Spitting into the wind

It seems that the Michigan Legislature is not a fan of Jim Croce songs. In their Keystone Cops rendition of how to fix a state's ailing budget, they have fallen back to the old mainstay of raising taxes to fix their overspending problem. It seems that they are of the belief that everything the State of Michigan does is worthy of keeping and therefore, we should stick it to the taxpayers to continue status quo ante. So, in spite of the worst economy in the U.S which is going backward during a growth period for the rest of the country, they are going to stick it to those of us who are still here, and tell those who want to bring business here to pony up to support their system.

Jim Croce had it right:

You don't tug on superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask off that old lone ranger
And you don't mess around with Jim

They are spitting into a pretty strong headwind, that is quickly turning into a downdraft. All the while the band plays merrily on in Lansing.

If you live outside of Michigan, praise God for your good fortune. If you live in this mess, here are links to contact your state state House or Senate elected officials to voice your thoughts on this situation. Rendering unto Caesar is getting a bit old.

A feature that I would love in a new car

Laugh a little as you watch. As a parent of a 12 year old girl, there is one that is particularly appealing. After all, who wouldn't want a trunk monkey.

Keep Your Eyes Open

Sex Slavery is going on near where you live. Just last year we had busts in Detroit of people holding women and young girls in sexual slavery. It's not just in Asia my friends. Sadly it is in those "Oriental Massage Parlors" you see along the highway. It is in the inner city, and in the suburbs. In the heartland and on the coasts.

Many of them are lured into it with the promise of a legitimate job when they arrive in the U.S. They then have to "work off" the cost of transporting them here. They never manage to earn enough to pay off their trafficker/pimp. And if they go to law enforcement, they face deportation. This is truly sickening and it happens here.

For more information, go here and watch the short video. There are literally millions of people forced into this business. Pray for their safety, advocate for their release, and do what you can to help. Lives may depend on it.

This guy is my hero

My friend John and I built a smaller one that we used to hurl pumpkins at our church's harvest party. The kids loved it, and we had some fun smashing pumpkins. The Wall Street Journal even wrote about him.

Cruelty

Deacon Raphael has started an interesting thread on The Ooze about Michael Vick and child abuse. I'd love to hear your thoughts on why we are obsessed with the animal abuse perpetrated by Vick and his companions.

I know for me, part of it is my love for dogs. I'm rather Franciscan in my love for animals, and I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. But I would never equate treatment of animals with treatment of humans. Especially defenseless humans such as children, the elderly, immigrants, widows and the poor. It absolutely sickens me when you hear stories of children being abused. Here in Metro Detroit we just completed the trial of a disturbed mother who stabbed her children to death and nearly decapitated one of them in the process.

I know children who have been removed from their families because of the abuse in the home. God does provide for them, but there is an element there that can never be recovered for them. It breaks my heart when I come across it.

What links these in my mind is the cruelty and callous disregard for life. People who take pleasure in watching animals destroy each other have problems. There is a proven link between animal abuse and anti-social behavior as adults. I'm not saying Vick et al will become serial killers, but people who idolize them are certainly receiving the signal that someone who has everything the world has to offer thinks this is cool.

I know this is an incomplete thought, and there will be more later. I'm just struggling with the topic right now.

Remembrance Day

Following The Great War (now called World War I) the victor countries commemorated the cessation of hostilities on Remembrance Day, which is Nov 11, the day the armistice was signed. In the current hostilities in which we are engaged, I don't believe there will be an armistice signing. Unfortunately this war is ideological, not national, and the combatants are scattered among a number of countries.

Today is the 6th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington D.C. There will be solemn ceremonies marking the deaths of nearly 3000 Americans who went to work on a beautiful day and did not return home through no fault of their own, other than working in the target buildings. Take a moment to pray for the families that were left behind on that day. The grieving still goes on for them. Their loved one's death will be back on the news again to remind them of that awful day.

