Elections are very stressful, and a lot of unkind things are said. What does the United States need to do now?
The Apostle Paul gave a very strong recommendation (is that the same thing as a command?) that seems especially fitting at this time: 1 Timothy 2:1-2.
Let's pray for our President-elect Obama!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Affleck as Olbermann--Hilarious!
Last night, Ben Affleck hosted Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live has had a resurgence during this election season. In fact, Monday night (on the real eve of the election), all of their spoofs will be aired again in a two-hour special.
I first remember watching Keith Olbermann on ESPN. I don't usually watch MSNBC, so I am not a regular watcher of his Countdown program. I think that Olbermann would rather be seen as cerebral, rather than comedic, but Affleck's spoof was hilarious. Here it is, taken from the NBC Saturday Night Live website:
I first remember watching Keith Olbermann on ESPN. I don't usually watch MSNBC, so I am not a regular watcher of his Countdown program. I think that Olbermann would rather be seen as cerebral, rather than comedic, but Affleck's spoof was hilarious. Here it is, taken from the NBC Saturday Night Live website:
Saturday, November 01, 2008
From a "Brother" Who Prefers Trickle Down Economics to Obama's Trickle Up Plan
This video is kind of long (between 8-9 minutes), and comes at you pretty fast, but he says some things that make sense. The video is titled "1 More B4 11 04".
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fair and Balanced? Not!!!!
Glenn Beck described Chris Matthews' reflections about Obama's Infomercial, aired on several networks last night like this:
Chris Matthews analysis of Obama's 30 minute infomercial looked more like a post orgasmic rant than a professional political commentary---talking about the 'romance' of it all. Why would Obama bother spending any money running ads on MSNBC? Obama's own commercial was less glowing than MSNBC's regular programming.
This video is several minutes long, but is revealing. What do you think?
Chris Matthews analysis of Obama's 30 minute infomercial looked more like a post orgasmic rant than a professional political commentary---talking about the 'romance' of it all. Why would Obama bother spending any money running ads on MSNBC? Obama's own commercial was less glowing than MSNBC's regular programming.
This video is several minutes long, but is revealing. What do you think?
Its name is Serratia Marcescens
Serratia Marcescens is the name of the bacterium was growing in her system, before her last surgery. Though it has been noted in some surgical studies, the incidence in very low in breast cancer patients.
The good news is that with the surgery, the infection was largely removed, and she began to feel better immediately. She is taking levaquin, a proper treatment for serratia marcescens.
We will go to chemotherapy education/orientation on Tuesday, and begin the first of four cycles (every three weeks) of chemotherapy on Wednesday (Nov. 5).
We appreciate your continued prayers.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Obama in 2001 (NPR Interview on WBEZ in Chicago) on Redistribution of Wealth
In Joe Biden's fateful interview in Orlando, during the question about redistribution of wealth, he laughed and scoffed, incorrectly stating that George W. was the only one redistributing the wealth. You can watch the interview by clicking here.
Isn't Senator Obama's question a potentially crushing political blunder?
Biden responded:
Absolutely not! What . . . the only person who spread the wealth around has been has been (sic) George Bush and John McCain's tax policy. They have devastated the middle class. We for the first time since the late '20s. 1% of the American people make over 21% of all the income in America. That wasn't the way before George Bush became president.
I feel like I'm the Aflac goose listening to Yogi Berra: Huh?
On a serious note, however, about Obama's candid views on the subject, check out this video with audio from National Public Radio (WBEZ in Chicago), from 2001:
Isn't Senator Obama's question a potentially crushing political blunder?
Biden responded:
Absolutely not! What . . . the only person who spread the wealth around has been has been (sic) George Bush and John McCain's tax policy. They have devastated the middle class. We for the first time since the late '20s. 1% of the American people make over 21% of all the income in America. That wasn't the way before George Bush became president.
I feel like I'm the Aflac goose listening to Yogi Berra: Huh?
On a serious note, however, about Obama's candid views on the subject, check out this video with audio from National Public Radio (WBEZ in Chicago), from 2001:
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Orson Scott Card (Democrat) Placing Blame for the Financial Crisis
Orson Scott Card is a Mormon and a Democrat (we'll forgive him on both counts), as well as an accomplished author in a number of fields. Earlier this month he wrote an essay about the current economic crisis facing the United States (& the world). I heard part of it today. When I arrived back home, I looked for the original essay (October 5, 2008), and decided to place a link so that you could read it. Notice the names of those he blames for the current crisis.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Groothuis on Obama's Invitation to Osama
Is Joe Biden trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? In view of his prediction that Obama would be tested by the world within the first months of his presidency, Douglas Groothuis has written a blog entry with which I agree. It is worth reading.
Obama, Harry Reid, and Joe the Plumber
What exactly does Barack really believe? Why won't he practice what he preaches?
