Just a few Questions

Well, I'm going to shock everyone and do two posts in one day, yet this one is short. This one is nothing more than the asking a few questions in order to stimulate conversation, so here they are...

1. What is it that makes you feel proud of America?
2. What is it that makes America great?
3. What is it that makes individuals great?
4. What exactly is the American Dream?
5. What does it exactly mean to have the Freedom of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?
6. What is the Pursuit of Happiness?
7. What is it that really matters?
8. What is it that you really want deep down?

Blogging, Priorities and Dealing with Stress

Introduction

Well, I can't seem to stop making comments about my blogging experience, so maybe I should just make a post about it. In fact, I've decided to move some of what I've said earlier on the subject over to this post, so that my comments on the subject can appear all in one place and I can better evaluate where I'm at on the subject.

Perhaps what I say can help some who are already blogging or those who might be considering starting a blog to evaluate their priorities and I'm also hoping for a little help from those who have found solutions to some of the things mentioned.

My Goal

My goal was to make a post about once every 3 to 4 days. Occasionally, I'm late. For awhile, one of my commenters was telling me that I should just post when I want to, yet there are reasons why I keep pushing myself. One is that I, at times, can have motivation problems and I've found that if I wait until I feel "Moved", sometimes this results in me never getting anything done.

Another reason is because I desire a certain result, for sometimes we do things because we want to, sometimes we do things because we have to and sometimes we do things because we are hoping for a certain result. The result I desire is to give my readers some level of consistency so that the ones who have decided to follow my blog will know what to expect and will not lose interest.

I suppose that I'll always have a few followers who are really loyal no matter what I do and for those I am truly grateful. Thank you.

Indecision

There have been times in which I have found my blogging experience to be a little frustrating. I've discovered that this is because I have trouble making decisions. I don't want to pick and choose. I just want it all.

Deciding what to post has not always flowed as nicely as I would like it to. I've always got several options to choose from and the indecision in itself can cause a delay and then when I do finally decide on something, I start doing it and realize that if I really want to do this particular post right, I really should look up something in a certain reference that I don't happen to have here at the house.

Dealing with Stress

I keep thinking about these people who have these programs that count hits. Their goal is to get as many hits as possible and they post DAILY, at least in part because apparently this increases the number of hits. That sounds really neat, but I don't think I'd have the energy for that.

It's not just the continuous posting that seems hard for me, but I also think that I'd have trouble keeping up with all the continuous comments. I'd be on the computer for hours and hours a day and probably wouldn't even find the time to leave my own blog and visit anyone else's. I don't know how you guys do it. I guess I just have to learn to ignore some of the comments until I can get a few other things done.

I've got a number of impossible goals that I seem to feel the need to keep striving for. There is a part of me that wants to read every post, on every blog, of all my friends. Another even more impossible goal is to respond to every comment, on every blog, of all my friends. Is it any wonder that I feel stressed at times, but God says, just wait on Me and I will show you what's important to do and what is not.

I guess I could just put the blogs I visit on a schedule. For example, if I have 7 blogs to visit, I could assign each one a different day of the week. Unfortunately, it doesn't flow quite as neatly as that. Instead, I seem to go through blog phases in which I'm particularly interested in one of the blogs for a period of time over all the others, yet I don't want to let too much time go by in which I'm ignoring anyone. It's weird. Oh well.

A Few Questions to Find Answers to

In a few of my previous posts, I've been combining my comments about blogging with other thoughts and inspirations, such as a Word Picture or a Prayer. I've done this instead of creating two separate posts mostly because I realize that as I do more and more posting, some of my earlier posts will eventually disappear onto an additional page and may not be read as often. When I think of this, it makes me feel just a little reluctant to keep posting because I really do like some of my earlier Posts.

I've noticed that some blogs include the ability to Categorize the Posts and this keeps more of the Posts on the first Page, depending on what Category the reader is interested in. I'm not sure how to get this "Category Option" to work on my blog, or even if such is available to those who use blogspot.com. Another thing that I may need to do soon is add some kind of a feed. I don't know how to do this either. Perhaps some of my readers can help. Thanks.

Comments about Blogging and Another Word Picture.

Posting to my Blog.

