Freedom of Speech

Last week the Supreme Court ruled on a case that I think will have long lasting implications. Now whether those implications will will be positive or negative, have yet to been seen. The case I am referring to involved the Westboro Baptist Church and the father of a fallen Marine, and revolves around the issue of Free Speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Before I go any further let make it clear, I do not agree with, or feel the Westboro church and their members are in the right in their actions. I think those actions DO NOT represent Jesus Christ and His church. They, in my opinion, have brought a bad name to not only Baptists but Christians as a whole.

After saying this. I have pondered the fact that the High Court voted 8-1 that the Westboro church has the right to say what they want under protection of the First Amendment. Upon much consideration I have to agree with the the Court, and while I feel Westboro is in the wrong they do have the right to say and speak as they see fit. This is what the First Amendment was written for. As I have said while I don't agree with the actions Westboro, if they are not allowed to exercise their free speech rights then one day we may not be able to either. If we as free men cannot speak for or against issues we feel may have an affect on our lives, especially as Christians, then we as a nation and a people are in grave danger.

One aspect of the decision does give me hope though. As a result of this ruling our pastors and Churches will be given protection (I hope and pray) to speak out against issues that run contrary to our Christian beliefs. If Westboro can speak out against groups and/or issues that are controversial, and be protected then we should be also. This will also give Christian based legal firms very firm ground to stand on when protecting our fellow brothers and sisters against those who oppose the church.

While I do not like everything I hear, I will stand up for the freedom to to speak that way. As a Christian I should and will try to let Christ guide and direct what and how I say something. The old adage of "think before speaking" is true. We should always consider if our speech or actions are going to bring glory or scorn to Christ. Also this attitude should be present when responding to speech directed at me. I feel this is how our founding fathers were divinely inspired and directed when they wrote our Constitution and it's first 13 amendments.



Photo from theindianreporter.com

Absences

It has been several months since my last blog and I have kind of missed doing it. The last several months have been busy and hectic. With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, New Year's and my 51st birthday in January and countless activities involving kids we have been very busy. In addition to this work has been somewhat challenging. There have been many changes going on at Titan, some that effect me personally, most company wide. In mid December I was moved from the area of Inspection that I have been in for over two years and into the inspection receiving group. This involved a physical move from one building to another and from working on parts and pieces Titan manufactures here to outsourced parts. Outsource parts are anything that Titan contracts out to other shops or companies to make for us. Most of what I inspect revolves around our Instrument and Logging departments, much of it prototype parts. While this had been a new and good learning experience, I have never been one to embrace change with open arms. More paperwork and sometimes more stress, topped with the uncertainty of more changes that are possible in the Titan future.

Other issues fall closer to home with still being bothered my knee that I has scoped this last fall, Mom's Alzheimer's is getting worse, and my yearly physical had some results that will either be confirmed or dismissed after some further tests. I don't feel at this time is will be anything serious, but who knows.

Through all of this I will have to admit that my walk with God has not been where it needs to be. As a result Satan has taken every opportunity to derail my walk with the Lord, and unfortunately I have all too often let him "tear up my tracks". I have had to remind myself daily that God is in control of ALL things, and He has me where I need to be at this time in my life. Besides just like a knife cannot be sharpened without being ground on a stone, we cannot grow as Christians without being "ground on" in our walk with God.

Through all the change and stress I still see His magnificent hand at work in my life and my families. Sandra and I have been blessed with 5 wonderful kids (who are typical siblings that fight. pick and prod each other)are facing life and problems that the world throws at them, relatively well. We are also going to celebrate our 25th Anniversary this year!! Sarah will graduate from Wayland and Ben the youngest is now in school.

Looking back at the last three months I will have to say that we are being treated better than we deserve!! Thank you God, for all that you do and allow, in our lives and help me to know that through it all you are leading and walking with me!

Veterans Day

During the Battle of Britain, during WWII, Winston Churchill used the phrase 'Never in the field of human conflict have so many owed so much to so few'. While Prime Minister Churchill was referring to the RAF pilots and their defense of England, I feel that this quote can equally apply to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. Since its creation by President Woodrow Wilson in 1917 a day honoring those that have fought and died in the defense of the US has been observed on November 11th of each year. From the Ardennes in WWI to the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. From the freezing cold of the Chosin Reservoir to the rice patties of Southeast Asia and in our day the many conflicts in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan, our troops have been at the forefront in defending this country. All to often we as Americans take for granted the sacrifices these men, women and their families have endured. Our soldiers have endured time away from their families, stress of combat and sometimes even scorn from their fellow Americans for stepping into harms way. These troops go where they are told to and do what they are ordered to do whether or not they agreed with that order or not.

