An Important Development

As we all remember, presidential candidate Obama made a whirlwind tour to the Middle East and also Europe recently. His favorable reception on the continent probably exceeded that of almost any politician in recent memory. He was feted everywhere he went and generally treated like a rock star. Speaking in Berlin he was surrounded by adoring Germans who reminded one of the crowds which prominent speakers drew in the thirties.

The question in every one’s mind is; what long lasting affect his presence in Europe might have not only on our relations but also on the election? Polls taken shortly after his visit to citizens of those countries he visited revealed that he enjoyed an extremely high “favorability” rating. I am grateful to a fellow blogger (this is where I lifted it) for supplying the most recent map which indicates what Obama can expect from his new friends in the line of electoral votes.

Oh, that’s right, I forgot! This disappointing result reminds me that Europeans do not have a voice in our electoral process. Never mind!

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Monday Morning Rant 54

As I sat in the pew awaiting the serving of the emblems this morning, I finally understood the meaning of “sanctuary.” The only sounds had been the hymns, the challenging sermon delivered by Steve Kendall, several prayers by the elders and the occasional sound of a baby or a child who temporarily forgot his pre-church instructions. It was a time to sit and reflect on the marvelous gifts our Lord has provided. I was at peace.

There is a temptation to become distracted by the affairs in the news of wars and rumors of wars; impending natural disaster which threaten our fellow citizens; and the constant clatter of commenters, pundits, and other “know-it-alls” attempting to direct our thinking. All of this was put aside to enjoy the morning with my fellow believers and to contemplate the possible result of His sacrifice.

In dinner conversation after church, I’m afraid I greatly distressed one of my companions by mentioning in conversation the fact of a 40,000,000 death toll in the forty years since the enactment of Roe V. Wade. Somehow, this quantification of the cost of this Supreme Court decision had never been brought to her attention. I was happy when she assured me she was upset by the facts of the matter and not the messenger. That aside, the general peace of the day was welcome and left me ill prepared to enthusiastically blow off steam on one subject or another. But—I’ll try. . .

PiperGel

We have become accustomed to open mikes and TV cameras removing any vestige of privacy for those who appear in public. In most cases it serves only the purpose of supporting evidence for one more vicious political attack. In this case it served as the basis for one of the most endearing moments I have seen on television. It has also provided an opportunity to satirize a now-famous and very annoying TV commercial.

Most important, it demonstrates a loving, caring, big sister emulating her mother to put her little brother in the best possible light. It would be impossible to stage this overt display of love. Click on it and enjoy a golden moment in television.

More YouTube

I really don’t know what to make of this. The interview is pretty straightforward but the mistake (?) shows up like a gravy stain on a tux shirt. I am certain it will be spun, twirled, re-phrased and excused away. But the facts remain as you will see when you watch the extremely short video segment. Even Stephenopolus was quick to correct him.

Over my life I have known a legion of Christian men and women and I can not imagine any single one of them making this sort of gaffe. This is not only political stupidity; it is an affront to Jesus Christ. This will really nail down that evangelical vote.

One Canadian Gets it!

I’ll let this quote stand on its own

“North of the Border, Andrew Coyne at Macleans isn't necessarily predisposed to liking Palin, but he admits he witnessed something very impressive, calling her "the best natural speechmaker since Reagan. It was that good. No, she’s not qualified, and the substance was thin, but my God — that was perhaps the greatest bit of political theatre I have ever witnessed. Her critics in the media and in the opposition may regret having piled on quite so enthusiastically, and with so little heed for who they hurt — or angered. Watching the tumultuous, ecstatic reaction in the hall, I was reminded of the famous words of the Admiral Yamamoto after Pearl Harbour: 'I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant, and fill him with a terrible resolve.'"

More views on a peaceful day

Under the influence of a wonderful worship service and fellowship with sterling companions I noticed that my mind was able to embrace far more of the beauty on the drive (70 miles) home from church. Here in the Ozarks, and even in Oklahoma, there are huge clusters of long stemmed daisies (?) which line the roadsides in early fall. Their huge yellow heads with accumulated weight overcome the strength of the stem and bob and weave in the slightest breeze and provide a delightful spectacle.

If that were not enough, I found a capable preacher on the radio dial who shared a discussion of the body of believers and compared it to the various parts of the body. He emphasized through the analogy the necessity of avoiding the conceit of thinking your part is more important than any other claiming an affinity to the pancreas without which the heart and the brain are useless.. It was a delight.

I hit the “seek” button and located a lengthy performance on the Wanamaker Organ—the world’s largest operating—from Philadelphia. This benign monster has parts distributed over seven floors of Macy’s Department store, 28,482 pipes, six keyboards, floor pedals and a complex array of controls comparable to a 747. The expert at the keyboard (s?) extracted divine music which sounded more like a 100 instrument symphony than any mechanical device I have ever heard.. The organist, Peter Richard Conte performed the Symphonie-Passion, a composition reflecting Christ’s final days before the ascension. The result was to place a crown on an otherwise perfect day.



My prayer for you is to exceed my experiences on this beautiful day. You deserve it.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon

Political Repentance

There comes a time when every voter needs to accumulate more information about the candidates. For the average Democrat voter who favors his party’s goals, there is information in the following link which will arm him with knowledge of what he is now up against. To not know your enemy is to court disaster. In the course of last week, the foes of Obama, as well as the rest of the country, saw repentance at work.

For Republicans, their leadership acknowledged their prior faults and pledged a sea change of improvement in an extremely substantive manner. This was not accomplished in some smoke filled room out of sight but rather in a public display watched by 40,000,000 people—the most in history to have seen a political convention.

Bill Whittle has demonstrated not only complete knowledge of the candidates but, even more important, insight into the meaning of recent events. Voter’s of both parties need this brilliant appraisal to properly support their candidates. On either side, this more subtle view of the situation is ignored at your peril. If nothing else, enjoy that a national figure has an appreciation of repentance and the possibility of redemption.

In His Abiding love

Cecil Moon