DO BLACK LIVES “REALLY” MATTER?

Right now I presume  you’re only reading this article because you assumed it was some racist rant against the “black lives matter’ movement. You were half right. This is not a racist rant, however, it is a rant about the movement. The real question that we should be asking is: Does any life matter? And who determines what lives matter: Me, you, the powers that be…who? The truth is for anything to “really matter” there must be some intrinsic value that it possesses. Who then ascribes that value; the people around us, our friends, our family, our employer. You see for us to really answer this question we must first answer other more relevant questions. How do we determine what lives matter and what lives don’t? The simple answer would be to consider the atheistic, secular progressive and humanistic approach, which would basically establish a defined set of criteria to determine who matters and who don’t. EXAMPLE:

Criteria #1) Any life that has yet to produce anything for the advancement and common good of the people-DOES NOT MATTER.

Criteria #2) Any life that cannot produce anything for the advancement or collective good of the people-DOES NOT MATTER.

Criteria #3) Any life that has ceased to produce anything for the advancement or common good of the people-DOES NOT MATTER.

Based on the above criteria we can determine that these lives were either of no value at all or have ceased to be of value simply because they are no longer productive. Of course the line of questioning only gets more difficult now, as we (out of our own desire for self-preservation) will immediately begin fashioning every argument imaginable in order to defend ourselves and prove that our lives really matter. However when you take the me out of we and leave the decision up to the people around you, well, lets just say you may be shocked at how little your life really matters.

Now if we examine this question from a different perspective by stating that all life is precious, and should therefore be treated with sanctity, we end up with a flawless system where indeed we can say that every life matters. Why? Because now we have established value based on something other than human calculations. Value is determined not by us but by others. If we possess something that others want, and are willing to pay for then that thing now has value. God having been the one who granted life and desires to have our lives was willing to pay for it. He did so on the Cross, and because of that we can say that yes…all lives do matter for they are of infinite value. In fact this is the only way that any life can truly matter. Outside of this no life matters…not even black lives.

Adoption = Adaption

15 years ago Lori and I could never have imagined where God would take our family. We were young and carefree, we had the world at our fingertips. There were times when even still I look back and grit my teeth a little bit. This struggle between wanting what the world had to offer and living our lives as God has called us too is altogether real, it is war, brutal and relentless as we constantly find ourselves dying to our own desires in order to make room for the desires of God. The existing paradox is that while in real war the goal is not to die, yet in this war we must die “for anyone that loses his life for my sake will find it”.  There is no doubt that we have found life and life abundant. We have both been adopted into this fold of God and he has added joy upon joy as result. The truth is, our adoption was not easy, there are times when we still (me especially) struggle with what is known as an orphan spirit. The residual effect of having lived for so long without an eternal family or an eternal father. We are slowly adapting to this life, learning to trust all over again and realizing that those people from our past who may have told us they would always be there, that they would never hurt us, never forsake us, the ones that professed to love us, we know now only did so because of what we might offer them. Those people never truly had our best interest at heart. This makes it hard to accept the unconditional love that is offered now and always to any that will accept it.

What I am learning is that adoption as far as this life is concerned is no different. Ty having been adopted is now adapting. He too is learning what has taken Lori and I so long to learn ourselves. Last night I talked with Ty about his past. He opened up and talked with me as well about mine. We are cut from the same cloth so to speak as we both had major challenges to overcome, challenges that many children who have been blessed with a family in Christ will never know. The challenges have become a blessing in that they allow for a deeper vision and insight into the suffering of others. Where one man might see a normal happy child, another might see a child who is immersed in great suffering. Yes, he finally opened up and talked, he talked about his suffering as an orphan and about some of the things that had happened to him as an orphan. I assured him that those things are not who he is, rather he is my son, he is Ty Denton, he is a young man that had bad things happen to him but he is not those things, they do not define him and I will make D$#N sure they never do.

Ty is adapting to this change as we are adapting as well, because adoption will always equal adaption. If you fail to adapt and accept that things in your family will always be different when you bring a hurting child into the fold I can assure you the failure rate is high.  If we fail to adapt to the reality that all of the preconceived fairy tales that we created in our minds before the adoption will never play out like we planned then we will fold and in the process grow so frustrated that we may even begin to resent the child we swore to love.

