VMI Band in Rose Bowl Parade

You may be interested to know that the VMI band will be in the Rose Bowl Parade... on January 1, 2008!!! It begins around 10AM CST. John is the piper major, and they are unit# 24, just behind the Rose Bowl President's Float. The Rose Parade will be broadcast on ABC, NBC, Univision, HGTV, Travel Channel, Discovery HD as well as KWHY and KTLA in the Los Angeles area. The Parade is also seen in more than 150 international territories. http://www.tournamentofroses.com/roseparade/

Oliver North's "Persons of the Year"....

My "Persons of the Year" are men and women who voluntarily took an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies." Though fewer than 3 percent of their countrymen know a single one of their names, they continue to make extraordinary sacrifices while wittingly and willingly going into harm's way on our behalf. They are, on average, just 20 years old, yet they are brighter and better educated than their peers in the same age bracket. All of them have been entrusted with the awesome responsibility for the lives and safety of others, and all of them are held accountable for what they do or fail to do in carrying out that responsibility. During the past six years, my "Persons of the Year" have spent an average of 31 months far from friends and family and the comforts of home. Tens of thousands of them have been wounded, and more than 4,000 have been killed defending our nation from radical Islamic terror. Many celebrated Christmas this year on lonely patrol bases where even the most basic amenities -- showers, sanitation facilities, drinkable water and hot food -- are considered luxuries. Like Time magazine's Vladimir Putin, my "Persons of the Year" ride around in armored caravans because evildoers want to kill them. But unlike Putin, most of my honorees wear heavy protective vests and helmets and frequently have to use the weapons they carry. Though Putin frequently speaks about making life better for his people at some point in the future, my honorees actually are doing it in two countries. During 2007, my "Persons of the Year" built more than 575 schools in two countries, opened nearly 500 public health clinics and hospitals, provided clean drinkable water for more than 6 million people and electricity to about the same number. While most Americans prepared for Christmas by hunting for gifts imported from China, my honorees were hunting for deadly improvised explosive devices imported from Iran. If you haven't figured it out already, my "Persons of the Year" are the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines serving in Iraq and Afghanistan -- the very ones with whom I spent most of the month of December. Unfortunately, Time magazine, like most of the so-called mainstream media, has a long history of ignoring the good being done by young Americans in uniform.

tribute to Benazir Bhutto by Condoleezza Rice

Here is a text of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's message of condolence for slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto: I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the family of Mrs. Bhutto, to her supporters and to the people of Pakistan. She was a woman of courage and a champion of democracy. Her legacy will be one of commitment to freedom for her people and deep love for her country. Condoleezza Rice

American War for Independence

I gave this set to Gilbert for Christmas.

American War for Independence: Men and Battles

I just listened to the first CD and learned a lot of background re British culture....no wonder we won! But it scares me a bit to think about the future in regards to our present-day American culture! All I can say is "Onward Christian Soldiers." Let's pray and work for the advance of our Lord's kingdom ....these earthly ones seem to be built on sand!

Lillback, Wilkins, and Wilson blaze a trail of early American history wide enough to fit seventeen cranky liberal historians abreast. These lectures dispel popular myths about the American War for Independence (or as the British often called it, the "Presbyterian Rebellion") and illumine the triumphs of unsung battlefield saints, such as Israel Putnam and Francis Marion.

The following topics are included in this set :
1. 18th Century English Clintons - Steve Wilkins
2. The Black Regiment - Douglas Wilson
3. Richard H. Lee - Steve Wilkins
4. God and General Washington - Peter Lillback
5. Israel Putnam - Steve Wilkins
6. Valley Forge: The Battle for the Soul of America - Peter Lillback
7. Francis Marion - Douglas Wilson
8. Paul Revere & the Midnight Ride of the Huguenots - Peter Lillback
9. The Battle of Saratoga - Douglas Wilson
10. Questions & Answers - Lillback, Wilkins, & Wilson

The Top 12 Blunders of the Presidential Campaign....

The Top 12 Blunders of the Presidential Campaign From John Hawkins over at TownHall: 12) Mike Huckabee attacks Romney's religion 11) Mitt Romney "saw" his father march with Martin Luther King 10) Obama's Flag Pin and National Anthem Flap 9) Hillary's campaign says Obama is a coke-dealing Muslim liar who has been lying since kindergarten 8) Fred Thompson skips New Hampshire For Leno 7) Southern Fried Hillary 6) John Edwards' running feud with Ann Coulter 5) Fred Thompson's rejection of a Constitutional amendment to ban abortion 4) John Edwards' $400 Haircut 3) John McCain supports the Senate amnesty bill 2) Fred Thompson gets in the race late 1) Hillary's drivers' licenses for illegals flap

Black Russian/White Russian

From dark to light, Justin Brown and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra will explore the contrasting works of two of the most influential Russian composers. Virtuoso Vadim Gluzman plays Shostakovich's passionate and soulful Violin Concerto No. 1, and Maestro Brown follows Tchaikovsky's troubled but ultimately life-affirming Symphony No. 5 next weekend January 4 and 5. Gilbert and I are going on Friday night, the 4th! Can you join us? Listen here Concerto No. 1 in A Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 99: I. Nocturne - Adagio by David Oistrakh, Eugene Ormandy & Philadelphia Orchestra

The Holy Innocents

...... notes and prayer from The Daily Office about The Holy Innocents:

We read in Matthew 2 that when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered that all the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded as martyrs for the Gospel -- "martyrs in fact though not in will." Augustine called them "buds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showed themselves."
written by James Kiefer

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Daily Office

Merry Christmas

Joy to the World! The Lord has come. Let earth receive her king!

