Chains of Courage

Christians sometimes wonder if they have “enough courage”. Courage comes through our daily obedience to Christ, regardless of circumstances. It takes obedience to teach Sunday school children, just as it takes obedience to stand before a hostile judge with a gun in your back. We have courage not because of who we are, but because of Whom we serve.

Tribal Christians in Communist Vietnam are told they must sign a paper promising not to worship together again, and by signing they will “protect” their family. One Vietnamese brother was trembling as he told this story about his house church that had been attacked that evening by the police, but he was smiling. A Vietnamese pastor told us “we have learned that suffering is not the worst thing that can happen to us. Disobedience to God is the worst things.” Their modern-day witness encourages us not to sign up with the world, no matter how or where we are tested.

It’s important that we obediently continue to hold our light on the hill (Mat 5:14). As we maintain our gracious Christian witness, we are links in God’s several thousand-year chain of courage. You may be maintaining your witness in a difficult family or working as a single parent, juggling both job and children. But, we are all presented with moments of heroism in our life, which require faith, obedience and courage.

Thousands of angels clap for us when we stand up for Christ, the same way they clap for a Muslim convert who refuses to go back to Islam and is beaten by their family. Together with our brothers and sisters, we produce a chain reaction of joy, even in heaven.

The courage to be a witness for Christ stems from obedience rooted in love not from feelings. The Lamb of God on the way to be sacrificed was in pain, yet He obeyed the will of His Father and purchased our salvation. He tells us to obediently take up our cross, knowing we will also pass through painful moments. God’s chain cannot be broken.

Source: Voice of the Martyrs Magazine

Conservative Legend Dies

Politico is reporting that conservative author William F. Buckley, Jr. has died. Many consider him one of the founding fathers of the modern conservative movement through writings in his magazine, National Review. He will definitely be missed!

Frozen Grand Central

Very neat and fun idea!

Digg it...

Inside of a blogger's mind!

Start Your Engines!!!

Yesterday's post of all the cooling events so far this year, which are also listed in this article, were all anecdotal evidences and even adds more. However, the 5 global temperature tracking outlets, including NASA, have now confirmed the anecdotal evidence that this past year has indeed cooled as sited in the above article as well. It has cooled so much in fact that it has erased the warming of the last 100 years. And the culprit? THE SUN. As I have shown on here many times, the sun is proving to have way more of an effect on global temperatures than any so called manmade greenhouse gases.

Also in the above article, if this cooling CYCLE continues on the same trend as last year, it could have major damaging effects because "cold is more damaging than heat." So, for the good of the planet, let's start our engines...let's burn more coal...let's run those heaters...let's do all the things that the manmade global warming fear mongers have tried to stop us from doing b/c if we don't we may be in far more danger!

Start Stocking Up on Fur Coats?

Here are some of the latest facts coming out as more and more scrutiny is placed on "manmade" global warming that can only be stopped if we all abandon our vehicles and all other evil CO2 producing machines (wait does that mean you have to kill all humans too?).

• Most snow cover currently in North America, Siberia, Mongolia and China since 1966
• Record cold temperatures in many American cities in January and February
• Average temperature in January was 3 degrees cooler than average temps from 1901-2000
• Toronto breaks record monthly snow total for February in first two weeks of month
• Arctic ice has not only recovered but is 10-20 cm thicker in many places compared to last year
• Wind and ocean currents shown to have more effect on Arctic ice than "manmade" effects
• Sun spot activity so low that many climatologists (not former Vice Presidents) are fearing a major cold cycle that could potentially lead to a mini ice age.

And just as an anecdotal personal experience. When I was here in 2006 this exact same time of the year, the most I wore was a light windbreaker for a couple of days. This year I had to have Mimi ship me my big winter coat, gloves, sock hat and thermals. I've only gone two days so far since the beginning of the year without at least my fleece. And also let's not forget it snowed here for the first time in nearly 100 years.

All that to say, the CYCLE of natural warming may be ending and the next CYCLE of natural cooling may be starting. I won't be holding my breath waiting for the "we were wrong" apologies to start because that might just cause the cooling to go even faster without my CO2 to help keep us a little warmer.

