MN Governor, Tim Pawlenty

I just heard our governor, Tim Pawlenty in an interview on the radio.

Tim is a believer in our Lord Jesus Christ. He spoke well of responses to our state's recent calamities, and the response of the people of MN.

He deflected the praises of the interviewer as to how he handled the events of recent MN tragedies to those who had laid the ground work for the first responders through training, the way the first responders carried out their duties, and for the average citizen who helped out, often in their own personal harm's way, to help their neighbor.

He explained that it was a reflection of their faith, by their up-bringing, nurturing, and encouragement by those who were instrumental in their lives (i.e. their mentors), he was very grateful for that.

Our Governor is a man that truly reflects our Lord.

I, am very grateful for that!

Duane

"What is wrong with our culture?"

I rec'd this today from Chuck Colson.

I believe it is a telling tale of our culture.

Please read and consider his thoughts.

_______________________

Of Dogs and BabiesCruelty and Outrage
August 17, 2007

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia isn't known for mincing words on the Senate floor. Still, even by his standards, his recent comments about a crime in the news were especially impassioned.

He repeatedly called the alleged crime "barbaric" and even volunteered to attend the execution of the accused. He told his colleagues that he is "confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt . . ."

What prompted the senator's ire? Genocide? Ethnic cleansing? No, cruelty to animals, specifically the indictment of NFL star Michael Vick.

As you probably know, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback was recently indicted in connection with a dog-fighting ring allegedly operating out of his home in Virginia. The indictment included shocking details about the cruel way in which dogs that could no longer fight were disposed of.
Public reaction to the indictment was so strong that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell took the unusual step of telling Vick not to report to the Falcons' training camp. If he had reported, Vick would have seen dozens of picketers outside the camp holding signs reading "Kick Vick" and "Sack Vick."

Let me be clear: The allegations, if true, are barbaric, and whether the defendants plea bargain or are tried, if convicted, they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

Still, as former Congressman J.C. Watts noted, something's "out of whack" in this response. He wrote that people get "more worked up over the admittedly brutal and inhumane treatment of soulless dogs" than "the brutal procedure known as partial-birth abortion."

Writing in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Watts quoted CNN's Nancy Grace, who said that the dogs "can't defend themselves." He then reminded readers that unborn children are even more defenseless. "If only," Watts continued, "animal-rights [advocates] would acknowledge the more precious worth of human life."

Watts' explanation for this moral blindness is that "cultural degeneration" has so skewed our priorities that we decry "the mistreatment of innocent animals, while we turn a collective and legislative blind eye to the premature and yes, barbaric killing of human life in the name of 'choice.'"

He concludes by saying that "once—just once," he would like to see people express the same level of outrage at the taking of innocent human life as they do over the mistreatment of animals. "Absent that, [he weeps] for them and for our culture."

The blindness Watts describes is the result of the two most destructive ideas in our culture. The first is the belief in radical autonomy which exalts "choice" and blinds us to the reality of what is being chosen. Choice, after all, is just a process. What matters is what you choose.

The second is the denial that there is anything inherently special about man—he is just an especially clever primate. Thus, there's no reason to get more upset over the death of humans, however barbaric, than the death of animals.

Combine the two and you have sad irony that Watts noted—an irony whose contempt for human life should make us all weep.

______________

I can tell you, that I'm weeping for our culture!

Today the issue at hand at our home, is my father's health.
He is in an ICU dept. at a local hospital.

In light of this post.....I'm not sure if he might receive better care at an "animal rescue society"?

Duane


Duane

Here is a good commentary on the political landscape!

http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=6843

Please read!
I invite your thoughts!

Duane

Interesting placement in a "news story"!

This paragraph in an article by Steve Holland on the web, was third from the last in a lengthy story about Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

I believe the story is more accusational against Bush, than factual reporting.

Here is the paragraph:

"Many at the White House found criticism from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton particularly ironic. Aside from the Rich pardon, her husband's former national security adviser, Sandy Berger, reached a plea deal in 2005 and avoided a jail sentence for illegally removing classified documents from the National Archives and destroying some of them."

