The Story of Ian & Larissa

I first ran across this lovely couple via their blog Pray for Ian, shortly after Ian’s accident.  Heartwarming, God-honoring, faithful couple that they are, they share a beautiful love for each other, and more importantly for Jesus that radiates from their words, faces and their love story.

I am thankful for them, and the example of Christ-like sacrificial love they display.

Please watch and re share, you will be blessed!

An interview with Peter Bringe {Author}

It is my privilege to bring the second part of my interview with Peter Bringe about his marvelous book, The Christian Philosophy of Food. I apologize about it taking this long to post.  Blogging hasn’t been one of my top priorities lately.

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1. I really enjoyed your discussion on food and culture, and the various ways we can use food to remember, to mourn, to worship, to rejoice.  What are some historical / biblical examples of these ways of using food?

There are very many examples in the Bible and history, this being the way food is used constantly throughout life. In the Bible we have several examples of rejoicing with food, like the Feast of Booths (Deut. 16:15), the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:22-24), and one of my favorites, the feast of the tithe (Deut. 14:22-27), where every year the Israelites would take a tithe of their produce and feast on it, “…and spend the money for whatever you desire—oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.” (Deut. 14:26) You also have food used as memorials (Exod. 12:14), hospitality and community (Gen. 18:1-21), and the lack of food used in fasting (Joel 1:14). In history we have seen similar uses. Whatever is important to a people tends to be commemorated by food and other cultural expressions. When we eat our American Thanksgiving meal we are showing gratefulness for our godly heritage, our blessings in recent years, as well as a lingering valuing of family that remains in our culture. When the Norwegian-Americans eat their lutefisk dinners they are remembering the hard times their ancestors had coming to this land when that had to eat that stuff to survive (Lutefisk is basically cod soaked in lye). A similar thing can be said of the Scots when they eat haggis, remembering and identifying themselves with their sturdy and rustic ancestors that survived on sheep innards. A great deal more could be said about this, about how our holidays and structure of times and meals say a great deal about who we are, but this is an interview, not another book.

2. You quote Calvin on fasting, and I really liked what he said about what fasting does for the church and the people who make up the church: “The second end is common to both, for this preparation for prayer is requisite for the whole church, as well as for each individual member.  The same thing may be said of the third. For it sometimes happens that God smites a nation with war or pestilence, or some kind of calamity.  In this common chastisement it behooves the whole people to plead guilty, and confess their guilt…”  Do you think Christians have forgotten the importance of fasting and how good it is for us spiritually?  Do you think that perhaps one of the reasons behind the lack or seeming lack of Christians fasting, is the association with Roman Catholicism?

Yes, I think fasting has been in some measure become a lost art because of a reaction against the asceticism of Rome. The Bible does recognize that fasting can be abused (i.e. Matt. 6:16-18, Col. 2:18-23), but that doesn’t mean that it can’t be used properly. I like how Calvin explained it, “The thing, indeed, is properly a feeling of the mind. But when the mind is affected as it ought, it cannot but give vent to itself in external manifestation…” While it is important that we don’t become too focused on the external, that isn’t the problem of many Christian when it comes to fasting. They just want their food and want it now. I know that it is hard to fast, but it is rewarding when done right, helping to clear the mind, to focus, to rest, etc…

3. You spend a good section on fasting speaking about the self-control factor.  I know in my own life that I struggle with self-control, and I think a lot of people do, thank you for taking time to remind us of this important factor in Christianity.

This part I’m preaching especially to myself, as self-control, especially in snacking, can be very difficult to master. But as Christians we should be the most self-controlled of all people.

4. I love what you had to say about food and community.  I have always been blessed with family meals, at least twice a day, usually three times daily.  Don’t you think it is time for the church to call families to focus on communing together, eating healthy and engaging in Christian hospitality?

Certainly. Hospitality isn’t just a good idea, it’s an imperative from our loving God. “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:13). “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Pet. 4:9). Culture, especially food, is meant to be enjoyed with other people. Culture identifies, and we find our identity within the context of our relationships (with God and man). Culture unifies, and we end up unifying with whom (or what) ever we do stuff with. It is not good that man be alone in his work (Gen. 1:27-30, 2:15-23). While you can still do things in private and we do have individual relationships with God, we are also very often viewed in Scripture as the corporate bodies of family, church, and community. We aren’t isolated souls, and we shouldn’t act that way. Throughout Scripture, rejoicing, fasting, etc… (i.e. culture) are often done as households, communities, and congregations (Deut. 12:7,12,18, 14:26, 16:11,14, 26:11; Ezra 8:21; Ps. 9:14, 14:7, 22:25, 40:9-10; Eccl. 9:9; Joel 1:14; Luke 15:25; etc…).

