles in this booklet.

If a GOP candidate votes according to these documents. According to the 9 principles Beck took from these works. If they pledge to be bound by them they WILL have my vote.

If it is a Democrat – they WILL have my vote.

If it is a third party candidate they WILL have my vote.

My principles are MORE IMPORTANT than any political party or friendships.

Our CONSTITUTION and the brave souls that sacrificed so much to bring it to us are more important than a party.

Washington and Concord are on notice. I brought my signature to that notice on Saturday by marching to the Capitol; I bring it here by these words. I AM AWAKE and I AM WATCHING. I will vote accordingly.

I will tell my kids what I did on Saturday. I will instill in them what my own public schooling failed to: a moving knowledge of THESE works. I will teach them a deep love for LIBERTY, FREEDOM and their RESPONSIBILITY to these principles.

Before closing, I have to say I am happy that President Obama was elected. If he was not elected, I would not be here tonight. I would not have been move to march last weekend. Our liberties would still be at stake but it would have been a gentle nudge and I wouldn’t have realized any better.

In closing, let me tell you that I believe Obama was right during his campaign: WE NEED CHANGE AND WE NEED IT NOW. Not back to last year, not even back to Reagan. We need to go back at least 100 years. When we were a nation of strong individuals guided by common principles and did what was right as individuals, not because our government mandated it and cheapened it in the process. Back to when we were not subjects of tyrants telling us we were free while slipping invisible bonds on our wrists.

More and More wake up each day. Some are overwhelmed. Some think we face an impossible tide, some say we can’t take back Washington, DC or Concord. What do I say about that? What do I say when people lament, “This is impossible, can we really do it?? I say: YES WE CAN! I go a step further and add: YES WE MUST!

People tell me this will fizzle. You are here tonight, many of you were in DC – did we look fizzled? Did we look like a shrunk crowd? They say we won’t motivate people to vote in local, state and federal elections: I say: YES WE CAN! AND YES WE WILL!

We are at a monumental time. People just like me are waking up in droves. We can take our country back from the deceivers in both parties. YES WE CAN!

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Why Me? Why Now?

August 27th, 2009 by Mike 2 comments »

The below also appeared on my Facebook page as a note. I wrote this explaining why I was getting involved with the upcoming march on DC, why I have woken up and gotten off of the “couch” with regards to speaking out on politics and playing a more active role than I ever have. I hope to blog more on this very topic quite soon as I believe there is a place for a believer to be active in the culture. In fact I think the opposite is untenable.

An acquaintance recently told me they “question my motives” for speaking up about the direction of our country now. He rightfully recalled that he didn’t hear me complaining much about the direction of our nation from 2000-2008.

So why now? What is my motivating factor for wanting to speak out and stop being silent?

If you believe much of the media or gov. Patterson from NY, it’s because I am a racist. If you believe what Nancy Pelosi has said, it’s because I an “un-American”. If you believe many others, it’s because I want this country to fail. If you believe another acquaintance of mine, it’s because I am allegedly rich and am simply being selfish with my wallet.

Nope

First of all, my lack of comfort has nothing to do with any of those reasons. I won’t attempt to prove those false statements wrong but those who know me and my Savior who I will someday stand before know my heart and should know that those reasons are all quite far from truth.

Health care is not the issue. It is an issue. Looking at the legislative process that is being used this year with Health Care, TARP II, Cash For Clunkers, The “Food Safety Bill (HR 2749), The Auto Bailout and so many other initiatives that are not being discussed in the national spotlight scares me.

Why?

I look at the constitution and I see a specific list of rights the federal government has. I see the 10th amendment in the bill of rights saying that everything not specifically enumerated before in the Constitution is a right that belongs to the individual or state. I see that and I see the countless laws that justify themselves with a loose interpretation of a previous bill or article such as the “interstate commerce clause” and I see the fed overreaching into my life. Overreaching into my family’s lives. Overreaching into my state’s rights. I see a federal government that is borderline, if not, tyrannical in many facets.

