Sacramento, California (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Devin Walker v. First Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 760-028.9
To read the “introduction” to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, community, Culture Wars, politics, The Magnificent Fifty
Little Rock, Arkansas
Shaver v. The State, 10 Ark. 259, 263
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, Christianity, Faith, politics
Juneau, Alaska (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
49th State: Jan 3, 1959 Style: Art Deco Built: 1931
To read the introduction to this series, CLICK HERE.
Filed under America, Apologetics, community, Culture Wars, God, politics
Montgomery, Alabama (Artist: Susan Cassidy Wilhoit)
Click HERE to read the introduction to this series.
Since 1978 the Freedom From Religion Foundation (Madison, WI) has fought to completely secularize every aspect of American public life. Part of the Atheist Alliance International and the Secular Coalition for America, FFRF pushes not only a secularist agenda but promotes atheism (“nontheism”) every chance it gets.
Despite the evidence suggesting our founding fathers were far more religious than not, and despite the fact that our Declaration of Independence starts off with the once-common assertion that our “unalienable Rights” are given by God, FFRF claims the very Constitution meant to protect those rights “was very purposely written as a godless document…” Therefore they claim God, faith, and any expression of religion – even cross-shaped memorials for the dead and prayer before local city council meetings – should be eradicated from the public square.
So, in response to their regular attacks on anything religious, and especially in response to what is nothing short of propaganda-like attempts to rewrite history, I felt compelled to respond with series of posts depicting actual history.
Contrary to what many people believe, our nation has a strong foundation of faith, and I want to prove it with some art.
As some of you may know, two of my daughters attend Bryan College in Dayton, TN. Therefore, I have had more than a few opportunities to roam the corridors.
The first two floors of the main building at Bryan (Mercer Hall) house a permanent art exhibit featuring the work of Susan Cassidy Wilhoit. On display are paintings she made of every state capital building, along with a brass placard below.
The art collection is called “The Magnificent Fifty: Foundation of Faith“ because the placard below each painting includes words demonstrating “the foundational belief in and acknowledgment of God’s providence and blessing within each state’s heritage.”
Therefore, tomorrow I am going to begin a series of posts featuring photos I’ve taken of the state capital building paintings (in alphabetical order), along with the words engraved on the placards below them.
The following posts will not attempt to argue that America is a Christian nation, but that our nation’s founding documents were anything but “godless.”
Contrary to what the Freedom From Religion Foundation says, our nation has a foundation of faith.
Tomorrow: Alabama
To the right is a picture I just took of our kitchen table. I don’t know how your house works, but our kitchen table is a community gathering place. Yes, it’s a flat surface, so it’s likely to be the place where something is sat before it goes where it’s supposed to.
But on the other hand, it’s a place where we play games, do homework, study, read, assemble kitchen appliances, wrap gifts, organize bills, and occasionally eat.
I mean, just look at what’s on the table right now! There’s condiments, dog treats, butter, books, earbuds, coffee, a computer, sermon notes, and study notes for Haley’s upcoming research paper. This is not a table reserved for dinner and breakfast, alone.
But this morning was one of those times when discussion was the meal being served, and there was way more than one course. Even when we were eating breakfast – which was a combination of leftover nacho chicken casserole, eggs, cream of wheat, bacon, and biscuits with butter and jelly – we were entertained with helping after helping of good, old-fashioned, eye-to-eye conversation.
We didn’t even play with our smartphones!
Here are some of the things we discussed this morning, starting at around 9:30 and ending around 1 p.m.
I’d say that was one the best breakfasts ever 🙂
We should do it more often.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Filed under community, current events, Parenting, politics, Relationships and Family
Where do I begin?
Let’s start with the facts at hand, shall we?
A special election for state senator was held in my home state of Tennessee, yesterday. In that election Gayle Jordan (D) was soundly defeated by Shane Reeves (R)… 13,139 to 5,179.
What made this election gain so much attention? What even led the great antagonist and atheist Richard Dawkins to chime in with insulting recollections of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial in Dayton, TN?
Gayle Jordan is an atheist, that’s why.
But Gayle Jordan (Democrat) is not just any atheist; she is the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion, a group dedicated to helping people transition from “faith to reason.”
(Sarcasm warning) Shame on those backward, hayseed, unenlightened, anti-reason, anti-freethought, banjo-playing hicks for electing a pro-life, heterosexual, Republican white male!
Well, since it’s all about “reason,” let’s discuss the whole reason this story go my attention. What got me was the reason given for Gayle Jordan’s transition to becoming a “happy heathen.”
From her bio: “Gayle is a former Southern Baptist who left the faith 10 years ago when her then-teenagers began asking questions she could not answer.”
That’s the whole reason I decided to sit myself down in front of a keyboard this morning – she ditched her faith because she couldn’t answer her teenagers’ questions. She said it, not me.
