True Strength
What is strength? One might argue that strength is the physical ability to exert sufficient influence upon a material object in order to cause it to move. An old saying, “Might makes right” assumes that pure physical strength is, in and of itself, a virtue – ignoring the fact that might exerted for wrong does not transform that wrong to right and merely compounds the wrong committed.
The truth of the matter is, it takes more pure strength to control one’s self than it does to pound an entire city into submission. The physically strong man who has no moral force of self control is a moral weakling and is not worthy of admiration because that flaw causes him to lose that which differentiates a real man from a beast. A real man has self control whereas a beast works by instinct, seeking by brute force to gain primacy over others. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Healthcare Bill – Some Thoughts
Well, the Congress critters did it – at least some of them did. They maneuvered and connived and double dealt and underhandedly passed the so called “Obamacare” “Health Reform Bill”. If it is such a good idea – why was there so much opposition to the bill by common folks? And if it’s such a good idea, why do they not obligate Congress and the President to sign on to it – rather than providing their own first class service that is not available to the “great unwashed masses”? Read the rest of this entry »
Questions
Where do you want to go in life? What goals have you set? What are you doing to reach those goals? Are you letting yourself get distracted from your long term goals? Are you choosing actions that do not help you reach those goals?
Can people trust your word? How have you taken steps to ensure that when people hear your name they think “Honorable. Trustworthy. Upstanding. Good example.”? Are you doing your best to improve yourself each day? Are you spending time reading material that will help you reach your goals? Are you spending time reading and meditating on God’s Word?
Are you choosing friends who will be a good influence in your life? Are you being a good influence in your friends’ lives? Are you taking care of your mind and body? Are you allowing God’s family to edify you? Are you working to edify God’s family?
Firing The Kentucky For The First Time
Yesterday was Saint Joseph’s day here in Colombia (that’s what I was told anyway, at least it was a three day weekend). So we took some time and ran up to the gun club. Got down to the 50 meter range and found a bunch of junk all over. Turns out they’d hosted a three day IPSC match – and didn’t tell me about it. 
Oh well, I didn’t have the ammo for it anyway. STILL it would have been nice to know about. But I digress. Initial disappointment was forgotten as I settled down to try out the “new” CVA Kentucky. It is an old kit rifle that Lancer gave me a while back, a couple years ago I carried it down with me. Someone did a horrid job of putting it together, but I was able to get it looking pretty much OK over a period of a couple years. But since I finished it up a couple weeks ago there has been no time for the range.
First Shot
The Voices
Growing up is not an easy task. When one is tiny, new born and newly arrived at home, there are no choices and most things are laid out for one with everything necessary being provided. But as one grows and begins the maturation process one begins to have choices. At first the choices are simple, such as: “Shall I wear the red shirt with stripes or the checkered blue one?”; “Shall I play with the ball or the fire truck?”. But as we grow, we are continually faced with more and more complex choices. To make things even more interesting we also have voices talking to us about the choices we have.
Cultural Differences
Lately I’ve been considering the differences between cultures. It is amazing how vastly different two cultures can be. When I’m told:
“450 CC’s is a BIG motorcycle”
“1,000 square feet is a BIG house”
“50 miles per hour is FAST”
“A 5.56 mm (223 Remington) is a High Power Rifle”
“38 Special is a BIG handgun cartridge”
“A size 9 shoe is HUGE”
“A six foot tall man is a giant”
Then I realize that there are a lot of differences in perception, mostly because there are vast differences in our experiences. That is why when folks ask me “Is the coffee too strong?” or “Is the road good?” or “Is it very spicy?” – I tell them, “It depends on your perspective.” 
Marriage And Maintenance
Marriage is like a motor. No maintenance tends to cause breakdowns. Are you changing the oil and ensuring proper cooling of the system or is your marriage merely a case of rapid wear and blown headgaskets waiting to happen?
Candidate Disqualified
In his campaign ads, in running for the U.S. Senate, Bill Halter is bragging about how much college tuition money the lottery is bringing in for scholarships. His argument is that he has been able to do all this without rasing taxes. This is a ruse. It certainly does not qualify him to represent us in the Congress. He either doesn’t realize what he is saying or he is purposely deceptive. In either case he is not qualified! The implication is that he has raised all this money with no cost to anyone! Wrong!! Read the rest of this entry »
Constitutional Authority?
In calls to the Washington offices of senators Lincoln, Pryor and representative Snyder, I asked, in each instance, where they found any authority in the Constitution for even being concerned, politically speaking, about the citizens’ health care, let alone getting the government involved in paying for it. The young man in Lincoln’s office explained that she represents the people so she needs to do what they want. I asked him if he believes the Constitution is to be our only guide and he said he does. I pointed out that he was contradicting himself and that the Constitution has nothing to say about getting involved in anything pertaining to our personal affairs. I said, “How old are you, if I may ask?” He said 23. Read the rest of this entry »
Further Thoughts On Freedom
The Apostle Paul wrote, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Those words ring true not only for religious freedom (the object of the comment above) but also for freedom in general. God made man a free being. He designed us for freedom and gave us the ability to think and reason and choose. This is not an easy life to live – but it is the one for which He designed us. In fact, the very freedom and the ability to choose present problems to many people who can not understand that if we have no choice but to do good that our obedience is empty and hollow, mechanical in nature rather than stemming from a heart that is desirous of pleasing one’s Creator.
The other evening we were discussing the problem of sin and evil with a new Christian. Read the rest of this entry »