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Author Archives: Anthony Baker
Are You Doing Any Quiet Construction?
Just across the street from the parsonage and the church where I pastor, there’s a house being built where an old one used to stand.
Every morning, and throughout the day, one can hear all kinds of noises coming from that direction, like hammers, saws, and a few unknown tongues. Theses are the common sounds associated with construction.
But what you will not be able to hear are the painters, the finishers, the electricians, and the plumbers doing their work. The loud noises made by the initial builders and framers might be signs something is happening, but much of what must be done before the house is usable happens on the inside … in the quiet.
Meditate on that truth for a while.
Filed under Bible Study, Christian Maturity, General Observations, Prayer
Nothing Says “I love you” Like Abortions
Unbelievable
It’s now been 5 years ago that the former president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, was suggesting gifts for Valentine’s Day, and I feel the story is worth repeating.
I really appreciated it, too, because, as a guy who wants to impress his girl, every little suggestion for something new can help.
So, what did Ms. Richards suggest? What did she share on her Twitter account that we men needed to know? What, pray tell, are we supposed to go out and purchase this year?
Roses? Candy? Diamonds? A new car? Tickets to the opera? A new dress? A year’s supply of lipstick? Dinner at Tavern on the Green? A Ruth’s Chris gift certificate? A singing candy gram? A day at the most expensive beauty salon? An exotic vacation to Hawaii?
No. According to Cecile Richards, the one thing that EVERY woman REALLY needs for Valentine’s Day is…no joking…an ABORTION!
Interesting…don’t you think? I wonder how that would work? Maybe it would go like this…
“Sweetie, you’ll never guess what I got you this year for Valentines Day!”
“OH! I’m so excited! What is it my dearest?”
“Are you sitting down? I bought you an abortion! Isn’t it great?!”
“AAAHHH! You are SOOO sweet! You knew that little parasite that started growing inside of me after we had pre-marital, un-protected, lust-driven sex was going to hamper my hedonistic desire for consequence-free pleasure, didn’t you? I knew you cared.”
“Hey! Don’t mention it! There’s a lot more where that came from. So, once you survive having that blob of non-human cells ripped out of your uterus, let’s forget all about all that free contraception we’re being offered, and just go for it! What do you say?”
“You really know how to treat a woman, don’t you?”
God help us! Have mercy on us!
Lord in heaven, open Cecile Richards’ eyes to the murderous lunacy that is her idiotic suggestion!
Wouldn’t a box of chocolates and a dozen roses be a much better idea?
Filed under Abortion, Culture Wars, current events, General Observations
Lean Not On Your Inner Counselor
I would encourage you to listen to the short sermon I just recorded for the radio. I posted it to Proverbial Thought, first. I’m sharing that post here for you.
The following is a sermon I just recorded for radio. It will be broadcast on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019 at 2:45 pm (Eastern).
I would appreciate your prayers, both for those who might listen and for myself.
God knows what we all go through, and just like the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace, He is walking with us, whether we recognize Him, or not.
If you have a moment, listen to this short sermon covering Proverbs 3 and Psalm 13. If it is a blessing to you, share it with someone else who might be going through a difficult and trying time.
Filed under Uncategorized
Happy Birthday, Valerie!
Before I say anything else…
Before I post another, well, post…
Before I write about things that matter little to me in the big scheme of things…
Before another minute of this beautiful (and seriously rainy) day is wasted…let me say,
“Happy Birthday!” to my lovely wife, Valerie (named after Valentines Day).
She is the sugar that makes my life sweet.
She is my sunshine on a cloudy day.
She is my anchor when I start to drift.
She is the unflinching lover when I don’t even love myself.
She’s cement that holds this family together.
She’s the warrior that fights on her knees.
She’s the one who regularly reminds me that there is One who has everything in control, even when I want to throw in the towel.
She’s the one who never gives up, always tries one more time, and considers “it all joy.”
I’ve not given her the life she really deserves, but I know one day God will reward her for all she sacrificed for me.
Happy birthday, Valerie! I LOVE you!
Once again I’m gonna share this video with a song I wrote several years ago just for her. I hope you enjoy it.
But please! Somebody pass this song on to a country star so I can make enough money to buy her something nice for our 25th anniversary…
…seriously, I’m a starving song writer (BMI), so hook me up.
Happy Birthday, Valerie! I love you!
Filed under current events, music, Relationships and Family
Monday Monkey “Valentine’s Day Song” (Episode 15)
Since I couldn’t get anyone to be my actors and actresses in Wally-Mart, I decided to just draw my own music video.
A few years ago I wrote this song, Try Me, for my wife, Valerie. Tomorrow is her birthday, and the 14th is Valentine’s Day (the holiday she was named after), so I thought it would be appropriate to break out this older post (from 2012) featuring Mr. Monkey.
It is a Monday, you know.
If you’d like for me to perform this song at your next party, just give me a call 🙂
“Try Me”
Oh, by the way, my song IS protected under copyright laws, even though James Brown had a song by the same title back in the 1950’s.
Related articles
- Monday Monkey “Monkey Train” (Episode 12) (therecoveringlegalist.com)
- Man and Monkey (i4daily.wordpress.com)
- Monday Monkey “Staring Contest” (Episode 13) (therecoveringlegalist.com)
Filed under General Observations, Humor, Monday Monkey, music, Relationships and Family
Jesus Is More than a Crutch!
Last night I was sifting through boxes of stuff in my tiny office in the basement of our church and I came across several notebooks in which I’d maintained somewhat of a diary.
I’ll be honest with you, it’s been a pretty difficult time around here, lately. Not only has my faith been tested on an hourly basis, but my own brokenness has been made clear over and over again. When I took a few minutes to flip through the pages of those old notebooks, all from over a decade ago, the truth that my broken condition is chronic became obvious.