Here is the link to the whole article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070703/pl_nm/usa_crime_libby_bush_dc_10;_ylt=AkStBI_yIwi6aUqoYzpwKbAE1vAI

You be the judge.

Duane

2008 Presidential Material?.....

Rec'd this via web news today.

I'm not looking forward to a long drawn out campaign for the 2008 election.... but I'm glad that one more gifted than I in communication, has entered the fray and voiced his concerns.
For me, its way too early for me to plant my flag behind a specific candidate.
I have had many concerns how many of my "right thinking" bloggers have seemed to jump in with both feet into the Rudy boat.

__________________________________________


"Is Rudy Giuliani presidential timber? I think not," Dobson said in the commentary.
"Can we really trust a chief executive who waffles and feigns support for policies that run contrary to his alleged beliefs? Of greater concern is how he would function in office," he said.
Giuliani leads the 10-man Republican field in national polls despite longstanding doubts about his candidacy from conservatives, but he has seen his lead over second-place Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona shrink in recent weeks as social issues have moved to the fore of the debate.

Giuliani earned a national reputation for his leadership while he was mayor of New York after the September 11 attacks.


Dobson said Giuliani had tried to hide his views from conservatives, but "this leopard has not changed his spots." He also said the former mayor's three marriages raised "moral concerns about Giuliani's candidacy that conservatives should find troubling."

________________________________________________________

I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out in the media.
I loved the part in the last paragraph.... "this leopard has not changed his spots."

Duane

Our Mission in Iraq

This today from the web.

My question is: "And there is NOT a presence of terrotists (or foriegn fighters) in Iraq?
_____________________________

The soldiers went missing after an attack in a dangerous rural area on Saturday in which four other U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi translator belonging to the same patrol were killed.
The apparently coordinated strike came as U.S.

President George W. Bush' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> President George W. Bush is deploying 30,000 more U.S. troops due in
Iraq' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Iraq in June and as Democrats in Congress step up calls for the withdrawal of American forces in the four-year old war.

"We believe they were abducted by terrorists belonging to al Qaeda or an affiliated group and this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information," U.S. military spokesman Major-General William Caldwell said in the first U.S. admission that the three had been seized by the militant group.

The al Qaeda-led Islamic State in Iraq demanded in a Web site statement that Washington stop a search involving more than 4,000 U.S. troops to guarantee the welfare of the soldiers.
"Your soldiers are in our grip. If you want the safety of your soldiers then do not search for them," it said.

__________________________________

It seems to me that, al Qaeda has a high priority on the Capitol of Iraq, and the removal of U.S. troops from the region, and beyond!!!!

___________________________________

While my heart goes out to those families whose loved ones are in enemy hands'...
I have to say the mission they are on, is just, and the enemy is vile!

Please pray for our troops!

Duane

Salute to Our Veterans

On Saturday, May 19th there will be a speaker at Grace Church - Eden Prairie, MN.

I have heard Jeff speak on his experiences in Mogadishu, Somalia.
You will be blessed and encouraged by his re-telling of the events and his experiences, and how they changed his life.

Please join us, and invite your friends!

Blessings,
Duane & Sandra

P.S. Here is the link to Grace Church's website, where you can get more information, and directions.

http://atgrace.com/

The President's veto of a bad bill!

I got this from the web today.

A quote from Nancy Pelosi:

"The president has turned a tin ear to the wishes of the American people," Pelosi said during the hour-long debate beforehand. "The president wants a blank check. The Congress will not give it to him."

My take is this, The American people who elected Pres. Bush, have as say too!

I, for one, back his veto... and I am incensed at the opposition!

I know of many in Iraq that are thankful for our involvement, and a desire to see democracy and order prevail!

While I too wish the killing and bloodshed to end in Iraq, the Democrats ideas are ill-founded, and short-sighted!

Duane

Seasoned Speech

Today I post the transcript of Mark Earley, President of Prison Fellowship.