I can only ask for patience, not only for myself but for you. When you see my Son and wonder why sometimes he may act a certain way, he may do things that other children do not, he may act out and strive for attention to such an extent that it actually gets annoying, he may say things at inappropriate times trying his hardest to get a laugh that he can file away as approval and acceptance. Remember that he was adopted and adopted children are adopted for a reason, because up to that point things in their life were not well. In the end I will always be his greatest defender. Nothing personal but I am perfectly willing to lose friendships and even family over my son. Know also that what has happened to an orphan is none your business so don’t bother asking. If you see a child that has been adopted from a foreign country and doesn’t appear to have any physical deformities and wonder why he/she was placed up for adoption; again its nothing personal but it is simply just not your business, so don’t ask. If at some point the child wants to talk to you about his past he/she will, but they will do it on their terms. It is their story to tell not mine or any other adoptive parents, so don’t ask.

DAZED AND CONFUSED!

I’m Confused, of course I find that lately I am confused often. One month we have a major news story covering the big reveal of Bruce Jenner’s transformation into a woman, and the next we have a major news story covering the transformation of a white woman to a black woman. However in Bruce Jenner’s case the media salivates, barely able to contain their giddiness at the thought of such courage and bravery. In Rachel Dolezal’s case she is clearly demented and delusional, perhaps she has a case of blackface. No longer is she a darling of the liberal left, she is now a sworn enemy for having exposed their own bigoted hypocrisy. What happened to the old philosophical adage that say’s “I think therefore I am”. In Mr. Jenner’s case it’s perfectly acceptable for him to think he is a woman and therefore make the necessary changes to become one, however in Mrs. Dolezal’s case, she is not allowed that same privilege.

The truth is Bruce Jenner is not a woman and Rachel Dolezal is not black, they may very well identify as either the former or the latter but simply identifying as such does not make it so. Why? Because they weren’t born that way, it’s not coded into their DNA. I can be born with no hair but over time when natural processes take place I will grow it, I can be born with no teeth but again over time when natural processes take place I will grow them, I can be born short and eventually grow to be tall. However I was born a white male and no matter how long I live the natural process will never turn me into a woman, and it will never change my color. Simply put I am what I am.

To put it another way I can never turn an airplane into a tank by using only the parts provided. Surely I can assemble something that looks vaguely similar to a tank, however cosmetically as well as functionally it will never be a tank. Now if allowed the liberty to use parts that were not provided by the airplane and given that I have the ability to enlist the help of the A-team and MacGyver surely I could accomplish the task. But again it would still be lacking in many areas, and functionally it just wouldn’t work. No, it would be much easier to just build one or the other from start to finish. The two vehicles serve completely different purposes and therefore require different parts. To mix these parts in any way or use all of one to make the other, I would construct something grotesquely different than what I am aiming for. Example: Bruce Jenner.

Rachel Dolezal’s case however is somewhat different as I can understand how someone might identify with another race or culture. We see this all the time in children that are bi-racial or being raised in a home or community that is predominantly of another race or culture. So why then does the media have a harder time accepting Mrs. Dolezal’s transformation than they do Mr. Jenner’s? It doesn’t fit their agenda and in the long run will cost them too much. For instance if society is forced to accept any white male or female that identifies as black than we can effectively wave goodbye to affirmative action and other benefits of that only pertain or are most often enjoyed by a particular race.

This confusion does bring up a very good point however. You see, the church has experienced quite the same identity crisis as the two individuals formerly mentioned. How so? Well, is it true that I can simply identify as a Christian through baptism, church membership, or association and therefore become one? Surely not. I Must be BORN AGAIN. So what has happened? Simple, we have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. If Bruce Jenner wants to be a woman and Rachel Dolezal wants to be black they must have been born that way. The problem is they cannot enter again into their mothers womb and thereby change neither their race or their gender. Since none of us are born as Christians Jesus says we must be BORN AGAIN, and that not of flesh but of spirit.

Happy Memorial Day!

John 15:13

For greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Wrote this right after the war started after thinking how drastically war changes people, war steals a mans innocence.

There he stood in the corner of the store

in front of the candy like 20 years before

he was our hometown hero just back from the war

now he standing in the corner, staring at the floor.

