Linkage

Today in History, presented by Tara Ross

This Day in History: Benedict Arnold is born
On this day in 1741, Benedict Arnold is born. You know him as a traitor to the American cause, but do you know the rest of his story? Arnold started off as someone that you might admire. ...

THE BRIEFING, presented by Albert Mohler

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021
PART I We Are All Witnesses of History: U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Impeach President Donald J. Trump for Second Time
PART II What’s the Big Deal about $1? The Supreme Court Hears Arguments in a Case with Nominal Monetary Value, but Huge Implications for Religious Liberty
PART III New York State Is Facing a Serious Money Crisis: What Does It Mean That Lawmakers Are Turning to Expanded Gambling and Legalized Marijuana as Potential Solutions?

Blog and Mablog, presented by Doug Wilson

Real Justice
Pastor Doug writes:

We live in a time when many evangelicals are realizing that we are standing at the base of a really steep learning curve. These are demented times, and the steep learning curve consists of the effort you will need to exert just in order to keep your sanity. If you are in that position, and are not sure where to start, I would recommend starting with this book, The Justice Primer. ...

This is good to see: President Trump issues statement urging that there be "NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind". He expands on the theme in this video, as well.

In this kinda long essay, Richard M. Reinsch, II writes "Why the Republic Can Hold" in National Affairs magazine. Well worth the few minutes it takes to read it!

Charissa Koh of WORLD Magazine looks into efforts to demilitarize the police. Very good article. My take: The lead photo is of a St. Louis County PD - my home county! - armored vehicle deployed during the 2014 riots in Ferguson. Personally, I will be so glad when the police go back to being the police, rather than a paramiltary organization.

Last but not least:
Peter Heck writes in Disrn,

Missouri declared the first “abortion-free” state

Missouri has become America's first "abortion-free state," after all 45 abortion facilities in the state have closed or ceased performing abortions, according to a report from pro-life organization Operation Rescue. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Charles Spurgeon Morning and Evening - "Mighty to Save" Isaiah 63:1

Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

"Mighty to Save"
Isaiah 63:1

By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire onward to complete sanctification. The words are multum in parro: indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent, but he is able to make men repent. He will carry those to heaven who believe; but he is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, and to constrain the despiser of his name to bend the knee before him. Nay, this is not all the meaning, for the divine power is equally seen in the after-work. The life of a believer is a series of miracles wrought by "the Mighty God." The bush burns, but is not consumed. He is mighty to keep his people holy after he has made them so, and to preserve them in his fear and love until he consummates their spiritual existence in heaven. Christ's might doth not lie in making a believer and then leaving him to shift for himself; but he who begins the good work carries it on; he who imparts the first germ of life in the dead soul, prolongs the divine existence, and strengthens it until it bursts asunder every bond of sin, and the soul leaps from earth, perfected in glory. Believer, here is encouragement. Art thou praying for some beloved one? Oh, give not up thy prayers, for Christ is "mighty to save." You are powerless to reclaim the rebel, but your Lord is Almighty. Lay hold on that mighty arm, and rouse it to put forth its strength. Does your own case trouble you? Fear not, for his strength is sufficient for you. Whether to begin with others, or to carry on the work in you, Jesus is "mighty to save;" the best proof of which lies in the fact that he has saved you. What a thousand mercies that you have not found him mighty to destroy!

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Love y'all
Ron and the Debster

Charles Spurgeon Morning and Evening - "The iron did swim." 2 Kings 6:6

Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening

"The iron did swim."
2 Kings 6:6 (NASB)

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honour of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the stream and to swim; for things impossible with man are possible with God. I knew a man in Christ but a few years ago who was called to undertake a work far exceeding his strength. It appeared so difficult as to involve absurdity in the bare idea of attempting it. Yet he was called thereto, and his faith rose with the occasion; God honoured his faith, unlooked-for aid was sent, and the iron did swim. Another of the Lord's family was in grievous financial straits, he was able to meet all claims, and much more if he could have realized a certain portion of his estate, but he was overtaken with a sudden pressure; he sought for friends in vain, but faith led him to the unfailing Helper, and lo, the trouble was averted, his footsteps were enlarged, and the iron did swim. A third had a sorrowful case of depravity to deal with. He had taught, reproved, warned, invited, and interceded, but all in vain. Old Adam was too strong for young Melancthon, the stubborn spirit would not relent. Then came an agony of prayer, and before long a blessed answer was sent from heaven. The hard heart was broken, the iron did swim.

