Hearing from God

Saw this in the mail today . . .


I hate delivering this garbage. Everyone wants to hear some definitive word from God. Hey, folks, try this . . .

APB Issued For Reggie Ball's Head

I've been trying to think of another scapegoat for Tech's 15-12 loss tonight, but I can think of none other than Mr. Ball. 6 of 22 passing for 42 yards, two picks and a fumble. There was the question all week as to the unease of Tech fans. Well, when Reggie's your QB you always have to have guarded optimism; his head goes missing sometimes.

Oliver was praised on TV for his play vs. Calvin. He played well, but did Reggie ever throw Calvin a ball inside the circle of the famous DaVinci diagram above? Why does every ball Calvin gets have to be potential SportsCenter material?

Anyway, we've got a championship left to win, and I'm "heading" to JAX to see it. I just hope Reggie finds his head before then. If you see it anywhere, please call the Tech athletic office. Chan would love to hear from you. Go Jackets!

Want to Try Something Different for Thanksgiving?

Try the Holiday Pack from Jones Soda Company and you can drink your turkey dinner! Choose from Turkey and Gravy, Green Pea, Sweet Potato, Dinner Roll and, if none of those go down too well, you can break into the pink-colored Antacid flavor! Sounds like a Thanksgiving dinner to remember.

Uncle Sam Says to Give Thanks

You may think that the traditon of issuing proclamations calling upon the American people to give thanks to God only began with George Washington, but it actually predates our first president and our nation's birthday. In March of 1776 the presiding President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock, issued the First Fast Day Proclamation of the United Colonies of America:

March 16, 1776
President John Hancock

In times of impending calamity and distress; when the liberties of America are imminently endangered by the secret machinations and open assaults of an insidious and vindictive administration, it becomes the indispensable duty of these hitherto free and happy colonies, with true penitence of heart, and the most reverent devotion, publickly to acknowledge the over ruling providence of God; to confess and deplore our offences against him; and to supplicate his interposition for averting the threatened danger, and prospering our strenuous efforts in the cause of freedom, virtue, and posterity.

The Congress, therefore, considering the warlike preparations of the British Ministry to subvert our invaluable rights and priviledges, and to reduce us by fire and sword, by the savages of the wilderness, and our own domestics, to the most abject and ignominious bondage: Desirous, at the same time, to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God's superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely, in all their lawful enterprizes, on his aid and direction, Do earnestly recommend, that Friday, the Seventeenth day of May next, be observed by the said colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by a sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease his righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain his pardon and forgiveness; humbly imploring his assistance to frustrate the cruel purposes of our unnatural enemies; and by inclining their hearts to justice and benevolence, prevent the further effusion of kindred blood.

But if, continuing deaf to the voice of reason and humanity, and inflexibly bent, on desolation and war, they constrain us to repel their hostile invasions by open resistance, that it may please the Lord of Hosts, the God of Armies, to animate our officers and soldiers with invincible fortitude, to guard and protect them in the day of battle, and to crown the continental arms, by sea and land, with victory and success: Earnestly beseeching him to bless our civil rulers, and the representatives of the people, in their several assemblies and conventions; to preserve and strengthen their union, to inspire them with an ardent, disinterested love of their country; to give wisdom and stability to their counsels; and direct them to the most efficacious measures for establishing the rights of America on the most honourable and permanent basis; That he would be graciously pleased to bless all his people in these colonies with health and plenty, and grant that a spirit of incorruptible patriotism, and of pure undefiled religion, may universally prevail; and this continent be speedily restored to the blessings of peace and liberty, and enabled to transmit them inviolate to the latest posterity. And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and abstain from servile labour on the said day.

This statement was hardly unique. It was followed by similar proclamations from Henry Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, and John Hanson. You may read these here.

So, George Washington was following an established tradition when he made his more famous Thankgiving Proclamation in 1789. You can view that proclamation as published in the Wednesday, October 14 edition of The Massachusetts Centinel here.

Kezz-ick

I appreciate this post from Know Tea regarding the non-phonetic nature of the English language. I am a fan of phonics instruction and especially recommend TATRAS phonics (which we use at home). Tea's complaint is that phonics-only instruction has led to the overly literal pronunciation of our language.

The most obvious example I can think of is the word often. Often is to the word oft as the word soften is to soft. The ”t” is silent. At least it used to be, until well-meaning English teachers taught their students to pronounce it phonetically.

Ours is not a phonetic language. We don’t pronounce the “t” in castle, trestle, nestle, pestle (as in “mortar and . . .”), listen, or glisten either. Why pronounce it in often? OK, if you insist on doing so because “it’s listed as an acceptable pronunciation in the dictionary,” then fine. I won’t twist your arm. Unless you’re ever singing in a choir that I’m conducting.

Forehead is another word that has fallen victim to hyperpronunciation. In generations past, no one would have thought of pronouncing it “fore-head” any more than they would have pronounced cupboard as “cup-board.” Longfellow’s little poem about the little girl with the little curl preserves for us what was once the universally accepted pronunciation: it rhymes with horrid. If you insist on pronouncing it as fore-head, what are you going to do with cupboard? What are you going to do with boatswain or coxswain?

Another good one is "vineyard," which I hope you pronounce "vin-yerd." And don't forget place names:

Gloucester rhymes with Foster. Similarly, Worcester (whether one is referring to the one in England or the one in Massachusetts) sounds like “Wooster,” not “wer-sester” or “wer-chester.” Leicester is pronounced “Lester,” not “lye-chester.” Most of our science teachers taught us how to pronounce Greenwich (as in Greenwich Mean Time). Keswick likewise has a silent w. There are even more confusingly-spelled names (especially for non-native speakers), such as the famous surname Featherstonehaugh (pronounced “Fanshaw”).

