A Prayer for the Government (Legislative and Executive Branches) of the United States

Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?   In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor– let them be caught in the schemes they have devised! For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD.

In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.” Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them. They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”  Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.

They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.  They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might.  They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?

But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. (Ps. 10:1-15)

Amen, and amen.

Signs of the Times

“snicker”

Sardis- a.k.a., American Christianity

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write,`These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before God. “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you. “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”‘  (Rev. 3:1-6)

Graduate School Sin

Graduate departments that accept more students than they have faculty retiring are guilty of using the lure of the PhD to fill unnecessary slots to boost their public profile. They use students for their own self aggrandizing purposes and they won’t admit it. And it’s wrong to promise careers in higher ed when these departments know full well that no positions are available. it’s immoral. It’s sin.

More on the Wesley’s Childhood and the Philosophy of their Mother

Susanna Wesley, wife of a pastor and mother of 19 children, has gone down in Christian history as the ideal mother. In spite of poverty, sickness, disappointment, she managed her household well. She early drew up for herself some rules and observed them:

(1) No child was to be given a thing because he cried for it. If a child wanted to cry, “cry softly!” In her house was rarely heard loud cries by children.
(2) No eating and drinking between meals, except when sick.
(3) Sleeping was also regulated. When very small, a child was given three hours in the morning and three in the afternoon. This was shortened until no sleeping was allowed during the daytime.
(4) Punctually, the little ones were laid in the cradle and rocked to sleep. At 7 PM, each child was put to bed; at 8 PM she left the room. She never allowed herself to sit by the bed until the child sleeps.
(5) The little ones had their own tables near the main table. When they could handle fork and knife, they were “promoted” to the family table.
(6) Each one must eat and drink everything before him.
(7) Children must address each other as “Sister ___” or “Brother ___.”
(8) She never allowed herself to show through her ill-temper or by scolding. She would always explain and explain.

Thus, when John Wesley was in college, he wrote asking his Mother what books to read. And her recommendation influenced his life.*

Geesh.  Controlling mommy issues, John?

________________
*Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 849–850.

How The Wesley Kids Were Raised…

No wonder they turned out the way they did… they were terrorized!

John and Charles Wesley, were reared by a God-fearing mother (of seventeen) who laid down some excellent principles for child training. They appear in John Wesley’s Journal:

“When turned a year old (and some before), they were taught to fear the rod, and to cry softly; by which means they escaped abundance of correction they might otherwise have had; and that most odious noise of the crying of children was rarely heard in the house; but the family usually lived in as much quietness as if there had not been a child among them.

“In order to form the minds of children, the first thing to be done is to conquer the will and bring them to an obedient temper. To inform the understanding is a work of time, and must with children proceed by slow degrees as they are able to bear it; but subjecting the will is a thing which must be done at once; and the sooner the better. For by neglecting timely correction they will contract a stubbornness and obstinacy which is hardly ever after conquered.

“Whenever a child is corrected, it must be conquered; and this will be no hard matter to do, if it be not grown headstrong by too much indulgence … I cannot yet dismiss this subject. Self-will is the root of all sin and misery, so whatever cherishes this in children insures their after-wretchedness; whatever checks and mortifies it promotes their future happiness.”

In sum, crush them, and crush them hard.  I bet they didn’t get her a Mother’s Day Card…

Here, Washington Post, I Fixed Your Headline

WAPO going full bore defense contractors toady with this one-

Nothing is enough to stop the flow of arms.  No matter how many innocents are killed.

Anyway, here’s the headline that should have been-

“Israel uses American weapons to kill innocent men, women, and children- but that doesn’t matter, since there’s money to be made by defense contractors”