I have thought for some time now, that the wagging heads of our society are increasingly becoming more and more divisive in that what they say.

This commentary explains it well.

Please read and then see my follow-up comments in conclusion.

________________________________

A Bee in the Mouth

Note : This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

A respected journalist begins an article about the president with a statement of undiluted hatred. A prestigious Christian essayist takes every opportunity to rail publicly against Christians more conservative than she is. A famous conservative columnist uses a sexual epithet to describe a presidential candidate at a national conference.

Are these isolated incidents? Or do we have what Peter Wood calls a “national epidemic of anger”?

Wood, the provost and academic vice-president at King’s College, thinks that such an epidemic is indeed raging. In his new book, A Bee in the Mouth: Anger in America Now, Wood explores the roots of that anger and the way it manifests itself in our culture—which, he says, has turned itself into an “angri-culture.”

Now, anger is nothing new in American culture and especially in American politics. We have all lived through periods of partisan rage, name-calling, and spite. In that respect, Jonathan Chait, Anne Lamott, and Ann Coulter, whose cases I just described, were following an established tradition. Yet Wood senses something different about this “New Anger” that these people and others are practicing—and I think he may be on to something.

New Anger, the book explains, is not just a by-product of the political process. It has become central to it. The discourse of our time has become about anger, with pundits, politicians, and their supporters acting as if their anger and hatred were virtues in themselves. Political and journalistic careers are built on being angry. It’s a nationwide case of “I-hate-therefore-I-am,” says Wood. As traditional virtues like self-control have eroded, replaced by new “virtues” like self-expression, anger and hatred have become celebrated, even cherished.

If you doubt it, look around. Read a bumper sticker or a comic strip. Pick up a newspaper or a magazine. Although Wood cites prominent cases of New Anger on both the right and the left, he sees a September 2003 article in the New Republic as “pivotal.” That was the article that Jonathan Chait began with these words: “I hate President George W. Bush.”

Wood comments, “Chait is a serious political commentator, not a barroom drunk.” But Chait and others like him have legitimized a new way of talking about culture and politics that once would have seemed more at home in the barroom. They have demonstrated “that people who were eager to maintain a view of themselves as ‘serious’ and ‘thoughtful’ could, without risk to self-image or reputation, indulge in public vituperation” of the president or any other politician that they happen to hate. And many have followed their lead, with the result that true seriousness and thought have gone out the window. If you get angry enough, you prove your viewpoint worthy of respect—and that no one else’s viewpoint is even worth considering.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about how Christians can offer a positive alternative to this culture of anger. But in the meantime, we should all do some serious thinking about just how pervasive the culture of anger has become, and examining our own hearts to find out just how deeply we have let it affect us.

A person who cherishes anger is not just unpleasant to be around, he or she can be downright dangerous—as dangerous as “a bee in the mouth.”

____________________________________

I hear scripture admonishing us to; "let your speech be, seasoned with salt as it were, that you may know how to respond."

My understanding, of this word picture, is that salt was used then (and still is) as a preservative to keep foods from spoiling.

If our "speech seasoning" is to be used the same way; it should not be used to make it biting to the palette, but rather to the "preservation of what is being said."

Sometimes, I hear or read something, ...and simply need time to digest it.

If the salt was used merely as a flavoring, as opposed to a preservative...

...well, I might just spit it out, and not digest at all what was "said"!

Encouraged by Him, and sharing a thought for us all.

Duane

Global Warming!!!

More evidence that "temperatures are rising"!!! ?????

Here's a quote from MLB on Yahoo.

"And temperatures aren't the only thing that's way down: Home runs plunged during the season's frigid first week to their lowest level since 1993, with average dropping from 2.4 in last season's opening week to 1.8 this year. It hadn't been that low since a 1.6 average 14 years ago, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"You can see it. Some of the swings, not the quickest at-bats," Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said following a game in the 20-degree wind chill of windy Chicago."

So does mean that we are in a global meltdown???

I don't think so! Chilling stats however!!!

Duane

Great! I can see it now... "PETA opposes skin cancer discovery!"

