Getting clarity in Iraq

Charles Krauthammer: It's time to be strong, not resign: "The prize in Iraq is not praise for America from the Arab street nor good will from al Jazeera. We did not have these before Abu Ghraib. We will not have these after Abu Ghraib. The prize is a decent, representative, democratizing Iraq that abandons the pan-Arab fantasies and cruelties of the Saddam regime."

Satan's primary tactic

"From Hitler’s vision for a Thousand Year Reich and Lenin’s promise to use the dictatorship of the proletariat to build a workers' paradise, to abortion depicted as a 'women’s health issue' and homosexual behavior justified as an 'alternative lifestyle,' evil always comes to humanity disguised as good. The results are just as invariably consistent -- destruction, suffering and death. Beware the Serpent’s promises." --Dr. Earl H. Tilford

Satan's primary tactic is a 3 step process:

1. Show you something

2. Make it seem appealing

3. Get you to succumb

He has had a lot of success with this approach. We can't stop him from showing us stuff, or trying to make it seem appealing. But we don't have to give in to step 3. Men, we need a strong Biblically-based worldview to counter Satan's tactics. Because we are so easily swayed into thinking something would be good, we must rely not on our own judgments, but the revealed truth of God.

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD." (Psalm 31:24)

Prayer guide for your children

A friend put me on this prayer guide -- I'm starting tonight.

Posting Comments

Please note a new feature for this blog -- you can post comments. (You do need to register with Blogger, but that's free. Go to www.blogger.com to sign up.) I encourage you to sign up and add to the discussion. Put in related links, other thoughts, etc.

Respect for Moms

Men, let's be sure to work with our kids on respecting Mom. This seems like one of those long parenting challenges, though I wish it were just one conversation. When it comes to showing respect for Mom, every day is Mother's Day.

Book recommendation

Add Reflections of a Father's Heart to your wish list. It's only available from http://www.familymanweb.com/books_by_todd.htm because Todd Wilson self-published it. Chapter 3, "The Three Squeezer," about their signal to say "I love you," is worth the $7.95 price of the book. Lots of good stuff here, just be prepared for moist eyes and laughter.

And sign up for Todd's free weekly newsletter if you haven't already.

Dad's need this stuff.

National Day of Prayer

"Prayer is an opportunity to praise God for His mighty works, His gift of freedom, His mercy, and His boundless love. Through prayer, we recognize the limits of earthly power and acknowledge the sovereignty of God. According to Scripture, 'the Lord is near to all who call upon Him. ... He also will hear their cry, and save them.' Prayer leads to humility and a grateful heart, and it turns our minds to the needs of others. On this National Day of Prayer, we pray especially for the brave men and women of the United States Armed Forces who are serving around the world to defend the cause of liberty. We are grateful for their courage and sacrifice and ask God to comfort their families while they are away from home. We also pray that the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, and throughout the Greater Middle East, may live in safety and freedom. During this time, we continue to ask God's blessing for our Nation, granting us strength to meet the challenges ahead and wisdom as we work to build a more peaceful future for all." --President George W. Bush by proclamation for the 54th National Day of Prayer to be observed Thursday, 06 May 2004.

Self-Wounding

What does it tell us when there are "two to three million Americans," especially teenagers, who are deliberating cutting or burning themselves, pulling out hair, and breaking bones in order to feel better?

Self-Injury a Growing Behavior

"It's perhaps the fastest growing behavioral problem affecting adolescents in our country," said Levander. "And it's terrifying to think where it's going to go with such a lack of therapeutic resources available."

This is straight out of Mark 5:1-20, where the demoniac cut himself with stones.

We don't need more therapy sessions, we need a divine Rescuer!

Astounding commentary

I recommend you read John O'Neill's comments in the WSJ about John Kerry's unfitness to serve as Commander in Chief. John served on the same Swift boat as Kerry in Vietnam.

Military Appreciation Month

I'm grateful Congress designated May as Military Appreciation Month.

I have two suggestions.

First, pray for our men and women in the military. They're defending our nation and our families. They need God's blessing and protection.

Second, say thanks in person when you can. There are many National Guard members in our community. We see them frequently in stores and restaurants in the area. I make it a point to briefly introduce myself, look them in the eye, shake their hands, and say thank you for their service. Model this for your kids, Dads.

"Studies show" is a favorite defense of those who don't want to think

I enjoy Dennis Prager's wit and logic and heart. In his latest column he uses simple logic to debunk the statements that same sex marriages raise children as well as a father and mother.

While I applaud the column, it is sobering to realize that we feel compelled into logical, human-level arguments about marriage. We're defending the Bible. A pastor friend has a sign in his office, "Don't Defend the Gospel, Preach It!" C.S. Lewis wrote that defending the Bible is like defending a caged lion. Let the lion out of the cage, and he can defend himself quite well, thank you.

"The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way--never have and never will. The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity." (2 Cor 10:3-6, The Message)

Where's the real danger to women?

Jeff Jacoby writes bluntly about the odd perception that the Pro-Life position is dangerous for women's lives. They instead should be seriously worried about militant Islam.

Despite feminist revisionism to the contrary, where the truth of the Gospel goes forward, women's lives improve.

Breaking the chain

Yesterday at CrossTrainers I heard testimonies of men who grew up under abusive fathers, but now make decisions ever day to be husbands and fathers that honor God. The power of Christ breaks the chain with the past. God be praised!

Are there any patterns from the past that God wants you to break? What new example are you setting today for your wife and children?