As you remember those horrific events, take my colleague Sandra's suggestion and do a good deed today and every day. I don't know if doing good deeds will change the hearts and minds of those bent on our destruction. But it will help us fulfill the Golden Rule established by our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the one we will answer to, not Osama Bin Laden or his Allah.

God help us all.

Something to think about

As you watch the testimony of General Petraeus in front of Congress, put this video clip in the back of your mind. How would D-Day have been handled in an era of 24-hour cable news?

This isn't perfect, and it isn't political. It is directly aimed at the way the modern media comports itself.

When up is down and down is up

Props to Kurt's Korner for his call on the Bizarro World- Michigan Style. I sense that the apocalypse may be upon us. Michigan is 0-2 and has been beaten like a rented mule at home. They have been humiliated by a 1-AA team and a not-great Oregon squad. And they have looked totally discombobulated in the process, which is atypical for them.

The other bizarrity is that the Lions looked good and are undefeated. I think I'm going to sell all my possessions and move to the mountaintop. This is so odd. The clip below encapsulates my thoughts this morning.

Avoiding temptation

The dead-tree edition of today's Monroe Sunday News has a nice article on how to avoid financial junk mail. Unfortunately it is not available online. The gist of the article is that 1) many people are tempted to take out more credit than they can handle; and 2) these pre-approved offers are a identity theft risk.

I do have good news. If you so desire, you can opt out of receiving these offers. All you have to do is go here and follow the instructions. It takes about 2 minutes and you can choose to opt out for 5 years or permanently.

Consider this an early Christmas present from me to you.

When Time passes you by

You become the Michigan football team. One week after a humiliating loss to a Division 1-AA school, they get pounded by Oregon at home. I credit Bishopman for calling me out on this yesterday. It appears that the modern version of football has eluded Michigan's coaching staff. Every time they see a spread offense and a mobile quarterback, they struggle. It's been that way for nearly 10 years, since Donovan McNabb did them in when he was at Syracuse.

I think it is time for a change at the helm. And please, do not promote any of the current staff to the head job. We need a winner in Ann Arbor to offset the mess that is the Lions.

This passes for news?

Please tell me why I should care about this. I suspect most people are "snorey and stinky" in the morning. That is why it is called morning breath.

As if there was nothing else to cover.

Sheesh.

It's not just Michael Vick

Sure Michael Vick has pleaded guilty to gambling and some dogfighting charges. He will probably get a year or so in prison for the interstate portions of the crime. He is now the poster-boy for this issue, but it is far more pervasive than you might have other wise thought. The Detroit Free Press as a story on how pervasive it is in Metro Detroit.

I just have a hard time believing that there are people who are so cruel to animals in my own community. I'm a softy toward animals, especially dogs. To imagine the fear and pain that they go through in this process is something I cannot process. Here is a video clip of a dog fight (warning - it is a bit graphic). I show this only to appeal to you to keep your eyes and ears open for dogfighting. Call the police or the Humane Society if you suspect something is amiss. Don't let them suffer any more for the amusement of some very sick individuals.

I need a little help from my friends

My is dying. Sadly, it is not long for this earth. It seems that time has caught up with the 3-cylinder engine. So I appeal to you for assistance. If you come across a car that is in reasonable shape for a couple grand, drop me a note. I'm looking for a 4-door sedan that isn't a pig on gas. I can't be real picky in this price range, but you never know.

However, I don't want any of the following :

The European beater.











The American War Wagon







I would love a low-rider, but I'm not sure the rest of the family is on board with that.







Seriously, if you come across something you might think I would be interested in, I'd appreciate the heads-up.

Saying goodbye to a Godly Man

Dr. James Kennedy has gone on to meet his Lord. He pastored the same congregation for what seemed like forever, and preached from his heart standing firmly on scripture. His Evangelism Explosion helped millions better share their faith, and the kingdom advanced because of it.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

Here is a memorial site dedicated to Dr. Kennedy.

The University of Michigan's National Championship dreams

Click on the video to watch where they went.

What can you possibly add to this story?