While my journey into getting more familiar with our founders has only begun, I am feeling uncomfortable with what I am seeing: our independence was fought for by brave people willing to give it all up to keep the liberties that they believed come from a higher power. They believed that our liberties are endowed by our Creator. These inalienable (synonyms of inalienable: inviolable, absolute, unassailable, inherent.) rights are not created by government and they understood that. They sought independence to allow for our natural rights to be better expressed by a not all powerful, smaller federal government. A Republic of states made up of individuals with rights to be respected, even above the will of government if a conflict arises between a federal edict and a natural or granted right.

When I look at what the Bible declares when talking about individual responsibility and accountability I see that the original system of government set up in this nation is a lot closer to those ideals than what we have now.

The further we allow disconnected politicians who have interpreted our founding and the constitution to suit their needs the further away from true liberty we become as a nation. The more we believe the lies that our politicians tells us (We are too dumb to take care of ourselves, We don’t know what is best for us, Only the government can help when things get bad, Security and safety trump liberty always, we can’t trust consumers to make decisions intelligently, etc.) the closer we get to a tyrannical form of government with bitter contempt for the very citizensit is supposed to be Of and For.

So this is all because of President Obama and Democrats?

Not at all. My indictment is on both parties, it’s on politicians. Look at some of the biographies of the folks who formed this nation sometime. They were mostly not career political minds, most were reluctant and scared to get involved. Washington didn’t even want the Presidency and he wouldn’t serve more than two terms for fear of too much power.

Politicians today by and large serve for themselves. I believe they don’t all start out with those goals but the way our system works (earmarks, two strong parties that hold campaign money over your head, fame, a comfortable experience and the power of working for a strong federal government) they often end up stuck in the power game and struggle. Fighting publicly against one another but always working the back room deals and agreements, quid pro quo with most votes, often compromising the ideals they campaigned on or the ideals that this nation was founded on. Both parties often looking to increase the reach of government.

There were aspects of Bush’s presidency that bothered me (aspects of the Patriot Act, Part D, Tarp I, Auto Bailout, etc.) I was quiet about those and that is a shame. I won’t let a party affiliation keep me quiet any longer.

I don’t want this country to fail. I would love to see us and President Obama have success but if he measures success as pushing us further away from our constitution and closer to more government control and thinking for us, I will hope for failure of those goals. Disagree if you like, but that is closer to socialism than I want to see us go. I am smarter than the politicians give me credit for (I check out things I buy for my kids, I try to make a positive impact on my health, etc.) and I don’t need reams of expensive laws designed to protect me from me.

Is that un-American? I don’t think so. When I look at what America is and how we started, why we started, I actually feel it is entirely American to have a problem with the current system and the direction we appear to be pointed.

In a couple weeks I am going to Washington with a lot of people showing themselves in numbers who are upset with where we are heading. They are organized by the 912 coalition, among other groups. While I may disagree with some of the rhetoric the founder of that group sends out at times and I don’t share his Mormon faith, I like his 9 principles and 12 values (http://www.the912project.com/the-912-2/).

I want to see this country see the best times that Reagan said were still ahead of us. I want my generation to be the generation that cared enough to put aside politics by party and got active for the nation. I want to see my generation protect our unique system that recognizes our liberties and protects through its constitution.

Is it that bad?
No, we still peacefully transfer power between governments after elections. We still have a say at the polls. We still have an independent (even if biased ;-) ) press. We are allowed to think what we want to think and I won’t be arrested for writing this.

If we continue to forget what our history is, if we continue to dumb down our kids and blindly trust the government we could someday find ourselves in the same seat as other countries that were once free and found themselves losing those freedoms. If we are not vigilant and work to maintain this Republic we will lose it, the founders warned of this.

What next?
I don’t know where this will lead as my priority lies with God first and family second. I want to do my part to keep us great. I want to do my part to help liberty flourish. I am going to do my part to prevent the most inefficient entity I know (government)from taking over areas of life that are individual responsibilities.

I am not going to abdicate those responsibilities that should be mine to the government. Maybe someday I’ll get more involved in local or state politics. Maybe I will help candidates who agree with me. I will certainly pray for this great nation and I will certainly speak for what I believe is right.

The 9 principles from the 912 group I mentioned:

1. America Is Good.

2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life. I clarify more than the 912 group, Christ is the center of my life, if it were not for His gift on the cross, I would be getting what I deserve, life in Hell separated from the love of God. Through His gift to me, I can have an eternity of fellowship with the Father, I can have a life long relationship with the creator of this world
God “The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” from George Washington’s first Inaugural address.

