Scrolling around...June 17, 2013

Nigeria: Boko Haram attacks four churches, slits throat of Pastor
...He said: “as the gunmen threw some explosives at our church, they forced the retired Reverend to renounce Christianity and be converted to Islam, but Rev. Jacob defied the gunmen’s threats of being killed, as he insisted on being a Christian among his people on the hills of Hwa’a. They slit his throat with sharp objects; and we started to flee for safety, as we don’t know the next targets of these gunmen.”...

Scots police smash two large Muslim pedophile rape gangs

8th Grader Suspended Over NRA T-Shirt Could Get Jail Time
..In April Breitbart News reported that West Virginia 8th grader Jared Marcum was suspended for refusing to take off an NRA t-shirt he wore to school. And details now indicate the 8th grader could face a $500 fine and up to a year in jail for obstruction charges....

When Work Disappears
What do we do with people whose livelihoods are destroyed?

Obamacare will share personal health info with federal, state agencies
A new rule issued late Friday requires state, federal and local agencies as well as health insurers to swap the protected personal health information of anybody seeking to join the new health care program that will be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service.

Personal health information, or PHI, is highly protected under federal law, but the latest ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services allows agencies to trade the information to verify that Obamacare applicants are getting the minimum amount of health insurance coverage they need from the health "exchanges."...

President Obama introduced at Gay Pride event by third graders
 At a White House event celebrating "Gay Pride Month" yesterday, President Obama was introduced by two third grade twins who are being raised by a lesbian couple...

Catholics defy bidding, carry banner in Pride Parade
...She said many parishioners were surprised when newly installed Archbishop Alexander K. Sample asked the church to skip the parade this year.

"The archbishop would prefer no parishes be in the gay pride parade and be identified as a parish," said Wallace. "As individuals we could walk but not as an identified church."...

ACLJ Flooded with New IRS Discrimination Cases
...ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow said that since they filed a lawsuit last week on behalf of 25 organizations, they've been bombarded with requests for help.

Sekulow saids the ACLJ may have about 100 new possible cases of IRS discrimination. That includes reports of viewpoint discrimination by the IRS, with tax agents harassing a pro-life group, telling them their beliefs were not scientific...

The New American Enemies List
...These government agencies have never been bigger, more powerful, and more ideologically driven. Citizens fear them for understandable reasons: those who do nothing wrong, whether in filing tax forms or trying to buy a rifle, are considered suspect and deserving to be the target of either federal scrutiny or presidential slurs.  But those who do a great deal of wrong, either by illegally entering the country, disrupting polling, trafficking in weapons in Mexico, eavesdropping on American citizens, pulling tax information for partisan purposes, subverting a government agency, or lying to the public about government activity, seem exempt from punishment — and, more chillingly, sense that they are so exempt.

Ask who now is sitting in prison — a shyster video-maker who had nothing to do with the deaths of four Americans, or their five known terrorist killers lounging about in North Africa? Apparently, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, like EPA director Lisa Jackson, was guilty of creating a fake persona. Like Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, he had a lien on his business. Like former Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, he had some unpaid taxes. Like Tamerlan Tsarnaev, he had been visited by government investigators. Like Attorney General Eric Holder and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, he lied to federal authorities — although they were not quite as high as those in the U.S. Congress. And unlike all of the above, he was therefore jailed.

Of all the legacies of Barack Obama, the most pernicious will be the creation of a rogue government that has cut off and terrified half the population — and for no other reason than that they seem to represent things that Mr. Obama simply does not seem to understand.

Making Fathers Isn't as Easy as Making Babies

by Matthew Archbold
Saturday, June 15, 2013

Excerpt:
We, as a society all must conspire (in the kindest way that word can be taken) to help form young men into fathers. But it’s something we’ve forgotten how to do. I’ve read many places that when a woman is pregnant she changes. Or when she holds the baby for the first time she truly becomes a Mom. It’s not like that for men. I don’t know why. We’re not sudden transformers. We’re battle ships, dangerous and slow to turn.

