Happy 500th Birthday John Calvin!

Today marks the 500th anniversary of the great reformer John Calvin.  His influence through the centuries has been enormous, not just within “reformed” circles, but felt wherever good theology is preached and appreciated.   His Institutes cover the main and plain things of Christianity.   

Many things could be said about his life and theology, both good and bad.  I will leave that to those who want to discuss theology and sociology.   My main point in recognizing Calvin’s birthday is for the impact he had on the early days of our nation’s history.    Because of the Reformation, a whole “new” way of viewing God and government emerged.  The Puritans and Pilgrims (separatists) followed many tenetsof reformed theology, and thus sought a freer society in which to practice their religion.   America’s un-explored shores beckoned to them and they answered arriving here in 1620, founding Plymouth Mass.  

The impact of Calvin can also be found in the science of Economics.  Yes, free-market, non-governmental economic thinking are biblical, and surely more rational than any other strain of economic thought.  

But the area where Calvin shines strongest is certainly theology.    His writings are numerous, and on varied topics.   Besides the aforementioned Institutes, he also authored commentaries on several Old Testament prophets and Genesis.  His works of theology include such titles as: Bondage and Liberation of the Will, Grace and its Fruits, Tracts and Treatises, and Treatises on the Sacraments. 

It is fascinating to me that this year we in the West celebrate two historic men: John Calvin and Charles Darwin.  Both have been impactful far beyond their years on earth, both have written books that have influenced the thinking of thousands, both are still speaking, though dead.   Who should we hold up as our hero?  That is for you to decide.  Sure, they are just men, fallen in their nature, but men make choices that effect the flow of history. 

I am thankful to God for John Calvin and his impact on history.  

Sola deo gloria!

Whew… life is busy!

This is supposed to be a personal blog, but lately all you have been getting is political blogging.  For that I apologise.   Some days I wish congress and the senate would take a LONG vacation so that I (as an activist) could take a break.  

What have I been up to lately?  Well, let me start with the weekend and go from there. 

Saturday – Phoebe and I went on a walk at 6 on Saturday before it got really hot.  After that we had breakfast and waited for our ride to arrive so that we could head to Plano.  I assisted at a booth at the Southfork Ranch TEA Party in Wiley/Plano Tx.  According to some reports there were between 35-45,000 people in attendance.    It was a hot, but very fun day with friends and fellow lovers of liberty.  Caleb and Phoebe accompanied me, and we were later joined by Johanna, Jaden, Joel and Andrew.  

Sunday – It rained during the night, which cooled things off.  What a blessing!  I got up later than I had the entire week previous, which was quite nice.  We were all getting ready for church, rushing around the house getting things ready for the day.   The service at church was good, the sermon great and the invitation even better, because a long-time friend came forward to be baptized!  I am SO happy for Nathan, God is answering prayers.    Sunday was also the beginning of our church’s VBS (Vacation Bible School).   So far we have had a good turnout each night and I just love being around all the little children. 

 

 

 

 

 

 Our family picture we had taken on Sunday (July 5, 2009). 

Monday – We just hung out at the house, enjoying the cooler weather.  Nothing really exciting happenend.  Actually, I got kind of bored, if that’s even possible.  I am trying to finish listening to Augustine’s Confessions since I have to return them to the library on the 10th.  

Tuesday – Joel goes in to work later on Tuesday’s so we get to see more of him then.  He has been trying to fix a problem he’s been having on his truck for a while now.  Actually, last night he went to a friends to see if he could help him fix it, but that didn’t work, so it looks like he’s going to have to buy a couple hundred dollar part.   The rest of our family hung out at the house, working and playing.  We’ve had a much more relaxed schedule this week than we normally would.  We are taking a break from summer school because of VBS.  I was so tired yesterday afternoon that I decided to watch Paul Jehle on the Law of Nations and American History.  Such interesting information about our nation through the centuries.  Things I have never heard before, and Dr. Jehle has such an animated way of explaining things it makes it fun to listen to!   Joel and Caleb own Vision Forum’s Witherspoon School of Law and Public Policy on DVD and we’ve been watching it over the last few weeks. 

