The Duel

This morning I alluded to a poem about a Gingham Dog and Calico Cat. Bekka Nelson found it, and here it is.

The Duel
by Eugene Field (1850-1895)

The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!
      The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
      Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
            (I wasn't there; I simply state
            What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went "Bow-wow-wow!"
And the calico cat replied "Mee-ow!"
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
      While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
      Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!
            (Now mind: I 'm only telling you
            What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)

The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, dear! what shall we do!"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
      Employing every tooth and claw
      In the awfullest way you ever saw---
And, oh! how the gingham and calico flew!
            (Don't fancy I exaggerate---
            I got my news from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning, where the two had sat
They found no trace of dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away!
      But the truth about the cat and pup
      Is this: they ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
            (The old Dutch clock it told me so,
            And that is how I came to know.)

Not new, but a must read

A great article by Dinesh D'Souza. Ten Things to Celebrate.

One of My Traditions

I am looking forward to listening to the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's College Cambridge. It is on MPR tomorrow morning at 9am local. Of course, with a gazillion munchkins around, I probably won't hear much. So, I am going to record it and listen a little later - and relax. Every once in a while the choir master will pull out a strange "carol." But, all said, I am looking forward to it.

On Your Marks

The family is starting to arrive. Things will be ratcheting up for the next two days to hit a three day crescendo. Can hardly wait.

Thanksgiving 2010

The kitchen is finally clean again. A really great Thanksgiving meal. Loving the family here. Missing those who could not make it. Wishing we were there/they were here.


God is good. Many blessings this year. Sat on the couch with my wife - my arm around her. Many of the things for which I am thankful revolve around her - God's gift to me.

Thinking about all of this.

What can I say? Not enough. But I can say.

What can I do? Not nearly enough. But I am compelled to do.

How much do I love Him? Ah. As the Bard said, "Aye, there's the rub."

There is a thankfulness that does not spring from love. The thankfulness of a customer for services rendered; the thankfulness of a manager for the effective work of an employee. But that is not the thankfulness that I should render to my Lord.

The thankfulness of a man who has been delivered from death by one who stood to gain nothing by the deed. The thankfulness of a woman who has fallen irretrievably in love with the man who has chosen her. The thankfulness of a creature whose God has deigned to pour out blessing in spite of the creature's rebellion.

I am thankful. At the prayer for our family meal - tears for the goodness of God, for the tender mercies of God, for the gift of His Son, for the gift of His Spirit.

I am thankful - beyond words.

Forgotten Space

I have sort of forgotten about this space. Forgotten space is like forgotten opportunity - both give pause for reconsideration. After careful reconsideration, I am going to try to remember this space more often. I have some other things in mind as well. I will try to get them incorporated.

Now, Happy Thanksgiving. I know that I am a day early. But, Jacque and I have much for which to be thankful. So, I start early.

I am going to do something formal tomorrow. But, it is supposed to snow again today. (I really don't see how the "snow" follows the "something formal" but there you are, Sometimes randomness just hits you.)

A Great Day Today

Today was a great day. We were reminded strikingly of the full spectrum of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in the morning service. Several of our adults brought us from the Prophet Isaiah, through the Nativity, and ended with a statement from a Roman Centurion. Put the children and music in the mix, and the program was challenging, enjoyable, and a blessing to those who were there. I really want to thank all those who had a part in the program.

Experience Speaks

“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear."


Marcus Tullius Cicero

A Note from Jay Adams

This came through my RSS feed. It is a good, short reminder of the inportance of our companions.

Find it here.

A Sad State of Affairs

I ran across a story and found it on MSN News. Three sad things:

1. It's sad the young boy died. It always is.

2. It's sad that it took his death to bring his mother and father to the place where they act morally and responsibly.

3. It's sad that the boy had a greater sense of morality and appropriateness than his parents.

Economic Earthquake

One of the men of the church was asking about Larry Burkett's "The Coming Economic Earthquake." I thought it was in our church library, but ... oh well. I am still looking. But it got me wondering. Not many years after Burkett wrote the book, the economy started looking not so bad, the earthquake did not come. Tough days for a "prophet." Did he have any reaction to this? Well, he updated the book in 1994 to encompass the Clinton agenda. Then in 2000 he wrote an article entitled "What Happened to the Economic Earthquake." I found it here. Take a read. The updated book is still available. We just might be seeing his forcast coming to fruition.