I asked him, what is wrong son, don’t be ashamed

you were defending our freedom in democracy’s name

as he picked up his head and through a hollow stare

he rambled off a story, called it freedom’s nightmare

He said freedom wasn’t there when we crossed the Delaware

and when the last GI’s in Vietnam left killing ground

they looked down from the chopper and freedom wasn’t found

No, freedom don’t embrace you on the battlefield

it’s not a suit of armor, it’s not a shield

When you wake yourself up on Memorial day

think about this soldier and what he had to say

for he wears his scars inside him

not with honor or pride

because for every wound he suffered

another man has died.

I APPROVE THIS MESSAGE!

The race is on and once again our televisions will be inundated with adds telling us who the greatest candidate for president will be. Initially we will see the republicans bashing one another with various unflattering commercials, this will be followed be radio and television interviews on all of the major networks until finally we arrive at the debates where only the most likely candidates will be asked to contribute. There will be others on the stage but they are merely just props. Who do they think they are anyhow, trying to run with the big boys? After a few debates the props will begin to thin out a bit until we have our most likely challengers. Up until this point there has yet to be a great deal of money spent pulverizing their opponents. However, once the field begins to narrow and we have the likely three candidates that will vie for the republican nominee, we will then see millions if not billions of dollars spent on gross mischaracterizations, fabricated lies and other unethical things like a baton to the knee (hey, it almost worked for Tonya Harding). But wait its not over yet, we still have a presidential race to run, that’s right, this was just the qualifying round.

Now the Democrats (whom by the way selected their candidate long ago and were able to avoid the qualification rounds thereby allowing them to hoard their finances and continue building their war chest) will use every bit of ammunition that they garnered from the republican primaries on the one republican candidate that is finally agreed upon by the establishment. So that’s how it works? Yes, yes, yes it is, and it is a joke. Really, all the money in the world cant change the facts.  Sure you can buy off the media and have them spin whatever happens to be in the news that day in your favor. The problem is most folks live in the real world and not the Washington bubble, as a result they happen to know what the situation is on the ground, and its not what we’re being told. We are not morons, we know the economy is bad, keep telling us how the unemployment numbers continue to decline while you hide the fact that those numbers only reflect those who are still currently in the market for a job. Keep telling us how the stock market is at record highs while we watch our own accounts depreciate. keep telling us al-Qaeda is on the run, while we watch Ramadi fall to Isis.

We are all victims of classical conditioning, we have been conditioned by the media to accept and believe certain things, which is in part why our family has done away with cable television, and guess what our favorite show is? COPS; yea I love to watch cops because I love to see good overcome evil, because I love to watch the bad guys lose, because I love to see justice served. No longer will I be seduced into believing that my drunk, perverted, and twisted uncle Sam knows what’s best for my family. You know who knows what’s best for my family, I do. Unlike the government we are forced to live within our budget, to exercise constraint when we really, really, really want something but simply cannot afford it. We get up everyday and go to work, we teach our children right form wrong based on the gold standard of truth known as God’s Holy, inspired and inerrant word, we go to church as often as the doors are open, not out of duty or obligation but because we love to go to church. We tend to the needy, help the widow, and care for the fatherless. This is the American way.

It is time things changed, we have no need for multi-millionaire politicians who’s only real concerns are their power and their legacy. We need some red-blooded Americans who wear blue collars to stand up and demand that America be run by the people for the people. You want change? here it is:

