Flesh and Blood

(NOTE: I began writing this around midnight last night, but only finished it this afternoon.)

As I write this, it has just been announced that Osama bin Laden, mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, is dead. One of the first things that entered my mind upon hearing this news is the words of Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”:

By Their Fruit

Around fifteen years ago I heard a famous country singer -- a self-professed Christian -- who, in answering a fan’s question, said these words: “I just can’t bring myself to believe there’s only one way to Heaven.”

There’s a song that I was recently made aware of by Mark Schultz. I love his song “I Have Been There,” but I was troubled to learn of one called “Love Has Come.” Here are some of the lyrics:

What is Love?

In a previous note I referenced the song “If I Know You” by Out of the Grey. The next day I posted the following status:

For There's No Other Way

I don’t listen to the radio much, but I heard a song last evening that (naturally) got me thinking. The song is “Only You Can Save” by Chris Sligh. Here’s part of the lyrics:

"Heard a Rumor That the End is Near"

I believe it was in the late 1980s that I first visited New York City. I don’t remember who all was there, but I do remember that Mom and my aunt were with me. As we were going down one of the infamously busy streets, we passed a woman who was handing out flyers while saying in a loud ominous voice: “Jesus is coming back in 1992!”

If I Know You

One of the things I try to do in my notes is offer hope for hard times. Sometimes it feels like I’m beating a dead horse; but then I remember how many times in the Bible the word “remind” is used, or derivatives thereof, and I’m compelled to press on.

Sometimes Miracles Hide

In the thirty-eight years since Roe v. Wade was decided, over 50 million abortions have been performed. According to at least one source, using estimates based on data from the Guttmacher Institute, “At some point in 2010 -- 37 years removed from the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision -- a doctor in the United States performed the nation’s 53 millionth legal abortion.” That’s more than the number of citizens in the entire state of California, which stood at 37.25 million in the latest census. It’s also more than the population of South Africa, estimated at just under 50 million.

And Rain Will Make the Flowers Grow

Back in the mid-1990s, when I was just starting to drive, I was heading down our long driveway in what had been my grandparents’ 1986 Ford Escort when the engine died. Not being accustomed to driving without power brakes or power steering, I panicked and repeatedly uttered a relatively mild obscenity that nonetheless I shouldn’t have used. Thankfully, Clayton [my brother] was in the car with me, and he calmly reached over and grabbed the steering wheel, controlling the car until we came to a stop.

Memory

“I can smile at the old days/I was beautiful then”
My brother and his wife just welcomed their first son into the world. Out of curiosity, I looked up the man for whom he was named and discovered that the anniversary of that man’s death was the day before my nephew’s birth. Naturally, that got me thinking.

“One Thing I Do”

It’s been interesting to watch the veritable war of words over the last few days following the shootings in Tucson. Some say the rhetoric has become too heated and should cease; others say the rhetoric is a hallmark of our First Amendment freedom of speech, and it should continue.

Redeeming the Time

A friend of mine recently used his Facebook status to bemoan the hordes of people who follow the likes of Ashton Kutcher and Oprah on Twitter.

Some Thoughts on "Les Misérables"

While I haven’t seen too many stage musicals in my life, my favorite of all time would have to be "Les Misérables." Recently I bought the “Original Broadway Cast Recording” on iTunes (which I also have on CD somewhere), and after listening to it several times over the last few days, I’d like to share some thoughts that have come to mind.

If You Don't Stand for Something...

I read something today that I found deeply disturbing. Apparently there is a woman in Seattle who, based on the advice of her eight year old son, has decided to allow her five year old son to wear dresses because it makes him “happy.” Now she has written a book designed to “help” parents (You can read an article about the “Princess Boy,” complete with pictures, here: http://bit.ly/gxPKMT )