I know that for me it wasn’t one moment that changed me from Matt into Dad, it was the act of caring for and serving another day after day and night after night (especially nights) that changed me. Acting selflessly actually made me less selfish. In other words, just acting like a Dad made me a Dad.

I don’t say any of this to pat myself on the back or elevate myself. It’s just we fathers are increasingly rare.

There are many reasons why men fail to be fathers, maybe even 370,000 of them. Some say it was the 60’s. Others say it’s rap music. Some radical feminism. Many blame divorce. But I think the problem is so far reaching now that we can honestly answer “all of the above.” I think though that much of it has to do with a lack of faith. When men stop believing in God it’s strange the things they will believe in, including the myth that sex has nothing to do with reproduction. I’ve known a number of men genuinely surprised when babies are conceived. One actually asked, “how did this happen?” At the time I figured the question was rhetorical. But I wonder.

There must have been in the past a sense that playing with fire can get one burned. Now we expect to play with fire consequence-free. Please excuse me for comparing having children and a family to playing with fire. But in a way that’s what it is. Fire destroys but it also has the ability to purify and make room for rebirth. That’s about the best definition of fatherhood I can come up with. Love for my wife and child has absolutely destroyed the old me and allowed me to rebuild into someone I could be proud of. I’m far from perfect but I’m better for being a father. Much better.

To be honest, I was bored to tears with me. I’m friendly by nature but I tended to skim and bounce along the surface of life which is fun but we’ll just say it lacked depth. Since becoming a father I don’t skim or bounce. Some might simply see that I’ve disappeared from the surface. But I’ll tell you, it’s under the surface where all the interesting things happen. It’s where life is.  the rest image

A.S. Haley: No News from Texas; Sad News from Virginia

Friday, June 14, 2013

As of today, June 14, the Supreme Court of Texas has yet to issue its opinion in the Fort Worth direct appeal brought by Bishop Iker and his co-trustees of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. Such decisions are normally released on Fridays, although toward the end of the term the Court also releases some decisions earlier in the week. For those who would like to monitor the page where any opinion will appear, here is the link.

This same day brings unhappy news, however, from the Supreme Court of Virginia, which has entered a one-page order denying the petition of The Falls Church for a rehearing. In doing so, it leaves intact the troubling decision which I discussed in this previous post. The opinion, however, is based almost entirely upon (a misreading of) Virginia law, and so the grounds for review by the United States Supreme Court are virtually nil. For churchgoers in Virginia, the problems created by the Supreme Court's interpretation of a State statute will be for the Virginia legislature to address and resolve. the rest

Another California Judge Denies Summary Relief to ECUSA (Updated)

Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope meet for first time

14 June 2013

 

The Archbishop of Canterbury has met Pope Francis for the first time since the pair became leaders of their respective Churches in March.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby's visit to Rome has been described as brief and informal, allowing the two Church leaders to become acquainted.

Pope Francis said they shared a common desire for economic and social justice...  the rest

Pope, archbishop of Canterbury meet, speak of unity
The neophyte holders of two of Christendom’s most venerable posts met for the first time Friday and spoke of fostering unity and understanding between their sometimes rival branches of the faith.

Pope Francis and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby exchanged warm words at the Vatican even as they acknowledged that relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion had historically been, as the pontiff put it, “not without pain.”...

Archbishop of Canterbury's Address to Pope Francis on the occasion of the Archbishop’s first fraternal visit to Rome

Pope Francis' Address to the Archbishop of Canterbury on the occasion of the Archbishop’s first fraternal visit to Rome

Scrolling around...June 14, 2013

IRS tracks your digital footprint
The Internal Revenue Service is collecting a lot more than taxes this year -- it's also acquiring a huge volume of personal information on taxpayers' digital activities, from eBay auctions to Facebook posts and, for the first time ever, credit card and e-payment transaction records, as it expands its search for tax cheats to places it's never gone before.