Not About Mi!

I promised my gorgeous fiancé that I will start writing tonight, so I have to jump on board and introduce myself to the blog friends. I had many journals but never finished with one, I guess I just liked to collect cool notebooks. Shane had one very good point that’s really convincing me to blog. I came to realize that online journal is a better way for me to share my thoughts, my faith, and the amazing stories God has done and is doing in my life with others than keeping my journal in a notebook to myself. Because my life is not about me, I am a tool for Him to use to speak into others' lives. The people He sent to my life have blessed me and I pray that I would be a blessing to your life as well. I hope to continue to communicate from my heart through arts (with some writings) on each post, and let God write on these pages as I called a journal.

P.S. My name is Mimi! =)

Contract with Conservatives

A lot of leading conservatives including Newt and others are talking about what is being called a Contract with Conservatives. The main point is that Republican party and its leaders need to reassure conservatives that they still stand for the principles that Reagan won with and the class of '94 won with. If we would go back to our core and then govern in accordance with these principles we can regain the majority and hold it this time. Here is a great list from the above article of what it means to be a conservative:

Immigration Reform

• Secure America's borders
• Enforce employment laws
• No amnesty

Tax Reform

• Make President Bush's tax cuts permanent
• Reduce taxes, both on business and individuals
• Simplify the tax code by moving to a flat tax or the Fair Tax
• No favorites -- All tax cuts should be across the board

Size and Scope of the Federal Government

• Reduce the size of the federal government
• Reform entitlement programs
• Respect states' rights and limit the reach of the federal government as stated in the Constitution
• Cut spending
• Support a balanced budget amendment
• Eliminate earmarks and support stand-alone spending bills

Judges

• Vigorously nominate and support the confirmation of judges who follow the law, not those who legislate from the bench
• Wage a real fight against left-wing attempts to block judicial nominees

Life

• Respect the rights of the unborn and promote laws which will protect innocent human life
• Support the overturning of Roe v. Wade
• Block any efforts to fund or promote embryonic stem cell research

Free Speech

• Repeal the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act
• Embrace First Amendment rights

Installment #4 - Persecution Watch - China

From Voice of the Martyrs:

On February 2, two Christian women, Meng Xiu Lan and Zhou Cheng Xiu, were detained by police in Jun Tun County, Yunan Province, after they were found distributing Christmas cards. According to China Aid Association (CAA), the two women, aged 55 and 53 respectively, were "threatened, mocked, stripped and frisked violently." CAA added, "Police then handcuffed the two women and escorted them back to their homes. After searching the homes, police illegally confiscated CDs, handouts, Bibles, song books and calendars, without proper documentation."

Can you imagine being arrested and beaten for mailing Christmas cards? Let's pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters as well as for our own nation that we never get to this point.

Adding Some New Flavor

If you know anything about Cajun cooking it is all about adding lots of flavor. The biggest "complaint" I get about my blog is that I talk about politics too much which some might say makes it a little too bland. Well, I've come up with a solution to add some more flavor. I've added Mimi to the author list for this blog and she will start posting as well under her name. Hopefully this will add some much needed non-political diversity to the blog. She should be saying hi soon with her first post so stay tuned to see why I fell in love with this amazing girl as she spices things up a little =)

Blanco Still Trying to Blame Everyone Else

In former LA Gov Blanco's first speech outside LA, she lays nearly all blame once again on President Bush and FEMA , but takes hardly no responsibility for any failures on her administration. She even goes as far as to say had Clinton been President the catastrophe wouldn't have happened.

My question always is, who was President for all the hurricanes that hit Florida in 2004 and 2005. Who was President when Katrina hit Mississippi and Alabama. Who was President when Rita hit Texas? Seems to me that the federal response was very adequate for every other hurricane except when one hit LA. Hmmm...could that suggest that the problem wasn't with the federal government but instead the state government....nah...that would make too much sense.

Should Al Gore Start Dusting Off His Resume?