All of us have seen the video clips of Obama's interaction with Joe the Plumber. It was an edited clip. When Obama responded to his question about raising his taxes, this is the part that circulates in the film clips:
It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too. . . . And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.
If you want the greater context, rather than just the edited soundbite, you can find the transcript of the entire exchange here.
Yesterday, in The Caucus which is a blog connected to the New York Times, Kate Phillips related that the Obama campaign had raised a record $150 million dollars in September, shattering their record fund-raising in August. Much of that has been raised on the internet among young people, a demographic the Obama campaign has sought out frequently (based on the number of visits to our home and phone calls asking for our daughter who is teaching school in Mexico).
What does this have to do with Harry Reid or Joe the Plumber? Well, you see, in September, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for Obama to "spread the wealth around", in order to help maintain and hopefully grow the majority in the senate, by giving aid to Democrats running in tight races. Even though Obama had $77 million sitting in the bank, he turned Harry Reid down. Mr. Obama, do you really believe that it is good for everybody when you spread the wealth around?
People on the right have made a big deal out of Obama's slip-up, about spreading the wealth around. It sounds like a socialist idea to me: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." [Karl Marx, Critique of the Gatha Programme, (though not original with him)].
I am not really afraid of a socialist president. During the last years of the Pinochet regime in Chile, I grew increasingly tired of the right-wing dictator. Ask my kids if that is true. We lived on a steady diet of "Cooperativa" on the car radio. (Radio Cooperativa was perhaps the most anti-Pinochet radio station available, and my constant source of information for what was truly happening.) Pinochet's official party line in the free elections held in 1989 promised chaos if his official candidate were not elected. The opposition party won that election, and 3 more since then, and the Chilean economy has pretty much stayed the same course. The first two presidents in the post-Pinochet era were centrists, who were elected with the aid of the left. The last two presidents (including current President, Michelle Bachelet) are openly socialist in their outlook. They have not been able to implement their socialist agenda, because of the balance of power that exists. If Obama is elected, should he really want to implement a socialist agenda, he will likely fail.
My spiritual brothers who locate themselves further to my left are drawn to passages like Acts 2:44-45, and Acts 4:32-35. Yes, we read of such a utopian scheme on the pages of the New Testament! Such a utopian society, however, can only exist on this side of our ultimate redemption, within the context of a community of faith. It is a pipedream to think about implementing something like that within a political nation, particularly one as large and as diverse as ours, without coercion. Am I in favor of social justice? Yes, I am. Am I against the abusive oppression of the poor by the rich? Yes, I am. Historically, it is the church that has taken the lead in such works of social justice. We (the church) abdicated our responsibility in that social arena, preferring that the government take over. I am pleased to be a part of a congregation of faith that gets involved with people on the underside of society. The neighborhood around 14th Street and Pearl is called God's Resort, and the love of Jesus Christ has made a difference there.
I just am not convinced that those on the left really have an option that works. And I don't think that Obama can walk the walk as well as he talks the talk. If he could, he would have shared part of his wealth for some of his needy Democrats running for the U.S. Senate.
All of us have seen the video clips of Obama's interaction with Joe the Plumber. It was an edited clip. When Obama responded to his question about raising his taxes, this is the part that circulates in the film clips:
It's not that I want to punish your success. I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance at success, too. . . . And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.
If you want the greater context, rather than just the edited soundbite, you can find the transcript of the entire exchange here.
Yesterday, in The Caucus which is a blog connected to the New York Times, Kate Phillips related that the Obama campaign had raised a record $150 million dollars in September, shattering their record fund-raising in August. Much of that has been raised on the internet among young people, a demographic the Obama campaign has sought out frequently (based on the number of visits to our home and phone calls asking for our daughter who is teaching school in Mexico).
What does this have to do with Harry Reid or Joe the Plumber? Well, you see, in September, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asked for Obama to "spread the wealth around", in order to help maintain and hopefully grow the majority in the senate, by giving aid to Democrats running in tight races. Even though Obama had $77 million sitting in the bank, he turned Harry Reid down. Mr. Obama, do you really believe that it is good for everybody when you spread the wealth around?
People on the right have made a big deal out of Obama's slip-up, about spreading the wealth around. It sounds like a socialist idea to me: "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." [Karl Marx, Critique of the Gatha Programme, (though not original with him)].
I am not really afraid of a socialist president. During the last years of the Pinochet regime in Chile, I grew increasingly tired of the right-wing dictator. Ask my kids if that is true. We lived on a steady diet of "Cooperativa" on the car radio. (Radio Cooperativa was perhaps the most anti-Pinochet radio station available, and my constant source of information for what was truly happening.) Pinochet's official party line in the free elections held in 1989 promised chaos if his official candidate were not elected. The opposition party won that election, and 3 more since then, and the Chilean economy has pretty much stayed the same course. The first two presidents in the post-Pinochet era were centrists, who were elected with the aid of the left. The last two presidents (including current President, Michelle Bachelet) are openly socialist in their outlook. They have not been able to implement their socialist agenda, because of the balance of power that exists. If Obama is elected, should he really want to implement a socialist agenda, he will likely fail.