I keep mentioning my goal of posting every 3 to 4 days and yet occasionally miss in this quest. I'm a day late. One of my commenters, Beth, keeps telling me that I should just post when I want to, yet there are reasons why I keep pushing myself. One is that I, at times, can have motivation problems and I've found that if I wait until I feel "Moved", sometimes this results in me never getting anything done.

Another reason is because I desire a certain result, for sometimes we do things because we want to, sometimes we do things because we have to and sometimes we do things because we are hoping for a certain result. The result I desire is to give my readers some level of consistency so that the ones who have decided to follow my blog will know what to expect and will not lose interest.

Deciding what to post has not always flowed as nicely as I would like it to. I've always got several options to choose from and the indecision in itself can cause a delay and then when I do finally decide on something, I start doing it and realize that if I really want to do this particular post right, I really should look up something in a certain reference that I don't happen to have here at the house.

A Picture that the Lord Gave me.

There is one thing that I was considering that I can do right now off the top of my head and that is a picture that the Lord put in my head recently. The explanation of it is incomplete, but it will do Ok for now for me to just introduce it and the rest can come later.


I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking out over it to the North/East. I was taken in by the beauty of it and also by the vastness of it. Than I looked across the canyon, directly to the East, where the closest edge was on the other side of the canyon. I was thinking about how wide and deep the canyon was and of how difficult it would be to get across it to the other side. It was like a big divide; a deep canyon, separating me from the other side and it seemed so impossible for me to ever get across it to reach the other side.


Aside from this picture, there were two verses that came to mind.

“28) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29) Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29, KJV.

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31, KJV.

Next, I pictured myself as an eagle taking off and flying across the canyon. I didn't even fly directly East, across to the other side of the canyon. Instead, I flew North/East along the canyon and even as I did eventually reached the other side, I did not land, but just kept going.

Like usual, there is more than one way to interpret this word picture. In this case, there may be quite a few ways of interpreting it, including many that I haven't personally thought of, so please do not be afraid to take a stab at interpreting it.

Let's just Talk and Say a Prayer.

Since the number of comments on the previous post is already up to 25, I feel that it's time for me to make another post. Not that I'm implying that you shouldn't keep commenting on the previous post. Go right ahead and comment away.

My goal was to make a post about once every 3 to 4 days and that would make the due date either today or tomorrow. My previous post is about Abortion and Fetal Development. There's a lot more I could say and will eventually say on the subject of Abortion, yet at least one of the people who has been commenting on my previous post has expressed a desire for a less stressful topic, and to be honest with you, even I could use a break.

One thought I had was to post about something that I was a part of over the weekend but I was looking for the program so that I could copy something off of it, but couldn't find it. I've called around and found a copy, but am not likely to get my hands on it until Thursday night. That's two days off and I should post at least a little something sooner than that.

This may seem a little odd to some of you, but when I run out of things to say, sometimes I just pray, so that is what I'm going to do.


Lord Jesus,

Please be with all those who have been commenting on my blog and even with those who have been reading and not commenting and also with those who are reading this prayer. I really do pray that everything that I say will be a blessing in some way and as we discuss certain issues, we can all go away feeling like we've learned something. Draw us closer to you, Lord God, and fill us with your peace. Dry all of our tears. Help us to better communicate with each other in a way that will help us to be understood. Be with all of our marriages, family and friends and always guide our steps in the way that we should go. Fill us with Your peace, Lord God! Fill us with Your love and fill us with Your joy! Help us to learn how to be better people and to treat each other with respect and love. Thank you, Jesus, for all that you do for us in our lives. Thank you, Lord, for life itself. Help us to see the good in this world and also the good in people. Help us to always love and not judge and help us to always reach up to You for Your help in everything that we do. Thank You, Lord, so much for all that You are and all that You do. I love You so very much. Thank You so much!

Amen.


On this post, you can either comment on this prayer or if you would like, you can just answer one of several non-political questions; How was your weekend? How is your week going? or How was your day?

Abortion/Fetal Development

There is a lot I could say about the subject of Abortion. In one of my comments on my "Lessons for the strong and the Weak" Post, I made the statement; "The fact that what’s killed is definitely alive and definitely a baby is only the tip of the ice berg." I've got so much to say on the subject of Abortion that I don't hardly know where to begin, yet perhaps "the tip of the ice berg" is an Ok place to start, so here it goes.