The IRS, under heavy pressure to help Washington out of its budget quagmire by chasing down an estimated $300 billion in revenue lost to evasions and errors each year, will start using "robo-audits" of tax forms and third-party data the IRS hopes will help close this so-called "tax gap." But the agency reveals little about how it will employ its vast, new network scanning powers...

America's worst charities-ranked by money blown on soliciting costs
Totals from the latest 10 years of available federal tax filings

Firefighters Battle Worst Fire in Colorado History
Giant flames and thick smoke are moving across Colorado Thursday. Three massive wildfires continue to burn out of control and hot temperatures, gusty winds and dry forests are only fueling the flames.

The Black Forest Fire near Colorado Springs is growing. Raging flames have wiped out at least 360 homes, making it the most destructive fire in state history... 

Don't Read to Your Children. It Makes Them Racist Homophobes and Stuff, Warns Academics
Parents who read their kids stories about happy, human-like animals like Franklin the Turtle or Arthur at bedtime are exposing their kids to racism, materialism, homophobia and patriarchal norms, according to a paper presented at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences.

Justices, 9-0, Bar Patenting Human Genes
Human genes may not be patented, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday. The decision is likely to reduce the cost of genetic testing for some health risks, and it may discourage investment in some forms of genetic research...

Sued by Government for Refusing to Provide Flowers for Gay Wedding, Elderly Florist Files Countersuit
...I think I see where she’s coming from. Selling flowers to gay customers or employing gay people are both well within Christian behavior. In fact, treating gay people like people is pretty much a requirement of following Jesus. Providing flowers for a gay wedding, on the other hand, would have put Ms Stutzman in the position of actively participating in something that just about all traditional Christians regard as sinful. It is a violation of what Jesus intended for marriage to be, and, many people believe, will do great harm to the already damaged institution of marriage...

Chaplain endorsers: Obama admin. opposition to religious freedom in military 'chilling'

U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms
Thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said...

Scrolling around...June 12, 2013

PRISM Class-Action Lawsuit Filed: $20B, Injunction Sought Against 'Complicit' Companies and Officials
Lawsuit says Obama chilled free speech; attorney encourages citizens to 'man the barricades of freedom'

Sebelius orders health insurers to cover Planned Parenthood in Obamacare exchanges
According to the Washington Examiner's Paul Bedard, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who led the Planned Parenthood cheering section as Kansas's governor, is taking her allegiance to new heights with the ObamaCare law. In an April letter to insurers, Sebelius issued a regulation ordering companies to cover Planned Parenthood clinics in their state exchange packages. Planned Parenthood, which she deems as an "essential community provider," is part of the long list of local organizations that insurers are required to partner with. (Others, Bedard says, include lesbian and gay centers, family planning clinics, and "holistic" centers.)

China Launches Huge Campaign to Force Women to Get IUDs or be Sterilized
...The notices posted online show that, to reduce the number of births in Huizhou, the government was requiring women who already had a child to be fitted with an IUD, while those with two children had to undergo a tubal ligation. Those who complied within a certain time frame would receive a financial reward...

Egyptian Christian Teacher Convicted Of Blasphemy
An Egyptian court has convicted a Coptic Christian teacher of blasphemy but didn't hand down a prison sentence and only imposed a fine on her.

The court on Tuesday ruled that elementary schoolteacher Dimyana Abdel-Nour had insulted Islam. It ordered that she pay a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds ($14,000). Abdel-Nour was not in the courtroom for the verdict.

Planned Parenthood Celebrates Obama Giving Morning After Pill to Kids
The Planned Parenthood abortion business is elated...

So many Christians are frozen in spiritual immaturity...

So many Christians are frozen in spiritual immaturity. They are easily offended, often distracted and without prayer or spiritual discipline. We think God is requiring of us simply to hang on, yet the Lord is looking for mature Christlikeness to emerge within us. He feeds us with His Spirit and Word that we might have every resource we need to obtain His very life and character. He baptizes us in fire that He might create proven character within us. He is relentless with His goal, expecting we should be also.
...Francis Frangipane image