We are going to do work around the house today, hopefully get some things in order so that the house looks ok this weekend when we are going to be REALLY busy.   It’s going to get hot again by tomorrow.  Today’s high is 98, and very humid. 

I hope that each of you has a wonderful week and a beautiful rest of the summer.  

Obama gun control?

Very important, I just got this piece of news last week and forgot to post about it.  Take action and save our second ammendment! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into the House.
This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of  Sale  Act of 2009.
We just learned yesterday about this on the Peter Boyles radio program.
Even gun shop owners didn’t know about this because it is flying under the radar..
To find out about this – go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Google HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information.
Basically this “little” piece of legislation would make it illegal to own a firearm – any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless:

.It is registered
.You are fingerprinted
.You supply a current Driver’s License
.You supply your Social Security #
.You will submit to a physical & mental evaluation at any time of their choosing
.Each update – change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25
- Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.

There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Guns must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18.

The Government would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 yrs. in prison.

If you think this is a joke – go to the website and take your pick of many options to read this..
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text

It is long and lengthy. But, more and more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along.
FAILURE TO DO SO AT YOUR PERIL!

Any hunters in your family – pass this along.

Peter Boyles is on this and having guests. Listen to him on KHOW 630 a.m. in the morning.

He suggests the best way to fight this is to tell all your friends about it and “spring into action”.
Also he suggests we all join a pro-gun group like the Colorado Rifle Association, hunting associations, gun clubs JPFO (JEWS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF FIREARMS OWNERSHIP) and especially the GOA and NRA..

This is just a “termite” approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense – chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it.
YOU MAY NOT OWN OR EVEN LIKE GUNS, but if you LOVE FREEDOM, YOU better get involved NOW!!!
TOMORROW YOU MAY NOT HAVE AN OPTION.

This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not.
The Second Amendment… ..  America’s original homeland security

Exciting news about S.B. 604 (Audit the Fed)

I got this from Campaign for Liberty Monday.   Some exciting news about what’s going on in the senate version of this fight.   Please take a minute to read and comment.  

July 6, 2009

Dear Friend of Liberty,

Earlier today, the first shot in our battle to pass Audit the Fed through the U.S. Senate was fired on the Senate floor by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

Senator DeMint, who has a well-deserved reputation for taking the battle to the other side in the Senate, once again proved why he is such a valuable ally in our fight to bring transparency and accountability to the Federal Reserve.

A little while ago, the Senate voted to pass HR 2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. This $3 billion bill contains, among many other things, provisions for GAO audits on certain agencies.

Seizing on a chance to take quick action to bring Audit the Fed up for a vote, and with the GAO provisions in mind, Senator DeMint attached the full text of S 604, the Senate version of Ron Paul’s Audit the Fed bill, to HR 2918 as Senate Amendment 1367 before it was considered for final passage.

However, Senate Democrats refused to even allow a vote on the amendment!   That’s right.  The internationalist, Fed-loving elite in the Senate used a parliamentary tactic to shut down DeMint’s amendment.

After Senator DeMint brought Audit the Fed to the floor, Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska raised a “point of order” to prevent a vote, claiming that the amendment violated Senate Rule 16 by “legislating” on an appropriations bill. The Senate president agreed, and the amendment was shot down.

Senator DeMint did not back down, though, and directly challenged Senate leadership by pointing out the other GAO audits contained in the bill. As Senator DeMint listed them off, the Senate president was forced to agree with Senator DeMint that each one he described, all of which would be left in for final passage, also violated Senate Rule 16.

Which tells us at least one thing: the problem wasn’t with “legislating” on the bill or violating Senate Rules (which is commonly done).  Shooting down the amendment was about preventing a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve for the first time in its history!

Senate leadership is hoping this issue will just fade away so they can get on to what they deem to be more “important” business, like dictating what kind of healthcare plan you and I can carry or passing destructive Cap-and-Tax legislation.

But the American people deserve answers on what the Fed has done with trillions of our tax dollars and what they are committing us and future generations to as part of their secret deals with foreign central banks and governments.