  1. Immigration; send everyone of them home and charge it to their respective governments. If they don’t pay, give them sanctions as well.
  2. Isis; Kill them.
  3. Terrorists; Kill them.
  4. Crime; give police bigger guns and more pay, and judges that allow criminals to go free; charge them and send ’em to prison.
  5. Economy; Allow the free market to determine that and stop manipulating it with ridiculous regulations that only hinder progress and give our adversaries an advantage.
  6. Education; Eliminate common-core, give merit based raises, oh yeah, and how about teaching the fundamentals again like a-b-c’s and 1 2 3’s. Stop with the indoctrination of ideology crap. Give teachers the freedom to teach, a Taser for unruly students, and a gun for unwanted guests.
  7. Health Care; throw out Obama-care, allow capitalism to take its course and let the free market dictate the price.
  8. Homeland Security; see 1 and 2.
  9. National Defense; I think Reagan had an excellent idea; peace through strength.
  10. Iran; Blow up their nuclear sites…NOW! Would anybody really be upset, ok maybe Russia but perhaps the sight of black smoke rising and forming into a big mushroom cloud over Iran will be enough to cool their tempers.
  11. North Korea; Though a 14ft john boat full of rednecks with shotguns could likely handle that, I would defer again to point 10.
  12. Social Security; Easy…stop taking peoples money and let them invest how they choose. After all they did work for it.
  13. Taxes; Flat tax until retirement at which point you will be issued an identification card indicating that you are all paid up and no longer owe a thing…ever. Volunteering your wisdom from time to time would be much appreciated though.
  14. Minimum wage: whatever the employee is willing to work for and the employer is willing to pay.
  15. Homosexual marriage; yeah right.
  16. Abortion; refer to 15.
  17. Welfare; you don’t work don’t eat. I’m not advocating we don’t help those who need it, but if they refuse to work we cut them off. I assure you as was the case with the prodigal son; they will come to their senses, their stomach will make sure of that.
  18. Religious freedom; follow the constitution.
  19. Supreme Court; 1-term and that’s it…you’re done.
  20. Voting rights; If you don’t know the three branches of Government you’re not smart enough to vote…simple.

My name is Jared Denton and I approve this message.

“I BESEECH THEE O GOD, SHOW ME THY GLORY”

The crowning achievement in the life of Moses was not the leading out of God’s people from the heavy handed slavery of the pharaoh, it was not when he laid is staff to the sea and watched as the waters parted, no; it was not when he struck the rock and watered the dry souls of the desperate sojourners following in his wake, The crowning achievement of Moses’ life was not when Moses stood before God on Sinai and observed as the very finger of God inscribed the law in rock. What was the crowning achievement in Moses” life?

The fact that Moses had lived a life of faith, he was now in position to ask perhaps the greatest request man has ever made of God. Only the most confidant would even dare. Of all the great testimonies of faith we are given in scripture, this one is by far the greatest; “I beseech thee O’ God show me thy Glory”.  The account is here recorded in Exodus 33:17-19.

17The LORD said to Moses, “I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.” 18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”…

Moses wasn’t in this position by chance, he was in it by choice. You see, Moses had a mind fixed on God, he was determined to go where God would send him, this of course was not at times without reluctance. Surely there were times Moses struggled, surely there were times when Moses looked upon his circumstances and nearly buckled under the pressure, but he always followed God. In Moses we see a glimpse of raw human emotions: anger, frustration, confidence, fear, and sorrow, in Moses we see ourselves. But who could ever see themselves where Moses is standing now? In spite of all his weakness, Moses followed God by faith.

Think for a moment if you will, of all the attributes of God. If he could use just one to reveal his glory to man, what would it be? His power, his might, his justice, his wrath, his mercy, his love; think again. God chose to answer Moses’ request by showing him his goodness. Why? Because all of God’s attributes are wrapped up in his GOODNESS, GOD IS GOOD. He shows forth wrath in goodness, exercises justice out of goodness, pours out his love because of his goodness. YES, it is true, GOD IS GOOD.

Yesterday was a difficult day for me, and I struggled in my faith, I doubted God and forgot his goodness. Staring down what appeared to be an insurmountable obstacle known as adoption and the cost associated with it, I buckled. “Why God, why would you call us to this place only to leave us without provision”. “God, we are doing exactly what you asked of us, we are caring for the fatherless”.  “You know, the ones you said not to forget, now it seems you have forgotten us”.  Just then I hear a whisper “you’ve been here before, remember; did I forsake you then,”  and I cry, “I do, I do remember, I remember how you broke forth like the noon day sun in the hour of my need, leaving behind you a trail of GOODNESS that testified to your great name”. It seems the more I want to be like Moses the more I look like peter; you of little faith, why did you doubt?

