BLOGGING FOR SANITY'S SAKE

Sometimes the only sane thing to do is blog.

After several hours of wracking my brain, reading classified ads and articles about career help, researching jobs on the Internet, looking at my finances (which are not dire yet), reading books (parts of them), I've come to the point where it's time to unwind. 

Here, therefore, is a cellphone camera photo from Canyon Lake! It was taken at about 5:30 PM while traveling along the road leading out of the canyon on the way home.

YOU GUESSED IT: CANYON LAKE

Here is my first uploaded cellphone camera shot of Canyon Lake. I know you guys are tired of hearing about it. But it was a spectacular trip. The boat made it stupendous (how superlative can I go?)! The lower-right corner of the photo shows the front of the boat pushing the water. 

More to come...

WEBCAM: CANYON LAKE, AZ

Hello, folks. Just wanted to post a link to the webcam where you can see a live video feed of Canyon Lake, Arizona, where, Lord willing, I will be going later today.

ACRONYM FOR THE DAY : UI

Even though I've titled this blog "Worldview Window," I reserve the right to, every now and then, blog about something recreational. Having become recently unemployed, I have found my downsizing to be a mixed blessing, both to former employer and myself. Obviously, the f/e enjoys more room under their "salary cap," while I, the former employee, enjoy "freedom."

Because I have a retirement account set up, and the dubious benefit of unemployment insurance, I am presently able to enjoy taking my time finding a job. Although the ominous zero account balance looms on the horizon if I fail to secure gainful employment to avert such catastrophe, I shall from time to time venture away from the mundane environs of city life and join the ranks of those escapees who have ditched their surly bonds to the asphalt jungle.

I am speaking of going to Canyon Lake here in Arizona with a friend who has refurbished his boat, a miniscule two-man affair, for a short day-trip to the countryside. Too bad I don't have a digital camera. Otherwise I could chronicle the entire adventure here!

Well, blogs away! I'll see you on the other side.

HTML AT WORK

Hello, friends! Humor me for a moment, please, as I experiment with HTML for different banner ads and so on...

As you can see, the above ad is courtesy of SermonAudio.com, and in no way implies compulsion on my part for you to go there. It is simply my first attempt at putting an ad in the body of the post, just for fun,  rather than alongside it. 

Okay, my next step is to publish and view this post. 

Thanks for visiting.

GOD VS. TV?

Every now and then, I meet someone who, by choice, does not watch television. This is a form of abstinence which I have not achieved for more than a few days. I have gone without watching TV for a small number of days during the week, when I was busy, tired, otherwise occupied, or on the Internet. But to go without television as a way of life is a degree of sanctification* in the Christian life that I have not reached (yet?).

I need to clarify the fact that although these people do not own TV sets, they probably watch TV elsewhere, as the opportunity presents itself. I am only speculating here, beyond what they have told me.

It is fair to assume that one's ability to focus on God is enhanced by the ability to abstain from any and all distractions. Television could certainly qualify as a distraction par excellence. I may even go so far as to say it is a perfect analogy of the WORLDVIEW WINDOW through which we all look at life.

Of course, it is a choice-- one which we make every day. It is generally wiser to not watch TV because so much of it is, in fact, garbage-- moral sewage waiting to be piped into our homes via cable or antenna. But I also believe it is probably not wise to "throw the baby out with the bath water." It has its place in culture, in society, in education, in entertainment, in preaching the gospel and ministering to people. So it is safe to say I have not, and probably will not, throw away my DTV (Distraction To Vocation).

Wait! I have an analog TV set with a converter box. Hmmm... There is a delicious moral or parable wrapped up in that configuration. 

As Christians, our spiritual eyes have been "converted" from blindness to sight. I was looking up some Bible references to "eyes" and "sight," and came across a very good passage in Habakkuk 1:13. It says:

"YOUR EYES ARE TOO PURE TO APPROVE EVIL,
AND YOU CANNOT LOOK ON WICKEDNESS WITH FAVOR.
WHY DO YOU LOOK WITH FAVOR ON THOSE WHO DEAL TREACHEROUSLY?
WHY ARE YOU SILENT WHEN THE WICKED SWALLOW UP THOSE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN THEY?" (NASB)

*Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

A BLOG BY ANY OTHER NAME...

...would not, indeed, describe the full intent of its author the way this one does. I have embarked, however unofficially so, on a more focused direction with this blog. It is intended to be a more thematic endeavor in line with God's Law in general, offering resources available for further personal study, education, and enrichment.

Much could be said at this point. But because fatigue and bedtime are fast converging upon each other, I must consider this a finished post and leave you with Cyber Good Night and God Bless!