The leadership decided today to turn their backs on transparency, but our fight is just beginning.

As Senator DeMint made clear on the floor, the Audit the Fed bill has wide bipartisan support.  He rightly warned the Senate that even if they delay today, they WILL have to deal with the issue on the floor.

It is up to you and me to back up Senator DeMint’s words by making sure the momentum continues to build and the bill comes up for a final vote.

The rejection of the Audit amendment is just the first battle in our war. Now is the time to really put the pressure on the U.S. Senate to Audit the Fed!

Senator DeMint fired the opening salvo and showcased the hypocrisy of the Senate for allowing other GAO audits to be included in the bill while refusing to even allow a vote on Fed transparency.

Again, we’re just getting started. Senator DeMint will keep fighting to pass Audit the Fed on its own or as an amendment, and we need to continue putting pressure on our senators to do everything in their power to achieve a floor vote!

Click here to sign our online petition.  And visit our Audit the Fed action page for contact information to call, write, and fax your senators and urge them to support S 604 and to push for a final vote. 

Together, we will finish this fight to Audit the Fed!
In Liberty,

John Tate

President (Campaign for Liberty)

Worldview News

Item #1

An Open Letter to Pastor Rick Warren
By Jan Markell
On July 5 the Washington Times online reported that Pastor Rick Warren told his Islamic audience, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA,) that he envisions “a coalition of faith.” Whether Pastor Warren knows this or not, this is just another term for the coming one-world religion outlined in Revelation 13. It is further outlined in Revelation 17. I have not taken on the issue of Rick Warren all that often, but after reading what the Washington Times has to say about his message to a group of spiritually lost Muslims, I feel I must address this in an open letter to who many say is the most influential pastor in America and some would say the world.

To read these stories look under our national and international news section at:
http://www.worldviewtimes.com/news
US, Russia Agree on Framework for Arms Deal
The Stoning of Soraya M.
The world of archeology is rocked by evidence of King David’s palace unearthed in Jerusalem.
The unemployment timebomb is quietly ticking
Rick Warren envisions coalition of faith

Item #2

Worldview Matters with Brannon Howse
Topic One:  Rick Warren speaks for the Islamic Society of North America and not only does he NOT give the gospel as usual but Warren called for “a coalition of faith” which Jan Markell says is another way of calling for a one-world religion.  Warren is proving that he is extremely ignorant and foolish.  Is Warren really just a false teacher that has completely duped most non-thinking Christians, including tens of thousands of pastors?  It now seems that Warren is very open about his real agenda and beliefs after making millions of dollars with which to fund his message of pluralism and ecumenicalism.  Sadly, many Christians will continue to follow Warren because they are completely void of discernment.  Warren’s popularity with the liberal press, the globalists and the heretical mainline churches continues to grow and we will continue to watch to see what role Warren will play in these the last days.  Topic Two: Former Air Force special agent is thrown out of ISNA conference and detained by police.  He claims that ISNA and CAIR essentially tried to get him killed.  Topic Three:  How the election of Al Franken to the U.S. Senate means we may never have another free election in America.  How has ACORN, the Secretary of State Project and other liberal, Saul Alinsky type groups working to create chaos, an environment for voter fraud and guarantee more liberals like Al Franken.  Topic Four:  What does transgender and gender neutral dorms have to do with the decision by Chicago University to have co-ed dorm rooms?  Topic Five: We take your calls on these topics.

Item #3

The Socialists in the U.S. Congress and Their Connection To Fabian Socialism and John Maynard Keynes
By Dr. David Noebel

Item #4

50 Reasons Why We Are Living in the End Times
By Dr. David Reagan
Item #5

A Revolution Needs Two Things: A Financial Crisis and the Youth of the Middle Class
By Brannon Howse

Item #6

When a Nation Does Not Listen to God
By Kay Arthur

Item #7

75 Experts See $2,200 Average Gold Price Ahead
Do you trust YOUR financial expert’s advice? Has he or she grown your hard-earned money over the last year, five years, decade? If so, congratulations! If not, perhaps you should be listening to different experts.