I read about this today on the web.

Researchers discover a link to grape seed oil and a reduction in skin cancer occurrences.

Here is the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070326/hl_nm/grapeseed_cancer_dc_1

I'm sure PETA and most of Hollywood will be all over this one.
It seems it was tested in the laboratory on "hairless" mice!

I'm sure I'll find grape seed oil at my grocer, with the disclaimer...."Not tested on animals!"

Duane

Amazing Grace... the movie. TAKE III

This past Saturday evening, Sandra & I saw Amazing Grace once again!

This time, with two couples we have known for years, and get together with, 2-3 times per year for dinner.

All enjoyed the movie immensely!

As stated previously, we will be first in line to purchase the DVD upon its release.

While telling our neighbors about the film, I recommended they visit Chuck Colson's BreakPoint site to read the five (5) daily transcripts from the week of its release.

Here is a link to them by date aired.

http://www.breakpoint.org/listings.asp?id=158&display=Display+by+Date&page=2

I would recommend to you to read them all! 2/16/2007, 2/19, 20, 21, 22, 23/ 2007 & 3/2/2007 and then... GO & SEE this film!

Blessings,

Duane

I too, applaud General Pace!

Chuck Colson again speaks better than I.

Here is today's BreakPoint commentary.


General Pace and Morality

Our nation’s top military officer, a veteran decorated with no less than forty-eight military awards and a very distinguished career, made a startling revelation this week: He has moral conviction. The world gasps, hurls insults, and demands an apology. How dare one of the top leaders of our land have a moral belief and share it when questioned!

But that’s exactly what happened this week when the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—the first Marine general ever to hold that position—General Peter Pace, commented in a wide-ranging interview with the Chicago Tribune, “My upbringing is such that I believe that there are certain things, certain types of conduct that are immoral. I believe that military members who sleep with other military members’ wives are immoral in their conduct, and that we should not tolerate that.”

But then Pace went on to tell the Tribune, “I believe that homosexual acts between individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts.” Well, stop the presses.
Of course, all that the radio, news, and television outlets have focused on since General Pace’s comments are his remarks on homosexuality. Never mind that he puts immorality of all kinds on equal footing. General Pace went on to say in the interview, “I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way.”

While the world should be applauding a man who proposes that one of the most important institutions in our country should have moral integrity, instead we hammer him for having a conviction.

But I believe this goes far beyond the whole question of homosexuals in the military and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. This cuts to the core of the question of whether anyone in public office is free to speak his deepest religious or moral convictions. The Constitution says there will be no religious test for office, and yet we are applying one. We are basically saying that if you are the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, you are not allowed to express your moral or religious views—especially on matters of sexual preference and behavior.

This is another sign that we live in an age that no longer believes in objective truth or a moral order. Moral relativism is the rule, and personal preference trumps all. And government is there to ensure that no one place any restraint on the pursuit of our own desires.

I have long said that C. S. Lewis was prophetic when in 1943 he wrote about the irony of our education system, saying, “Such is the tragicomedy of our situation—we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. . . . In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”

Ironic that today, the head of our Joint Chiefs of Staff argues that the military should have consistent policies of moral integrity, and the world demands an apology. Maybe it is time to lock him up: General Pace is guilty. He has committed the intolerable crime of our day: He has stated his conviction in a value-free society that respects only so-called “tolerance.”

As for me, well, General Pace makes me proud that I am a former Marine.

Chuck Colson
__________________________________________

I wish I could say that I too, am a former Marine, but I am glad that I can say "I'm an American with strong moral values" based on scripture, and our Lord's direction as how to live in this present day!

From scripture I submit..... Titus 2:11-15

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

Duane

Amazing... "Amazing Grace" ....the movie

Well, we were successful in our second attempt to see this film, this weekend.
Sandra & I were able to get in to the matinee on Saturday. We thoroughly enjoyed the film.
We both offer it two thumbs up!
While it is not; a fast paced, thriller or action film... it conveys truths and cause to be proactive in the area of faith & action. It is a must see!