Beloved reader, what is thy desperate case? What heavy matter hast thou in hand this evening? Bring it hither. The God of the prophets lives, and lives to help his saints. He will not suffer thee to lack any good thing. Believe thou in the Lord of hosts! Approach him pleading the name of Jesus, and the iron shall swim; thou too shalt see the finger of God working marvels for his people. According to thy faith be it unto thee, and yet again the iron shall swim.

Please comment below. And keep it civil, folks! Disagreement and debate are fine, name-calling and so forth, not acceptable, and may be deleted.
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Love y'all!

Interesting links (Trigger warning: they are political!)

Peter Heck writes at Disrn: Opinion: Riots aren’t the “language of the unheard,” they’re the language of the thug. It's pretty good:

I admit that I could be totally misreading my fellow Americans, but placing my figurative finger on the common man's pulse, I don't get a strong sense that many of us are into violent riots. I think most citizens regardless of gender, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic background thought this was bad:

[He follows this with several graphic video clips of rioting and mayhem, both from BLM/Antifa, and from the mess last week at the US Capital.]

Read it all!

Here's a great one from Laura Mize, also at Disrn: OH governor signs bill banning telemedicine abortions
This is truly good news, a step in the right direction in the fight to protect the unborn.

While you're at Disrn, check some of the other links as well. Lots of good stories there, such as the fake Chuck Norris at the riot and V.P. Mike Pence refusing to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Here's another good one, from Oren Cass at the American Compass website: Where Do We Go From Here?.
Here's a sample:

I often compare President Trump to an earthquake—a costly disaster, but one that exposes structures outdated or sloppily built and provides the opportunity to improve upon them in the rebuilding process. We are living now through the final tremors, which can do most damage because they shake foundations already weakened by what has transpired. Trump’s actions and inactions in the election’s aftermath and especially in the last week are impeachable offenses, but the Congress’s decision whether to proceed is political and prudential in character rather than legal, and impeachment and removal is more complicated than tweeting “Impeach. Remove.” I believe he should be removed as soon as possible on principle, as precedent, and because the benefits outweigh the costs, but I must confess to having weak confidence in that third judgment and I also find persuasive Philip Klein’s argument that a slow, post-inauguration process might be most appropriate. Regardless, I consider intemperate the suggestion that this is an easy decision or that only one plausible position exists. A fine example of a healthier politics would be an acceptance on all sides that “remove the president in the week his term ends” is a proposition on which reasonable people might differ.

As you can tell, it is not very flattering to the president.
Read it all!

I could add a lot more, but that's enough for today.

This picture gives you an idea of why I am leaving Facebook!

Please comment below. And keep it civil, folks! Disagreement and debate are fine, name-calling and so forth, not acceptable, and may be deleted.
Don't forget to subscribe for email alerts if you haven't already!

Love y'all!

Christian Nationalism

Neither Satan nor sickness nor sinful man is sovereign. Only God is. And he is good and wise and sovereign. - John Piper

Interesting bit from Al Mohler's "Morning Briefing" today. He's discussing problems with Christian nationalism.

It takes us back to Washington, D.C. and many of the national media, and that would include those of more secular worldviews and those who have a better understanding of Christianity. They remarked about how much Christian imagery was used or abused in the demonstrations that took place on Wednesday and even the violent invasion of the United States Capitol. What does it mean that there were banners that invoked the name of Christ, that there was Christian symbolism? Is this an idolatrous fusion of the nation and the gospel?

More:

Now, at this point, perhaps this is a clarifying insight. When you're looking at the danger of nationalism from a Christian perspective, the greatest danger is that the nation, rather than the church, becomes the vessel of God's providential plan and His promise of covenantal blessings. To put the matter just as bluntly and simply as we can for Christians, even as we celebrate a proper patriotism, even as we are very thankful for the United States of America, even as we are eagerly and actively involved citizens of the United States, and even as we see a singular identity for the United States even amongst other nations, we do understand that our ultimate identity is not national. It is indeed not even patriotic. Our ultimate allegiance, our ultimate identity is in Christ to whom, by faith, we have been united, and under whose Lordship, we gladly serve, and that includes, most importantly, our identity within the church of the Lord, Jesus Christ.