My spiritual brothers who locate themselves further to my left are drawn to passages like Acts 2:44-45, and Acts 4:32-35. Yes, we read of such a utopian scheme on the pages of the New Testament! Such a utopian society, however, can only exist on this side of our ultimate redemption, within the context of a community of faith. It is a pipedream to think about implementing something like that within a political nation, particularly one as large and as diverse as ours, without coercion. Am I in favor of social justice? Yes, I am. Am I against the abusive oppression of the poor by the rich? Yes, I am. Historically, it is the church that has taken the lead in such works of social justice. We (the church) abdicated our responsibility in that social arena, preferring that the government take over. I am pleased to be a part of a congregation of faith that gets involved with people on the underside of society. The neighborhood around 14th Street and Pearl is called God's Resort, and the love of Jesus Christ has made a difference there.
I just am not convinced that those on the left really have an option that works. And I don't think that Obama can walk the walk as well as he talks the talk. If he could, he would have shared part of his wealth for some of his needy Democrats running for the U.S. Senate.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Sermon Series Titled "Lost"
The three-week sermon series is titled Lost, but it has nothing to do with a jet from a fictitious air line that crashed somewhere between Australia and Los Angeles, as depicted on the very strange television series on Fox. No, this series has to do with how the typical American family is lost financially. Last year, my wife and I went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and found ourselves financially. Our church will begin using some Dave Ramsey resources congregation-wide beginning in January. I'm not sure how that will work out. At any rate, the sermon series title (Lost) really does describe the financial situation of too many families.
One thing the congregation was asked to do this week, was to read through the book of Proverbs to identify verses that had to do with money, wealth, riches, poverty, etc. Since I teach a Bible School class in Spanish, I decided to do this exercise in Spanish, using the Nueva Biblia de los Hispanos, which is kind of a revision of the Spanish language equivalent of the New American Standard Bible, in Latin American Spanish.
I read through Proverbs in my Logos Bible Software version, and highlighted verses that dealt with the subject. I might have missed some, and some of the verses highlighted may not have as much to do with the subject as others, but I can go back through the text, and see the verses I selected because they are highlighted.
This blog uses RefTagger, so I can list the verses in this blog entry, and the content of each reference will pop-up on the screen when the mouse hovers over the reference. I probably won't keep the highlighting in the text of my Spanish Bible forever, but by listing the references here, I can record them for future use, and use the pop-up of the text to re-read the selected verses. I can also demonstrate how useful RefTagger is. So here goes:
Prov 1:13-14,19,33
Prov 2:4
Prov 3:9-10,14-16,18,25,27-28
Prov 4:7
Prov 5:10-14
Prov 6:1-6,26,30-31,35
Prov 7:23
Prov 8:10-11,18-19,21
Prov 10:2-4,6,20,22
Prov 11:1,4,15,18,25,28,31
Prov 12:11-12
Prov 13:2-4,7-8,11,18,21-23,25
Prov 14:4,6,11,20-21,23-24
Prov 15:6,16-17,27
Prov 16:8,16,19
Prov 17:1,5,8
Prov 18:23
Prov 19:1,4,6-7,14-15,17,22
Prov 20:10,13,15-17,23
Prov 21:20,25-27
Prov 22:1-2,4,7,9,16,26-27
Prov 23:4-5,20-21
Prov 25:21
Prov 27:23-27
Prov 28:3,6,8,11,13,19-20,22,27
Prov 30:8-9
Prov 31:11,16,18
My colleague, Mark Moore, emphasizes the political nature of what Christ came to do. Maybe he is correct. With the international financial markets in free-fall over the last several weeks, the description of Lost seems to fit the world's financial situation. The two principal candidates for president of the United States have widely different views on how to fix the problem. Frankly, I have serious reservations about both of them. I'm glad that I can trust God regardless of the outcome. My hope is built on nothing less . . .
One thing the congregation was asked to do this week, was to read through the book of Proverbs to identify verses that had to do with money, wealth, riches, poverty, etc. Since I teach a Bible School class in Spanish, I decided to do this exercise in Spanish, using the Nueva Biblia de los Hispanos, which is kind of a revision of the Spanish language equivalent of the New American Standard Bible, in Latin American Spanish.
I read through Proverbs in my Logos Bible Software version, and highlighted verses that dealt with the subject. I might have missed some, and some of the verses highlighted may not have as much to do with the subject as others, but I can go back through the text, and see the verses I selected because they are highlighted.
