Well, after a lot of happenings in the last couple of weeks, this week was less hectic, except in terms of stupendous changes. The first being the proposed budget sent to Congress by President Obama. The second being the weather in places a lot of people live on both the left and right coasts.

Last Monday President Obama released his proposed budget for fiscal year 2011. The proposal listed $3.83 trillion in spending, much to fight the continuing economic malaise, all of this showing the biggest deficit percentage since 1945. It is hoped this year’s deficit will come in around $1.6 trillion to be followed with something around a trillion in 2011.

As discussed by the spin-doctors and pundits, this is either the salvation or the end of the economic world, as we know it. What all these people are hoping for – is through the budget, or changes to the budget, we can return to the prosperity that the nation and the world we hoped would continue forever, namely the 1990s.

What no one seems to understand is that the ‘90s were funded basically by the housing bubble, monetarily securitizing that debt, and selling it to the rest of the world. To believe that we can do it all again, with some other zero risk – get rich scheme, borders on stupidity, if not insanity. I suppose the good news, as bad as the United States economic woes; the dollar has rebounded, thanks to things being worse elsewhere.

What the world really needs is money in the old fashioned sense, like a medium of exchange for goods and services, not a Ponzi Scheme of central bankers, politicians, and various leveraged market makers. That real money will not be loaded on the world’s economic ship until sometime in the unknown future. In the meantime the world will continue to be awash in an ocean of non-energetic debt money, with no real place to go, because the players, either don’t seem to care, or they haven’t got a clue.

On the left coast, Southern California slowly continues to wash into the Pacific Ocean. On the right coast massive snowfalls have broken trees, power lines, and frozen transit, creating economic ice. One town in Maryland is said to have received over 40 inches. The area is expected to receive another winter blast toward the middle of the week. Here in the northwest, the record snows of the last two winters have been replaced with almost an extended spring, with just freezing nights and pleasant days.

El Nino is the climate culprit in all of this. Warm ocean waters in the Pacific have shifted storm tracks to the south, so we see more rain in the arid southwest and as it moves east this moisture laden air becomes essentially an ocean effect snow, similar to the lake effect snowfalls around the Great Lakes, but this time over a lot larger area.

In all the climate change debate about global warming, nothing in the models fits this happening, but many creation scientists, believe that just more massive events as these, were the underlying reality that brought on the ice age after a period of warmth following the Biblical Genesis Flood.

Tags: FY 2011 budget, Barack Obama, global warming

Morning
Praying always.
Ephesians 6:18

What multitudes of prayers we have put up from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when He had blotted out our sins like a cloud, then we had more prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succour in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls, as constant beggars asking for everything. Bear witness, children of God, you have never been able to get anything for your souls elsewhere. All the bread your soul has eaten has come down from heaven, and all the water of which it has drank has flowed from the living rock--Christ Jesus the Lord. Your soul has never grown rich in itself; it has always been a pensioner upon the daily bounty of God; and hence your prayers have ascended to heaven for a range of spiritual mercies all but infinite. Your wants were innumerable, and therefore the supplies have been infinitely great, and your prayers have been as varied as the mercies have been countless. Then have you not cause to say, "I love the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplication"? For as your prayers have been many, so also have been God's answers to them. He has heard you in the day of trouble, has strengthened you, and helped you, even when you dishonoured Him by trembling and doubting at the mercy-seat. Remember this, and let it fill your heart with gratitude to God, who has thus graciously heard your poor weak prayers. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."

Evening
Pray one for another.
James 5:16

As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into the golden censer, there is not a single grain for Himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all supplications--and the more like our prayer is to Christ's, the sweeter it will be; thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus, the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God, the very fat of our sacrifice. Remember, again, that intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent. What wonders it has wrought! The Word of God teems with its marvellous deeds. Believer, thou hast a mighty engine in thy hand, use it well, use it constantly, use it with faith, and thou shalt surely be a benefactor to thy brethren. When thou hast the King's ear, speak to Him for the suffering members of His body. When thou art favoured to draw very near to His throne, and the King saith to thee, "Ask, and I will give thee what thou wilt," let thy petitions be, not for thyself alone, but for the many who need His aid. If thou hast grace at all, and art not an intercessor, that grace must be small as a grain of mustard seed. Thou hast just enough grace to float thy soul clear from the quicksand, but thou hast no deep floods of grace, or else thou wouldst carry in thy joyous bark a weighty cargo of the wants of others, and thou wouldst bring back from thy Lord, for them, rich blessings which but for thee they might not have obtained:--

Oh, let my hands forget their skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy-seat!