Not only is the "w" silent in Keswick, but the "s" is said with a "z." This one drives me crazy because there is an apartment complex in Conyers called Keswick Village, and I hear just about all of my co-workers call it "Kess-wick" Village, not "Kezz-ick."

Overcoming Hyperopia

In preparing a recent sermon on Revelation 21 as a model for the church, I was struck by the parallels between Ezekiel and Revelation.

In fact, the whole book of Revelation is a new covenant Ezekiel; the two books are completely parallel in structure, thought, and language:

• both open with a throne vision of God, high and lifted up
• both show plagues poured out on the unfaithful
• in both the saints are sealed on their foreheads
• both have the prophet eating a book
• both have a harlot who is judged
• both have a lamentation over the fall of Jerusalem
• both have a battle with Gog and Magog
• and both close with visions of the new temple and the new city
  

I'm sure I have missed many others. The point is that John, like Ezekiel in chapters 40-48, is giving us the vision, the blueprint, the kingdom plan for God's people and calling them to repentance and to conformity to the vision. When we better see the parallels between what Ezekiel was doing for the old covenant people of God and what John is doing for the new covenant people, we better understand that John’s words are for us here and now, not just in the future.

Back to Bloggin'

Alright. Need to put some stuff on here for a change. I'm sitting here (in the living room thanks to Pop's kindly contribution of a Belkin wireless router to the Daily Mail) and listening to some 1990 vintage Throes. All the Flowers Growing in Your Mother's Eyes. What a great album. This was my soundtrack for commuting to Georgia State during that long lost spring of '91. Here's what some guy named J.Edward Keyes of the All Music Guide says:

Arriving in the heyday of the alternative revolution, the Throes' astonishing debut, All the Flowers Growing in Your Mother's Eyes, captured the innocence and idealism of that singular movement. Driven by the songwriting prowess of Bill Campbell and Harold Evans, the Throes create dour, moody pop akin to the Smiths and R.E.M.. Songs are built around Campbell's sparkling guitar and driven forward by Evans' idiosyncratic percussion. Where most college rock bands flounder amidst pretentious lyrics and too-light music, the Throes convey their often-poetic sentiments adroitly. "This Love Is an Ocean" churns and rolls, moving slowly forward while "Passion Flower" is up-tempo and colored by sadness. Even the sweaty, punkish rave-up "Skin Kings" is propelled by a sentiment of self-loathing and disgust. All the Flowers Growing in Your Mother's Eyes works because it stays open and airy and buoyant despite these weighty confessions. The record is charged with the unmistakable energy of possibility, the sound of a young band who still believes they can change the world.

That's funny. I always thought the guitars and harmonies had a sixties feel to them.

Anyway, Junior (that's our pet garter snake for those without a program) got out of his cage today thanks to my negligence in closing the lid to his cage last night when I fed him. He wandered into Marian's closet and I had to track him down. May this series of events never happen again! He's now back home and the lid is on tight!

How weird is it that Bo Schembechler died on the eve of the "Game of the Century?" (By the way, this is at least the 3rd game of the century already this century. There was Miami-Ohio St. in 2002 and USC-Texas last year. There may have been more.)

I was going to say something about my little yellow radio that rides in my mail truckwith me, but I guess that would be tacky now. Maybe later.

Election Thoughts, Part II

My biggest concern in the wake of the election is that the Republicans learn the right message from their defeat. This concern was at the heart of my last post which pointed out that conservatism actually did quite well this election since liberalism had to dress up like it to win as big as it did. The clearest statement I have seen that shows a Republican leader learned the lesson is from Mitt Romney:

Americans spoke last night and Republicans are listening. Americans have not become less conservative, but they believe some Republicans have. As a party, we need to remember who we are and the principles that have always led our party and our country to success.

We must return to the common sense Reagan Republican ideals of fighting for hard working Americans, lowering taxes, shrinking government, curbing out-of-control spending, promoting the traditional values of faith, family and freedom, and providing a strong national security with all the necessary tools to protect the American people and win the War on Terror. (Read all of it here)

The biggest problem presented by the changeover in Congress is that the appointment of judges, particularly Supreme Court justices, just got very dicey. And of course, this problem is compounded by the refusal of the Republicans to use the so-called "nuclear option" and vote to get rid of the ridiculous filibuster rule that turns the nomination of justices from a simple majority (as explicitly stated in the CONSTITUTION[!] by the way) into a super majority. So now, rather than pulling together 51 votes for a justice, Bush faces filibuster with any worthwhile (originalist) nominee. Thanks John McCain.

Election Thoughts

This election was classic bait and switch . . .



Make no mistake, this election was not the triumph of liberalism. Democrats ran as conservatives (the models above) all over the place so they could get elected ; then in their first vote in congress they will elect San Francisco ultra-lib Nancy Pelosi as their leader (that's when they start to turn into apes!). In further bait and switch action, the Cloning Amendment in Missouri squeaked by only after a $30 million dollar deception campaign to frame it as a "stem cell" amendment (again the apes had to use masks to get a kiss).

However, all of the state amendments restricting marriage to a man and woman passed. I guess the ape of gay marriage couldn't be dressed up enough to get a kiss.

So, the country has not gone liberal. I guess it is hard to overcome the constant negativity of the drive-by media. They're a bunch of Chicken Littles about everything--the war, the economy, anything. It will be interesting to see how these "conservative" democrats vote. They will either shed their "conservatism" to walk with their liberal leadership, or they'll try to maintain the conservative veneer that appealed to voters and incur the wrath of the lunatic fringe of their party (which includes their leadership, by the way). We shall see.