This screen capture, from when William Wilberforce visits the now blind John Newton.

John Newton was, by his own admission, a reprobate and Capt. of a "slave ship". He was met by Christ, (not too unlike how Saul was met on the road to Damascus).
John Newton too, was changed forever. He became a pastor of a church in England where he met Wilberforce in his early years.

It was in Newton's later years, failing health and suffering with blindness, that he challenged William Wilberforce to persevere in his quest to abolish the slave trade.

The quote from the movie that hit me most was... "I once was blind, but now I see..."

I found myself, more than once, with my heart in my throat. The scenes were gripping and provided the resolution in my heart, to persevere in this present day!

The evils of the slave trade of 200 years ago, in many ways relate the questions of today.
I.E. Human Trafficking, Abortion on demand, religious persecution and more!

We all need to see this film... to be challenged to consider how we need to be more involved, and how we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice and most importantly..."to not give up"!

Here again it the link to the movies website: http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

Please view the trailer. And PLEASE!, go see it!

Be Blessed, be Encouraged, and be Motivated for action!

In HIS Love,

Duane

P.S. Sandra & I will again see this film on the big screen...and be first in line to purchase the DVD upon it's release!

Never Give Up!

Here is the closing paragraph of Chuck Colson's BreakPoint commentary of today.

"Like Wilberforce, we must work to change the hearts of our fellow citizens. And like Wilberforce, we must never give up, but "go on in the name of God," persevering until the battle is won."

The whole commentery can be found here:

http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=6165

It is a good read!

Today is the opening night of the film, Amazing Grace.

Sandra & I will be there. I encourage you as well!

Duane

Slavery then...issues now!

I post today the transcript of Chuck Colson on BreakPoint.org

One Bite at a Time
How to Take on Social Evils
February 22, 2007

Two hundred years ago this week, the British Parliament outlawed the slave trade throughout the British Empire.
This hard-fought battle is beautifully told in the new film Amazing Grace. I watched a preview with President Bush at the White House this week, which was appropriate, seeing that this president has successfully fought against slavery in Sudan and against sexual trafficking.

The movie, which opens this Friday, is sensational. See it, be inspired, and you will learn one of the most important lessons of politics: If you hope to overthrow a great social evil—one to which people have become accustomed—it's crucial that you take the incremental approach.

It's a strategy the Great Abolitionist learned early on. When Wilberforce began his battle in 1787, slavery was both accepted and highly profitable. The slaves lived and died in the Caribbean, far from English eyes.

William Pitt, then prime minister and Wilberforce's friend, introduced a resolution in Parliament to discuss the slave trade. The motion passed easily. After all, the slave industry was not worried about a motion just to discuss abolition.

The next move was to introduce a one-year experimental bill regulating the number of slaves that could be transported per ship.

Wilberforce then gave his colleagues a first-hand look at the slave trade. As depicted in the film, he took several MPs to view a slave ship docked in London. They were horrified by the odor of death.
The slavers woke up then to their danger—and put their money to work. In 1789, despite impassioned speeches by abolitionist leaders, the slave industry prevailed against Wilberforce.
So Wilberforce took his campaign to the public. He and his followers spoke at meetings, wrote songs, and organized a boycott of slave-grown sugar. The tide began to turn—but once again, the slave industry exercised its political muscle.

In 1792, Wilberforce made a motion to abolish the slave trade. In response, the House of Commons demanded that one word be added to the bill: the word gradually. The slavers knew the great value of that seemingly innocuous adverb.

Wilberforce was crushed. Yet, he knew this was a partial victory. For the first time, the House had actually voted for an abolition motion.

Over the next few years, victory often seemed within grasp. But year after year, anti-slavery motions were thwarted and sabotaged. An exhausted Wilberforce almost gave up.
But by 1804, public sentiment for abolition was growing. In 1805, England had a new prime minister, William Grenville, a staunch abolitionist who was willing to try new tactics.
And in February of 1807—twenty years after the battle was joined—Parliament outlawed the trafficking of humans.