Myth: a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, typically involving supernatural beings or events.

Our human world builds its society based upon myths. Of course we have now redefined many of them in terms of the myth of science, for the most part to justify our philosophy or religion, many times both. Some of our myths are as old as human language; some are quite modern. To become a myth means that there is something believable about the story. The power of that appeal to truth, greatly contributes to the longevity of the myth.

Old myths in someway touch the deeper soul of humanity; their appeal is many times based upon an unspoken or unknown truth, perhaps even an absolute truth that transcends humanity and life itself. New myths do not stand that test of time as well, and if they lose their basic tenants through corruption and exaggeration, they cease to be myths, or even wise fairy tales.

The creation account in the Bible’s book of Genesis fits our definition of myth. The written record is attributed to Moses, but the oral tradition basically goes back to the creation of it all, and specifically through the development of a human society on earth from a couple we call Adam and Eve, created by God, in his image.

A modern myth is the demise of the earth and everything upon it via the mechanism of global warming caused by man induced greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, but not limited just to that form of hot air. Recent emails that report that the basic assumptions of the myth were manufactured to support a religious bias, have hurt the myth’s plausibility by many who were and are skeptical not only of the underlying truth of the myth, but also the integrity of the proponents.
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Tags: myth, Genesis, God, global warming, Satan, Jesus, justification, Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Barack Obama

The President has issued his new budget for the new fiscal year. From the conservative Republicans we hear that the deficit spending will sink the country into a morass of unsustainable debt. On the progressive Democrat side, they imply that the only way forward is through more government spending as the only way we can again obtain prosperity.

What is never discussed is the fact that before the recession began over 70% of the American economy was based upon consumer spending. It is assumed by both sides of the budget debate that if we just follow their perspectives, which can be summarized as tax cuts or tax increases, all will again be peachy keen in no time.

The meltdowns and the bailouts were enacted, because a consumer economy based upon cheap debt, fueled by a housing bubble, has run out of gas. To assume, by either plan, and a whole lot of positive thinking we will find our way out of the deep woods has no basis in real reality.

Both parties recent political histories of either tax and spend or tax breaks and spend are based on a dumbed down views of not only human enterprise but also human culture. The basis in both of these paradigms is that we are smart enough to manage everything, generally under the faith in the premise that we specifically are promoting alone, and really not much else.

What both concepts do is combine leadership principles of power and authority essentially in the Federal government. First of all, authority means you have the lawful and common right to lead. Power means you have the actual ability to make it happen. The U. S. Constitution really rests very limited authority in the Federal government and even less power. Most of both are left to the states and to the people themselves.

Finally natural ecosystems grow to maturity and then reach a climax state, where energetic utilization becomes greater essentially through true diversification. This means that naturally we will find ways to replace the material consumerism if the politicians and their special interest get out of the way and let the system work. If they do not the whole culture will collapse and we will have to begin again at some lower level of both information and energetics. That is not spin just the wisdom of Deep Woods Moola.

Tags: tax cuts, tax and spend, leadership, U S Constitution

Three items we find significant enough to merit inclusion on this look back toward the week that was.

The biggest change in our world came on Wednesday the 27th with Apple’s announcement of their new iPad. Sure this doesn’t have the earthshaking ramifications of President Obama’s State of the Union Address later that evening – well maybe it does, for the President’s remarks seemed to be more of the same coming out a Washington, but we will get back to that later.