According to the latest study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, almost all of the allegedly lost ice in the Artic has returned to its normal levels. That's just another piece of evidence that the CYCLE of warming is coming to an end as predicted by many scientists despite the so-called consensus. Not only that but also listed in the above linked article there has been record snowfall and cold temps all over the globe, especially in the Northern hemisphere. Might be time for Al Gore to start dusting off the ole resume b/c he may be looking for a new gig soon. Also when it is proven that manmade global warming is a farce, does he have to give back his Oscar and Nobel?

All is Well

Due to the rocket attack yesterday on Camp Victory that is getting lots of news coverage, just wanted to let everyone know I'm ok =) And also while I can't talk about any more details than what is in the article, know that in addition to the bad news of the Iraqi casualities, there was even more good news than being reported on the response to the attack and more intel that was gained that gave more insight into these so-called "Iraqi suspects" that were captured.

The Epitome of Hypocrisy

So, when Clinton was the presumptive nominee back in September, she supported the DNC's rule to punish Florida and Michigan for breaking the rules by not seating their delegates. Now that the race is so close and she has a very real chance of losing she is calling for both states' delegates to be seated with claims of disenfranchisment. Nah...no hypocrisy there at all. I'm sure she would be fighting just as hard for this if she had lost both states.

Once Again Dems Help Terrorist and Make US Less Safe

This video shows why with the Dems going on a two week recess without passing the Protect America Act which allows the intellegience agencies to properly monitor terrorists' communications we can thank the Dems for once again aiding the enemy and making us less safe.

Hap tip: Flopping Aces

House Repub Leaders Miss Great Opportunity

House Repub leaders had a great chance to show they learned from the mistakes of the past by appointing anti-earmark crusader, Rep. Jeff Flake, to the open seat on the Appropriations Committee. This would have been a very clear signal that they were once again going to be serious abour curbing uncontrolled spending. Unfortunately, they decided to thumb their noses at fiscal conservatives and pass over Rep Flake for the seat. What will it take to get the Repub party back to its fiscal conservative roots??? What will it take to make them understand that they won't be returned to the majority if they continue to act like the Dems???

Installment #3 - Persecution Watch - Iran

The Iranian parliament is reviewing a bill for the Islamic Penal Law that legislates the death penalty for apostasy. According to the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, the draft law defines an apostate as "any Muslim who clearly announces that he/she has left Islam and declares blasphemy." This proposed law is aimed to deter conversion from Islam.

McCain Shuns McCain-Feingold

In the ultimate move of hypocrisy, McCain has refused public funding money in order to be able to raise more funds privately. The main point of his landmark campaign finance bill, McCain-Feingold, was that private money was the cause of all political problems. Seems he forgot all about that now that he needs the private money to compete. It will be a very long 9 months!

Looking Ahead to November and Beyond

Now that the process is all but over in choosing the GOP nominee (sorry Huck and Paul fans, but it is time to accept reality), it is time to start looking ahead to November and beyond. It has taken me this long to post on this since Super Tuesday b/c I just needed some time to get out of my funk that is the reality of McCain as the nominee. I have no idea how it came to this (well I do but no need to bore you), but this is where we are.

As I've said from the beginning, no matter who the Repub nominee was, I'd support them. However, I truly never in a million years would have thought it would be McCain. As Blankley says in his editorial (Hat tip: Mike's America) that captures my thoughts almost entirely, this may be the first time in political history that the nominee is someone who is actively despised by more than half of the base due to very weak candidates and early states allowing independents to play in the Repub primary.

That being said there is still lots to do to ensure that we keep the Dems, who despite Coulter's rantings are still worse than McCain, out of the White House. And also, in case we aren't able to stop that or you don't agree that a Dem would be worse so you aren't motivated to work hard to see him win, we need to work hard to at least keep the losses in the Senate to a minimum so they don't have the White House and a filibuster proof Senate which would be the ultimate nightmare. Then if McCain does win in November, we have to keep his feet to the fire and not give up on our positions. We proved on illegal immigration and the Miers nomination we could stop bad ideas coming out of a Repub White House if we united and we will probably have to do it again many times for the next four years.