The pro-life lobby has learned the Wilberforce lesson. Instead of demanding an immediate end to abortion—an impossible goal—they have passed informed-consent laws and taken on partial-birth abortion. They have spent decades educating the public.

The result: Young people today are significantly more pro-life than their parents.
See Amazing Grace: It will deeply inspire you and teach you how to fight—and win—battles against today's social evils.

Learn from this...and act!

Duane

SuperBowl CHAMPIONS!

I captured this today from a fellow bloggers' site.

The site is:

http://solidrockmin.blogspot.com/

I was humbled and impressed! It is truly a sight to see, all these men, at the top of their game, on their knees. I find that I need to be on my knees more often too. And I'm not on the top of my game!

This past Thursday - Saturday, about 135 men of Grace Church met at a retreat for prayer. The 2007 Men's Prayer Summit. I was at the 2004 Summit, and it was awesome. I wish I had gone this year.

Rise Up O Men of God, rise up!

(but not until after you've spent considerable time on your knees, or even prostrate before HIM!)

Duane

Amazing Grace... the movie

Only two more days!

Sandra & I hope to see the film this Friday.

The billboards are up...the commercials are on the radio and TV.
I hope you'll join us in seeing this new release on the life and impact that William Wilberforce had with his contemporaries in England 200 years ago.

If you haven't seen the trailer, you must!
http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

We can (and must) make a difference in our culture!

Duane

President Bush today... a quotable quote!

I read this today.

Asked directly why he would not hold talks with Ahmadinejad, Bush said he would only do so if results could be achieved and that he wanted to maintain allied pressure on Iran to give up a drive for nuclear weapons that Tehran denies.
"This is a world in which people say,
'Meet! Sit down and meet!'
And my answer is:
If it yields results, that's what I'm interested in," he said.

My take is this... If the talks yield true "results"... lets talk!
If not, action is required.

Hopefully, today's news from North Korea will make their way to Tehran , Iran.

Duane

"Yes, you can speak to the issue of Iraq on the floor...but just not for 30-45 days"!

I read this on the web today. The post title is my paraphase.
It seems to me that when you are in power, you can play all the cards!

House Republican leader John Boehner (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, has said the GOP will have an alternative, but it is not clear that majority Democrats will allow it to be offered on the House floor.

"We're going to have Republicans who are skeptical of (Bush's) plan who'll probably vote for this," he said. Asked if he thought House Republicans would lose a third of their members to the Democrats' resolution, he said, "I don't think we'll lose that many."

Boehner complained Sunday that Democrats had backed out of a promise to allow an immediate, wide-ranging debate on Iraq.

On Thursday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record) said Republicans would be permitted to propose an alternative this week to the Democrats' resolution. But on Sunday, Hoyer said that is "not necessarily our plan." Hoyer, D-Md., said a House vote will be limited to the proposed resolution opposing President Bush''s troop escalation and a Republican alternative would be voted on 30 to 45 days from now.

"Live up to your word," Boehner, R-Ohio, told Hoyer.
"Democrats, Boehner said, won't even let us have a substitute. ... Give us a vote this week."

Boehner said Republicans want to offer a resolution saying a bipartisan panel should oversee the president's plan, with benchmarks to keep track of whether it is progressing.

"You're going to have that opportunity," Hoyer replied.
The lawmakers appeared together on "Meet the Press" on NBC.
_____________________

Yah! After 30-45 days of liberal media spin doctoring!
....prior to public discussion, or views of the others are heard on the floor!.

Hmmmm, "Sounds fair (toungue in cheek) to me"!

Duane

Amazing Grace

Releasing in theaters across the country the weekend of February
23-25, is a movie based on the life
and passion of William Wilberforce.

The move is titled Amazing Grace.
Here is a link to the offical site. http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/ And also a screen capture from the site.

Sherri Martin of TheVanguard.org (http://www.thevanguard.org/) saw it at a pre-screening.
Here is Sherri's review.
"Last week, we were blessed to see a private screening of the movie, AMAZING GRACE. It is the story of William Wilberforce. A fantastic story, you MUST GO SEE IT. ... John Newton is also highlighted in the movie as a great influence in Wilberforce's life. ...A Must See!"

