"Bong Hits for Jesus"

I do not often comment upon political events but listening to the radio this morning set me off. I listen to a radio talk show hosted by a man named Jeff Bolton on KLIF 570 AM. He calls himself the Mayor of Commonsenseville but this time I felt he left his common sense at home. On his radio show he stated that he does not think that students at school should not have any rights to free speech regardless of the message. This was in response to the case before the Supreme Court over the Bong Hits for Jesus case. I e-mailed him my response.

Mr. Bolton,

I do not often disagree with you, but on this issue I believe that you are dangerously wrong. The problem is in looking at where our rights come from. Do they come from the state or are they inalienable "natural" rights.

If you believe as I do that free speech is an inalienable right then the state has no right to tell you, I, or a student at a school sanctioned event what can be said even if that message is offensive to someone else. The danger in allowing the government to regulate speech in our schools is that it teaches that our rights are not inalienable and are at the whim of the state. Once that toe hold is established it is not a far stretch to find other areas where the state can regulate that speech especially when you attach the almighty "tax dollar" to it. We have already come a long way from our founders intentions of a government founded upon common law and its precepts of limited government and personal freedom. What you are advocating is continuing down the path toward complete government control of our lives. I find that much more of a problem than some kid holding up a stupid sign.

The fundamentals of common law come down to two points; first do nothing to harm another person and second do what you say you are going to do. What this boy did, while offensive to my fundamental Christian beliefs, did not violate these two principals of common law. If the principal had looked at this situation in that kind of light, then none of this would be here in court today. If the principal had taken this boy aside and told him that although he had the right to say what he said, but what he said was stupid then that would have been the end of the matter. Instead the principal suspends the boy for 5 days for "violating" the "school speech policy" and then suspends him an additional 5 days for quoting Thomas Jefferson on free speech rights, all because what he said did not fit the state approved speech requirements. These actions have lead us to a number of court cases that have cost us a whole lot more money than this kid saying something stupid while on a school sanctioned event.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you rethink your position on this issue.

The Love of G_d

Have you ever wondered what G_d's love is like? It is something I contemplate a lot. I got to contemplating it again after reading some posts and comments over at Roland's. The posts were initially about who Yeshua would hang out with, but it got me thinking because of those who talk about His love and grace. It got me thinking more about His love and our response to that love. It also got me thinking about how He he loves us.

The thing is that the more I read the more I come to understand that G_d has a single-minded obsession with His creation, namely us. The most popular verse in the Bible is John 3:16. Most of us could recite it without thinking, but have you ever contemplated it? G_d's love is so vast, so great, so amazing, that he willingly gave up His Son for us. Think about that. I would dare say that for the most of us we would give up our lives for our children, but have you ever contemplated the the thought of giving up your children? How hard would that be? What kind of pain, anguish, and grief must be endured? G_d did that for us; for you; for me. When I sit down and really think about it I am awestruck. Having lost a child I think I have had a glimpse into the pain He suffered for us. The thing that really gets me is that it was done willingly.  That my friends is obsession: the willingness to do whatever you have too, to get what you want, even if it costs you everything. He wanted us restored to Him so badly, He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us.

How do we respond to that?  The Bible tells us one of Yeshua's parables compares to the Kingdom of G_d to a treasure in a field. A man finds that treasure and is so obsessed with it that he goes and sells everything he has to buy the field just so he can have that treasure. Can we even contemplate that level of desire? Do we have that level of love? Are we willing to give our lives for Him? Are we willing to LIVE for Him? Do we have the same kind of obsession for Him that He has for us? This is what He desires, could we offer Him any less?

Taking Wing

I will be out of town for a couple of days, and completely out of pocket. I have to fly to L.A. on a business trip. This is one of the aspects of my job I am not wild about. Flying has always put me on edge and with all the new "security" I now hate the process. Please pray a traveling mercies prayer for me on this one.

Thanks alot my friends. 

Who is in Control?

After stories like the last one I think that we need a reminder of just who is in control. This song is actually very near and dear to my heart. The day that Samuel died and I was on my way home from the hospital to see my other children I was praying and simply asking why.  This was the first song that came on the radio after I had turned it on. It was the first time I allowed myself to weep over his death. This is also something I do not recommend while driving.

 

[audio:http://eaglewoodsnest.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/01-god-is-in-control.mp3]

Signs of the Times

We have just witnessed one of the shots over the deck of freedoms for those who profess Yeshua as Lord. 

 

9th Circuit endorses censoring Christians

Bruised but not Broken

I want to thank everyone you commented on the previous post. I thought Birdie said something that sums this up quite well so I am going to quote her...

 

"Bruised is not broken and wounded is not destroyed."

 

This seems to be a recurring theme here in our home. While the attacks on us were brutal we have survived and we will move on.  I think one of my flaws is I do not know when to stay out of a debate. I could have gone on and not addressed her question, but hind site is 20/20, and knowing her it would have come up again. Life often lands us hard knocks, I am so glad that I have a Savior in whom I can go sit in His lap when it gets real rough. Thanks again my friends.