1 Wisdom has built her house,
She has hewn out her seven pillars;
2 She has slaughtered her meat,
She has mixed her wine,
She has also furnished her table.
3 She has sent out her maidens,
She cries out from the highest places of the city,
4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
As for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
5 “Come, eat of my bread
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
6 Forsake foolishness and live,
And go in the way of understanding.
7 “He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself,
And he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.
8 Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you;
Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself,
And if you scoff, you will bear it alone.”
The Way of Folly
13 A foolish woman is clamorous;
She is simple, and knows nothing.
14 For she sits at the door of her house,
On a seat by the highest places of the city,
15 To call to those who pass by,
Who go straight on their way:
16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here”;
And as for him who lacks understanding, she says to him,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the dead are there,
That her guests are in the depths of hell.
If you were to give a cursory glance over news headlines, and if you were to half-listen to the raving and screaming of neo-conservative pundits on talk radio, you might be very, very worried. Scared to death that the Democrats are finally going to carry through their evil plans; that war and terror are going to be unleashed now, and the end is near because a change in administration from a Republican president to a Democratic one *must* mean that the anti-christ is on the horizon. The earthquakes lately have been something awful, too — the most severe earthquakes in the history of the world! Or at least since we started measuring earthquakes on the Richter scale in the 1880s.
Umm, not exactly… read this, and think again. Obama’s approval ratings have dropped like a block of cement to the bottom of the ocean floor. He and his administration are just as dependent on garnering the support of the pro-war, pro-police state masses as Bush was during his administration. Even Nero feared the masses, and tried to secure their votes by giving them bread and circuses. And lately, the Senate and Congress have tied themselves into one messy knot of filibusters, resignations, and super-majorities, oh my!
Our problems with our economy, our education, and our politics at large, have not simply been caused by shifting political winds. That’s akin to saying “the devil made us do it.” Our political problems are moral and cultural; and at the heart of everything that a truly freedom-loving, paleo-conservative Christian hates is not one big, grinning face running the whole show… If you peek behind the curtain you’ll find millions upon millions of people who have unperturbedly, and willingly, sacrificed their time, children, education, and religion in order to have bread and circuses. And a majority of these people are Christians who have embraced more subtle forms of poison, such as charter schools, soft-style feminism, and military and state glorification.
So, let’s tear down the Federal Reserve, but don’t be surprised if it’s built back up in a generation because we also failed to tear down fallacious philosophies that are deep-rooted in our culture, our churches, and our daily lives.
I do think that our current political overlords will wreak much damage. But, my greatest fear and worry is that our culture will continue its degenerate, unprincipled free-fall all the way to the bottom. Yes, people do perish for a lack of knowledge.
Here are some quotes to chew on from Dietrich Bonhoeffer on the cost of grace:
Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like cheapjacks’ wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices. Grace is represented as the Church’s inexhaustible treasury, from which she showers blessings with generous hands, without asking questions or fixing limits. Grace without price; grace without cost! The essence of grace, we suppose, is that the account has been paid in advance; and, because it has been paid, everything can be had for nothing…
Cheap grace means grace as a doctrine, a principle, a system. It means forgiveness of sins proclaimed as a general truth, the love of God taught as the Christian ‘conception’ of God. An intellectual assent to that idea is held to be of itself sufficient to secure remission of sins… In such a Church the world finds a cheap covering for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be delivered from sin. Cheap grace therefore amounts to a denial of the living Word of God, in fact, a denial of the Incarnation of the Word of God.
Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything they say, and so everything can remain as it was before. ‘All for sin could not atone.’ Well, then, let the Christian live like the rest of the world, let him model himself on the world’s standards in every sphere of life, and not presumptuously aspire to live a different life under grace from his old life under sin…
Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession… Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.
Costly grace is the sanctuary of God; it has to be protected from the world, and not thrown to the dogs. It is therefore the living word, the Word of God, which he speaks as it pleases him. Costly grace confronts us as a gracious call to follow Jesus. It comes as a word of forgiveness to the broken spirit and the contrite heart. Grace is costly because it compels a man to submit to the yoke of Christ and follow him; it is grace because Jesus says: “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
No, I’m not one of the witches in Macbeth… though, you might deem me to be one, judging by such a list. I’ve felt that way many a time standing in the checkout line at the grocery store. Sweet pickles and liver? The cashier gives you one of those looks signifying they think you’re more than a little crazy. How about raw pork sausage and ice cream? Disgusting. Even if you aren’t planning on combining these things into a meal once you get home, they simply look bad together.
