A Must View!

Especially if you text while driving, or - I'll be bold and add it - if you like to chat on your phone while driving. This 11 minute documentary is a good, sobering wake up call!



Thank you, AT&T for making this available!

Great Tribute to Veterans

Here's a great tribute to our nation's veterans as sung by some 3rd grade students:

You Cannot Multiply Wealth by Dividing It

Here's a quote given the comments of my previous post on Socialism. After reading and pondering it just a bit, I think it's worth more than just comment status and so I'm putting "up front" in its own post. Thanks to DRG for posting it.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom.  What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.  When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.  You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 - 2005

On Socialism...Because We ARE There!

The bumper sticker a few blocks away in the neighborhood summed up Socialism quite well: "Socialism is a great idea...until you run out of other people's money!"

Fr. Hollywood has also summed it up quite well in his recent post, "'Socialist' isn't just an insult." Well said, Fr. Hollywood! The graphic also says it all.

Just remember, no matter how politicians and/or pundits try to spin us away from the dreaded "S" word, we are there. We have been growing toward Socialism for about a century, bit by bit, nudge by nudge. No, Socialism isn't just an insult; it's a downright scary reality!

And that's why American citizens need to learn their history and their Constitution, get more active in the course of their country than in who wins "American Idol," and effect a wholesale firing of the crowd now in Washington and put in place people who will take us back to our roots of less taxes, less government, and more freedom.

Homily for Trinity 5

What's a preacher to do when a major societal holiday, such as the 4th of July, or Independence Day (U.S.), falls on a Sunday, the Lord's Day? It's always a conundrum because our people in the pews are most certainly thinking about and participating in the societal holiday, and fittingly so, and yet the conscientious preacher needs to focus on what God says and let the Church's sense of time remain paramount.

Such was the case this past Sunday. The Gospel reading for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity, Luke 5:1-11, gave us Jesus teaching from the boat and giving Peter and company a great catch of fish. It gave us Peter confessing his sinful state and Jesus absolving him with the words, "Do not be afraid." It also gave us Jesus calling Peter to his new vocation of "catching men alive," that is, proclaiming the Gospel and thus rescuing people from the "sea" of their sin and death by bringing them into the boat of the Church.

And yet Independence Day was also predominantly on the minds of the hearers!

What's a preacher to do? Stay faithful to the text (I hope) and yet give recognition that it is a big day in the life of our people (and, yes, in the life of the preacher as well).

So for Sunday's homily I tried to maintain this balance: preach the text and apply it to the context in which my hearer's found themselves. It was also a great opportunity to touch on the Christian understanding of "vocation," especially as citizens in our nation. Since "freedom" and "independence" were obviously on the minds of my hearers, I used the title "Real Freedom Where God Has Called You" to proclaim the freedom of Jesus' Absolution and how that freedom leads us into our vocation as citizens.

To listen to the audio file of Sunday's homily, click this link, download the audio file, and listen away.

Disturbing Video!

Here's a disturbing video of a congressman, an elected official who is supposed to serve the people, assaulting a college student as the student evidently was trying to get his attention to interview him. No doubt there are more details than the video shows, but the image of a congressman bullying a citizen is very disturbing!



Yes, our country and our leaders desperately need our prayers:
For the government and all who have been set into positions of leadership, that they may use the authority entrusted to them honorably and for the good of the people, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.

Help keep the Internet free!

It appears that the FCC - a panel of only three people! - wants to reclassify the Internet as a "public utility." Why does this matter? Because reclassifying the Internet as a public utility would enable onerous regulation, control, and taxation of Internet activity.

Here's an ad designed to alert people to this looming government takeover of the Internet and enlist their help in calling on Congress to stop the power-hungry FCC. Please help spread the word!



For more information and to sign a petition to keep the Internet free of government regulation and taxation, go to No Internet Takeover.

Taxman

At times something comes along that provides perfect commentary on life in our land. This is one of them, and this is too perfect not to pass on. After all, the best humor is always rooted in truth--sometimes sadly so. One might also wonder just how applicable 1 Samuel 9:10-18 is for us these days. HT to Fr. Hollywood.

Naturalization Ceremony

Last Friday I had the joy and privilege of attending the Naturalization Ceremony for 64 new United States citizens. Actually, I was there first and foremost for Deaconess Grace Rao, born and raised in India, a member of Hope congregation in St. Louis, MO, employed by LCMS World Relief and Human Care, and now a proud citizen of these United States. Here she is, proudly holding her certificate of citizenship in the U.S.

I have heard that many or most people who become U.S. citizens by way of our naturalization process have a great appreciation for our nation, its Constitution, and its way of life. After all, they often come from quite difficult ways of life and harrowing circumstances (war-torn countries, nations rife with poverty and crime), not to mention from governments that may leave much to be desired (e.g. Communist governments, despotic governments), and they actually study, learn, and treasure what it means to become citizens of the U.S.

As I sat in the courtroom at the Federal Courts building, I had to wonder if it might not be healthy for us who are born in this country, us native citizens, to have a "naturalization process" of some kind. Yes, I know there's often the standard citizenship class in grade school, but how many of us are really paying attention at that age? And how many of us would take the "Oath of Allegiance" (below) even as we ponder its details?

In fact, as I waited for the ceremony to begin, I commented to the person next to me, another of Grace's many friends and co-workers present (Grace certainly had the biggest "family" of supporters present :-), "What would happen if we naturally born U.S. citizens had to take the 'Oath of Allegiance'?" We both agreed that more of us native sons and daughters of the U.S. might have a greater appreciation for the nation where God has placed us. We were both delighted that the attorney who addressed the incoming citizens also mentioned the phenomenon that many who are born U.S. citizens too often take for granted the rights and privileges that these 64 incoming citizens now proudly treasure by their free choice.

So, here's something to ponder: How well could we native U.S. citizens swallow and stomach this "Oath of Allegiance" that these 64 new citizens took last Friday? [Commentaries in brackets are mine.]

"I hereby declare on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen [Okay, that part would not apply.]; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law [Wow! Now there's a responsibility of citizenship for you.]; that I will perform non-combatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law [I'm old enough to remember signing up for Selective Service, but one might also think of the draft, and those were for combatant service. What if we were required to report for some other duty to defend our nation?]; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law [Hmm. Could I? Would I?]; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion [This kind of puts criticisms and complaints in a different perspective, doesn't it? And what of certain politicians who would rather see our nation be more like, say, some of Europe's more socialistic countries?]: So help me God." (Printed on the Naturalization Ceremony Program of The United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, December 5, 2008)