More on Pillsbury

This past Wednesday, Justin Nelson posted the following on his Facebook page:

"Today an announcement was made that may or may not have shocked anyone who is associated with Pillsbury Baptist Bible College. As of the end of the fall semester of 2008 Pillsbury will cease its academic programs as an educational institution and will begin its process in cleaning up its financial obligations.

"Most who've attended the institution will attest that it is the most family-oriented place on Earth. Others, on the other hand, may say the rules were too strict. Regardless our opinion about Pillsbury, what can we say about the current and conclusive situation? 'I'm sad'? 'I'm angry'? 'Who can I blame'? 'I'm not surprised'?

"Pillsbury has prepared young (and old) men and women for the work of God through education, experience and prayer for over 50 years. Many who graduated are heavily involved in full time ministries throughout the world. Many who graduated are involved in Church ministries around our nation. Many who graduated are working secular 9-5 jobs and witnessing to their co-workers and clients. Many are living their own life with God on the side.

"God has a plan for you, me and this world that we cannot fully understand. However, we do know that God loves and He will not forsake us. He has given us His Word. He has given us His Son. He has given us His Spirit to those who believe on his Son. He has given us instructions on how to live. He deserves our praise for He is Holy and good.

"Pillsbury has been an effective tool that God has used in many lives of people throughout the World. His plan for the preparation of the second coming of His Son is thought out and perfect. Let's remember Pillsbury as a place where God expressed His will to men and women for the carrying out of His eternal plan."

The Announcement

This past Wednesday, Pillsbury College put "The Announcement" up on its website. I am not ready, myself, to comment much (I have something coming). But I have found a few things that deserve circulation. The first is Dr. Kevin Bauder's remarks on Pillsbury and the fundamentalist movement in general. I am still mulling over some of his comments, but they deserve your consideration.

You can find them here.

More later.

The Failure of Intelligent Design

Dinesh D'Souza has a good article that points up the problem in trying to get an atheistic culture to give a fair hearing to God. His article is about Intelligent Design and its adherents' failure to get it included in public education curriculum. His conclusion ... read it for yourself, here.

This is what Oprah is giving us?!

It's just too much for one day. Earlier today I was steered to the video below. Then, I heard that Oprah was introducing a pregnant man this afternoon. After I got over the fact that this was not some bizarre April fools joke, I was - well, repulsed is too small a word. What figured prominently was the idea of "redefining normal." Here was a woman who "changed" herself into a "man" by deleting some parts, and taking some drugs. With that, she changed her name to "Thomas". And that made her a man. Except - she wanted a baby, so got pregnant. When writing about the experience she (I refuse to acknowledge any maleness in this) said that she wanted everyone to "embrace the gamut of sexuality and define for themselves what is normal." Here is humanity deciding to be its own standard. Nothing really new here. But, the length to which this "human debris" (I owe this to Rush) was willing to go has moved the evidence of humanity's ultimate degradation to a new level.

Well, some might wonder how in the world this can happen. We know about humanity's depravity. But, what - how - where did this come from. Listen to this and you will begin to understand. By the way, I know nothing about the book being advertised at the end.

CDC report on STDs

But, will they suggest Abstinence education? Can't do that.

Petition against Genocide

This should catch some people off-balance!

"When we all get together"

The epitome of fellowship will be when we gather together around our Lord's Throne in His presence. However, until then, the fellowship of believers is a bit of the heavenly expectation. Yesterday and today (Friday-Saturday) the men of the MBA, and several friends from other states, met together at Pillsbury for the MBA Men's Advance. The fellowship was great. Every year I come to this is a blessing.

I just want to thank all the men and women who helped. Especially those connected with Pillsbury College who went out of their way to make our meeting a success. I don't know who they all were, so I won't name them. But they were a blessing to me, and to the other men who attended.

God bless you!

Got Silly?

John Hinderaker, over at PowerLine, referenced one of the great confusion factors of our time. In his January 17, Headline of the Day, he points to the following headline: "Bush drilling plan could threaten polar bears, panel chairman says." Mr. Hinderaker makes some excellent points in his small piece. It is hard to take seriously people who rail against the administration for not having a policy for energy independence, and then disallow every avenue of attaining that goal. I do not want the polar bears harmed either, and I agree with Hinderaker when he says, "My guess is that the polar bears would barely notice the drilling. As for global warming, the Arctic is still pretty frigid." This is not about bears or snail-darters (in fact the bears might eat the snail-darters given half a chance), or spotted owls or caribou. It boils down to a philosophy (Eco-ianity, or maybe Eco-insanity) forcing its rule on government, when the people are rejecting it. You gotta get your point out, so be silly! And they did it! (Were silly, that is.)