Thursday, November 24, 2011

The lunacy is complete.




Astonishing that the occupying army that is laying down life and shedding blood daily for the freedom of the Afghan people are forbidden in their texting to use the name of "Jesus" or "Christ"

For why?

Because they may offend the Muslim population. Thus the lunatic muddle that is the Afghan war is complete.

If the battle has not been for the self determination of the Afghan people why has it been fought at all.

The British were faced with that question in the nineteenth century and the Russians in the 1980's and neither nation supplied a satisfactory answer.

Now the Americans, after the expenditure of a trillion dollars of treasure and the longest war in their history, are forbidding their soldiers to tweet the name of Jesus.

They, like others before them, have clearly lost their way and it's time to come home.

Ian

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Falling Man


My friend Max Carter from England sent me this picture at the beginning of the week. He asked me to make a comment.

Apparently the shot was a clip from a video and is the cook jumping from the restaurant on the 102nd  floor of the W.T.C tower.

 My reply to Max was that this incident is filled with hope for these reasons.

1) Physics: A body in free fall will accelerate to a maximum speed of 117 m.p.h. Which means that it took this man 5.3 seconds to reach the ground.

2)The scripture which says in Romans : "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

3) The excellent words of John Wesley who said "If a sinner shall fall from his horse and immediately call on the Lord he shall be a new man ere he reached the ground."

4) The mercy of God which describes Him as "Rich to all who call upon Him."




All things considered, an admirable way to meet your maker.

Have you made your own peace with Him?

Ian

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Occupy is now occu-bye




Now that the last of the occupation forces have been legally evicted from the public parks and thoroughfares of our cities after thoughts have begun.
Just what was it that the new army of the 99% was requiring of the beleaguered 1% ?

After listening to all the highfaluting, ideological rhetoric and drum beating I have concluded that the 1% are not giving the army of the 99% a big enough slice of their pie.

This is how an economics professor responded to the cries from the park. His points carry an irresistible logic. There are five of them.

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. 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 is the beginning of the end of any nation.


If you agree with his thoughts maybe you would like to pass this post along to one of your friends.

Ian

Monday, November 21, 2011

A human torch.






Yesterday I was mystified about "Hugging Amma" from South India and the thousands who flock to her arms for comfort and consolation.

 Today I was even more at loss when I saw a picture of this Tibetan monk incinerating himself to protest the chinese occupation of his country.

He is one of a dozen that have suffered self immolation in as many weeks.

While I was casting in my mind to find a reason for such a catastrophic reaction I suddenly recalled words spoken by Jesus.

"These things they do because they do not know me."

It was a moment of clarity.

Human beings are capable doing the most insanely hideous and the most insanely bizarre things if they do not know the love of God.

                       'Ardens sed virens'

 is a life motto I gave to one of my daughters:
                      
                      'Burning but still alive!

Give us the true fire of the Spirit Lord and protect us from all other.

Ian

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Baba Amma the great hugger






Astounding but true. In the Alexandria Palace in London last week 9,000 people lined up for as many as ten hours to be hugged by Amma the hugger from Kerala, India.

What was behind this public display of amity and affection?

Was it a fad or a genuine phenomenon?

Again it is hard to tell but I have concluded that there are legions of lost souls in the world who feel unloved, unlovely, unwanted and lonely.
There must be, or why else spend a whole day waiting for a finely timed 12 second embrace and a few words in Urdu whispered in your ear if you were a whole, fully functioning human being?

I listened to one lady rising from Amma's voluminous embrace, declare that she was "Changed forever." Another was so lost in a euphoria of wonder that she could not answer a reporter's questions.

Ah, if access to Heaven were that easy. I have found that since coming to Christ nearly fifty years ago I have experienced setbacks, persecutions, disappointments, tribulations and great extensions of heart in this business of being "Changed forever."

Maybe a new brand of salvation has appeared on the market.
Try it if you will but, as for myself, I'll stick with Jesus who said
"Except a man take up his cross daily and follow me he cannot be my disciple."

Ian