The information below was taken from a pamphlet put out by Focus on the Family entitled "The First Nine Months". I copied most of it word for word, but have added a few comments. When I added my own thoughts, I have printed them in italics.

Perhaps you've already read about the Fetal Development of Babies, yet the comment section of this post contains some interesting discussion about whether or not the Fetus/Baby is a "Person".

Here are the scientific facts.

DAY 1 - Sperm joins with ovum (egg) to form one cell-smaller than a grain of salt. This new life has inherited 23 chromosomes from each parent, 46 in all. This one cell contains the complex genetic blueprint for every detail of human development; the child’s sex, hair and eye color, height, skin tone, etc.

From the very beginning, even the very first cell is NOT a part of the "mother's own body", but instead has his or her own unique genetic identity, so the statement that the mother should have the right to decide what to do with "her own body" is not based on the facts.

DAYS 3-4 - The fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where the lining has been prepared for implantation.

DAYS 5-9 (1 WEEK) - During this time the fertilized egg implants itself in the rich lining of the uterus and begins to draw nourishment.

DAYS 10-14 (2 WEEKS) - The developing embryo/Baby signals its presence through placental chemicals and hormones, preventing the mother from menstruating.

DAY 20 - Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are already established.

DAY 21 (3 WEEKS) - THE HEART BEGINS TO BEAT.

This is when the mother is just barely beginning to realize that she has missed her period.

DAY 28 (4 WEEKS) - The backbone and muscles are forming. Arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show.

DAY 30 - (1 MONTH) - At one month old, the embryo/Baby is 10,000 times larger than the original fertilized egg and developing rapidly. The heart is pumping increasing quantities of blood through the circulatory system. The placenta forms a unique barrier that keeps the mother’s blood separate while allowing food and oxygen to pass through to the embryo/Baby.

DAY 35 - Five fingers can be discerned in the hand. The eyes darken as pigment is produced.

DAY 40 - (2 days prior to 6 Weeks) - BRAIN WAVES can be detected and recorded.

Since a person is considered dead when brain waves cease, the presence of brain waves is a sign of life.

WEEK 6 - Liver takes over the production of blood cells and the brain begins to control movement of muscles and organs. The mother is about to miss her second period and has probably confirmed that she is pregnant.

WEEK 7 - The embryo/Baby begins to move spontaneously. The Jaw forms, including teeth buds in the gums. Soon the eyelids will seal to protect the embryo's/Baby's developing light-sensitive eyes and will reopen at about the seventh month.

WEEK 8 - (2 MONTHS) - At a little more than an inch long, the developing life is now called a “Fetus”; Latin for “Young One” or "Offspring." EVERYTHING IS ALREADY PRESENT THAT WILL BE FOUND IN A FULLY DEVELOPED ADULT. The heart has been beating for more than a month (5 weeks). The stomach produces digestive juices and the kidneys have begun to function. Forty muscle sets begin to operate in conjunction with the nervous system. The Fetus'/Baby body RESPONDS TO TOUCH, although the mother will not be able to feel movement until the fourth month.

WEEK 9 - FINGER PRINTS are evident in the skin. The WILL CURVE ITS FINGERS AROUND AN OBJECT placed in the palm of its hand.

WEEK 10 - The uterus has not doubled in size. The Fetus/Baby can SQUINT, SWALLOW AND WRINKLE ITS FOREHEAD.

WEEK 11 - At this time, the Fetus/Baby is about two inches long. Urination occurs. The face has assumed a baby's profile and MUSCLE MOVEMENTS are more coordinated.

WEEK 12 - (3 MONTHS) - The Fetus/Baby now sleeps, wakens, exercises its muscles energeticcally, turning its/his or her head, curling its/his or her toes and opening and closing its/his or her mouth. The palm, when stroked, will make a tight fist (RESPONDS). The Fetus/Baby BREATHS amniotic fluid to help develop its/his or her respiratory system.

WEEK 13 - Fine hair has begun to grow on the head and sexual differentiation has become apparent.

