Bow to your sensei.

Today is October 31st, special for at least 3 reasons.

First, it is Reformation Day, celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther nailing the 95 Theses of unhappiness with the Roman Catholic system for discussion in 1517. People of the Protestant ilk, and most of western civilization needs to bow to your sensei.

Secondly, it is the birthday of one Robert Van Winkle.

So, I share with you some lyrics from each.

Martin Luther:
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
Our helper He amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe
His craft and power are great and armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott, ein gute Wehr und Waffen;
Er hilft uns frei aus aller Not, Die uns jetzt hat betroffen.
Der alt’ böse Feind, Mit Ernst er’s jetzt meint,
Gross’ Macht und viel List Sein’ grausam’ Ruestung ist,
Auf Erd’ ist nicht seingleichen.

Robert Van Winkle:


Third, Ligonier Ministries is practically giving away genuine leather ESV Reformation Study Bibles for any donation until November 2.

If the good Lord had intended us to walk he wouldn't have invented roller-skates.

The Tampa Bay Rays last year were called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. As Oilcan observed, they exorcised the devil and find themselves in the World Series in their 11th season in franchise history.

That was a good enough reason for me to root for them to win the AL, but I have to root against them in the World Series for the following 2 reasons:

1. They are an expansion team that is still pretty young. It just seems unstable for me to have a team win a World Series after only an 11 year wait when other teams have been waiting decades, perhaps even a century. Even the Cardinals win in 2006 was after a 24 year wait, after several "almosts."

2. They are an American League team. As any true baseball fan knows, the AL utilizes the "designated hitter," which means the pitcher doesn't have to bat. I've written about the instability of that foolishness before, so I'll spare you anything beyond the MLB's lunacy of having 2 different policies for the different leagues.

So, well done Rays, but I hope your ride ends tonight.

A man's got to know his limitations.

Recently, I was called out for being male and being pro-life.

"... did i mention how creepy i find it when MEN are over-zealous pro'life' campaigners/preachers."

The implication was/is that a male had no business voicing anything with regard to abortion, since it's an issue (only) affecting women.

But ...

• I don't think you have to have children to be against child abuse.
• I don't think you have to have a pet to be concerned about the treatment of animals.
• I don't think you have to have a wife to be against spouse abuse.

And I don't think one has to have a uterus in order to enter the conversation about protecting human babies from violent death, though it probably doesn't hurt.

I'm not about love; I'm about showin' you the money!

I couldn't help but pass this on, the best explanation of the complexities of the tax system. (HT Rick Ballard)


Tax Cuts: A Simple Lesson in Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

I guess the bartender ate the remaining dollar but it is not really germane to the outcome

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

'I only got a dollar out of the $20 declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, 'but he got $10!'

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'

'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'

'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money among all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

Attributed to
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

The good does not always triumph. Sometimes the dark side overcomes what Lincoln called the better angels of our nature.

Many may not aware of the Born Alive Protection Act and all that implies where Obama is concerned.

In a comment, Kasey wrote:

"I had planned to vote for Obama... until I saw a video of Gianna Jessen speaking about the Born Alive Infants Act. I had no idea that some infants who were to be aborted were actually born alive, and then thrown away to die. (See bornalivetruth.org.) Obama voted against Born Alive 4 times. My conscience won't allow me to vote for someone who thinks that's ok."

Gianna Jessen survived a botched abortion, but the issue is whether or not those infants born alive should receive medical assistance or be left to die or have their lives terminated. Here's a clip with Gianna on Hannity & Colmes (9/15/2008).


Kasey also recommends these 2 clips of Gianna's testimony found at
Radical Womanhood: Because being a biblical woman in a modern world is a radical act.




I encourage you to read the whole article, Abortion: The Strong Define the Rights of the Weak.

(See also BornAliveTruth.org, Barack Obama's record against the IL Born Alive Infants Protection Act.)

What if I'm looking for a bathroom, I can't find one, and my bladder explodes?

Ever stop and wonder, what's the Christian way to roll with this? Here's a real life applicational situation ...

A guy slips in the through the back/side door at Dairy Queen. He goes right into the restroom and he's in there ... a while. He comes out and slips right back out the back/side door.

I thought, "That's pretty brazen, especially as I think he did more than #1. I would have had to buy something."

Even at a gas station I feel inclined to buy a pack of gum or a Coke. Is that misplaced guilt or obligation?

So, do you feel inclined to buy something when you use an establishment's restroom?

Is that the Christian way to go, buying something?

Are gas stations in a different category? Does the cleanliness affect whether or not you make a guilt offering?

How do you roll?

First class, that's what's wrong. It used to be a better meal, now it's a better life.

Reminds me of my sermon series on Ecclesiastes. (click to enlarge)