5. I loved your thoughts about Communion.  Can you explain to our readers what you said in that section?

When we see food generally memorializing and unifying, it’s not a surprise that Jesus uses bread and wine in the sacrament of Communion. While we have unity with our family and community through food that remembers past hardships and victories of our common forefathers, here in a special and spiritual way our covenantal unity with Christ and His people is symbolized and sealed with food that remembers Christ’s death and victory.

6. You talk about gratitude, and how we are to be flexible about partaking of food that is not necessarily something we’d eat on a regular basis, but as Paul says we need to partake of whatever we eat, with thankfulness.  Can you speak to that?

Food is a controversial subject, and not just in our time. The are several passages of Scripture dedicated to keeping the peace between brother who differ on food. For example, “Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats” (Rom. 14:20); and, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fattened ox and hatred with it” (Proverbs 15:17). While we ought to work hard for good food as those working for the Lord, we have to keep our goal (to love God and love others) in sight or this good work can become selfish pride. Food is a loving gift of God for our enjoyment to give Him glory, and we rebel against this purpose when we use this gift for arguments and strife. How often do we take this gift that we ought to be thankful for and become selfish. This could be the most important lesson to take away from the Bible concerning food: to be thankful to God and praise Him for the wonderful food He provides, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Even if He provides a hot dog. Let us use food to build love and community, not to destroy it.

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:1–5)

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 Thank you so much Peter! You can order his book here.

Messy Mondays: Making Time for God

You can enjoy more of these videos here.

Are We Sliding Toward a Police State? – Reason Magazine

A Sacramento, California area family is mourning the death of their mentally disabled son, who was shot to death by a sheriff’s deputy after the family had called the sheriff’s department for help in restraining him. Newspaper accounts suggest the deputy ordered the young man—a severe germophobe—onto the ground, which sparked intense struggling. After a tussle, the deputy shot the man in front of his family.

As is typical, the sheriff defended the officer and said that he was well within his rights to use deadly force, which is no doubt true given that current law gives officers wide latitude to restrain and even kill people.

Comb through newspapers across the country and one will find many incidents of officer-involved shootings and aggressive behavior by the authorities, who, as an aside, increasingly look like paramilitary rather than community officers. Police say society has become more dangerous, but crime rates are falling even during tough economic times. The number of officers killed on duty is at record lows.

In my view, the reason for the incidents is the nature of policing has changed. Following the 9/11 attacks, officers have convinced themselves that every member of the public is a potential threat. Every local police department is awash in grants from “Homeland Security” to buy the latest toys and weaponry. Attitudes have changed and the local police aren’t your friends any more.

From a practical standpoint, these incidents remind us to think carefully before calling for police help. From a policy perspective, it’s time for a wide-ranging debate about use-of-force issues that’s not dominated by police unions and their political courtiers.

This is from the Los Angeles Daily News this week: “Abdul Arian, the 19-year-old Winnetka man killed in a hail of police bullets on April 11, was buried Tuesday at the Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood. … [M]any attendees who knew Arian expressed anger about the way he died, following a car chase through the San Fernando Valley that ended on the 101 Freeway … .”

I’ve written about such shootings at the hands of deputies and police officers. Sometimes they are justified, but often the killings leave me wondering whether those officers would have reacted as they did had it been their child driving the car or their mentally ill son squirming on the ground.

Many people have been outraged at the tragic killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida and liberal critics have blamed those “stand your ground” laws that allow the use of deadly force by ordinary citizens when they are under attack rather than forcing them to retreat before defending themselves. 

Such laws might embolden people, but I wish these critics—who insist on putting a racial tilt on a matter that has far broader implications—would also look closely at government-sanctioned use of force. If “stand your ground” laws embolden armed citizens, what happens when armed officials are given the broadest legal latitude to kill and also are protected by their departments and their unions?

Police officers sometimes have to use deadly force. We all understand that. It’s an oftentimes tough job. But we keep seeing the fruits of America’s slide down that slippery slope toward a police state: 6-year-olds searched at airports, armed police patrolling the halls of junior high schools, drones deployed over U.S. skies to crack down on crime, SWAT teams arresting the sellers of unlicensed raw milk, armed agents shutting down peaceful medical marijuana clinics, code officers and other regulatory agents granted the powers and weaponry of peace officers, trigger-happy police who seem to reach for their weapons before trying other, less-deadly alternatives.

We’ve become a society of checkpoints and searches and increased surveillance wherever we go. We have federal officials who monitor bank accounts and gain added powers to snoop on us, broad anti-terrorism laws that allow the authorities to detain citizens indefinitely without due process. Many conservatives applaud these expansions of power because of their concern about terrorist threats and street crime. Liberals applaud them also, given how eager they are to use government to “improve” our society. The more laws and regulations one passes, the more authorities one needs to enforce them.

Whatever happened to civil libertarians, who must be in hiding somewhere? Why aren’t Christians—who are more than willing to flex their political muscle on gay marriage and other issues—talking about the impact of these policies on the least among us, or thinking seriously about those in jails and prisons?