This one left me slack-jawed, which isn't easy. Let me see if I have this straight. 45-year old woman loves kids, regrets that her kids are growing up. So she is happy when her daughters become pregnant at 14, twice, and all live together on public assistance. No this isn't the South or Appalachia. It is the United Kingdom.

As a church, the one daughter's statements should be cause for serious introspection:

"I've wanted kids since I was 12," she said.

"I was sick of babysitting other people's and wanted one of my own.

"Gavin, my boyfriend at the time, and I weren't using contraception, and I was aware I might get pregnant. But I knew I'd be happy if I did."

She continued: "I never found it hard being a young mum.

"Both my children were good babies, so I always got enough sleep.

"And I wasn't worried about it changing my lifestyle. I never did anything but stay in and watch TV anyway.

"There's nothing to do around here, so having kids keeps me busy.

"I feel good about bringing life into the world."

There is a significant portion of the population in the Christianized West who have a very odd moral compass. This is quite simply about self-gratification, not in a sexual sense, but in a "babies bring me joy" sense. There is a lot of work to do in our own backyards, as well as the mission fields. Pray for workers who will see the fields "White for harvest" and respond to the Lord's call. They are certainly needed.

Living without TV

Sometimes I don't appreciate God's sense of humor. In July, we decided to put our TV on vacation hold (a cool DirecTV feature) until October 1. We realized we were watching too much TV as it was, and a break would be good for all of us. Little did we know that our TV would be unavailable until then.

Right before we left to go to Colorado in July we had a toilet overflow in the 2nd floor bathroom that destroyed the living room ceiling. On July 13 (a Friday to boot) we left to go on vacation as the emergency contractors hired by the insurance company were ripping out our living room ceiling. As of September 3, we still don't have use of that room, and all of our furniture is stacked in the dining room, including the TV. Needless to say, we are unhappy with the insurance company's "PREFERRED CONTRACTOR", and we hope to have our living room back soon.

I tell you this not to evoke sympathy for us. Yes it has been a hassle having 1/2 of the first floor virtually unusable. When Deb and the girls are sleeping, I have very few places I can go and read. I do miss my couch and recliner. But I am getting some reading done. The girls have been reading quite a bit, which is something we wanted to encourage anyway.

I'm also going to bed earlier, which is one of the goals of my "Rule of Life." I tend to stay up later watching television, and then am groggy in the morning.

The greatest benefit was this weekend. Not having TV kept me from seeing the greatest debacle in NCAA Football history. The #5 ranked team in the country, the University of Michigan, lost at home to a Division 1-AA team. This is akin to the Washington Generals beating the Harlem Globetrotters. Except that it counted.

I am thanking the Lord for Prevenient Grace, which kept me from throwing something through my television when that happened.

How would Jesus Pastor?

Take a look at this article on Charles Sheldon. I'm in the process of reading In His Steps, and I love it. It's not great literature, that is true. But it is thought-provoking and inspiring to think of how the world would be different if people actually lived their lives based on the question "What would Jesus do?" It follows the story of the fictional town of Raymond which is transformed when a dying stranger wanders into a church service and asks, in a roundabout sort of way, the question "what would Jesus do?"

It's a good, quick read, and an inexpensive paperback book to pick up. I'm enjoying it immensely, and it presents a very different, action-based, not intellectual, form of discipleship.

Your local library probably has a copy.

This brought tears to my eyes

What a powerful representation of the joy of Christ, the way we become distracted, and how Jesus will intervene to rescue us and protect us from that which seeks to destroy us. The song is "Everything" by Lifehouse.

Thanks to Dan Doktor for sharing it with me.

Groundhog Day

For those who have not seen the movie Groundhog Day, it is about a man who gets trapped in a cycle of reliving the same day over and over again. He is the only one who realizes this, and at first has fun with it. By the end he is trying to kill himself.

Politically, we are in a Groundhog Day scenario right now.





Another shady Asian man is raising money for a Clinton White House run. Charlie Trie anyone?

Another Republican is embroiled in a sex scandal

The war goes on.

I think I will go sign up for some piano lessons.