Walking up the stairs yesterday, to survey the rain-soaked field below, and take a few pictures, from the corner of my eye, I noticed a big leaf sticking to the side of the office. Wait… was it really a leaf? It seemed to be… moving? Yes, this large, dark green object was definitely in motion, and on an upward slither towards the top of the office. It was the slug of my dreams in the flesh. The intentions and devious plans this slug had in store for the whole of humanity once it got to the top, will be one of the secrets lost to history (and just what did King Kong intend to do after he scaled the Empire State Building?); for after jumping at the realization that I had almost brushed against a giant slug, I called Dad out to view the monstrous thing, and snapped a few pictures for posterity’s sake. The slug had slimed its last slime — Dad, aided with a paper towel, plucked up Sir Slug, told him to say his final prayers, then chucked him from the top of the hill, to the bottom, where he landed with an enormous PLOP in a very cold, very deep, and very muddy pool of water. Hence, this young slug met his pitiful end — heartlessly and mercilessly flung with violent force to sink helplessly to the depths of Lake Greenwood. And I laughed. Yes, watching this slug’s sober execution carried out, I laughed. My heart is cold and hard indeed.
My doctor was very particular about the medicine he prescribed for me. Two ear infections, and a pretty red throat, were no small matter, and with much pondering, and deliberation, he wrote up a prescription for the best medicine that could be procured at Costco. Amoxicillin. All was well and good. But, I knew what the very darkest of old wive’s tales whispered of as the ultimate cure for colds. It’s hoarded like gold, and kept in secret stashes by half the world’s population, and bartered with by the other half. My own concealed supply is enough to carry me through this cold, and beyond. Chocolate, and ONLY dark chocolate at that, combined with my prescription of amoxicillin, have already been to this cold what a silver bullet is to a werewolf, and a stake in the heart is to a vampire. Already, this cold’s choking fingers have loosened their grip. Chocolate and amoxicillin is a potent cure indeed.
Maybe an obvious clue as to the Afghan’s stubborn resistance and retaliation to our military efforts would possibly be that we’re occupying their country unconstitutionally, and killing their civilians by the scores. No wonder Afghans are having a hard time believing that NATO and the U.S. Military are there to protect them, and are rejecting the “democracy” and freedom that’s being forced on them.
Of course, this latest airstrike doesn’t hold a candle to one that occurred in August ‘08 where 90 civilians, 60 of which were children, met their end.
Let’s just chalk it up to the cost of war. Apologies all around.
I love this Improv Everywhere group, and have seen several of their videos before… I about died laughing at the flabby swimmers, the music, and the fountain — it’s pretty lame entertainment, but it’s what cuts it as entertainment for me right now.
I’ve grown sick of hearing the names of Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, and all the rest of their ilk, being touted as great conservative heroes of today… a few daily doses of Lew Rockwell, and you’ll pretty quickly start to recognize a bloodthirsty, Fascist, Neo-Conservative the next time you see or hear one, as they try to ride on the coattails of the Tea Parties, and try to whip up the so-called “Conservative Movement.” Here’s an easy rundown list for identifying a Neo-Conservative — A Neo-Conservative only differs from true liberals insofar as he is on the right side of the left instead of being on the left, according to Bret.
Today, we’re warding off boredom by preparing for houseguests… if he moves in here, and she moves out there, and they move up there, then everybody ought to be happy right? At least everybody will have a small degree of elbow room.
I’m just considering this a dry run for when we really have to get cozy and close-knit in another couple of months after moving out of part of the house for our remodeling project… four little boys will be squished into the library, one sister will be in my room, and one sister on another sofa. I love all my brothers and sisters, but I’m going to have to learn to be loving and patient with them to a considerable degree more as belongings and personal space are invaded over the course of the entire spring and summer. My current entertainment has been watching a CAT working right outside the windows. Whole mountains of red dirt are being moved from here, to there, and back again, in preparation for beginning building… I’m watching bittersweetly as familiar, old trees are felled, the hill is sliced and diced, and the driveway is disappearing beneath a smothering load of dirt. I’ve been told that these changes are for the better; the discomfort of moving is only temporary, and that everything will be new and glorious when it’s finished. I believe this to be true, but it doesn’t make watching all these changes taking place feel any less weird! So I light a candle and eat a chocolate to reassure myself that even if the exterior of our house and property are being changed and rebuilt, the foundations remain in place and will only be strengthened, not removed. I’m anticipating working and assisting with this project in whatever ways I can this spring and summer — which will mostly be by helping keep inquisitive, eager little boys from underfoot, and taking on the position of head gardener in our garden. I make a harsh taskmaster, and I plan on enlisting the help of whatever little slaves will be on hand.
In our current cooking flurry of planning dinners for today, and lunches for tomorrow, all the while catering to dietary restrictions for some people, it’s easy to overlook some of the food that has gone a little bad. Certain members of the family have now learned to beware eating putrid purple potatoes after a tragic encounter with one today at lunch… we made it up to the poor chap by feeding him three white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies, and saying three Hail Marys in succession. Just kidding about that last part. But I did feed him the cookies because I felt bad — my guilty conscience is now assuaged.
The dark is deepening overhead, the rain is upon us, and snow is threatening particular regions of the foothills, but it will be a happy time tonight with extra people around the dinner table, special music on the banjo, violin, and guitar, and two, cute little girls to play with.