This blog uses RefTagger, so I can list the verses in this blog entry, and the content of each reference will pop-up on the screen when the mouse hovers over the reference. I probably won't keep the highlighting in the text of my Spanish Bible forever, but by listing the references here, I can record them for future use, and use the pop-up of the text to re-read the selected verses. I can also demonstrate how useful RefTagger is. So here goes:
Prov 1:13-14,19,33
Prov 2:4
Prov 3:9-10,14-16,18,25,27-28
Prov 4:7
Prov 5:10-14
Prov 6:1-6,26,30-31,35
Prov 7:23
Prov 8:10-11,18-19,21
Prov 10:2-4,6,20,22
Prov 11:1,4,15,18,25,28,31
Prov 12:11-12
Prov 13:2-4,7-8,11,18,21-23,25
Prov 14:4,6,11,20-21,23-24
Prov 15:6,16-17,27
Prov 16:8,16,19
Prov 17:1,5,8
Prov 18:23
Prov 19:1,4,6-7,14-15,17,22
Prov 20:10,13,15-17,23
Prov 21:20,25-27
Prov 22:1-2,4,7,9,16,26-27
Prov 23:4-5,20-21
Prov 25:21
Prov 27:23-27
Prov 28:3,6,8,11,13,19-20,22,27
Prov 30:8-9
Prov 31:11,16,18
My colleague, Mark Moore, emphasizes the political nature of what Christ came to do. Maybe he is correct. With the international financial markets in free-fall over the last several weeks, the description of Lost seems to fit the world's financial situation. The two principal candidates for president of the United States have widely different views on how to fix the problem. Frankly, I have serious reservations about both of them. I'm glad that I can trust God regardless of the outcome. My hope is built on nothing less . . .
Friday, October 17, 2008
A Reasoned Analysis of Obama's Distortion of His Record on Abortion
Obama is leading the polls. He is a smooth politician. He is a likable guy. I saw his speech last night (and part of McCain's) at the Alfred E. Smith Foundation Dinner. Both he and McCain gave light-hearted speeches at the event. But when it comes to giving details about his real views on controversial subjects like abortion, Obama hides, twists, and distorts his real views. His stonewalling efforts to block the Born Alive Infant Protection Acts when he was an Illinois State Senator make him the most pro-abortion politician in the United States of America. It was amazing that the issue was kept out of the presidential debates until the third of three (a big thank you to debate moderator, Bob Schieffer of CBS, for including at least one question about this issue). I am aware of a growing number of intelligent, young, Christ-professing supporters of Obama. I have struggled to understand why some of them are walking the streets for Obama. I think I understand now--they have a different litmus test for this election. Mine is the abortion issue. Theirs is pacifism. If a commitment to pacifism is the sunnum bonum, then by all means Obama is the better choice of the two. I am puzzled, however, at just what it is that makes some pacifists so militant about their pacifism. As I write that last phrase, I have a specific militant pacifist in mind, who argues incessantly (so much so that one of my esteemed colleagues has entered the "dome of silence" on any political issue), that anybody that would or could possibly support Obama's rival in this election is a "nutjob".
Granted, there are some nutjobs out there--on both sides of this election! Not everyone taking the abortion issue as the litmus test for this election is a nutjob. Obama distorted his position on the issue when it came up in the third debate. Here is a reasoned analysis, by National Right to Life. A reasonable person should give it a read.
Granted, there are some nutjobs out there--on both sides of this election! Not everyone taking the abortion issue as the litmus test for this election is a nutjob. Obama distorted his position on the issue when it came up in the third debate. Here is a reasoned analysis, by National Right to Life. A reasonable person should give it a read.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Roger Powell Jr. on the Chicago Bulls
Roger Powell Jr. is currently on the pre-season roster of the Chicago Bulls. He may be a long-shot to make the season roster, but I'm pulling for him. The Bulls are currently 0-3 in pre-season games. When trying to see if he played in last night's exhibition loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves (I couldn't find a box score), I was able to find this video from MouthpieceSports.com:
Obama Has Extreme Pro-Abortion Views
I believe the words of the title, but I did not make them up. They come from a piece dated yesterday that was published by The Witherspoon Institute in their PUBLIC DISCOURSE on Ethics, Law, and the Common Good. It is by distinguished professor Dr. Robert George, who begins with this snippet:
Sen. Barack Obama's views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket.
You can read the article for yourself by clicking here.
Sen. Barack Obama's views on life issues ranging from abortion to embryonic stem cell research mark him as not merely a pro-choice politician, but rather as the most extreme pro-abortion candidate to have ever run on a major party ticket.
You can read the article for yourself by clicking here.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I think all politicians lie to us, but does Obama lie MORE THAN THE AVERAGE POLITICIAN?
How much does Barack Obama's worldview coincide with those radicals that the McCain camp is talking about? I don't think that Obama is necessarily for bombing federal buildings (like Ayers and his cohorts did in 1970), but there is mounting evidence that he is a lot more radical than he has been letting on.