You really need to read the whole thing.

Good by, Facebook! It's been nice knowing you!

 I'm done. I've had it up to HERE with Facebook. 

Check out this post from Jonathon Turley, lawyer, author, scholar.

Those fools just blocked Ron Paul, with no notice or warning, 

for unspecified violations of “community standards.” Paul’s last posting was linked to an article on the “shocking” increase of censorship on social media. Facebook then proceeded to block him under the same undefined “community standards” policy.

More:

Even before the riot, Democrats were calling for blacklists and retaliation against anyone deemed to be “complicit” with the Trump Administration. We have been discussing the rising threats against Trump supporters, lawyers, and officials in recent weeks from Democratic members are calling for blacklists to the Lincoln Project leading a a national effort to harass and abuse any lawyers representing the Republican party or President Trump. Others are calling for banning those “complicit” from college campuses while still others are demanding a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” to “hold Trump and his enablers accountable for the crimes they have committed.” Daily Beast editor-at-large Rick Wilson has added his own call for “humiliation,” “incarceration” and even ritualistic suicides for Trump supporters in an unhinged, vulgar column. 

I refuse to allow myself to be "canceled", so before I'm booted from FB for violating some unspecified "standards", I'm walking away for good. I'll keep my page open for a couple of weeks, and I'll keep my Messenger account unless/until I get booted from that as well.

Y'all can always reach me through here, just click on my Profile.

Link to "Continuing the Story: 2020 Reading Goals - Update" by Leslie

Recent post from a very good friend of about a quarter of a century. Read it, and follow her. You'll not regret it!

Ron

Continuing the Story: 2020 Reading Goals - Update: It may be a little premature for me to update my 2020 Reading Plan since I still have almost two weeks to finish up.  BUT...the last two boo...

Backyard swimming pool issues. First-world problems, ya know?

My great-grandparents, Heie and Helena Jansen

Good evening, everyone.

It's been raining and storming off and on all day, so not able to get a whole awful lot accomplished.

The Debster and I finally got our pool set up in the backyard the other day. The fifteen-foot diameter monster takes up a sizable chunk of the tiny backyard we have. Anyway, we've been working on getting it filled, and are about 3/4 of the way there. 

We're seeing one issue that we HOPE doesn't turn serious on us. Turns out the yard wasn't quite as flat and level as it appeared. There is about a 6 inch difference in the water levels from one side to the other. So once it's filled, one side will be filled to the brim, and the opposite side will have 6 or 7 inches yet to go. 

The real problem is, the opening for the filter pump is kind of high up on the wrong side. So we're crossing our fingers that the water level will be high enough for the pump and filter to work. If it isn't, then we are faced with draining the pool, and then take on either the back-breaking chore of using a shovel to dig out, by hand, the whole area to level it off, or to turn the pool around to put the pump on the lower side. Problem with doing that is that the pump's electric cord may not be long enough to reach the GFI outlet closest to the pool.

Speaking of that outlet, it doesn't even exist yet. I'm hoping we can tap the existing wiring going to the storage shed. There's a perfect place to put the outlet on the outside wall of the shed, where the wiring conduit goes through. But, we don't know if the existing circuit will be able to handle the load.

My handyman nephew has promised to check it out for me, and get an outlet installed even if he has to put in new wiring or something. The problem is, he is highly undependable. We can never be sure he will show up when he says he will. Today is Thursday, and he had promised to come this past Tuesday. Haven't heard a word from him. 

We may have to fork out some money to have an electrician come out and do this, but when I broached this idea to our landlord, he balked. (He is my brother-in-law and father of the wayward handyman nephew.) Not because we wanted him to pay for it, that's on us. But because he doesn't want "outsiders" to be working on his property. He's an odd duck about that. Always has been.

Well, that's enough of my first-world problems.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to subscribe, and comment below.

Ron out.

A little humor (very little), what I'm reading, good news on health issues, other stuff.