We as Americans owe more than we can pay towards the many that have died or come back from combat wounded, not only physically but mentally as well. They have been the "shield" that protects the U.S. from the violence and tyranny that has reared it's head throughout history. So as I end this post I salute those who have donned a uniform in service of the United States, with a special note of thanks to my Dad who served in the Philippines during the Korean War. God Bless to all our soldiers!!

Stickers

Met Max. He is about 6 months old and so full of energy that he is sometimes a handful. Last night after coming home from work one of the boys went out to the backyard to take the trash out. We had Max pinned out there, due to not having a fence, and Aaron came in all excited yelling to come see Max. He was literally covered from tip of his nose to his tail in grass burrs. I have grown up calling them "stickers" as did most kids I played with. It looked as if he found a patch of these stickers and rolled in them. He was covered with approximately 150-200, and it took about an hour an a half to get them out. Max was NOT a happy camper, especially as we pulled the stickers out around his head and muzzle! There was a great deal of snapping, biting, growling and general unhappiness. As we sat there untangling the stickers out of his coat, we had to pull the hairs apart to get a lot of the stickers out. A great deal of them were really embedded in the fur. He would have nothing to do with me for a couple of hours after getting all the burrs out

As we worked these stickers out it reminded me of sin and how entangle we can become in our own "sticker patches". When we choose to ignore the Holy Spirit and decide to "roll" in the sin we see as pleasure, it is actually a painful, prickly experience that embeds in our lives to cause great discomfort and pain, not to mention separation from God. Then one by one God has to "pick" these stickers (sin) out of out of our fur(our lives) which is a long and painful process. We often try to ignore God while He deals with the sin in our lives but eventually we must just sit there and let God work. We can't remove the sin in our lives, just as Max couldn't get the stickers out, but Christ can and did by paying the debt we should have paid, death. The quicker we learn to sit there and let God work on us the better off we will be.

Well, after the hour plus ordeal of pulling the stickers out and a couple of more hours of trying to ignore me, Max warmed back up and wanted to play. Hopefully when God is pulling out my stickers I will deal with it better than Max did.

"Holy Vocabulary"

I just read a review of a small group Bible study on my sister-in-law's blog http://bestofbecky.blogspot.com/2010/08/holy-vocabulary-by-michael-kelley.html that has me very intrigued.

Written by Michael Kelly, and titled "Holy Vocabulary", it was reviewed as a study on words that have been used in Christian circles so much that we may have forgotten what they actually mean. Being a history major in college and knowing that words can make all the difference in how we look at events, I am looking forward to working through this study as soon as I can. For those that do not want to wait for a review of this study can obtain copies at:
http://threadsmedia.com/store/studies/holy-vocabulary/

While the Wind Blows

A friend of mine posted this story, on Facebook, by MaryAnn Mekeel. I thought it was very good and deserved to passed along.

Can You Sleep While The Wind Blows

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic because they dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops.As he interviewed applicants he received a steady stream of refusals. Finally, a short thin man well past middle age came and accepted the job. When the farmer asked him “Are you a good farm hand?” he responded – “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows.” Puzzled by the man’s answer but desperate for help, the farmer hired him. He proved to be a good worker.Then one night the wind howled loudly. The farmer jumped out of bed and rushed to the hired man’s quarters. He shook the little man and yelled “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly “No sir, I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows. Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. It was then that the farmer understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Moral of this story When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep while the wind blows through your life? The hired hand could sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.

Dependence

Last week while listening to David Jeremiah begin his series of radio shows on Job, he made the comment that he was "nervous" about beginning that study due to the fact that often God would lead him through a time of learning that related to his study. I sat and contemplated that this was often true. How often when we begin to read and study His word does something occur in our lives that reinforces that study.

Well, this kind of occurred yesterday evening and continued today. Yesterday's Sunday School lesson, which I had to teach, was on David and Goliath. David and Saul had to face their "giants". Last evening about 4:00 we were coming home from spending the afternoon with my mom, as I stepped into the kitchen to put some stuff up the Meneres hit full force. Vertigo hit as it has never before and the nausea was severe. This episode lasted at least six hours. As I woke up this morning I feel like I was hit by a freight train. I stayed home today still fairly dizzy but not as bad.

As I laid in bed last night I was thinking Ok God is this a Giant that I will have to face the rest of my life? Will this be a common occurrence that will interfere with work and my life? I don't know, but as I drifted off to sleep I was thinking I hope I react as David did, with a confidence that God will work through this and me for His glory, and not like Saul in fear, and turning away from God.