I bought a Mac Plus in 1985, it had 1mb of ram, internal and external 800k floppy drives, an Apple dot matrix printer, and cost about $3300 out the door. Following that Apple developmental line, lest we forget the iPad is really the evolutionary descendent of the Newton which debuted in 1993 and died a silent death in 1998. In that intervening decade we have seen the emergence of our current vast array of PDA’s that have greatly changed the way the world does its business and its pleasure. It seems today that the world has become touch-screen; the new iPad now means we might be able to do something revolutionary with touch-screen technology.

I stopped into the local Apple reseller in Spokane on Saturday and they knew just about what you could gather from reading the press, and they said it would probably be a couple of weeks before they would know if they would be able to handle both the Wi-Fi and the 3G versions.

The significance of the technology will probably have a dramatic effect on both your web interface and how you do your reading of what is generally called print media. The ability to embed video in what used to be solely printed words will open a new frontier in the way we get and manage our information. The most apparent is being an acceleration of the dismantling of traditional books, magazines, and newspapers. Just as important is how publishers and authors are going to get paid for their endeavors. The real need for a laptop or desk computer will be that some of us still need a real keyboard to get information at speed into our pages, pretty much everything else we do, can be done on an iPad with a price point varying between $500 – $900.
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Tags: iPad, bioterrorism, Barack Obama, State of the Union

Morning
The Lord our Righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6

It will always give a Christian the greatest calm, quiet, ease, and peace, to think of the perfect righteousness of Christ. How often are the saints of God downcast and sad! I do not think they ought to be. I do not think they would if they could always see their perfection in Christ. There are some who are always talking about corruption, and the depravity of the heart, and the innate evil of the soul. This is quite true, but why not go a little further, and remember that we are "perfect in Christ Jesus." It is no wonder that those who are dwelling upon their own corruption should wear such downcast looks; but surely if we call to mind that "Christ is made unto us righteousness," we shall be of good cheer. What though distresses afflict me, though Satan assault me, though there may be many things to be experienced before I get to heaven, those are done for me in the covenant of divine grace; there is nothing wanting in my Lord, Christ hath done it all. On the cross He said, "It is finished!" and if it be finished, then am I complete in Him, and can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory, "Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." You will not find on this side heaven a holier people than those who receive into their hearts the doctrine of Christ's righteousness. When the believer says, "I live on Christ alone; I rest on Him solely for salvation; and I believe that, however unworthy, I am still saved in Jesus;" then there rises up as a motive of gratitude this thought-- "Shall I not live to Christ? Shall I not love Him and serve Him, seeing that I am saved by His merits?" "The love of Christ constraineth us," "that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him which died for them." If saved by imputed righteousness, we shall greatly value imparted righteousness.

Evening
Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and overran Cushi.
2 Samuel 18:23

Running is not everything, there is much in the way which we select: a swift foot over hill and down dale will not keep pace with a slower traveller upon level ground. How is it with my spiritual journey, am I labouring up the hill of my own works and down into the ravines of my own humiliations and resolutions, or do I run by the plain way of "Believe and live"? How blessed is it to wait upon the Lord by faith! The soul runs without weariness, and walks without fainting, in the way of believing. Christ Jesus is the way of life, and He is a plain way, a pleasant way, a way suitable for the tottering feet and feeble knees of trembling sinners: am I found in this way, or am I hunting after another track such as priestcraft or metaphysics may promise me? I read of the way of holiness, that the wayfaring man, though a fool, shall not err therein: have I been delivered from proud reason and been brought as a little child to rest in Jesus' love and blood? If so, by God's grace I shall outrun the strongest runner who chooses any other path. This truth I may remember to my profit in my daily cares and needs. It will be my wisest course to go at once to my God, and not to wander in a roundabout manner to this friend and that. He knows my wants and can relieve them, to whom should I repair but to Himself by the direct appeal of prayer, and the plain argument of the promise. "Straightforward makes the best runner." I will not parlay with the servants, but hasten to their master.

In reading this passage, it strikes me that if men vie with each other in common matters, and one outruns the other, I ought to be in solemn earnestness so to run that I may obtain. Lord, help me to gird up the loins of my mind, and may I press forward towards the mark for the prize of my high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Tags: State of the Union

A multiple-choice question concerning Wednesday January 27, 2010.