3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
Honesty “I hope that I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider to be the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” George Washington

4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
Marriage/Family “It is in the love of one’s family only that heartfelt happiness is known. By a law of our nature, we cannot be happy without the endearing connections of a family.” Thomas Jefferson

5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
Justice “I deem one of the essential principles of our government… equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political.” Thomas Jefferson

6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
Life, Liberty, & The Pursuit of Happiness “Everyone has a natural right to choose that vocation in life which he thinks most likely to give him comfortable subsistence.” Thomas Jefferson I clarify again here: not only do I have those natural rights but everyone, born or not, young or old, able or disabled has them.

7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
Charity “It is not everyone who asketh that deserveth charity; all however, are worth of the inquiry or the deserving may suffer.” George Washington

8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
On your right to disagree “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude; every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly without thinking.” George Washington

9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.
Who works for whom? “I consider the people who constitute a society or a nation as the source of all authority in that nation.” Thomas Jefferson

So no, this is not about our current President nor our current Congress. They simply fast tracked a feeling that has been growing inside for sometime now by their fast tracking of bad legislation. If Christ tarries and I live a long life here, I want to do my part to leave the world a better place for my kids.

Disagree with me, that is your right, but let’s talk through it, let’s try and see each others point of view and come to rational points of agreement and agree to politely disagree. When I am in Washington, DC I will be polite, courteous and articulate my concerns and fears with respect. I will listen to calm counter points but I will not let myself be silenced by people who seek to characterize me as a hate filled, un-American, racist and refuse to reason together but just want to froth at the mouth.

I leave you with some quotes to chew on:

“The greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes.” — Thomas Paine

“If we become a people who are willing to give up our money and our freedom in exchange for rhetoric and promises, then nothing can save us.” — Thomas Sowell

“The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” — Patrick Henry

“The future doesn’t belong to the faint-hearted. It belongs to the brave.” — Ronald Reagan

“The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property and in their management.” — Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816.

“To the American people I bid a fond farewell. Guard your liberties. It is the trust of each generation to pass a free republic to the next. And if I know you right, you will rouse yourself from slumber to ensure exactly that.” — Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.” — Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777

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Romans 7, meet Romans 6 (part 1)

July 26th, 2009 by Mike 4 comments »

This post originally appeared on my SQL Server Blog, www.straightpathsql.com/blog It still lives there but I moved it over to this blog when it was created in September of 2009 as I wanted to focus more intently on these type of topics along with my thoughts on liberty.

The Crutch that was Romans 7

I have been a Christian going on 8 years now.

let’s back up… What do I mean by Christian?

This term gets used in many different ways to mean many different things. I mean I am saved from the punishment that I deserve (hell) for the wrongs I commit and how far short of God’s glory I fall (sin). It means I put my hope for eternal life in Christ’s death on the cross and the glorious truth of his resurrection from that cross. It means that I followed what the Bible says in  Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. (KJV)

Continuing on… I have been a Christian for almost 8 years now. In that time I have also been a human. I have been a sinner, but now a sinner saved by grace. A redeemed sinner receiving a gift I don’t deserve that Jesus bought for a price He didn’t deserve to pay. I have had struggles, I have had times where it felt like I was living the victorious Christian life, giving into the will of God, diligent in Bible study and prayer. There have been deep valleys also. Dark valleys. Where the world has ensnared me (don’t see that as me claiming passivity while the world somehow attacked me.. I was in the driver’s seat) in its offerings. There have been, it seems, more consistent times of me not being in the Word and not being in Prayer than vice versa.

I am a sinner. I don’t go a day without sinning somehow, someway. I wish it wasn’t so. I am challenged on three fronts each time I do… On the skyward front, I think of the blood Christ shed for me, the pain He endured for me. At my feet I think of my children and someday maybe theirs if the Lord’s return should wait. I think of the stern warning in the Bible about the sins of a father cursing children and their children (with the guilt of the potential promise that the blessings of the father will bless many generations). I also think of others, my wife who should look to me as the spiritual head of the house, the people I go to church with, my coworkers who sometimes see me not that differently than their friends who are not saved.

