After my long blog of a couple of weeks ago, Manson contributed a comment concerning the lack of morality in this post-modern age and its implications, and that he was glad Mr. Stein revealed that the Emperor has No Clothes.
 

I pondered his comment for some time, and I think I finally understand what he meant.  In the story of the Emperor with No Clothes, there was the deceiver – the unscrupulous tailor, and the Emperor – someone who is proud and unwilling to admit that he isn’t able to see what he was supposed to see; someone who does not have the confidence to stand fast on what he knows and to challenge those trying to deceive him, and is willing to go against his better judgement just to save face.  And then there is the crowd that just goes along because the Emperor says so, even though in their heart of heart they know it isn’t so.  And don’t forget the little child that finally let the cat out of the bag.
 

Well isn’t that just a perfect analogy for the issue that Manson mentioned.  The Deceivers are those who want to perpetrate moral deceptions in society, to get society to go along with them.  We all know that the Great Deceiver is behind all these of course.  Then there are the Social Elites who aided and abetted the Deceivers with oppressive tactics.  And the Political Correctness Crowd just goes along with it all.  Unfortunately as Claire Hoy has remarked in a Maclean’s article a few years back, the pendulum of society appears to be broken – it no longer is capable of swinging back.  The little boy has been shouting at the top of his lungs, and yet things appear to be going from bad to worse.
 

Remember, we are called to be obedient.  We are not necessarily called to be successful, at least not by society’s standard.  We know the final page of history, and victory is assured.  Still, each of us needs to ask “Am I going along just to get along?  Shouldn’t I try to help the little boy out?”
 

Bob

I came across a book a few weeks ago in a library entitled ‘The Way of a Pilgrim’.  It is described as a spiritual classics from Russia.  I remembered a few years ago when I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Philemon Choi of Hong Kong, he mentioned that there are a lot of spiritual depths coming out from the Orthodox tradition. Therefore, I read the book with a keen sense of interest.  Essentially, it shares on how we can pray without ceasing, as the Apostle Paul urged us, and this is their way of constantly living in the presence of God. 

In our high-pressured society and with the demand to catch up with fast changing technology in our worklife, is it really impractical to pray without ceasing?  I would like to hear your views, and then I can share on what I have learned from the book. 

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary. I don’t know who this gentleman is, but I do think he’s got something here:

Herewith a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don’t know who Lindsey Lohan is either, and I do notcare at all about Tom Cruise’s wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. If this is what it means to be no longer young, it’s not so bad.

Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don’t feel threatened. I don’t feel discriminated against. That’s what they are: Christmas trees. I don’t think they are slighting me. It doesn’t bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me.

In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all one. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn’t bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it’s just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don’t like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don’t think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can’t find it in the Constitution, and I don’t like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren’t allowed to worship God as we understand Him.

But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it’s not funny, it’s intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham’s daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her

“How God could let something like this Happen?” (Regarding Katrina) Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we’ve been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out.

How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events…terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O’Hare (she was murdered, her body found recently) complained she didn’t want prayer in our schools, and we said OK.

Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shall not kill; thou shall not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn’t spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock’s son committed suicide).

We said an expert should know what he’s talking about. And we said OK.

Now we’re asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don’t know right from wrong, and why it doesn’t bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves. Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with

“WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.”

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world’s going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send ‘jokes’ through e-mail and they spread like wildfire but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing? Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you’re not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it… no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don’t sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards… honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

As Thanksgiving approaches, many charitable organizations use this opportunity to raise fund. As professionals and responsible Christians, we need to give wisely. In the following paragraphs I will quote John Edmund Haggai who suggests that we need to ask three basic questions before giving. He also provides some useful comments in the latest issue of Leaders for Today.