4 MONTHS - By the end of this month, the Fetus/Baby is eight to ten inches in length and weighs a half pound or more. The mother will probably start to "show" now. The ears are functioning and there is evidence that the Fetus/Baby hears quite a bit; the mother's voice and heartbeat, as well as external noises. The umbilical cord has become an engineering marvel, transporting 300 quarts of fluids per. day and completing a round-trip of fluids every 30 seconds.

5 MONTHS - Half the pregnancy has now passed and the Fetus/Baby is about 12 inches long. The mother has definitely began to feel movement by now. If a sound is especially loud or startling, the Fetus/Baby may jump IN REACTION TO it.

6 MONTHS - Oil and sweat glands are functioning. The delicate skin of the growing baby is protected from the fetal waters by a special ointment called "vernix." If the baby born were born in this month and given proper care, he would survive.

7 MONTHS - The baby has uses the four senses of vision, hearing, taste and touch. He can recognize his mother’s voice.

8 MONTHS - The Skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies increasingly build up. The baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per. day. The fluid is completely replaced every three hours.

9 MONTHS - Towards the end of this month, the baby is ready for birth. The average duration of pregnancy is 280 days from the first day of the mother's last menstrual period, but this varies. Most babies (85 percent to 95 percent) are born somewhere between 266 and 294 days. By this time, the infant normally weighs 6 to 9 pounds and his heart is pumping about 250 gallons of blood a day. He is fully capable of life outside the womb.

This concludes the information taken from the Focus on the Family pamphlet entitled "The First Nine Months".

Does this sound like “No Life” or "Just a Cluster of Cells" to you?

Poem - Life is Not all Roses

Lyrics by Lista

Life is not all roses.
Even God has no such guarantee.
Tear drops touch the earth every day,
But life is not all thorns.
Even Satan can't make the whole world bleed.
Roses fill the earth with sweet perfume.

Can you not see the love present here,
Among the ones who believe?
I thank the Lord for helping me see,
Above the thorns are roses.

Life is not all cherries.
Even God has no such guarantee.
We have all felt down in the pits,
But life is not a pit.
Even Satan can not destroy the seed.
One day it will grow to a tree.

Can you not see the love present here,
Among the ones who believe?
I thank the Lord for helping me see,
That the pit's a seed.

Grass in not all green.
Even God allows some brown to heed.
Struggle though we may, there still are flaws,
But grass is not all brown.
Even Satan can not destroy the green.
Watered in God's love it grows and grows.

Can you not see the love present here,
Among the ones who believe?
I thank the Lord for helping me see,
That there is much green.

Can you not see the love present here,
Among the ones who believe?
I thank the Lord for helping me see,
Above the thorns are roses,
And the pit's a seed,
And there is much green.

Lessons for the Strong and the Weak

Life is Full of Contrasts and each one of us is unique. We each have our own journey to travel, tasks to perform, lessons to learn, crosses to bear, mountains to climb and obstacles to overcome. Below are a few scripture verses that relate to the Strong and to the Weak.


For the Strong

"1) Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." Matthew 7:1-2, KJV.

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" James 4:6, NIV.

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?" 1 Corinthians 4:7, NIV.

”34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Take your inheritance; the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35) For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36) I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' 37) Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38) When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39) When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' 40 The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' 41) Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42) For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 43) I was a stranger and you did not invite me in. I needed clothes and you did not clothe me. I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' 44) They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' 45) He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' 46) Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:34-46, NIV

"Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 10:12, KJV.

Summary: Be humble and do not judge. Give to the poor.


For the Weak

"14) Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15) To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16) The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17) So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18) But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19) After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20) The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21) His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22) The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.' 23) His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24) Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25) So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26) His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27) Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28) Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29) For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30) And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" Matthew 25:14-30, NIV.

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31, KJV.

"And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galatians 6:9, KJV.

"For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Matthew 17:20, KJV.

Summary: Share whatever talents you have no matter how small or insignificant they may appear. Do not ever lose heart and don't ever, ever give up.



Here is a message for Republicans and Democrats...

When it comes to Democrats and Republicans it is so hard to find the middle ground. Sometimes Democrats stress love, forgiveness and grace so much that they exclude responsibility, yet sometimes Republicans stress responsibility so much that they forget to love.

I've often heard it said that "If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, he will eat for a life time.”