Item #8

Honduras Outraged by Obama-Chavez Alliance
By Cliff Kincaid
They are mystified that an American president would want to return this Chavez puppet to power in Honduras.

Item #9

When Did Life Appear?
By Ray Comfort
When did life appear on the earth? Was it billions of years ago, or was it something like 6,000 years ago? The Smithsonian doesn’t know (pictured). They use the word “probably” when it comes to when life began, which is probably the most-used word when it comes to the theory of evolution. I use the word “probably” when it comes to it being the number one word, because I really don’t know. I could be wrong.
Item #10

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Dirty Little Secret: The Cult in Its Midst
Below is the text of a resolution submitted to the Southern Baptist Convention’s Resolutions’ Committee which met before the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (S.B.C.) in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009. The committee chose not to pass the resolution entitled, “Freemasonry and Current Events,” on to the convention where messengers could have had the opportunity to view and vote on the resolution. The committee killed it! Therefore, once again leaders of the SBC failed to encourage and warn its members to stay out of Freemasonry. (There are hundreds of thousands of masons in the SBC.)

For more information and articles go to www.ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com

Stop the Pass Act (S 1261)

“Are you ok with having an RFID chip implanted in your drivers license?  Do you want to be digitally identified by a facial recognition database using your DL picture?

This will happen if we don’t kill the PASS Act in Committee next week.  The bill contains many of the worst aspects of the defeated REAL ID Act, including a mandate for internationally compatible facial recognition photographs.  Just introduced a few weeks ago,  PASS is being fast tracked through Committee before the American public has a chance to respond.  With this type of BIG BROTHER technology, you may be inhibited from attending public gatherings like the Tea Parties for fear of retribution.  You may not be able to get on a plane without the “proper documentation” and you will have no privacy with respect to your travels.  This legislation presents a grave threat to our civil liberties.” 

TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY TO STOP THIS LEGISLATION BEFORE IT GETS OUT OF THE US SENATE COMMITTEE!!

ON MONDAY JULY 6, WE ARE ASKING EVERY AMERICAN TO CALL EACH OF THE SENATORS LISTED BELOW AND TELL THEM:

1. We are opposed to the REAL ID Act and the PASS Act
2. We are opposed to being enrolled into a biometric identification system
3. We do not want our social security numbers in state DMV databases
4. We do not want RFID chips in our drivers licenses
5. We are opposed to the federal intervention in the issuance of state driver’s liscenses

Lieberman – Chairman (202)  224-4041

Akaka (202) 224-6361

Burris (202) 224-2854

Coburn (202) 224-5754

Graham (202) 224-5972

Levin (202) 224-6221

McCaskill (202) 224-6154

Tester (202) 224-2644

Collins (202) 224-2523

Bennet (202) 224-5852

Carper (202) 224-2441

Ensign (202) 224-6244

Landrieu (202) 224-5824

McCain (202) 224-2235

Pryor (202) 224-2353

Voinovich (202) 224-3353

Please call these key senators along with your senator asking them to vote NO on this horrid bill!

www.StopRealIDCoalition.com for more information. 

For Liberty,

Abby – editor Imprimis

Happy Independence Day America!

Today is the “birthday of our nation” – we celebrate July 4th as the day when America began.   It is a great day in our history, one filled with many important events.   Much more than fireworks, cook-outs, pool parties or vacations.   

Blood has been shed to protect the soil of our nation, men and boys have given their lives to preserve all that we hold dear.    Just as the Founding Fathers promised each other when they wrote at the end Declaration of Independence:

we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our Fortunes, & our sacred Honor. 

Why would they pledge such a thing as their lives?  What is so special about our nation? 

Well, many things come to mind, but I want to point out just three for your consideration. 