Start off with a little bit of humor

Here are a few links to some blogs I've been reading today:

Toxic Patriotism

A discussion of the difference between toxic patriotism and nationalism.

Russian city removes “untruthful” plaque commemorating thousands of Poles murdered by Soviets

This is a virtually perfect example of the horrific result of the previous post's topic.

Authentic vs Phony Faith

Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

"There is a phony faith that claims to believe in Christ, but is only a fire insurance policy. Phony faith “believes” only to escape hell. It has no real desire for Christ. In fact, it would prefer if he did not come, so that we can have as much of this world’s pleasures as possible. This shows that a heart is not with Christ, but with the world."

2 minute audio clip from John Piper, with transcript.

Oh God, Make Us Angry!

The recent deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd demand that Christians be aflame with the Godly anger that opposes all things like racism and oppression and abuse and corruption. One caution I would add is that we not fall into the trap of worldly, unrighteous anger. James 1:19-20: Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

There were a lot of good articles today, but those were the cream of the crop.

Moving on to other stuff

Healthwise, things are looking up. I had a chemical stress test done recently, which showed some abnormalities. So, yesterday I went in for a heart catheterization. That went MUCH better than expected! Just some plaque build up, and no stent required. The cardiologist is confident that this can be controlled by diet, exercise, and perhaps a change in my cholesterol meds.

And, then to put icing on the cake, I got a call from the eye surgery clinic today. They can FINALLY get me in for the much needed cataract surgery on my right eye. About time, I'm almost blind in that eye by now. Next Tuesday they're going to do all the tests and measurements, with the surgery the following Monday. Hallelujah!!!

Did a little work on genealogy today, still processing that same obituary for Albertine Formhals Thornton. I should have been able to knock it out in a couple of hours at most, but I keep getting distracted, both by chasing down rabbit holes that it uncovered, as well as by external stuff. (Grrrr! Facebook Grrr!)

Oops, almost forgot. A HUGE shout-out to the Debster. That woman has been really going gang-busters with making sure we eat a lot more healthy and a lot less junk. I should have been all along, what with the diabetes and all, but I think this latest thing about my heart scared her more than she's letting on. Now that's she's helping me control the calorie input, now I have to really bear down on the whole exercise thing. I have to be honest, that is going to be very difficult. But I gotta do it.

Well, as a famous cartoon character said,

That's all for now, folks!

Ron out.

Thinking about my dad on Memorial Day

My dad, Marion Johnson, circa 1943

My dad was born just before World War One, in 1915. He married in 1938, and in September 1943 he was drafted into the Army, at age 28. His wife was pregnant with their only daughter, who would be born a few months later, in December.

Dad had to miss out on the birth of his daughter, her first steps, her first words. He was overseas, fighting in France and Germany. He didn't get to come back home until the war was over in 1945. That was when he first met his daughter, at almost two years old. I can't even imagine what that had to have been like. My dad often wore his emotions on his sleeve, so I imagine there were tears of joy on his cheeks.

Dad's first marriage eventually collapsed, and he remarried. He and his second wife had three children; I am the eldest.

Dad very seldom spoke of his service, and never about the combat. His stories, when I could pry one out of him, were of the "human interest" kind. Running into his younger brother in France, finding a snake in his bivy, his disgust with the open toilet holes in the sidewalks in France. That kind of thing.

This sort of stoic "I'd rather not talk about it." attitude was widespread among the veterans of that war. But what they accomplished in overthrowing Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, the Japanese Empire, and a few assorted allies of theirs, was nothing short of stupendous.

Then, there was the post-war period, as Americans helped Germany and Japan to rebuild their destroyed nations and their economies. Now, those two countries are not only economic powerhouses, they are also staunch allies.

To bring it forward, I doubt that,when we finally fully disengage from Iraq and Afghanistan, those nations will be allies of ours. Perhaps on paper, but not serious allies.

Today, we solemnly remember those who have given their lives in the service of our country. In that respect, this post should be for Veterans Day, not Memorial Day. But, considering everything Dad lost during his service, especially the chance to really bond with his baby daughter, I'm going to say that part of my father did die in that war.

Well, I'm done here, for today. Stay tuned, my friends. Please, comment below, and don't forget to subscribe!

Ron out.