We’re creating a brutal and inhumane society. This is from a recent Los Angeles Times article: “A Los Angeles County commission investigating jail abuse heard tearful testimony … from clergy and civilian monitors who worked in the lockups and said they witnessed deputies assaulting inmates and bullying witnesses to keep quiet. One jail monitor broke down as she recounted being intimidated by a deputy whom she said saw beat an unconscious inmate. A weeping jail chaplain described deputies calling him a rat after he reported another beating.”

When officials misbehave so egregiously, it undermines our society and our form of government in deep and disturbing ways.

Ultimately, it is up to we, the people, to push the pendulum back in a more sensible direction. Since 9/11, Americans have placed their security over their freedom, but I’m sensing an understanding of the problem among serious people from all political perspectives.

When Americans think about public employee issues these days, they think about the pension crisis. But as serious a problem as that is, the biggest public-employee issue relates more directly to who we are as a people and what kind of society we want to live in. We need to demand that the authorities behave more like members of our community and less like an invading army.

Steven Greenhut is vice president of journalism at the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.

Ron Paul at Texas A&M

Ron Paul‘s speech from April 10, 2012 at Texas A&M university

30 Years After the Falkland Islands War

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Argentina’s invasion of the British controlled Falkland Islands, and rumblings over whose land it is, continue.

Strategically placed near natural resources, the islands lie over 200 miles off the coast of South America.  Historically, the British have claimed the rights to this land for hundreds of years.

Thirty years after the Falkland war, barbs are still flying from both sides.  British PM, David Cameron in a speech before the British Parliament stated that the Falklanders desire to keep their independence and that any moves towards incursion by the Argentinian army would not be tolerated: “We support the Falkland Islanders right to self-determination, and what the Argentinian’s have been saying recently, I would argue, is actually far more like colonialism, because these people want to remain British and the Argentinian’s them to do something else.”

Argentina probably won’t do anything to evoke the wrath of the mighty UK, and since the British have been there for so long, it is unlikely they would try to retake the land they claim as their own.  Argentina’s Interior Minister, Florencio Randazzo said this in a statement to the media “It’s totally offensive coming from Great Britain…” And he continued, “We aspire to the notion that they will finally respect the U.N. resolution which has been agreed by the majority of countries in the world.”

There’s your bit of history for the day.

Time 100 {Poll}

Time Magazine has once again published their Time 100 candidates for we the people to vote on, as being the most influential. 

Ron Paul was at #2, now he’s at #3 and needs our votes.  Let’s make him #1!!!!!!!

You can vote on the poll here, and read all about those who are vying for that top spot.

Voting ends APRIL 6, 2012

ADHD is not a disease

I found this video while browsing the web this morning.  It is spot on about ADHD not being a disease.  So many young people who are simply energetic, creative and on the go are mis-labled “ADHD” because they are kids, with energy and enthusiasm for life!

Would we dare rob our children of a precious childhood by medicating them into zombiehood through drugs that suppress their natural actions?

I have decided

I have been thinking lately about the huge task it is for me to keep up two blogs, and other responsibilities I have.  Sooo,

I have decided to transform this blog into my haven for political, educational and odds and ends posts.  My other blog (www.abbykautt.blogspot.com) will be my personal blog with pictures from my life, updates about my personal goings on, and various other posts.

Just so you know, I won’t be dropping off the blogging radar completely, just transitioning into a different role here and there.  I probably will only have time to post on this blog once a week, but will post as often as I can on my other blog, so check it out.

Thank you so much to my faithful readers and those who comment.  I value your time, and hope that you will continue to check in on a regular basis and leave me your opinion of what you read here.

Sunday Meditation

Earlier this week in my personal study and meditation time, I read Isaiah 58, and was convicted and encouraged by what I read.  Isn’t it amazing how the Scripture can do that?  Praise God!

Isaiah 58:1-14 Fasting that Pleases God

  “Cry aloud, spare not;
Lift up your voice like a trumpet;
Tell My people their transgression,
And the house of Jacob their sins.
² Yet they seek Me daily,
And delight to know My ways,
As a nation that did righteousness,
And did not forsake the ordinance of their God.
They ask of Me the ordinances of justice;
They take delight in approaching God.
³ ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and You have not seen?
Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?’

“In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure,
And exploit all your laborers.
⁴ Indeed you fast for strife and debate,
And to strike with the fist of wickedness.
You will not fast as you do this day,
To make your voice heard on high.
⁵ Is it a fast that I have chosen,
A day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush,
And to spread out sackcloth and ashes?
Would you call this a fast,
And an acceptable day to the Lord?

⁶ “Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸ Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’

“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰ If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
¹² Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

¹³ “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,
From doing your pleasure on My holy day,
And call the Sabbath a delight,
The holy day of the Lord honorable,
And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways,
Nor finding your own pleasure,
Nor speaking your own words,
¹⁴ Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord;
And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth,
And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”