(cartoon by Michael Ramirez)
Stanley Kurtz of the National Review has spent some extensive time in some Chicago libraries. He has written somewhat extensively about the ties Obama had to ACORN and Rezko. In a piece dated today, he explores the radical philosophy present in the CAC during Obama's days working to improve education in Chicago. It's an interesting read. You can read it for yourself. I wonder if any of this will come up in the debate tomorrow night.
(cartoon by Michael Ramirez)
Informed Voters--Not!!!!
I heard this audio on the radio last night, as I was returning from a meeting at church. Though I would never advocate listing to Howard Sterns' radio show, this segment is priceless. He sent reporters into the streets of Harlem to ask if people supported Obama or McCain. Listen to the completely uninformed supporters of Obama:
Friday, October 10, 2008
What Tom Brokaw Left Out of the Debate
I was disappointed with the questions from the Presidential Debate in Nashville. Though I understand the difficulties of a single-issue litmus test, the one issue that underscores the huge difference between the two candidates (and their parties), was completely left out of the debate.
I have written before about Jill Stanek, and her interaction with Senator Obama, dating way back to when he was a state senator from Illinois. This video shows just how radical Senator Obama really is:
I have written before about Jill Stanek, and her interaction with Senator Obama, dating way back to when he was a state senator from Illinois. This video shows just how radical Senator Obama really is:
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Will John McCain be the Next Vice President?
Here is an incredible gaffe, committed at a Joe Biden rally:
Busted
I usually am able to rein in my emotions pretty well. I lost it last night, though, and was busted!
Earlier in the day I got an e-mail from from my sister, Jacque, who told me that Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, would tell the story of her battle with the cancer on ABC's Nightline last night. Though usually I do not watch Nightline (maybe that's why I never see bright lights when I'm in an elevator), I programmed the DVR to record it. I had mentioned it to Rose, but since it was on so late, she planned to watch it later. She went to bed earlier, but since I was still up, I decided to watch it live.
About ten or twelve minutes into the program, Roberts was talking about her decision to shave her head during chemotherapy. She was obviously fighting back the tears as her hair was being cut and shaved. When the hair was gone, she looked in the mirror and said, "I feel in control at this very moment. I feel good. I feel strong. I feel strong. I feel strong. I am--feel strong--not gonna' shead a tear." At that moment, she had reined in her emotions, but I lost it. At that moment, Rose came out of the bedroom, and I was busted.
I took the program back to the beginning, and we watched it together. Both of us were sobbing.
Thanks, Jacque!
Earlier in the day I got an e-mail from from my sister, Jacque, who told me that Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, a breast cancer survivor, would tell the story of her battle with the cancer on ABC's Nightline last night. Though usually I do not watch Nightline (maybe that's why I never see bright lights when I'm in an elevator), I programmed the DVR to record it. I had mentioned it to Rose, but since it was on so late, she planned to watch it later. She went to bed earlier, but since I was still up, I decided to watch it live.
About ten or twelve minutes into the program, Roberts was talking about her decision to shave her head during chemotherapy. She was obviously fighting back the tears as her hair was being cut and shaved. When the hair was gone, she looked in the mirror and said, "I feel in control at this very moment. I feel good. I feel strong. I feel strong. I feel strong. I am--feel strong--not gonna' shead a tear." At that moment, she had reined in her emotions, but I lost it. At that moment, Rose came out of the bedroom, and I was busted.
I took the program back to the beginning, and we watched it together. Both of us were sobbing.
Thanks, Jacque!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
I'm Glad God is Still on the Throne
I'm kind of bummed out today, so it's a good thing that God is still on the throne! Don't worry about me. I'm not suicidal or anything. I just wanted things to be different. Let me vent through my keyboard a bit. It might be therapeutic.
Cancer.
It's a terrible disease. And it affects millions. This week, my wife had her second breast cancer surgery in less than a month. She is getting stronger each day, but it's still hard to watch. I've been reading my Breast Cancer Husband book. It is a wealth of information. Each day I hear of more people who have gone through this. Evidently, there was a family history of breast cancer in Rose's family. Just this week we were reminded of Rose's uncle who died in recent years of breast cancer. This morning at church, I spoke with a long-time friend, whose husband had breast cancer. I knew that he had a bout with cancer a few years back, but could not have remembered that it was breast cancer, had I not been reminded. The prognosis for a cancer-free life is generally good when detected early. We'll learn this week about the proper staging, and probably meet with an oncologist the following week. Many people around the world have expressed love for us. We are thankful. Hundreds of people are praying for her. We feel the support. Since returning from the hospital, we have had meals brought in. Our freezer has several meals that we'll get to later. We trust in God, but it's still hard. I had a moment yesterday, shortly before a meal was brought to us, where the tears flowed. Keep us in your prayers. We'll get through this.