So, let’s ponder that for a moment or two. She was a mother with teenagers, and just because they asked her some difficult questions about the Bible, faith, and religion (because it’s safe to assume they weren’t actually thinking original thoughts but were influenced by anti-religious evangelists such as Dr. Dawkins and others), she threw in the towel and completely changed her worldview?
Amazing.
Good thing that kind of radical shift doesn’t take place every time a young skull full of underdeveloped brain matter queries a quandary.
Teen: Mom, if a tree falls in the woods, but no one is around to hear it, will Al Gore still blame it on global warming?
Mom: Oh my gosh, dear! I don’t know! I guess I can no longer believe in forests.
Teen: Mom, who were the giants in Genesis 6:4? Were they aliens, angels, or mythical creatures covered in rock who helped build Noah’s ark?
Mom: You know, I have no idea, honey! That’s a really good question! I guess I’m gonna have to become a bona fide heathen and use my comfortable heels to crush the multiple pocket watches lying on the beach as I walk over them into oblivion.
But I guess I’m thinking too hard.
Filed under Christianity, current events, politics
Our hearts break when we think of the students and parents and staff, but now that the dust is settling, and the political forces have already spoken out, I’d like to say something about the most recent school shooting.
It’s not a gun problem; it’s a heart problem.
I’ve heard all the gun control arguments, but regardless the Constitution or the right to defend oneself, the root of the problem is what should be addressed. The question should be “why?”, not “how?”
Why did this teenager want to kill his fellow students? Why did the other murderers, maniacs, and monsters want to kill people? We’ve had guns in this country long before Columbine. Heck, we used to have shooting clubs in the schools! But what changed in society? What changed in the heart of our culture?
You can take away all the guns, but you’ll still have a disease that’s going to find a way to steal, kill, and destroy. No law, no matter how strict, is going to turn a lawbreaker into a law-abiding citizen.
Until you address the heart and soul issues, your only solution will end up being totalitarian control.
When the law of God is written on the hearts of men, there’s no need for external restraints; the constraints are internal. But when the only law written on the heart is the law of Self, there’s no restraint sufficient to make a man love his neighbor.
Filed under America, community, current events, General Observations, legalism, Life/Death, politics, Struggles and Trials
For your information…
Today I am starting my first day of physical therapy for my shoulder (a month after rotator cuff surgery).
Being that it’s the first month of the year, and since I’ve not yet used my health insurance, here is what I’m looking at.
Up to 26 visits this year.
Each visit costs $100.
Insurance will pay 50% of each visit, up until my total out-of-pocket expense of $6,000. That’s six thousand.
So, just for 26 visits (if I go) I pay $1,300.
And all that for a policy that covers my two girls and me…
For $1,700 a month… for the “silver” plan.
$1,700 a month.
Thank you, Obama.
Truly affordable.
Filed under current events, fitness, General Observations, politics, Struggles and Trials
This morning’s agenda. I was #2 on the list.
This morning I was once again honored to offer the “Leadership Charge/Prayer” at the beginning of his weekly Command Staff meeting. It’s just one duty that I perform as a chaplain with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office here in Chattanooga.
If you are unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, once a week our Sheriff (Jim Hammond) holds a meeting with his Command Staff (all the captains and chiefs over the different divisions of the department). At each of these meetings one of our chaplains opens up the meeting with a charge/devotion and prayer, then later closes the meeting with prayer. And since the Sheriff is not only an intimidating figure in his own right, but also a student of the Bible, it’s always encouraging when he doesn’t find fault with what we say. LOL!
Since today was the 16th of the month, I decided to see if there was something from the 16th chapter of Proverbs that might be applicable. So, I went to ProverbialThought.com and found the commentary I had written for verse seven.
Proverbs 16:7 became the text, and my post on the verse (click this link to read) became my 5-minute sermonette.
My seat was next to the corner on the left.
There, from my seat at the table, I spoke to the Sheriff, his staff, and his captains of the need to please the Lord, not men. I spoke of God’s commandments and how that when we keep them, even our enemies have a hard time finding fault with us. Then I read a verse from the New Testament:
And whatsoever ye do, do [it] heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; – Colossians 3:23
“It comes down to a simple choice,” I said. “Do we try to make people happy, or do we try to please the Lord?” If all we care about is pleasing people, we will always fail; they are too finicky. But if our goal is to do everything we do to please God, He will handle the rest – including our Sheriff’s upcoming election.
So, what about “shocking” the Sheriff and not the deputy? Nobody was shocked, not even the Sheriff; I did what was expected of me.
It was a catchy title for a post, though 🙂 Wasn’t it?
Filed under Bible Study, General Observations, ministry, politics
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The Recovering Legalist 