OBAMA ON GOOGLE VIDEO

Well, in the interest of upholding the spirit of "fairness," I would like the cyber world to know that I watched or listened to the entire Google Video of President Obama's speech this evening.

The two comments he made which stood out in my mind more than all others were:

"I get it."

"We Americans don't do what is easy. We do what is necessary to move the country forward."

 The exact context of the first comment was indeed easy to get: Americans are fed up with bankers who should not have loaned money incorrectly/unethically to otherwise unqualified people who could not repay/afford their mortgages.  

The second comment came toward the end of his speech, when he was encouraging the country to take the initiative to solve these immense economic problems.

Well, in case you missed the live speech like I did, here's the link to YouTube. 

POLITICALLY INCORRECT, BUT RIGHT, ECONOMICS

I just read a post by economist Robert Murphy, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism," on Mises.org, in which he makes a good case for tax cuts to increase production rather than consumption. This is a reversal and correction of the premise on which our government based its decision to pass the Economic Stimulus Package: to increase consumer spending and thus "stimulate" the economy to recover from its recession.

To boot, Mr. Murphy is a Christian believer, and he has posted on his blog, Free Advice, a pretty good analysis of Jesus' use of parables to expose the willful ignorance of the masses listening to Him, and the inherent ability of believers to listen and "hear" with spiritual ears.

In his inaugural post on Free Advice, August 22, 2008, he says, "In the weeks ahead, I'll explain why I am so pessimistic about the U.S. economy for at least the next five years, but I'll also suggest options for you to protect your personal wealth during this storm."

Thank God for men like Mr. Murphy.

A LIFE REMEMBERED

Well, I finally watched all three parts to the interview between Mike Wallace and Ayn Rand. I am neither a fan nor an enthusiast of Rand's, but as a Christian I can watch, without condescension, a very warm and friendly exchange between two people who hold diametrically-opposing worldviewpoints. Wallace represented the Judaeo-Christian worldview, and Rand held firmly to an atheistic, self-interested worldview which somehow overlapped with economic truths which I perceived in her answers and somewhat agreed with. 

For instance, she made  the point that depressions are caused by government intervention in a free economy, and not by the market forces themselves. This I would tend to agree with, based on my limited and recent exposure to the Austrian school of economics. An excellent starting point for learning about this philosophy is Mises.org .

She does, in my opinion, take an extremely hardline on most issues discussed here. I sympathize with her, for she has not experienced the new birth of the spirit given by Christ our Savior, whom Wallace actually mentions without being censored! I only hope she did so before her death in 1982.

More can be learned about this fascinating historical figure of American life by visiting Wikipedia.com and reading about her there.

 

ANYONE FOR AYN RAND?

Just wanted to post a link here for an interesting interview from 1959 between Mike Wallace and Ayn Rand. I watched the first part (there are three), and hope to see the other two. They run about ten minutes each. Enjoy, or feel sorry for the compassionate Wallace trying to appease the implacably unbelieving Rand...

Interview with Mike Wallace

WHO WANTS TO BUILD A WEBSITE BUSINESS?

Okay, so you want to build a website. But you don't know how. And your annual budget for such things is 300 dollars. Well, you're in the right place, because today's post brings you the best web-hosting and site-building service in the world: SiteSell. 

I came across SiteSell.com mainly because my brother recently encouraged me to join another fine site, GaryNorth.com.  Now Dr. North is an economist/theologian/educator in things pertaining to the economy, finance, and theology. He does his level best to promote sound ideas, Biblical principles, and godly solutions for today's--and tomorrow's problems. An article of his pointed to a highly successful man named Steve Pavlina, who in turn recommended SiteBuildIt. I was, and still am, very impressed with all of these sites!

Now back to the topic at hand: building a website business!. If you want to learn more about SiteSell's flagship product, SiteBuildIt, then click the link for more information and a very encouraging experience will greet you! 

Well, that's all for now. Visiting their websites is only the first step toward understanding the magnitude of this e-commerce universe. 

SOME LINKS TO GOOD STUFF

Because I am sick today (i.e, home), I am "tempted" to post an entry on my blog. The tendency is to post anything to get the blogging juices flowing. Writers' block is only a temporary condition wherein the author is exercising his better judgment at filtering miscellaneous, irrelevant, unwanted thoughts which may or may not edify his or her readers.