Mexico.
Since my last post, we drove our car nearly 4,000 miles, down to Brownsville, TX, and spent time at South Padre Island with our son and his family. From there we entered Mexico, and went across toward the Pacific coast to see Hidalgo del Parral, where our daughter Kim is teaching in a Christian school. She took some time off from her teaching there, and returned home with us, to be present for her mother's second surgery. We are thankful that she could do that. It was difficult for her to wait for news about her mother after the first surgery. Since the second surgery was postponed, she did not have much time afterward to help take care of her mother, before returning to Mexico. Rose got home from the hospital Thursday evening about 8:15 PM. Kim came home a bit earlier, to finish laundering some things and to finish packing for her trip back to Mexico. Our good friends, Ralph and Cindy Shead, picked her up at 4:45 AM for the trip to the Tulsa airport, and on to Mexico (thank you so much!!!). It was difficult for Kim to leave so soon, but she will do well there. We saw her in action on Monday, September 22. She is involved with a great team (3 other U.S. teachers--all graduates of John Brown University). Though she would like to be here, she needs to be there. Pray for her, that she will entrust her mother's care to a klutz like me (for household stuff), and that she will know that she will be all right.
We had quite a few tears (of the three kids, she is the most emotional, I think) Thursday night late. Since the first night at home, Rose didn't sleep all through the night, we were both up to see Kim off for Tulsa/Mexico. There were a few more tears at that time. Both of us went back to bed. Kim called me from the Tulsa airport (and woke me up!) to tell me that she was at her gate, that Ralph had bought her breakfast and had stayed to make certain that she got checked in and through security, and that she was feeling much better. She was no longer crying. What I found out later was that shortly after I talked to her in Tulsa, her older sister, Charissa, talked to her. Rather than talking to her like a man (which she should have done--right! like that's going to happen!), she must have asked her how she was doing (you know, like a woman!), and the floodgates started again. Later that morning, Charissa told me how hard it was on Kim, to which (as a man, I'll have you know) I responded, "She's doing very well. I just talked to her a little after 7 AM." Charissa informed me that she had talked to her a little after I did, and that she had successfully gotten her all worked up (not her exact words, but if you are a man, you might understand my sentiments).
She enjoyed the Passion Conference in Mexico City, which ended last night. She then endured a long bus trip north to Chihuahua (20 hours long). We talked to her just a few minutes ago. She was at home in her apartment, but will resume teaching in the morning. There were 50 people from the church in Parral that attended the Passion conference, so she has already gotten somewhat acclimated to Mexico.
Baseball.
No longer can Cubs fans say, "It's just one bad century." By failing in the playoffs again, the Cubs are doomed to at least one century plus before repeating with a World Series title. Of all the years that I have been watching the Cubs, this was the best team. I'm not sure what happened in the playoffs, but all of a sudden what was arguably the best team in the National League started playing baseball like they were afraid. They were the same players, but they were not playing like they played the regular season. Joe Torre got the Los Angeles Dodgers to play great baseball. They swept the Cubs in 3 games, and were definitely were the best team in that series.
One of the most painful things about the series, however, was listening to the TBS team of broadcasters, Dick Stockton, Ron Darling and Tony Gwynn. Darling was not a bad pitcher in his day, and Gwynn was a great hitter, but in the broadcast booth, they were terrible. The Wikipedia article about Stockton has been edited in the past 24 hours. I checked it early this morning, wondering just how old he was, since he was sooooooo bad. It had a reference to the fact that his performance in the broadcast booth had suffered in recent years, specifically citing many errors he made in the Cubs-Dodgers series. Darling was also bad. When the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, Darling stated how Cubs pitcher Rich Harden really needed a double-play ball. I wondered if the Cubs pulled off a double play if the Dodgers would only get 2 outs in the next inning. They were just bad.
It is of little solace that the best team in the American League this season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (that really is the name of the team), are in danger of being swept by the Boston Red Sox. As I write these lines, the game is currently in the 11th inning, and the Angels are threatening to score.
I have taken the Cubs off of the home page on my cell phone, and the song "Go, Cubs, Go!" is no longer my ring tone. Effectively, the baseball season has ended.
US Fiscal Crisis in an Election Year.
The financial crisis in the U.S. appears to be real, but as a taxpaying citizen, I am angered that the government is so free with my money. One party promises to be in favor of social programs designed to help lower-income people. The other party generally is perceived to advocate a smaller government. The mud slinging has been coming and going. We've got less than a month until the election. My wife is tired of it all. Her idea goes well with Rodney King's: "Why can't we all get along?"