So I prayed, as Moses did, “I beseech thee O GOD, show me thy Glory” and again he whispers “My glory is wrapped in my goodness”.  “Then show me thy goodness,” I cry. I arrived at home dismayed, anxious, fearful of what tomorrow might bring, I check the mail as I always do, and instead of bills, I find an envelope stamped with the name of a ministry we have come to love. In it is a check, a substantial check that was given to help offset this cost that loomed so large just moments before. He whispers again “didn’t I tell you, if you only believe, you will see my Glory, remember it always comes wrapped in my GOODNESS”.  I wept then, and I weep now at the sheer magnificence of God, He is GOOD.

There was a commercial that used to play while I was growing up. In it a man walks into his son’s room and finds him doing drugs, the son looks up at his father and says “I learned it by watching you”. I hope one day that I will happen upon my children as they are following the call of God on their life and hear them say “I learned it by watching you”.

A WORLD WIDE EPIDEMIC!!!

I wanted to introduce what I hope to be the newest member of our family. Her name is Scout, for three years she has been fatherless, an orphan in China. For the last year my wife and I have had her picture on the wall in our dining room. At first it was just a reminder to pray for her, specifically that God would raise up a family to bring her home. The more we prayed the more apparent it became that God was calling us to be her family. Having just returned from China not even a year from the time God laid it on our hearts, I must say I had no desire to return. This desire has now changed and I will do whatever I have to in order to get her home. She is currently in a good place, but she is not with her family, she is in an orphanage and children don’t belong in an orphanage they belong in a family.

Scout represents what amounts to over 150,000,000 children just like her, children without a family. So I am writing this on their behalf, to be their voice to the world. Imagine for a moment what life must be like for one of these little one’s. No one to hold you when you are sad, no one to pick you up when you are down, no one to cry for you when the world is unfair, no one to defend you, no one to run to when your scared, no one that really seems to care. This is the life of an orphan and it only gets worse. Statistically we know that most of these children will not be adopted, they will end up on the streets as prostitutes, drug addicts, criminals or worse…they will end up dead. Never having known the love of a family, the love of a father, or more importantly the love of thee Father. We are called to be their voice, to be their advocate, to be their intercessor. Without the Church they are destitute.

PROVERBS 31:8

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
    for the rights of all who are destitute.

I am also writing this to ask for help, I have resisted this for some time, mainly due to pride. I absolutely do not like asking for help. But then it dawned on me: What if one of my current children were in desperate need and I didn’t have the resources to help, what would I do? Would I reach out to any and everyone I could to bring them the help they needed? The answer is a resounding yes, and so whatever pride I have I must swallow in order to help my child.

It is likely you are now asking the question: If you don’t have the resources why are you adopting? If I were to tell you, it might hurt your feeling’s. The truth is, with a 150,000,000 million children needing families we just simply cannot wait for those who do have the resources to come to their senses. In some cases there are those who care deeply about the fatherless but are not in a position to adopt, and so it is to them that I make my appeal. HELP!!! Not for our sake’s but for Scout’s, it is time she came home to her family.  Provided is a link that will take you to a page where you can help. We would also ask that you keep us in your prayers as we begin the next leg of our journey.

gofundme.com/uaxx7fc

YOU SIR, CAN GO STRAIGHT TO HELL!!!

These words are so offensive that many of you will not make it past the headline to read the article. Too bad, cause I am probably talking about you. You see, the truth is that while what I may have voiced in writing, Christians all over this Country are demonstrating by their actions (or lack thereof) everyday. We are called to be his witnesses. A witness is to bear testimony to the things he has seen, heard, and knows through experience. Proverbs 14:25 says “a truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is deceitful. It is quite interesting to note that the word “witness” used in this case is the Greek word “Martus” which is where we derive our English word Martyr. Giving me the impression that this testimony we have is worth dying for.

To plead the fifth, and remain silent with so much at stake is criminal at best. Anytime a law is broken; a crime has been committed, and justice must be served. To have the knowledge that a crime has been committed and refuse to say anything is also a crime. In fact you become an accessory to the crime you have knowledge of. What is an accessory? I’ll give you the official definition.

Accessory to crime

Individual who was not involved in the actual carrying out (commission) of an offense but who (knowing a crime has been committed) conceals or harbors the culprit, or aids in his or her escape from arrest or punishment.