The problem with Government is that so often things are done in accordance with one extreme or the other. The big Government Assistance Programs that are pushed by the Democrats too often only give men fish. The programs offered by the Republicans, however, sometimes do not go far enough, because sometimes there are just as many emotional obstacles to success as there are lack of skills. Republicans too often only teach skills and than expect people to go out there and either sink or fly. And sometimes they will even go so far as to beat up the injured and fearful by accusing them of stupidity, lack of discipline and laziness. I happen to believe in Counseling and Encouragement and it is also important to remember that while they learn how to fish, they do need to eat.


Life is Full of Contrasts; Contrasts between two extremes budding heads with each other. Can’t we all just realize that the truth lies in the middle?

How Long Does America Have?

Here’s something that we got in our email box not long ago and I thought it was very interesting. If it’s true, than it's sort of scary.

“How Long Do We Have?”

”About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at the University of Edinburgh, had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

'A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government.'

'A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury.'

'From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.'

'The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years'
'During those 200 years, those
nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage'

”Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

Number of States won by:
Gore: 19
Bush: 29

Square miles of land won by:
Gore: 580,000
Bush: 2,427,000

Population of counties won by:
Gore: 127 million
Bush: 143 million

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:
Gore: 13.2
Bush: 2.1

”Professor Olson adds: 'In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country.
Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare...' Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the 'complacency and apathy' phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the 'governmental dependency' phase.”

”If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.”

”Thanks for reading.”

I’m not sure what to say in response to this. I just thought I’d put it on my blog and see what others have to say.

Quotes from Mitt Romney and Ronald Reagan

Before I get into the meat of this post, I just want to say that the previous post, that is now below this one, was a lot of fun to write and than talk about. It is an allegory and some people were having a little trouble figuring it out. If you like that sort of thing and think you'd like reading it, you could read that post first before reading this one because this post contains another hint as to the meaning of the allegory.

Did you finish reading the allegory? If you want to, do it now. If not, well Ok, just continue reading below.



Mitt Romney

I'm a republican, so I will vote for John McCain when the elections come in November, yet to be honest with you, the candidate that I really wanted and voted for in the primaries was Mitt Romney. There was a certain part of the speech that he gave when he pulled out of the race that I particularly liked. Let me quote some of it for you.

"As I said to you last year, conservative principles are needed now more than ever. We face a new generation of challenges; challenges which threaten our prosperity, our security and our future. I am convinced that unless America changes course, we will become the France of the 21st century, still a great nation, but no longer the leader of the world, no longer the superpower. And to me, that is unthinkable. Simon Peres, in a visit to Boston, was asked what he though about the war in Iraq. 'First,' he said, 'I must put something in context. America is unique in the history of the world. In the history of the world, whenever there has been conflict, the nation that wins takes land from the nation that loses. One nation in history, and this during the last century, laid down hundreds of thousands of lives and took no land. No land from Germany, no land from Japan and no land from Korea. America is unique in the sacrifice it has made for liberty, for itself and for freedom loving people around the world.' The best ally peace has ever known and will ever know is a strong America.

"And that is why we must rise to the occasion, as we have never done before, to confront the challenges ahead. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is the attack on the American Culture.

"Over the years, my business has taken me to many countries. I have been struck by the enormous differences in the wealth and well-being of people of different nations. I have read a number of scholarly explanations for the disparities. I found the most convincing was that written by David Landes, a professor emeritus from Harvard University. I presume he's a liberal. I guess that's redundant. His work traces the coming and going of great civilizations throughout history. After handreds of pages of analysis, he concludes with this:

"If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference. Culture makes all the difference.

"What is it about American culture that has led us to become the most powerful nation in the history of the world? We believe in hard work and education. We love opportunity. Almost all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants who came here for opportunity. Opportunity is in our DNA. Americans love God, and those who don't have faith; typically believe in something greater than themselves; a 'Purpose Driven Life'. And we sacrifice everything we have, even our lives, for our families, our freedoms and our country. The values and beliefs of the free American people are the source of our nation's strength and they always will be."



This entire speech, can be found at http://www.miiromney.com/News/Press-Releases
That's not the exact page, but it can be found from there.

I've wondered at times if Romney himself realizes how true his statements about "Culture" really are, for the true source of our strength comes neither from the government, nor our military, but from our Creator.