I am secure in my salvation and I am secure in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (KJV). I know I am forgiven and in God’s eyes He sees me as He sees Jesus – pure white. Even still I sometimes beat myself up over my shortcomings, my sins of commission and omission. When young in my Christian walk I heard a sermon on Romans 7 once and read the passage and found solace in it.

Starting in verse 14, Paul is agonizing over his sin and he is asking the question that every Christian (at least I have) asks them self from time to time, “Why do I do the things I don’t want to do and why do I not do the things I want to do?” Without a lot of agonizing Bible study time or prayerful consideration, I took this as “Hey look here! This is the apostle Paul, he wrote much of the New Testament, he was used in mighty ways and look at that! He struggled the same as I do!” While this is true, this is where my study here stopped and I would use this more of a guilt quasher than a Christian growth verse.

Well through a great program called Faith Bible Institute my church has been doing, I heard some excellent sermons on Romans 6. I have read it before but it never sunk in, I was just reading the Bible to read the Bible, I guess? I wasn’t prayerfully looking for the Bible to be a mirror to my soul like I should have been. In retrospect, I was selfishly cherry picking for my own benefit. Looking for encouragement here, answers there but rarely searching and asking, “God, what are you trying to tell me at this moment, what do I need to change and what are your plans for me?”

The Beautiful Truth of Romans 6

You see, while I was searching for a manual on how to be better, how to flee from sin (notice a pattern? relying on me) the whole time there was a promise and a truth in Romans 6. On my last work trip, I spent a lot of airport and hotel time studying Romans 6, remembering the sermons and underlining some great truths.. I thought maybe I would share them and maybe encourage a brother or sister in Christ out there. This Bible is a NASB translation so that is where the scripture references come from. The words I underlined are bolded below.

Introduction –> This chapter starts off after Romans 5 talking about our justification (a great word picture I heard from more than one source.. To be justified means to be declared “just as if I’d never sinned.. Even more it means to be declared “just as if I’d always been as righteous as Christ”). Grace was being talked about in Romans 5 and how precious it is. It was talking about the worse off we were, the more grace abounded. Chapter 6 picks up and starts off with one of Paul’s “God Forbid!” exclamations, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may increase? May it never be!”

6:2-3 (A preview) – I thi nk these verses sum up a lot of what this chapter is all about. “2b How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” This is an important doctrine of Christianity to me. As we’ll see Paul reiterate later, if we have placed our trust in Christ we are dead. Our old selves are dead, we are risen in newness of life with Christ and we now live for Christ, born again, eternally alive with death having no more sting over us. When He died he took our sin natures with Him. We forget that and try to fight on our own power like we haven’t yet died and risen with a new nature. We give up on the promise and try to fight a losing battle with a deceptive enemy (and our own nature) and we have ceded defeat before even trying or knowing we have given up.

6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism with death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life”

Have Been – it’s done, it isn’t happening continually. When we put our trust in Christ for our only hope of salvation we were buried. It’s done. We can’t undo it, we can ignore it and rely on our own “strength” or we can accept it and live it. “as Christ was raised” Are you sure of the resurrection? I am, I have pinned my eternity on it and am willing to lose any earthly relationships over (no matter how painful) or suffer for my Jesus who died for me. So as sure as I am of that, I am told right here that I can be just as sure that I too might walk in newness of life. So there is part of the “secret” that God’s Word plainly reveals in a moment, but we don’t even need to read further to see the truth: I am alive in and through Christ; my old nature (lazy, selfish, pleasure seeking, gluttonous,crass,etc) is dead and buried. If I am not choosing to walk in the newness of life, I am relying on the phantom pains of my old nature and using that as an excuse. God took care of my old nature, I just need to get ahold of it and live it.

To Be Continued (A formula emerges)

I will continue this next weekend, it is getting long here. I will discuss a formula that is seen in the next verses and then in that post or possibly a third we can talk about what it means to be free and where that freedom comes from and what the responsibility is (hint.. it isn’t just a freedom from something. It’s a freedom towards something also).

Sneak peak at the formula… I encourage you to read Romans 6, I encourage you to read any chapter in Romans, the whole book in context even. It is a great book in a great collection of love letters to us by God.