Satan has for too long been roaming around this earth seeking to whom he may devour. He lies, he cheats, he steals in order to accomplish his goal. In fact the Bible says he is the father of all lies, meaning that every lie that was ever spoken is the legitimate offspring of its father, satan. Therefore, for us to know the truth and not speak the truth, by default we become like the father of all lies and are now complicit in the affairs of the evil one.
While most of us make great Christians on Sunday, if truth be known we make even greater heathens on Monday. It’s been said that actions speak louder than words. Yet words must be spoken in order to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. So what must we do in order for our words to have impact? Simple, we must live as if what we claim the Gospel to be, is indeed true. Considering the current condition of the church I would submit to you that the vast majority of self-professed Christians do not believe what they claim. If we did, would not the Church look much different than it does?
Instead of being a watchmen on the wall, we have become mere spectators, watching as good men go down, down, down, straight into the clutches of HELL. Watching as the enemy continues to destroy family after family, and this is ok with us. I don’t know if a sadder state of affairs has ever existed.
Imagine for a moment if you will, you are a humble servant of a great king. The king comes to you and says, “I am going on a long journey and I’m not sure when I will return. I am leaving you in charge, protect the queen, guard my children,  take care of my possessions, and advocate for my kingdom.” You start out well, but after some time it appears as if the king is never coming back. You begin to sleep in later, go to bed earlier, until you have become so slothful in your diligence that when the king does arrive, he arrives to find his house broken into, his children are missing, his belongings have been looted, his kingdom is compromised and his bride is lying naked on the floor in a pool of her own blood having been raped and tormented by the enemy. Appalled by what he finds, he immediately climbs the guard tower to find you asleep and covered in your own vomit, having stayed up all night on a drunken binge rather than manning your post. How well do you suppose that king will be pleased with your service?
Yes, if you want to know the truth, here it is; we may not be saying with our mouths “you sir, can go straight to hell”, but we are certainly saying it with our actions. Man your post, the King is coming home.

Mr. President you are a disgrace!

There is a common misconception amongst the liberal elite these days, one that leads them to believe that marriage is some hallowed right of man that cannot be denied, and that a woman’s right to her body trumps the human right of the life that grows in her womb. There is a reason our founders established a bill of rights and not a bill of privileges. A right is something that cannot be taken, lest you do something stupid that leads to incarceration and a felony record. Or then again you could do something noble and enlist in the armed forces to defend this great country and likewise have your rights taken. That’s right, I said “taken”.  I remember while in the service being censured as to what we could and could not say regarding our chain-of-command, specifically the President. If you need more evidence to support this claim just check out what happened to Gen. Stanley Mcchrystal.  Gen. Mcchrystal was perhaps one of the finest General Officers on the battlefield, it could even be argued that aside from Gen. Petraeus, he was the best man for the job when it came to battling the insurgency. However, because this once esteemed General chose to exercise his right to free speech in the presence of a rolling stones reporter (who then went on to make public what was said in private) he was forced to retire. Way to look after the troops Mr. President. Take the best man for the job and send him home in disgrace because he tarnished your egotistical reputation. Sounds more like Hitler’s regime to me, then the leader of the free world’s. If anyone has been a disgrace it is you Mr. President.

You would think that as President of the United States you would spend your time and your effort on defending the rights that have existed since our inception, rather than trying to implement and create new one’s. The supreme court will rule on gay marriage in just a short time now and once again (should they rule in favor) a perceived right (gay marriage), will be pitted against a right that has been one of the foundational rights of our nation; the right to religious freedom, and the free exercise thereof.

So the question is, does the constitution matter, does the bill of rights matter? If not, then tell me why it is that as a soldier you take an oath to defend the very thing that apparently no longer matters?

I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” (Title 10, US Code; Act of 5 May 1960 replacing the wording first adopted in 1789, with amendment effective 5 October 1962).

If then, our founding documents do matter, as a soldier do you not have a duty based on the above quoted oath to protect and defend said documents, even if they are threatened from within, as it states “all enemies, foreign and domestic“. I know the dilemma, the oath also states that you will obey the orders of the president and all those officers appointed over you. However, this is not really a dilemma at all, you see the subject of the oath is the constitution. Therefore anything that comes after must be in relation to the subject. We can assume then that when the president gives an order we are to follow that order unless it disagrees with the founding documents. At which point, if he refuses to retract that order, he now becomes a threat to the very thing that we have sworn protect.  What is a soldier’s duty in this case?