The main difference between Democrats, Liberal Republicans and true Conservatives is what we believe to be the source of our strength. Democrats seem to believe that it is the government itself and want lots of it. Liberal Republicans seem to think that the source of our strength is the military. This idea is also incorrect.

The real truth is that if we lose the conservative values that our country once treasured in her youth, no government program, nor even a very strong military, will be able to save us. This is why I fear greatly for our country.



Ronald Reagan

It's just like Ronald Reagan said, "If we ever forget we are a nation under God, we will become a nation gone under".

I got this quote from Gayle's blog. It's at the top on every one of her comment threads, just under Reagan's picture. Thanks Gayle.

May God help and have mercy on this country.

An Allegory - The Mural on the Wall

After Sandra's family and friends had finished with their lunch, they walked out towards their various pickup trucks that they had filled with furniture and boxes, bid their final farewells and drove off down the street towards her Aunt and Uncle's new home. Sandra stayed behind to load up one last load of boxes into her small pickup. Everyone else had something scheduled for later that afternoon, but she didn't have anything planned, so she had agreed to stay behind and finish up. The furniture was already gone and all that was left was a few boxes in one of the rooms that she was assured were not that heavy.

Once everyone had left, Sandra walked back to the room where the remaining boxes were; a room towards the back of the house that had been used for storage and that she had never actually been in before today.

What was left to move was a single row of boxes stacked about 1/2 of the way up the far wall and a few boxes stacked up to the ceiling covering about 1/3 of the Left side of that wall. On the remaining part of the wall, that was not covered by boxes, a wonderfully painted mural was exposed.

Since no one remained there with her to hurry her along, she took a minute to stand there and admire the mural. At the very top of the mural, there were a few mountains and a thin skyline. About 1/4 of the way down the wall, there was a rather wide river running along the base of the mountains, flowing from Right to Left until it disappeared behind the boxes on the Left. Just slightly Left of the center of the exposed part of wall, another river was flowing down the mountains, cascading down, towards the Left, until it merged with the river at the base of the mountains.

Just past the point at which these two rivers merged, the river divided again. Most of it continued to the Left, yet a much smaller, more narrow stream flowed down from it; this time moving down the wall, slightly to the Right, across a lush green meadow, until it disappeared beneath the boxes in about the center of the exposed part of the wall. The meadow was mainly grass, but also contained a slight sprinkling of trees and some patches of wild flowers in shades of yellow, orange, red, purple and blue and there were also a few rocks scattered here and there.

Soon Sandra began to work and started by removing the boxes that were stacked all the way to the ceiling covering the Left 1/3 of the wall. As she loaded each stack of boxes onto her dolly and wheeled them out to her pickup, more and more of the mural was exposed and it wasn't long before she realized that what had originally appeared to be a meadow was actually an elevated plateau and on the Left 1/3 of the wall was a very deep canyon. The river that was flowing Right to Left along the base of the mountains became a tall water fall, plunging violently over the high cliff and crashing down hard onto the rocks below, into the highly turbulent, rushing rapids that then very quickly hurried off the bottom Left hand corner of the wall.

Curious about the rest of the mural, Sandra continued to move the remaining boxes until her work was done and the entire wall was exposed.

The narrow stream, that had split off from the larger one and flowed down and slightly Right, towards the center of the wall, continued to flow down and Right along the meadow, twisting back and forth a little, and occasionally cascading slightly over some of the rocks, yet mostly flowing Right along the plateau, until it flowed gently into a small lake, down at the bottom Right hand corner of the wall; a rather lovely tranquil pool of water, surrounded by trees and a few deer, grazing peacefully along it's shores.

Intrigued by the painted mural, Sandra felt slightly moved. She thanked God for the mural and whispered a prayer. In doing so, a verse came to her mind; "13) Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14 NIV.

After a moment or two, Sandra turned to go. The painting stayed with her, as she drove off down the street, to deliver the boxes and meet her Aunt and Uncle at their new home.




Now, I'm going to let you think about this for awhile, then if you're still stumped, I will give hints in the comment section, until someone figures it out. If you think you are smart enough to know the answer without hints, than pause a little and think about it before reading the comments. The answer will be in the comments eventually.