Since this is my personal blog, I have the freedom to write what I want to write. I speak for no one but for myself. I have written previously about Barack Obama's opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. That issue alone tends to send me toward his opponent. The naming of Sarah Palin as his running mate, a person who has walked the pro-life walk, as well as talking the talk encourages me. I was glad that he passed over other potential VP candidates, who may be more open to abortion (like Joe Lieberman). I like Palin, who has weathered the attacks fairly well. She is the most anti-Washington candidate on the tickets (which is a point in her favor). The comment that Jesus Christ was a community organizer while Pontius Pilate was a governor originated from a partisan spirit. Jesus did indeed organize a community of faith, but His job was quite different from that of the current media Messiah, Barack Obama.
My concern on this matter is precisely the work that Obama did as a community organizer, and the tie that it may have to the present economic crisis facing our country. Allegedly, part of Obama's work as a community organizer involved suing banks who did not offer mortgages to lower-income individuals who normally would not qualify. Much has been written about it. Here are some terms that have to do with it:
Cancer.
It's a terrible disease. And it affects millions. This week, my wife had her second breast cancer surgery in less than a month. She is getting stronger each day, but it's still hard to watch. I've been reading my Breast Cancer Husband book. It is a wealth of information. Each day I hear of more people who have gone through this. Evidently, there was a family history of breast cancer in Rose's family. Just this week we were reminded of Rose's uncle who died in recent years of breast cancer. This morning at church, I spoke with a long-time friend, whose husband had breast cancer. I knew that he had a bout with cancer a few years back, but could not have remembered that it was breast cancer, had I not been reminded. The prognosis for a cancer-free life is generally good when detected early. We'll learn this week about the proper staging, and probably meet with an oncologist the following week. Many people around the world have expressed love for us. We are thankful. Hundreds of people are praying for her. We feel the support. Since returning from the hospital, we have had meals brought in. Our freezer has several meals that we'll get to later. We trust in God, but it's still hard. I had a moment yesterday, shortly before a meal was brought to us, where the tears flowed. Keep us in your prayers. We'll get through this.
Mexico.
Since my last post, we drove our car nearly 4,000 miles, down to Brownsville, TX, and spent time at South Padre Island with our son and his family. From there we entered Mexico, and went across toward the Pacific coast to see Hidalgo del Parral, where our daughter Kim is teaching in a Christian school. She took some time off from her teaching there, and returned home with us, to be present for her mother's second surgery. We are thankful that she could do that. It was difficult for her to wait for news about her mother after the first surgery. Since the second surgery was postponed, she did not have much time afterward to help take care of her mother, before returning to Mexico. Rose got home from the hospital Thursday evening about 8:15 PM. Kim came home a bit earlier, to finish laundering some things and to finish packing for her trip back to Mexico. Our good friends, Ralph and Cindy Shead, picked her up at 4:45 AM for the trip to the Tulsa airport, and on to Mexico (thank you so much!!!). It was difficult for Kim to leave so soon, but she will do well there. We saw her in action on Monday, September 22. She is involved with a great team (3 other U.S. teachers--all graduates of John Brown University). Though she would like to be here, she needs to be there. Pray for her, that she will entrust her mother's care to a klutz like me (for household stuff), and that she will know that she will be all right.
We had quite a few tears (of the three kids, she is the most emotional, I think) Thursday night late. Since the first night at home, Rose didn't sleep all through the night, we were both up to see Kim off for Tulsa/Mexico. There were a few more tears at that time. Both of us went back to bed. Kim called me from the Tulsa airport (and woke me up!) to tell me that she was at her gate, that Ralph had bought her breakfast and had stayed to make certain that she got checked in and through security, and that she was feeling much better. She was no longer crying. What I found out later was that shortly after I talked to her in Tulsa, her older sister, Charissa, talked to her. Rather than talking to her like a man (which she should have done--right! like that's going to happen!), she must have asked her how she was doing (you know, like a woman!), and the floodgates started again. Later that morning, Charissa told me how hard it was on Kim, to which (as a man, I'll have you know) I responded, "She's doing very well. I just talked to her a little after 7 AM." Charissa informed me that she had talked to her a little after I did, and that she had successfully gotten her all worked up (not her exact words, but if you are a man, you might understand my sentiments).
She enjoyed the Passion Conference in Mexico City, which ended last night. She then endured a long bus trip north to Chihuahua (20 hours long). We talked to her just a few minutes ago. She was at home in her apartment, but will resume teaching in the morning. There were 50 people from the church in Parral that attended the Passion conference, so she has already gotten somewhat acclimated to Mexico.
Baseball.
No longer can Cubs fans say, "It's just one bad century." By failing in the playoffs again, the Cubs are doomed to at least one century plus before repeating with a World Series title. Of all the years that I have been watching the Cubs, this was the best team. I'm not sure what happened in the playoffs, but all of a sudden what was arguably the best team in the National League started playing baseball like they were afraid. They were the same players, but they were not playing like they played the regular season. Joe Torre got the Los Angeles Dodgers to play great baseball. They swept the Cubs in 3 games, and were definitely were the best team in that series.