Mr. President you have a duty as well, and it likewise is summed up in the oath you have taken.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Rather than to defend these documents you have spent the better part of 6 years attacking them. To top matters off, I read the headlines today and guess what, Ramadi has fallen. How many troops spilled their blood on that hallowed ground in order to give the Iraqis a shot at the same future they themselves would ultimately be denied. Against, the advice of your most senior military advisors you withdrew our presence there, well before the Iraqi military or police were trained and able to handle security operations themselves. Now Isis is in control and you have limited the amount of air power available to combat this enemy. What a disgrace, you are!

Your only job was to protect this country, that’s it, instead you have made it a far more dangerous place to live. Of course, we should have never expected anything more from you. The truth is, you don’t even have the resolve in the face of a little political pressure to protect the life of an unborn child. Instead of chanting Drill, Drill, Drill, you and your cohorts are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages feeding on the lives of the unborn and chanting kill, kill, kill. How could we ever have expected you to protect our country?

NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

Excuses…Excuses…Excuses…the one thing that really gets under my skin. When and how has society fallen so far? It seems that all we hear now days are excuses: “I was pulled over, ticketed, and tasered because the cops are racist,” not because I was driving recklessly and resisted arrest. Then there is the flag debate, flying a Christian flag has now become another form of protest rather than an expression of deeply held beliefs and convictions, as a result the freedom from religion advocates show up to protest the protest. Of course how could we forget about our politicians who are apparently not immune from such excuses and blatant stupidity themselves (i.e. Benghazi, the Bin laden raid, gay marriage, abortion, and any number of other hot button issues). There used to be a time when men didn’t make excuses, instead they went to work. If they saw something they didn’t like, they changed it. The World War II generation may not have been the most educated or enlightened generation of our time, but they were certainly one of the hardest working. This bode well America and we will never forget their sacrifices. I ask, what sacrifices are we making for the next generation? Never mind, I already know the answer.

I remember while serving in the United States Army (Infantry) how often it was drilled into us to accept personal responsibility and accountability for every decision we made. This concept is sorely lacking in society. Nobody wants to accept responsibility for their actions anymore. When we see something we don’t like instead of working to fix the problem, we protest, thinking that through some passive resistant effort we’ll bring the change we are looking for. If that doesn’t work, we can always resort to violent protests. Violence always gets attention, however it rarely brings change. In fact you could make the argument that the conditions get worse at the onset of violence.

The Christian is not immune from making excuses either, I am inclined to believe that we are actually worse about making excuses than the rest of the pagan world. Think I’m wrong, consider the amount of time you have read the bible this week alone, the time spent in prayer, or the time spent making disciples. Now ask, why is that? No need, I already know, you’re too busy right? Wrong, the truth is you’re too lazy, take a lesson from the ant you sluggard. God commanded that we work, this concept is not relegated to your secular job. It is a concept that is all inclusive: Marriage, children, disciples, prayer, bible study, careers; we are commanded to work. Stop complaining and just do the work. If you don’t like the way police are treating criminals, become a police officer, use the opportunity to educate your co-workers on the proper way to deal with the criminal element. If you don’t like how your local, state, or federally elected politicians are handling the affairs of the people they’re representing; run for office and use the opportunity to introduce policy that reflects the minds of your constituents. If you don’t like the irreverent attitude of the younger generation in church, take the opportunity to teach them the importance of reverence. In other words stop complaining and do the work. The reality is that protesting, while on the surface appears to be our civic duty, it is actually the opposite. Protesting for change is counterproductive, working for change is not. Working is our duty, not only to God but also to man. If every man works every man contributes, and when every man contributes everyone benefits. This is true in society, and the church. I for one am sick of seeing those whining, wolf crying, cynics spew their ignorant world views all over social and broadcast media every chance they get. Likewise I am equally tired of seeing the church at large whine and complain about how unfairly they are being treated. Just do the work, and at the end of the day you’ll find that you’re just simply too tired to complain. We are to do all things without whining or complaining. If you happen to be offended by all this, then that probably means the shoe fits. Don’t feel bad though the shoe fit me as well.