Rod Martin, Chairman of TheVanguard.org, had this to say on his blog. http://blog.thevanguard.org/291/celebrate-black-history-month-at-the-greatest-movie-of-the-year/

Blessings,
Duane

Chili Dinner in the Chilly North

Last evening Sandra & I attended the 15th Annual Chili Dinner for our senate district (MN SD63).

You can read all about it here. http://www.sd63.org/chili.htm

The evening was to hear from bloggers in the area, and of their endeavors.

Below is a pasted excerpt from http://www.FreedomDogs.com

I also got to meet many good people last night, one of which has his own blog who ought to contact the elder about getting on the MOB blogroll—Duane Jones runs a conservative site with a strong Christian focus called the Right Choices. Duane pointed me to a new answer to MoveOn.Org called The Vanguard started by Rod Martin. Jerry Corsi recently joined TheVanguard.org as Chief Political Analyst.


You can read the entire post here: http://www.freedomdogs.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1537

I feel like Steve Martin in the movie, The Jerk.
Where he states... "Navin P. Johnson...I'm finally somebody!"

I guess it doesn't take too much to get me excited!

Oh well, I thought you might enjoy it as well.

And now, back to the hunt!

Duane

News from the Front

I read this essay by Eddie Jeffers. Eddie is the son of Jeff Jeffers', a friend of Rod Martin.

Here is a link to the essay from Iraq.
http://www.therant.us/guest/e_jeffers/02012007.htm

Rod's Martin's personal blog is: http://www.rodmartin.org/

Rod is spear-heading a new site to counter the left's MoveOn.org.
The site is: http://www.thevanguard.org/

Bookmark the above site , and...
buckle-up.... the ride is only beginning!


Duane

Judge Jones...."No relation to "this" Jones"

Here is yet another of Chuck Colson's "wise words".

Today's BreakPoint commentary pasted below.

Graphic placed by me.

A Cut-and-Paste Ruling - Judging Intelligent Design
February 2, 2007

Judge John Jones once told the Philadelphia Inquirer that he became a judge hoping that someday he would have a chance "to rule in matters of great importance."

Well, last year he got his chance. He ruled on Kitzmiller v. Dover, holding that you could not teach intelligent design in public schools. But given what's leaked out about his decision, Judge Jones is not likely to be remembered as "an outstanding thinker," as Time magazine called him. Instead, we might remember him as the judge who let a litigant write his opinion.

Maybe I am an idealist, but going back to law school, I have always respected judges. I believe they take seriously their oath to uphold the laws and the Constitution and to rule impartially. Sad to say, this judge apparently did not.

Maybe I should not have been surprised because, two months before the case was heard, the judge said in a newspaper interview that he was going to go see Inherit the Wind, the old film about the Scopes trial, hopelessly biased toward the evolutionists' view. He said he wanted to do it to get a context for hearing the Dover case. I wrote him and explained that it is historically inaccurate; he never replied.

Now it turns out that even as the media was praising Judge Jones for his brilliant insights, the Discovery Institute found that ACLU attorneys had actually written key sections of the ruling. In the section on intelligent design, more than 90 percent "was taken virtually verbatim from the ACLU's proposed 'Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law'," so says the Discovery Institute.
Thus, as the Discovery Institute notes, the central part of the ruling reflects no original, deliberative activity or independent examination of the record on the judge's part.
And that's not all. The problem when you let somebody else write your decision is that they may make a mistake. And you, then, look silly.

For example, Jones misrepresented biochemist Michael Behe; he claimed that Behe said that articles purporting to explain the evolution of the immune system were not good enough. But what Behe actually said was: "It's not that they aren't good enough. It's simply that they are addressed to a different subject." This came right out of the ACLU's writings.

Jones also claimed that intelligent design "is not supported by any peer-reviewed . . . publications." Again, wrong and, again, straight from the ACLU's brief.