The formula we’ll talk about next time:

  • Knowing (that the old nature is dead and a new one is here)
  • Understanding (a heart knowledge, perhaps?, that the old nature is dead and we are new creatures)
  • Presentation (to which master?)
  • Obedience (As slaves in bondage to sin there was one thing we should all admit we were great at: obedience to the bondage. So we already know how to obey and we can do it quite well! Christ, through Paul’s hand and style, explains a simple principle)

More on this next week. Until then, God bless you. Thanks for reading and I hope you have that relationship with God and can know and trust that you are seen as white as snow in spite of our sin in God’s eyes. The Bible makes it clear that there is one simple way to that end: Romans 10:9 spelled it out above. Believe you are a sinner, ask Christ to lead you in the right direction, to pay for your sins, confess Him Lord of your life, believe He died for your sins and proved victorious over them and the grave at the resurrection. That’s a personal decision that you have to make for yourself. No one can force it, beat it or plead it out of you.

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National Day of Prayer – Conviction

May 8th, 2009 by Mike No comments »

As I said when I posted tetelestai, I will be blogging about my faith from time to time. Well maybe I’ll be doing more of that, maybe I’ll be making a separate blog for that but for now, this is one of those posts. Today’s post may turn more folks away but it’s on my chest and it’s coming off.

Today was the national day of Prayer (Website). This is an annual celebration of remembering our nations heritage and remembering where the only hope for this country is found –> God. No elected leader (from either party) can give us this same hope. No elected leader will ever fulfill the traits of who God wants to rule the world- Christ, the king of kings.

Through a great sermon, some wonderful prayer time with other believers and an extra dosage of conviction from the Holy Spirit I picked up a valuable lesson today: I’m not focusing on what is important in life.

The Bible is quite clear that I deserve hell. My actions and motives back that up. I am a sinner, motivated by selfishness and pride. Even when I do good I look to see who noticed far too often. I should be spending an eternity banished from God’s presence. It’s only fair.

The Bible is also so very clear that I am not getting what I deserve! In a verse that almost anyone can recite, that many people like to mock and that means so much I am told why I am not getting what I deserve:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 – King James Version)

I am bound for Heaven, an eternity of joy worshipping the very one who formed this world. The author of the Bible (a collection of 66 love letters written to us using over 40 human authors from all walks of life and profession over 1,500 years but the message being so tightly woven nonetheless!) will share the rest of eternity with me.

Not because of me but In spite of me. I was purchased with a price, a price so dear to God – the blood of His Son. God robed in human flesh took on our humanity, he paid a horrible price. He suffered more than anyone in the history of suffering: paying the price of my sins and your sins. Our actions could never pay this price! Our works are but dung according to Paul when it comes to our deserve of salvation. We are guilty as charged and the punishment is death and Hell. In spite of this, Christ came down to mediate for me. He suffered, bled and died for me. In spite of me. He was dead, buried and he arose, a glorious feat with so much evidence that so many who seek to fight the truth come to be fervent believers after their journey.

He now sits at the right hand of God in Heaven as my mediator. Every time satan says, “look what he did” Jesus cries out, “UNDER THE BLOOD!”. My sins are covered by His sacrifice. I am free from the bonds of sin and free to serve the Lord who gave so much for one who for so long hated Christianity, hated His truths and fought against those people who served Him.

Today’s service for the National Day of Prayer didn’t remind me of the above, I have had that in mind. Today’s time, however, helped me realize how much I am not doing. How far my walk with Christ is not moving.

He didn’t die so I could live a carnal life, worrying about the small stuff, living on in sin, stagnating in my walk. He didn’t die so I could work as hard as possible to be a go to guy with SQL Server. He didn’t die so I could have as many clients as possible. He died so I could taste Heaven and be His. While my sins are paid and I can’t be wrestled away from the hand of God that isn’t a license to go on as before. Can I? Sure, Heaven is still mine because it’s not up to me and my works.

But – why would I? Why would I want to? God gave me so much in Christ. My motivations in life are being turned upside down today. How can I do my Bible studies and go to church and then be a quiet, in the closet, Christian every other day. When so many don’t know the simple truth found in John 3:16? When so many (like me 10 years ago) have heard the words but don’t understand what they mean?