One of the most painful things about the series, however, was listening to the TBS team of broadcasters, Dick Stockton, Ron Darling and Tony Gwynn. Darling was not a bad pitcher in his day, and Gwynn was a great hitter, but in the broadcast booth, they were terrible. The Wikipedia article about Stockton has been edited in the past 24 hours. I checked it early this morning, wondering just how old he was, since he was sooooooo bad. It had a reference to the fact that his performance in the broadcast booth had suffered in recent years, specifically citing many errors he made in the Cubs-Dodgers series. Darling was also bad. When the Dodgers had runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs, Darling stated how Cubs pitcher Rich Harden really needed a double-play ball. I wondered if the Cubs pulled off a double play if the Dodgers would only get 2 outs in the next inning. They were just bad.
It is of little solace that the best team in the American League this season, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (that really is the name of the team), are in danger of being swept by the Boston Red Sox. As I write these lines, the game is currently in the 11th inning, and the Angels are threatening to score.
I have taken the Cubs off of the home page on my cell phone, and the song "Go, Cubs, Go!" is no longer my ring tone. Effectively, the baseball season has ended.
US Fiscal Crisis in an Election Year.
The financial crisis in the U.S. appears to be real, but as a taxpaying citizen, I am angered that the government is so free with my money. One party promises to be in favor of social programs designed to help lower-income people. The other party generally is perceived to advocate a smaller government. The mud slinging has been coming and going. We've got less than a month until the election. My wife is tired of it all. Her idea goes well with Rodney King's: "Why can't we all get along?"
Since this is my personal blog, I have the freedom to write what I want to write. I speak for no one but for myself. I have written previously about Barack Obama's opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. That issue alone tends to send me toward his opponent. The naming of Sarah Palin as his running mate, a person who has walked the pro-life walk, as well as talking the talk encourages me. I was glad that he passed over other potential VP candidates, who may be more open to abortion (like Joe Lieberman). I like Palin, who has weathered the attacks fairly well. She is the most anti-Washington candidate on the tickets (which is a point in her favor). The comment that Jesus Christ was a community organizer while Pontius Pilate was a governor originated from a partisan spirit. Jesus did indeed organize a community of faith, but His job was quite different from that of the current media Messiah, Barack Obama.
My concern on this matter is precisely the work that Obama did as a community organizer, and the tie that it may have to the present economic crisis facing our country. Allegedly, part of Obama's work as a community organizer involved suing banks who did not offer mortgages to lower-income individuals who normally would not qualify. Much has been written about it. Here are some terms that have to do with it:
- Community Reinvestment Act
- Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now
- Housing Enterprise Regulatory Act of 2005
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Pink Bats and Ribbons
On May 11 (Mother's Day), the Chicago Cubs moved into first place. They have been there ever since, and currently hold a 5 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. On Mother's Day MLB stadiums featured a program called Going to Bat Against Breast Cancer, in which players wore patches with pink ribbons on their sleeves, and certain players used pink bats, to raise awareness about breast cancer and funds to find the cure. This program was done in conjunction with the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation. Daryle Ward, the Cubs' left-handed pinch hitter specialist, had not played very well early in the season, used a pink bat to knock in a game-winning 2 RBI double in the bottom of the 8th inning to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks, and move into first place.
Being one of the most avid Chicago Cub fans in
Yesterday she had a cancerous tumor that measured about 2 cm removed. A Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy was done (click on link to see a video animation about the process). 3 lymph nodes were removed for analysis. Right now, we're thankful that she came through the surgery well. We're thankful for many of our friends all around the world that have been lifting us up in prayer. We're thankful for the cards, flowers, e-mails, and meals that have made their way to us.
We are, however, in kind of a waiting mode. We would like to think that this cancer was discovered early, but we really don't know if that is the case. We will go on Wednesday afternoon to meet with the surgeon, and to receive the results of the lab work. At that point, her cancer will be staged, and subsequent treatment will be outlined. At this point, we believe that we are likely facing both radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Your prayers are coveted for her speedy recovery from the surgery, and for a cancer-free future.
We scheduled the surgery quickly, to give Rose time to recover, before a planned trip to South Texas where our son's family lives, and into 
I got a book in the mail today. It was actually recommended by one of my students whose mother has battled breast cancer. Written by journalist Marc Silver, it is titled Breast Cancer Husband: How to Help Your Wife (and Yourself) Through Diagnosis, Treatment, and Beyond. I've begun reading it, and have appreciated some of the advice. I'm not smart enough to do the right thing without adequate coaching.
Thanks once again for your prayers. We'll let you know how we're doing. It's good to know that our hope lies not in physical, social, economic, or political realities (apologies to McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden), but in our great God.
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