This, it turns out, is not even the first time or maybe the worst of Judge Jones passing off other people's words as his own. In a commencement address, he "employed direct quotations from the book The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America," according to World magazine, "without providing citation or indication that he was quoting."

As World magazine noted, none of what Judge Jones did in the Dover decision amounts to a violation of judicial ethics. But other judges will hardly be impressed, which is a good thing since the press are saying this is a precedent for future cases.

The Old Testament warns judges: "You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality." Cutting and pasting from one side's brief does not say much for impartiality—something for you to point out next time someone throws the Dover decision in your face.
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I hope that you too, find this a good read... and a call to action in our nation.

Duane

Chuck Colson's insights are Right On The Mark!

Today's BreakPoint commentary are both encouraging and on the mark.

Transcript pasted here.

We need to pray that our Lord, will awaken the U.S. as well!
His followers are not bound by continents or nations of the world!

Duane

Christian Comeback in Europe
A Hope-Filled Trend
January 29, 2007

For many Americans, the expression Christian Europe is an oxymoron. As both the secular and religious press tell us, Europe is "post-Christian" and thoroughly secularized—so much so that the drafters of the new European constitution could not bring themselves to acknowledge Europe's Christian past, never mind its present.

But, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Christianity's demise in Europe may have been greatly exaggerated.

That's what Dutch columnist Joshua Livestro argued in a recent piece in the Weekly Standard. The article, titled "Holland's Post-Secular Future," describes what Livestro calls a "Dutch relapse into religiosity." And by "religiosity" he means Christianity.

A very public example of this "relapse" is the "corporate prayer" movement. More than one hundred companies—including Dutch stalwarts like Phillips and KLM, as well as the government—facilitate on-site prayer meetings for their employees. The phenomenon is such an established part of corporate life that Dutch unions "[lobbied] the government for recognition of workers' right to prayer in the workplace."

Another possible example of the rekindling of Dutch Christianity is "the remarkable critical and commercial success of a number of openly Christian writers." In 2005, "Holland's most prestigious literary prizes" went to "books dealing in a sympathetic way with Christian issues of faith and redemption."

One of these books, Kneeling on a Bed of Roses, by Calvinist author Jan Siebelink, was the second-best selling Dutch book of the past decade. Want to know the best-selling book? A new Dutch translation of the Bible, which sold 500,000 copies in a nation of 16 million people: the equivalent of 10 million copies in the United States.

Then there's the success of the "Alpha Courses." More than 120,000 Dutch have taken these introduction-to-Christianity courses. Even the head of the program is surprised at its success. As he told Livestro, "there's a growing group, most of them young people, who are genuinely interested, for whom this is all completely new."

These are a few of the reasons why Livestro thinks that "the century-long wave of secularization seems to have crested, and may even have begun to recede"—a hypothesis supported by the data.

While this news is very heartening, we are still left with the question, "What lies behind the relapse?" One answer is that the alternative to the Christian faith has been tried and found wanting.

Secularism's failure was not for lack of trying. As historian Tony Judt has written, leaders in post-war Europe worked hard to forget the past, including Europe's Christian roots. They thought societies that "provided everything" and "forbade nothing" would make western Europeans happy and secure.

It did neither. Instead, the results included suicide rates between four and sixteen times higher than that of "less developed" European countries and the United States. Combine this with the notoriously low European birthrates and what you get is despair, a society imploding.

As the Dutch are discovering after a century of secularization, it's not too late. It never is with the Gospel. While Christianity may be "completely new" to them, its truths are eternal. And that gives Europeans—and all of us—great hope indeed.

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For printer-friendly version, simply visit www.breakpoint.org and click on Today's Commentary. The printer-friendly link is on the left-hand column.Copyright (c) 2007 Prison FellowshipTHIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

Jerry Corsi joins TheVanguard.org

Please read this article on TheVanguard.org's website.
Here is the link: http://www.thevanguard.org/thevanguard/news_releases/070123_corsi.shtml
The momentum is building, and the key players are all showing up to "play ball"!
I welcome your comments and thoughts!
Duane