On the Dem side, I'm loving how it is playing out so far. While I think on some levels, Obama would be harder to beat, I'll take that risk if it means there is no way for the Clintons to walk back into the White House. If Obama continues to win most of the voted-for pledged delegates and Clinton the unvoted-for super delagates and that is what ends up putting her over the top, what a huge food fight that will be and I'll love every minute of it =)

Then looking beyond November if we lose, we need to ensure this doesn't happen again in '12 by finding a truly social, economic and foreign policy conservative candidate that can also inspire the base to support him (which unfortunately Hunter and Thompson never did). Several already come to mind, Jeb Bush (who would have walked away with the nomination this year if his last name weren't Bush as said in the Blankley article), Newt, SC Governor Mark Sanford (needs to really start getting his name in the national spotlight), and Michael Steele. They would all be great candidates to bring us back from the abyss. If McCain were to pick either Sanford or Steele or another very solid conservative (not Huck) as VP, that would go a long way in helping rally the base and lay a great foundation for them in '12.

Sun More Responsible for Global Temps

Another study is out with very good scientific evidence (that means actual data and not feelings or alarmist rhetoric) that shows the sun has way more to do with the earth's global temperatures than man. And if this study is accurate, the global warming CYCLE is coming to an end and the earth's temperatures will start cooling again to possibly another bitter cold CYCLE like in the 16 & 1700's.

World Persecution Watch List

Open Doors has released their annual world persecution watch list. It ranks the 50 worst counties as it pertains to Christian persecution. Once again North Korea heads the list as the worst country.

Dave Ramsey Rocks!

I've heard the name Dave Ramsey several times over the years and I've had one of his books, Financial Peace Revisited for a couple of years now and just recently bought his latest book, The Total Money Makeover. I'm not sure why I never read them until now, but I wish I had read them sooner! As I'm sure you have noticed, I've been doing a lot of reading even for me since I've been over here. Right before I left in August, I packed a big stack of books that I wanted to read while here and these two books were in that stack. I finally got around to reading them in November and got completely fired up.

He lays out a very simple to understand process that is completely doable if you set you mind to it and follow the plan. I highly recommend both books. The first one gives a lot of background and the second one really gets to the meat of the matter. Then you can go to the website, My Total Money Makeover, and it walks you step by step through your personal plan with very fun graphics, an online budget tool, and a community message board that is extremely helpful due to being filled with others going through the same process.

He also has a podcast of his daily radio show that you get for free if you sign up for the MTMMO website. My favorite calls are the ones that people call in to scream, "I'M DEBT FREE!!!" followed by the Mel Gibson scream of "FREEDOM!!!" from Braveheart.

I'm looking forward to starting a Financial Peace University class if not here on base, definitely when I get back. I tried doing the online version, but the internet connection here isn't consistent enough. This is a 13 week class where a group of people go through the classes together and then have small group accountability. I'm sick and tired of seeing so many people struggling with money due to being told all the wrong things about debt and how it is ruining so many lives and marriages.

The Second Mile

I never recommend a book without reading it first. However, when the book is written by one of my best friends and heroes, I will definitely make an exception. The title of the book says it all, The Second Mile. Mike and I have been friends going on 13 years, and he has been the epitome of living a life that goes the second mile and more in my life and in many others' lives as well.

I can't wait for my copy to arrive in the mail that I just ordered being I guess my complimentary copy got lost somewhere on its way to Iraq right Mike???...lol Without even reading it, I have no doubt it will challenge you big time and equip you to live your life in a way that you go the second mile and more for others who are in need.

FundRace 2008

Curious as to who your neighbors are supporting financially in the Presidential race? How about whether or not the big Hollywood stars are putting their money where their mouth is? I found this neat site that lays political giving on top of a google map. I know this is like a major inside political geek thing to like, but if you are curious...check it out here.

Another Terror Attack Stopped

Last week it was reported that another major terror attacked was stopped in Spain and other European nations. What? You didn't hear that in the news? I'm shocked! Wait...what else? You thought that being Spain pulled all their troops out of Iraq last year and have been very hostile to Israel lately that the terrorist would no longer attack them? Shocked again!


Hat tip: Gathering Storm Weekly Report (If you want to keep up to date on all the latest information on the war on terror and terrorists attempts to do you harm, I highly recommend signing up for this weekly report)