But there was one page I found where I had written some encouraging words. However, they weren’t words of affirmation meant to build up my ego or make me feel better about myself; they were attestations to the fact that Jesus is more, so much more, than a crutch to me.
Below is a copy of the text…
You say you don’t need Jesus because you don’t need a crutch. If you don’t think you need him, then maybe you’re crippled to high for crutches.
Jesus is more than a crutch!
Throw away Jesus and take the Devil, but I choose Jesus.
Just think about it:
The Devil tries to burden me down
-Jesus says, “Cast your cares on me.”“Forgiven” by Thomas Blackshear
The Devil wants me to sin.
-Jesus bore my sin.Satan will try to weaken me.
-Jesus is my strength.When Satan fires his arrows at me,
-Jesus is my Shield.In the midst of the storm
-Jesus hides me in his hand.Satan would see me defeated.
-Jesus fights my battles.Satan would have me fall into despair.
-Jesus lifts me from the pit.Satan would harm me.
-Jesus will heal me.When darkness is all around and Satan would blind me,
-Jesus is my Light.When Satan says, “There is no way,”
-Jesus says, “I AM THE WAY”When Satan says I’m guilty,
-Jesus paid my debt.When the Devil would lead me astray,
-Jesus is my Shepherd.When the Devil would watch me fall,
-Jesus carries me.
“Precious Lord, take my hand. Lead me on, help me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light:
Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.” – Thomas A. Dorsey
He leads; He goes before; He walks beside; He holds me; He carries me; He helps me to stand; He gives me a race to run: He’s so much more than a “crutch” to me.
Filed under Christian Living, Christian Maturity, Depression, Faith, Jesus, worship, writing
Undeniable Waiting Room Truth
Like Rush Limbaugh or Jethro Gibbs, you may have your own list of “undeniable truths.”
Or, like me, you may have nothing more than an unorganized list of life truths haphazardly stashed away in the cluttered files of your brain.
But as I sit here in a waiting room waiting to be called back for an ultrasound to my throat, one of the undeniable truths of life I’ve noticed in the past is equally true here today…as other patients and I wait…and wait…and wait.
Undeniable Truth: The more boring and dated magazines there are in a waiting room, the longer the wait will be.
Pick up a magazine you actually WANT to read and they’ll call you back 10 seconds in.
Am I wrong?
Filed under General Observations, Life Lessons
When I Die, Will They Come?
If you’re looking for an inspirational blog post to start off your day, this one might not be for you. It’s dark and rainy as I write this, so don’t expect a lot of literary sunshine.
You see, I went to a funeral, yesterday, which is nothing new… I go to them all the time as a preacher and chaplain. Heck, it’s a common thing to go to more funerals as one gets older, and I’m certainly getting older. After a while everybody you know starts dying off.
But a common worry – yes, a worry – struck me as I sat in the funeral home chapel. It’s a low rumble of a fear that is noticeable only to me, but one that seems to be growing in intensity with every funeral I attend.
It’s the fear that no one will come to my funeral.
Take it however you want, but every time I go to a funeral and see empty seats in the chapel or church sanctuary, I wonder what it will be like when I die. Will I have affected the lives of enough people to warrant my life being memorialized or celebrated?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a King Herod who wishes people to mourn when I die. No, all I’m afraid of is that I will not have made a big enough difference to be missed.
A good name [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. – Ecclesiastes 7:1
I’m not afraid of dying, per se; I’m afraid of dying having not done enough to be missed when I’m gone.
Do any of you ever feel this way?
Filed under Life/Death
Freaky Friday Rhyming News
Rhyming
It’s just another freaky Friday, I suppose.
Before I head out, I’ll tell you why I think so.
And by the way, it wasn’t my objective
To write a post with a rhyming perspective
Nevertheless, tis the way it is going to be
I can’t stop now… It’ll be OK, you’ll see.
Scouting
Who would have thought in 1910
That the boys would allow the girls an in?
For equality’s sake, because of pouts,
Boys cannot be boys, but there’s still a Girl Scouts.
Funny thing, I was talking with my daughter
After getting worried and creating some laughter.
Seems I stressed over nothing, even thought she’s eighteen
Only boys must register; girls get off clean!
Well, don’t women serve now in all the military?
“Well, yes,” said my wife, “but it’s all voluntary.”
But what about equality? What about being fair?
I was spitting into the wind – nobody cares.
I think what it’s really all about
Is that girls always win when they learn how to pout.
Young man, forget to register and you’ll forfeit student loans
But try to make it fair and all you’ll hear will be groans.
“Give us what we want when we want it – TODAY!
Because what you have is what we want, now go away!”
So,
Distinctives only matter when the one crying “equality”
Demands her specificity is manifested in your polity.
And when you’ve abandoned whatever makes you unique
She’ll keep her own distinctives and call you a freak.
Greening
AOC (Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) D-New York
But speaking of freaky and totally spacey
Have you heard the proposal from the young AOC?
The Green New Deal, or something like that
Will never go through – It will surely fall flat.
On the other hand, what’s scary is that some take it serious
And that’s why our national future is perilous.
No more emissions, no more traveling by plane
In only ten years we’ll be riding on trains
Retrofit or rebuild every building in the land
And guarantee jobs for every woman and man.
Did I mention there’ll be chargers at every hand?
And, oh, by the way, we’re now on a mission
To inform all Hispanics that they’re Native American.
(No Joke about that last part – Here’s a link)
Conclusion
You may think I’m crazy or am going to far,
But read the newspaper or hear the news in your car.
There’s literally too much to absorb. It’s all crazy!
And that’s why I believe it’s a freaky Friday.
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Filed under America, current events, politics
Tagged as AOC, commentary, Green Deal, news, Poetry