All right, I have no otherwise profound advice or wisdom to impart. But I have been blessed to have studied my Bible earlier, and to have engaged in a deeper study of Job 1:1 using my desktop program called e-Sword, a free (though donations are welcome) download of a few MBs, available at E-Sword.net. Many wonderful books and Bibles are there to download and install in e-Sword for free or purchase. I know there are more and very expensive suites out there (Logos, etc.) But for the Christian (or non-Christian) on a budget, this will do very well.

And now, I'd like to embark on a third paragraph, which may be, in this usually briefly-posted blog,  for your benefit. It is a link to a possibility-opening website creation service called SiteSell.com. Now the only reason I post this link is because I'm hoping you have a need for exploring other income streams besides the usual nine-to-five grind, which I am currently in (although it is six-to-two in my case!). 

Well, thanks for visiting. May the Lord prosper you. (Numbers 6:24-26)

FROM MY BLOG TO YOUR INBOX

As a benefit to my readers, I am setting my posts (THOSE WHICH ACTUALLY SAY SOMETHING) to be automatically emailed to a select few whom I feel will not tar-and-feather me for having an aberrant opinion or faulty knowledge of their respective disciplines, into which I may step from time to time.

And so, with experimental enthusiasm, I am sending this post to my own inbox (Google Gmail) first for a review of the process.

Also, I am editing this post and republishing it to see if I will get a new email again. My guess is I will...

Result: no new email. This means the initial "publish post" will go out via email, but subsequent editing and republishing of the same post will not result in new emails. This is good news for when I'm not finished or satisfied with a post that has gone out already.

Well, happy blogging.

TRUE PROFIT

"What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world and loseth his soul?"

This Scripture was on my heart, and looking it up, I found it in Mark 8:36.

Cameraphone

Today, I took a drive up "north," beyond Payson, AZ, and noticed more snow the further I drove up. So I kept going until I was 19 miles north of Strawberry. I got out and looked around, walked in the snow a little, and even threw a snowball!

Then I snapped a few photos with my cell phone.






Same location, facing east-southeast.








This is tricky business, placing these photos in here like this! Same location, looking east-northeast.

Well, for a city dweller like me, this was big news, and a glorious excursion into "God's country."

THERE'S A NEW TEMPLATE IN TOWN...

Alright, intrepid readers of OPB (Other People's Blogs), here is a new template for my perennial weblog to grace cyberspace. It's called "Denim," probably because it's plain, no-nonsense, and blue. I must say, generally I like it better than my "old" template, which I liked better than my older template, which...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just want to register my Holiday Greetings and Best Wishes for a nebulous, unoffensive, meaningless day of self-absorbent indulgence in egocentric nonsense...like blogging!

At any rate, here is a fine blog to visit: MarkDRoberts.com

You know, it's entirely possible that my blogging is a complete waste of time. We'll see...

A LITTLE JOKE

Q. Why did the man quit his job at the rock quarry?

A. Because he felt they were taking him for granite.

CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTION OF SCRIPTURE?

In order to rescue my blog from certain obscurity, I would like to clarify my theological postion on Christian Reconstruction. I have been reading articles, both pro and con, about it, and have been "haunted" by scriptures in the Bible which say such things as:

"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Jesus, in Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)

Judging from Scriptures such as this one (and we are called by Christ Himself to do that), I would say we Christians (those who are truly born from above--that is, by God's Holy Spirit, John 3:3) will not outnumber and overpower those who are not born again for Christ. Granted, it is a noble idea, if not a worthwhile goal, to see the whole world convert to Christianity. But the plain teaching of the Bible, as far as I can tell, is that it won't happen that way. In fact, the end will be so bad that our only hope will be the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!

Now, this is "mere speculation" on my part, because:

(a) I am not God...whew!

(b) "for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Mat. 24:44 ESV)

(c) "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Mat. 24:36 ESV)

You see, a "remnant" will be faithful to the end (Gen. 45:7; Ezra 9:15; Isaiah 10:21; Micah 2:12; Acts 15:17; Romans 11:5).

"Remnant" sounds like a minority to me !

"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8 ESV)

Judging from Scripture, I would say yes.

I'm sure there are plenty of Scriptures to support the opposing viewpoint, to wit, that all the earth will be presented to Christ at His Return as a crown jewel for us believers to enjoy, and for unbelievers to endure. But we shall see in the coming days whether or not I am all wet in my understanding of Christian Reconstruction. I shall gladly be proven the fool if Scripture and Reason be my correctors. Here I stand...?

Now that we've gotten that all cleared up, let's keep studying Christian Reconstruction so we can better understand its underlying tenets, and compare Scripture with Scripture to come up with a Biblical framework to counterbalance any tendency toward error. For an excellent website on this subject, please see AmericanVision.com.