I wonder how many people refuse to carry the Cross, but willingly carry a grudge. Bitterness. Masks of unreality. Denial. Let's be men who lay down garbage that we were never meant to carry.

Marching on the Mall

I was one of the men who prayed on the Mall in Washington, D.C. in 1997. The news about the "March for Women's Lives" was distressing. One women said "I just had to be here to fight for the next generation and the generation after that." I agree with David Limbaugh -- which generation will these aborted babies belong to?"

Men, no group marching on the Washington Mall can accomplish anything compared to God's people calling on His great Name.

Help, O Lord! Hear the prayers of your people, and spare America the justice she has earned. Give your people backbone, courage, and boldness to save children. Give us tears and rend our hearts, so we can pray aright.

Hacking Matter

I just finished a fascinating book about the research done on quantum wells (condensed particle physics), and the implications for materials in the future. The book is named Hacking Matter, by Will McCarthy.

Imagine materials that were composed of arrays of namometer scale quantum wells. The quantum well's physical properties depend upon the number of electrons it holds -- each one is a big atom. You can manipulate the number of electrons in a quantum well through electrical current. So an array of these wells could behave like a thin layer of gold atoms, and then by shifting the current it can become transparent glass. The effect is matter that can be manipulated like a computer program. A wall becomes a window or a Peltier transformer or part of a quantum computer. A contact lens could be an information display device.

The implications are staggering. McCarthy does a good job in the book both explaining the physics and painting possible applications. Clarke's third law of technology says "Technology, sufficiently advanced, is indistinguishable from magic." Hackable matter is magic.

So why am I writing about quantum wells on a blog meant to encourage Christian men?

Because it is critical that we help our children and our wives develop a thinking framework that has a God-oriented, biblical framework. The days are coming when it is harder and harder to explain what makes humans unique and special in the universe. Even today we have to really THINK about why we believe marriage between one man and one woman is correct, and what are the limits of man's dominion over the earth and one another.

Even as late as the 1500's it was possible for a learned man to master everything written in books. The amount of information is doubling about every 4 years now. Now we need to help ourselves and our families think from first principles. The information doubling rate is expected to drop to 1 year by 2015. If you can't think through issues from first principles, you'll be helpless against articulate fact-givers, however ungodly.

Our problems are not technological

"We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the
Mount....The world has achieved brilliance without conscience. Ours is
a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants." -- General Omar Bradley

"No prolonged infancies among us, please. We'll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love--like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do." (Ephesians 4:14-15, The Message)

The Marine Recruiter's approach

Doug Giles challenge to call men to a man's task (see post below) reminds me of a Marine recruiter who visited my high school in 1979 in West Virginia. That day all the boys in the Senior class were assembled in the auditorium. There were recruiters there from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. Each was supposed to take 15 minutes to describe the opportunities in their branch of the service. (I don't know why the Coast Guard wasn't represented.) We'd already been carefully instructed to behave like men and reflect appropriate glory on the school.

Each recruiter looked very impressive in their uniform. I remember thinking they all had terrific posture and short haircuts.

The Air Force guy went first. He had slides of gleaming jets sliding through blue sky. He took about 20 minutes.

The Army guy went next, and had slides of tanks, artillery, and how a rifle could be disassembled and reassembled in the dark. He took 20 minutes.

The Navy guy went next, and mostly had slides of a "Join the Navy, See the World, and get electronics training" variety. I think he took 15 minutes.

Our principal then introduced the Marine recruiter, and told us we would stay until he was finished, then there would be an opportunity to visit with the recruiters afterwards.

The Marine thanked the principal, then stood with his hands fiercely held behind his back, legs spread about shoulder width. He didn't say anything for 3 solid minutes, but just looked us over. I should say he looked through us. I swear he looked every one of us in the eyes. I distinctly remember feeling that his gaze penetrated my very soul, and looking down at my feet in embarrassment. There wasn't a sound in the room.

After his scan he said quietly, clearly, with great dignity, "There might be two you good enough to be a Marine." Every eye was fixed on him. He sat down after another 30 seconds of scanning us.

I don't need to tell you which recruiter was mobbed afterwards. IAbout twenty of my classmates went into the Marines after graduation. By this time I'd already decided I was going to be a molecular biologist and win the Nobel Prize for understanding cellular differentiation, so I didn't visit with any of the recruiters. But even today, I still wonder if I would be good enough to be a Marine.

Let's be men who call other men to a man's work.

The Church needs to produce strong men, not repel them

Doug Giles has a good column on men in the Church. Here's his main point:

"My ClashPoint is this: if concerned conservative Christians want to improve our nation biblically, then the Church has got to eliminate its effeminate drift and re-establish a masculine base. Our times demand strong men: the Church must produce them, not repel them. The Church needs men, who start a ministry, start a business; get involved in politics, the arts and education, and who are not afraid of the secular thugs and pimps who try to keep Christians marginalized in a religious ghetto."

Read the whole column here. Great stuff.

Carrying Easter Forward

My prayer for you is that the joy and amazement of Easter does not wear off. We celebrate the wonder of the living Christ in our lives every day! "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb 12:2)

And what is Jesus doing at the right hand of the throne of God? Praying for you. "Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us." (Romans 8:34)

He is Risen!

Have a blessed Easter.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God." (Romans 6:4-10)

If you haven't systematically examined the evidence that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then I recommend you look at Lee Strobel's fine book, The Case for Easter.