No. I can’t stay quiet anymore. There may be ramifications, there may be opportunities lost but who cares? I am here for another 40-70 years, Lord willing. I will be in Heaven for the rest of forever. I have a growing desire to offer more of myself to Him. Let Christ work through me and in spite of me.

I will be shifting my priorities – blogging, SQL Server knowledge growth, picking up extra work, etc need to take a back seat to walking with Christ and sharing what He has done for me. Family needs to come more into the spotlight, but even that comes under God. I will still be out here, but not as much. I want my short time here to be getting closer to Go. I am writing this goal so I can be reminded of it often.

What about you? Have you thought about where you stand with God? Are you trusting in the hope that the good in your life outweighs the bad? Are you hoping that your community activities are enough? Are you curious but waiting to close the deal until you are done, “having fun”?

Your works mean nothing because the standard is God’s holiness. We all fall incredibly short. Your community activities are works. Waiting? What if tomorrow never comes? You don’t know your death date, why chance it? Worried about missing out on fun? I never knew what true joy was until I asked Jesus into my heart.

Today is the day that you can ask for salvation. There is no other day that is better. If you feel that same feeling I felt a couple times before giving in, that strange, “I know it’s true but this, or but that” feeling then act on it. If you have never trusted in Christ’s completed work on the cruel cross you can do that right now.

You just have to admit you are a sinner, admit you can’t be good enough for Heaven. Trust Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Believe in your heart that when He died on that cross that He was doing it for you. Just like the thief on the cross next to Jesus who believed and entered Heaven that same day you can have eternal joy. Pray and ask Him into your heart if you believe.

It’s as simple as:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 – King James Version)

Send me an e-mail if you have questions. Send me an e-mail if you want to know more. There is no secret ritual or handshake. It’s all clearly in the Bible. I may not have your answer but I know the Answerer.

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Tetelestai – It is Finished

April 11th, 2009 by Mike 8 comments »

I recently read a post by Michael Deputy that talked about his Blog Direction. He brought a good point up: Focus on what’s important. Well today I am doing just that. I am a Christian as I say plainly in many locations and in my about us page. I am thinking I may periodically post something from the Bible, perhaps lessons from the Bible that work in our jobs, perhaps just my thoughts. The focus here is technology and will remain technology but I feel led to share a bit. If you don’t want to read these posts, I understand and I’ll tag them “Bible”. I wrestled with posting or not but I really can’t find any great reasons not to.

Tetelestai!

Today is the day that we remember what Jesus Christ did for us over 2,000 years ago. After living for 30 to 33 years, fulfilling over 300 specific Old Testament prophecies He paid the ultimate price for someone else. He gave His life in the cruelest form of death known to man (The Crucifixion, an “art” mastered by the Romans is where we get our word excruciating). He was tortured by “expert” torturers who flogged him, tearing flesh from his body and bringing him very near to death. He was nailed to a cross and had His fellowship with His Heavenly Father broken for a moment.

As 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us, Christ became sin for us: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” The perfect, sinless Christ took on my sins, He took on your sins and received our punishment. The pain He must have felt when for the first time His dad wasn’t there when He looked for him. The pain he felt when he cried out “Eli, Eli lama sabachthani!?” or “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?”

Christ wasn’t a victim here though. He willingly came to pay this sin debt. He was the Creator God, robed in human flesh coming to redeem His people. He changed the lives He encountered, He gave hope and when He went to the cross He became our redeemer. He died so we don’t ever have to if we choose not to.

Before He died, He cried out “Tetelestai!” This is often translated as “It is finished” and that translation is an accurate translation… But did you know how Tetelestai was also used in New Testament times? It was used as an accounting term. It was written on a bill, on an account and it meant “Paid in Full”, it meant that account was now closed, the debtee no longer owed anything. The Bible is clear that Christ’s death on the cross was the full payment of a sin debt that we all owe. As one of the great hymns declares, “Jesus paid it all” and He paid it in full.

This sin debt? According to the Bible in Romans 6:23 that sin debt is death, eternal separation from God, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Who owes that debt? The Bible declares that we all do. It declares that there is none good, no not one. How much sin makes us guilty and worthy of that debt? Just one sin, God’s standard is perfect holiness and we fall short often if we are honest with ourselves. That has us in deserve of death, but what’s this gift mentioned in Romans 6:23?

