As with nearly all "orthodox" reporting the "action in conflict" sells...

Doing to somebody is more engaging than doing for somebody.

Christianity is a faith that leads the believer to do for his neighbor in the love.  This is the fruit of the hope in the promises of merciful God.

Islam's headline perception is doing something to their neigbor in obediance to a god who's mercy is not promised.

Here I Stand... for my neighbor.

The parents are selfish, self-centered loons with no capacity to reason based on the evidence... He's a Boy!

Hippies!  Get fire hose and soap.

Here I stand ... Dangly parts and all.

Holiday?  Holiday!  You want a Feb 14 holiday?

Valentine, shmalentine.

For the man who has everything and the reciepts to prove it.....

I give you ... Jack Benny!  Born February 14th.  He's still 39!

Get your tickets for the party train ... Now leaving on track 5. For Anaheim ... Asuza ... and Cuc-a-monga!

Here I Stand... L/S MFT

I give up nothing for Lent.  I have much taken away, by the grace of God.

I do find replacement joyful.  My thoughts, words and deeds are found wanting.  May the Holy Spirit replace them as He will.

Amen.

The SOTU will tell us nothing while saying much(k). There is no credibility in the words of Obama I. This will be another excellent exercise is discernment, context and patience.

I wonder if calls for TV repairmen increases the day after a narcissistic, commie poseur drones (heh) on and on.

Here I Stand... selecting a John Wayne movie for tonight.

"...suppose that the USA will go the way of the Roman Empire within the next generation. Does that only fill you with sadness and dread?"

It is sad that so many people are looking to themselves for strength and solace. There is no dread of the end for that end is for the world as we know it and will not impact on the life everlasting.

"Or can you additionally look forward to the final fight for freedom?"

The final fight for freedom has been engages since the crucifixion. This is where we live.

"Is there some honor, granted by God or by mere happenstance, in being among the last Americans, steadfast and proud?"

In my worldview, no honor in heaven is found in being American. There is great honor among men to be American. Last, first, always. It still merits nothing.

We have been in the last days since the ascension.  Prophesies do not improve understanding of what is to come.   We do not proclaim prophesy, we proclaim the Good News. And therein is our joy in the midst of mortal despair.

Here I Stand... I could have told you that.

Distinctions... When Christ says "This is..." he means  "This is..."  When he says "I am..." he means "I am..."  your desire to reduce to mortal understanding prevent acknowledging the total true of the incarnate God who tabernacled among us.  Science says it is bread and wine with no traces of the body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ?  I guess that show  one of the many limitations of science.  Natural is less than supernatural.

I am not inclined to take the words of Christ and when he is not speaking in parable add my own "this is like or that is like..." to his words.

I don't understand much but I trust God to say what he means to say whether I understand yet or not.

Here I stand... Firmly

katievs:  "Genesis is plainly not meant to be taken literally (as first Jews and then Christians theologians and scholars have always understood)"

Just Wow!  You make a claim that Genesis is not to be taken literally, there by at worst denying, at best weakening, the very word of God you use to support the virgin birth, resurrection and the real presence.  The theologians and scholars that alway understood Genesis is not to be taken literally, how do you suppose they view the Bible?  Just an bedtime story here and real God stuff there?  Sheesh.

We should be in awe of God's power and creation, not turning back for fear of losing our ever so tight grip on our own narrow views.

I would suggest that God's account of the the creation of the Grand Canyon is not thrown over by science but science has yet to match God's knowledge of His creation.

Science has its limits.  God doesn't.

I am well versed in the process of erosion.  I see that God still has the upper hand in accounting for all the developmental nuances of the Grand Canyon as we know it now.

Here I Stand... Tectonically.

I stand improved.  "Not in the sense usually meant"  is a welcome addition.

Yet when you declare something to be so without total and complete understanding don't you stand on faith that what you declare is true?

You exercise your reason by faith.

Here I Stand... All God has given me to know by my own reason (his gift) and by faith (his reason).

 After thought:  To some, science is a religion founded on faith in human reason, exclusively.  I will call this a faith.  Let it be understood. 

There are true Christians associated with false christianities. I live in a world of distinctions. A Christianity that abridges, edits, dismisses the Word of God is just a club of folk who want to believe they are Christians.  Well they may very well be, but that claim gets a bit shaky when the Word of God is just another self-help book.

Now about hoping for my sake or implying what I said was unwise.

I makes for good reading and a chuckle or two to Italicize "unwise." Ooooooh. I better be careful. :-)

Katievs: May I add a little to your inquiry about Faith/Reason/Flood/ Grand Canyon thinking?

I majored in Geology in College. I revel in engineering our world and our lives. I am going back to visit the Grand Canyon in a few weeks and this time I will see it in a different light. I came to Christian faith a little over 4 years ago (~50 years of indifference). There was much to resolve between my formal beliefs and my faithful beliefs. I am happy and stable now in reconciling science and faith. Science is itself a faith and must be understood and used in that manner, as a faith. Doesn't make it any less real. When we reach an understanding we have reached the limit of human thought in that direction. Is there nothing beyond the limit of human thought?

Here is a simple exercise ... Jesus suffered and died upon a Roman cross. What he proclaimed about Himself and God , his father, was heard, witnessed by his apostles. He rose again, the third day as he said he would. He said he is the son of God. He and his witnesses should be believed.

Here I Stand

Jesus is God incarnate (divine - superior to the creation, man, in every way).   Jesus trust the scriptures as His very words (In the begining was the Word and the Word was God).  He quotes scripture as the truth for man.  The scriptures, in the book of Genesis, tell us that God created the earth in six days and there was later a flood of earth altering proportions He sent upon man and the whole earth was covered.  Now, when God himself trusts His word and our faith is in God and His Word (Jesus) and thereby we are saved from sin, death and the devil, well, got to go with the NAOASSS (Not As Old As Secular Science Says).  My faith is founded in the word of God and science is founded in the observations of man.  Mans scientific conclusions are often founded in faith as well.  Faith that what you see today is what has always been and will always be.
I see faith first in the man is a choice that deminishes God.  Brings God down to our level.
Faith first in God is for the rising up of man.  Lets God bring man up to his kingdom.

Well, there are YECs and there are faithful Christians.  YEC is a secular term that reduces the content of Christian beliefs to a bumpersticker.

I gladly accept the literal Word of God (Bible) as discriptive of the creation of the earth in form and content.  Fred, you pointed out yourself that a basic faith of Christianity (and a distinctive from false Christianity) is belief in the divinity of Jesus the Christ.  Here is where understanding this age of earth thingy get real simple.  Continued...

You said it!
Did America quit when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor!  Of course not.

So get out there and FIGHT - FIGHT - FIGHT!!!  (just don't hurt anyone)

If you can't take the hit... wash dust ruffles and knit pot holders.

Here I stand... BAM... that's gotta hurt.

Is a man a woman?  If you anwer in the affirmative, you have issues that cannot be resolved on a blog.

If you answer in the negative... your comment was useless.

If you say "Well, what do you mean by man or woman?" you are without understanding.

Here I stand... not taking guff.

Does a stop sign make a case for safety at an intersection.  Yep.

The battle is lost when there is no case to make.

Aside... Your Luther quote adds flavor and spice to you previous post on traditional gender roles leading to more sex.  A real man will do house work as well as yard work to ensure his lovely wife is rested for his attentions.  It is not so much the doing as it is the timing.  Heh.

Here I stand... hand me the clothes pin.