OK, You Knew It Was Coming

Michael Jackson. What a tragic life. Christians take heed! This was an extremely blessed individual who got every single thing he wanted. Every whim indulged.

Praise God for a Savior who will say "no." As I yearn for my desires, even those I believe called to by God, I must remember this: His "no" is a blessing as surely as His "yes."

On the cynical side: Jackson's fans should bring a class action suit against the surgeons who wrecked his face over and over again. It didn't matter than he wanted it; it didn't matter that he paid... through the nose... (sorry) for it. Those doctors should have said "forget it." I don't know if all that had anything to do with his death, but it couldn't have helped. Track those guys down and sue 'em!

Living in a Sound Byte World

I've been a cranky Christian lately. I'm frustrated with media Christians who take stances I think miss the point; participating in a sound byte mentality and thereby misrepresenting what I believe Jesus stands for.

Momentary clips do not convey the love and compassion that exemplify Christ's stand on issues. I so struggle with putting things into law. How do we portray the love of God by passing amendments that do not preserve rights? By railing against particular sins en mass instead of one heart at a time? Jesus will establish His reign and exercise his sovereignty someday, but as a man on Earth he did not push for laws; he preached, he touched individuals... Paul called us to live a high standard, but he didn't try to encode morality in the law (that hadn't worked for thousands of years before, why now?)

Abortion activists reaching out to those crossing the line is wonderful, so don't mistake my intention. They ideally are preaching the love of God while showing it.

In trying to make the media work for us, how do we succeed when anything we say is going to be shortened to a 30 second blip of the worst part of the message?

The White OutHouse

In researching 1835 for a screenplay I'm writing, I needed to find out about plumbing and the existence or lack thereof.

Indoor plumbing was spotty at the time and I had to decide if my character's humble abode had a water closet or an outhouse.

From there, my addled brain took a turn to the White House. Which of our august chief executives had the privilege of a toilet and who had to trek out to the Rose Garden for a little hands on fertilizing?

Who knew the White House had few amenities for a long time? Congress apportioned funds for building and renovations, and back then they were spendthrifts instead of today's porkbellies.

When Adams took office (Washington didn't live in the Presidents House... later to be called the Executive Mansion, and only after it was burned down by the British in 1815 and was rebuilt that it became the White House), there was no water at all. Servants had to carry it in from 5 blocks away.

The first toilet was installed in 1902. No wonder so many of our early presidents had sour looks on their faces for their presidential portraits.

Tiller and Roeder

Murder or vigilantism? The church-going late-term abortionist is killed in his church (!) by an anti-abortionist=murder. And a very bad hit against pro-lifers, giving pro-abortionists another straw man to play with.

I have no doubt that Tiller was a murderer in God's eyes, just not legally. Will any babies live who would have otherwise died at Tiller's hands? Probably not, so not only was there no short-term gain, there is significant damage to long-term efforts.

I do understand Roeder's frustration, seeing something so clearly heinous and being unable to do anything about it. Most of us have felt that frustration and helplessness to the point of verging on insanity. Roeder healed over into insanity, though. His actions assuaged his own emotions and harmed the life movement (admittedly, his movement wasn't "our" movement. Terrorism is not a part of pro-life on any level).

If this fight is to ever be won (and I suppose we'd need to agree on what "winning" looks like--some believe victory comes from a change in the law; others of us believe it comes from a change of the American heart), it will be done through love, knowledge, and compassion. Nothing else will succeed. Roeder and his group are hypocrites.

The answer will not be found in doctors, only in the hearts, souls, and minds of the mothers and fathers.

In Response to Sherlock (or, There's No Place Like Holmes)

I, too, saw the trailer for the new Sherlock Holmes. At first I was aghast.

At second, too.

But still, you have to admire the brazen reinvention of Sir Conan Doyle's flagship character.

I mean, be fair. Just because he solved crimes doesn't mean he was a sterling fellow. He was a drug addict, after all, who hung around rather dense friends making him display his genius at every turn. Such arrogance...

And how much respect does Doyle really deserve; he was duped by children crying "fairy!" He hared after every ridiculous notion of the fraudulent supernatural.

It remains to be seen if this new breath of life for an almost-forgotten character to today's generation will be worthy of that life.