We learn in various verses but Romans 5:8 shows it to us clearly, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God shows his love toward us through Christ’s death on the cross. God is a righteous God with a Holy standard. He is also a God of Love and he balances that perfectly with his Righteousness. Our sin demands payment, if God is to be fair and maintain perfect balance, He MUST demand this payment. He Loves us though. That’s where the cruel cross of Calvary comes in. Jesus was cursed for us, He became our sin and when He died His death had the potential to pay for our total sin debt.

Only a potential payment? How do we actualize it? By believing, by putting aside our own feeble attempts (Paul called his own attempts at holiness before meeting Christ on the Damascus road, “Dung!”) to somehow deserve Heaven – we don’t and we can’t, if we are honest with ourselves we see our faults, we see our sin and just one sin is enough to fall short of God’s holy standard. We need to put aside our own feeble attempts at saving ourselves and trust in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. Romans 10:9 tells us, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

If we trust in Christ’s completed work on the cross we shall be saved. Free from the wrath that we rightfully deserve. Free from the bonds of sin and freer than you could imagine. I used to scoff at the notion. I thought it was about my own works, losing joy and being a slave to a church and I hated the thought of organized religion. About 9 years ago, I asked Christ into my heart, I trusted in His finished work on the cross to pay for my sins. I have never been freer or happier.

The Resurrection

This is my favorite weekend of the year. Friday is filled with both joy and sorrow. Joy because I know the resurrection happened, because I know Jesus proved victorious over the cross, over the grave and over death. Sorrowful because I know it was for my sins that He died, because I know that I still sin and know that so many I love and care about don’t believe.

Christmas is great, Christ was born but without Good Friday and the Resurrection that birth would matter little. His crucifixion was powerful but without that triumph over the grave it would be the end. Jesus would have faded from memory, His followers would have died out, His story would have died down in just a few decades or perhaps centuries. With His resurrection, His empty tomb, Christianity has stood, grown and thrived. He has proven that believers will never die. His word tells us that when He died, a believer’s old nature was with Him, our sins are dead, they were buried. When he arose victorious we arose with Him, a new creation, a new creature as 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us.

Death lost it’s sting. Satan was bruised as predicted in Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” The seed of the women (Who could only be the virgin born Christ, the man has the seed…), Jesus’ victory over the tomb and death was a head blow to Satan. Jesus was wounded in the process but it was a heel wound. He suffered on the cross and before the cross, He was buried but He didn’t stay buried!

The resurrection has also stood to many tests. Folks know that if you can destroy the resurrection, you can destroy Christianity. You make Jesus a liar, you make the Bible a fairy tale with lies. Many have sought to destroy the account only to be overwhelmed by it’s proof. Just one example:

Simon Greenleaf – Legendary jurist and law professor, co-founder of Harvard University Law School. His 3 volume series, Treatise on the Law of Evidence was a text book used long after his death and still referenced. He was an ardent non-believer. His students asked him to apply his treatise on evidence to the resurrection account. He agreed and set out on a mission to destroy the account only to conclude that the evidence was overwhelming and he wrote a book detailing his findings, Testimony of the Evangelists.

This weekend, I will get to go to a “Son Rise” service at my church. We’ll worship our risen Lord, we’ll celebrate His power over the grave. Sing some of my most favorite hymns (Because He Lives, Up From the Grave He Arose, etc) and have a great time of fellowship. Then we’ll get to head to an Easter service with song and word and I’ll have my normal Sunday evening Faith Bible Institute class. I try to remember His death and resurrection each day but this is a special remembrance and I love it.

This is finished

Thanks for letting me share. It is my hope that you have this same joy this weekend. That you can celebrate the risen Lord who died for your sins. If you don’t, you can. It’s a decision you can make on your own and it’s between you and God. Those verses above tell you how and your life will be forever changed if you do. This can be the first Easter you celebrate a real celebration. This can be the first Easter you give up on your own attempts at earning or “deserving” something the Bible clearly tells us we can’t earn on our own.

One little SQL bit to add to this post, check out Phil Factor’s post about calculating Easter.

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