Which of the following events should have added to your understanding of the world and the interpretation of those happenings that may significantly impact your future?

1. Barack Obama gave his first State of the Union address to Congress as President of the United States of America.
2. In Europe there was a commemorative service remembering the sixty-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
3. I bought a frozen pizza on my way home after getting my car repaired, ate it during the President’s address, and then thought about how impossible it would be to pay for it with real money.
4. All of the above.

Of course the correct answer is D all of the above.

Speculation before the State of the Union Address centered in the quandary of whether President Obama would stay on the liberal or progressive course of his first year as President or would he shift his emphasis towards the political center like Bill Clinton did in his first term. The most verbal conservative pundits were both right and correct, in Obama’s world, “The era of big government is not over and is alive and well!” at least from his Administration’s perspective.

Before we continue, am I the only one in the world that finds his speech giving technique extremely annoying? First of all he lifts his head like he is peering over and looking down on all the people, or perhaps it is more like an old man trying to read something through the bottom of his bifocals. Then he continually shifts from one teleprompter screen to another, never ever stopping to make eye contact with the primary camera. All the TV anchors really don’t find it all that hard, with some it seems that is the only thing they do well. Maybe we could buy another device with some Federal stimulus money and it could be mounted on the camera, or even on the back wall of the speaking venue, and then he could make his speech like a normal celebrity.

In an interview somewhat on the appearance of recent setbacks his Administration has suffered, the President responded somewhat in the following paraphrase: I would rather be viewed as a one term messianic President, rather than being a two term mediocre one.

This response seems totally out of touch with the reality, which is probably, if he does a really mediocre job in his first term, chances are still pretty good that he will be reelected. If he does even a reasonable job, he can’t be defeated. The only way he will not be elected to a second term is if he continues on the current course and his policies turn out to be a complete disaster. Viewing the Obama presidency as an “act of God” as a catalyst for traditional renewal now seems to be the bent of the rising constitutionally pragmatic historic center of the American citizenry. The pundits that view this as somehow an adrenalin boost to the Republican Party are just so – twentieth century. Read More...

Tags: State of the Union, Auschwitz, gold

At the close of my philosophy class at the end of my undergraduate college education, Mr. Gibbons stated essentially that your success in any philosophical argument that you may choose to pursue, really wasn’t due to the strengths or logic of your arguments, but rather the weakness of the position of others. This came as I spent the quarter discussing in written response to Mr. Gibbons questions, the role of language in our interpretation of reality, and a term paper on Philosophy and Science, with a conclusion that stated: Science is what my father uses to convince me to eat my peas and philosophy is what I use to state why I think (eating peas) is a bad idea, and “and” is the word that holds the whole thing together.

Of course none of these discussions dealt with the epistemology of sophisticated language itself and how it developed only in humans. To say that somehow it evolved from the grunts, howls, cries, and similar communications of less evolved animals, truly lacks any intellectual acumen. Furthermore that discussion would quickly require the reality of supernatural intelligence that never has been a prerequisite for what we call the modern university, which doesn’t deal with the real universe at all, and especially in the arts and humanities, mostly uncontested, ad hominem, personal bias about the universe.

We touched on those profound truths last week in our exegesis of the Genesis creation account. This week we continue along those lines looking at how sin entered the perfection of God’s creation and what that means to us today, a day and age when we think we have evolved to such a point that evil and sin no longer exist. That construction, again based not so much on the strength of the evolution argument, but rather a lack of anything looking like an argument from the other side in common life, or as Augustine defined the term, “City of God.”

In a worldview that holds that the beginning really isn’t that long ago, like thousands of years, rather than millions and billions of years, what we see demonstrated in creation, is not a revelation of the deity of creation itself, but rather the omnipotence of God. Furthermore when you look at human history, especially its violence and a sacrificial system of appeasement to nature’s supernatural gods, many times including human sacrifice, you see evil depravity at the opposite extreme of the continuum of good and evil, where our definition of good is some warm fuzzy feeling of my desire to withdraw from the reality of actual life.
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Tags: sin, God, Jesus, Genesis, IQ, evolution, U S Constitution, The Fall, sin cosmos