1. Our nation is a nation of laws – Much of our founding was based upon the Bible, the Divine Law book.  These laws governed every area of the lives of Americans for many years.   At the beginning of the Declaration we read the following:  “When in the Course of human Events it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth the separate & equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.”    The Founders were careful to include the fact that the Laws of Nature come from Nature’s God, and entitle us to certain things.
2. Our nation is based on the fact that “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable Rights” – among these are “Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness:”  – These rights come from Nature’s God, not the government.   Three rights are mentioned by name that are given by God: Life.  God is the author of ALL life; from the very beginning of humanity He is the Maker.    “7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”   Liberty.   God gives us the liberty to do certain things, to make certain choices.  But He also gives us boundaries which we must remain in (e.g. The Ten Commandants).   Inscribed on our Liberty Bell is a magnificent verse about liberty – “10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.”   The Pursuit of Happiness.   We are to find our ultimate fulfillment in Christ.  The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.    In our pursuit of happiness, we must not cause injury to ourselves or to other people.  The law of God commands that. 
3. We have a form of government unlike any other.  Our nation was founded as a Constitutional Republic.  You will not find the word Democracy anywhere in the Declaration or Constitution.  Why?  Because as Ben Franklin put it, we have “A Republic, if you can keep it.”  That was in response to a lady who asked him what “kind”  of government the delegates to the continental congress had decided upon.  Our government is one of checks and balances, divided amongst the 3 branches of government: Executive, Legislative, Judicial.   If you read the Constitution carefully, you will see that the Founders clearly delineated the powers to each branch.    We the people are the ones who have a say in our government.  That is unique among many nations even today.  

Let us remember our nation’s founding and not sit idly by as it goes to pot.  We must stand up, shout out and act!  Action is loud, Washington WILL hear us!   I love my country and I am grieved to see where it is going.   Won’t you join me in thanking Almighty God for His kind providence to our nation over the 233 years since her founding?  We must. 

Happy Birthday America!  May God Bless you!!

Real I.D. Info

The Real ID has morphed into the PASS Act and we will discuss what it is, what it means and how to kill it before it ever hits the Senate floor for a vote. We did not have that luxury with Real ID, we had to fight it AFTER it passed. The PASS Act (S.1261) is a REAL and PRESENT DANGER to our National Security and we must come together to stop it before it stops us. DETAILS to listen by web or phone or submit questions: http://republicmagazine.com/webinar/

If you want more information about such important topics as this, please check out this YouTube.

This is SUCH an important piece of legislation; we MUST kill it before it becomes law. 

Dallas TEA Party – July 4th

There is going to be a TEA (Taxed Enough Already) held in Plano the afternoon of July 4th.   If you would like more information please check here, and also a map is available.   The party begins at 3 and runs until midnight where the day is capped by a big fireworks show.   Parking is $10, so be prepared with cash for that as well as food, venders, and other booths. 

Please come out and take a stand for Liberty!!!  Bring water, signs and something to sit on and get ready to join others in spreading the message of liberty and justice for all!!! 

 

Happy July!

For Liberty,

Abby – editor Imprimis

U.S. Census Could Send People to Camps

Bachmann: Census Could Send People to Camps

Friday, June 26, 2009

By: Rick Pedraza  

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., says Americans should refuse to comply with the Obama administration’s 2010 census because the data could be used for nefarious purposes, including the imprisonment of Americans in internment camps.
Appearing on Fox News, Bachmann said it was the census that allowed the internment of the Japanese during World War II. She also boasted about breaking the law in refusing to complete the census form she received.
“If we look at American history — between 1942 and 1947 — the data that was collected by the Census Bureau was handed over to the FBI and other organizations at the request of President Roosevelt,” Bachmann said.
“That’s how the Japanese were rounded up and put into the internment camps. I’m not saying that’s what the administration is planning to do. But I am saying that private, personal information that was given to the Census Bureau in the 1940s was used against Americans to round them up.”
Bachmann said she was shocked that the census would ask for people’s telephone numbers. Although not required by law, the numbers are used only to contact recipients who have incomplete forms.
Bachmann also doesn’t like the fact the census asks about one’s age, race, and the type of home one lives in. According to the Census Bureau, questions on race have been asked since 1790; home language since 1890; rent since 1880; and income since 1940. The Census Bureau has asked what kind of heating fuel heats Americans’ homes since 1940.
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