Our Lord's coming.....

Last night we enjoyed a service of lessons and carols. Joyce and Jessica Terry, Vicki Winstead, Don and Laura Steele did a superb job of choosing and presenting songs coordinated with the bible readings reflecting progression from "promise to fulfillment, prophecy to realization, type and shadow to reality" ....bridging the advent and Christmas seasons. What a blessing!

Here is a quote from St. Augustine on the Lord's "coming."

"The first coming of Christ the Lord, God's Son and our God, was in obscurity, no one recognized him but his own servants; when he comes openly he will be known by both good people and bad. When he came in obscurity, it was to be judged; when he comes openly it will be to judge."

diligence....

Anonymous The diligent man has a hard day, but the lazy man has a hard life.

Missions

A really good NT Wright Quote....."Christianity did not spread by magic. It is sometimes suggested that the world was, so to speak, ready for Christianity: Stoicism was too lofty and dry, popular paganism metaphysically incredible and morally bankrupt, mystery-religions dark and forbidding, Judaism law-bound and introverted, and Christianity burst on the scene as the great answer to the questions everyone was asking. There is a grain of truth in this picture, but it hardly does justice to historical reality. Christianity summoned proud pagans to face torture and death out of loyalty to a Jewish villager who had been executed by Rome. Christianity advocated a love which cut across racial boundaries. It sternly forbade sexual immorality, the exposure of children, and a great many other things which the pagan world took for granted. Choosing to become a Christian was not an easy or natural thing for the average pagan. A Jew who converted might well be regarded as a national traitor. Even slaves, who might be supposed to have less to lose than others, and hence to appreciate an elevation of status through conversion, might face a cost: as we saw, Pliny thought it normal to interrogate, with torture, slave-girls who happened to be part of the early Christian movement. We have no reason to suppose that interrogation under torture was any easier for a young woman in the second century than it is in the twentieth."Why then did early Christianity spread? Because early Christians believed that what they had found to be true was true for the whole world. The impetus to mission sprang from the very heart of early Christian conviction. If we know anything about early Christian praxis, at a non- or sub-literary level, it is that the early Christians engaged in mission, both to Jews and Gentiles....This missionary activity was not an addendum to a faith that was basically 'about' something else (e.g. a new existential self-awareness). Christianity was never more itself than in the launching of the world mission."

Evangelism Opportunity.....

Muslims and Christians at the Table: Promoting Biblical Understanding Among North American Muslims

This book gives a very good analysis of the growth of Islam in North America in context of our culture and theology. I can't find my book at the moment, but intend to read this again when I find it :-). There is a new mosque in Hoover. Another didn't get the permit to build recently. Gilbert and I attended a philanthropic fundraiser put on by one community of Islamists, the Agakahn group, ?sp who were raising money for relief in the middle east....seemed to be a very good work. Pray that we Christians will let our lights shine to the world around us and help these people created in the image of God know Him in a more personal and life-giving relationship, that they will repent and be baptized and brought into the true community of faith. Also pray that the Lord will forgive US already IN HIS COMMUNITY for our lack of enthusiasm and faithfulness, that WE will turn and DO His will (on earth as it is in heaven!). The book gives good practical tips on befriending muslims (and all others of diferent faith)...some basic guidelines for friendship evangelism.

an advent prayer.....

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. BCP

A Faith That is Never Alone

This is a response to Westminster Seminary California. You can order it here: http://www.lulu.com/content/1189642. Our own Pastor Rich Lusk is a contributor.......as well as other respected theologians you will enjoy!

“Combining careful, thought-provoking exegesis with a deep indebtedness to Calvin’s emphasis on union with Christ, the contributors to A Faith That Is Never Alone engage in stimulating theological reflection on the relationship of faith and good works. While their conclusions will no doubt elicit a wide range of responses from the Reformed community, they cannot be easily dismissed. In short, A Faith That Is Never Alone is a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate over justification.” Douglas J. Green Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology Westminster Theological Seminary

Abortion Politics 2008

Here's an article from First Things with some serious thoughts about voting IF Giuliani gets the Republican nomination.....http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6085

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree....

I put up our Christmas tree last night. It looks nice. This is the 2nd year I have used the artificial one. In years past the boys were always working the Boy Scout Christmas tree sale but usually we couldn't afford to buy one there, so we would always wait until the trees came onto the lot at Mazer's, 84 Lumber or one of the Home Goods stores.......I would gather up James and Gray and we would ride down and find the two biggest ones we could locate on the lot. We used to always get a 10-12 foot tree "in the good ole days :-)". But alas, I am very happy with the 6 foot artificial tree which I put upon the top of the coffee table......... so it looks like it's about 10 feet tall!!!! ......sweet!

Parmesan Shortbread

I haven't tried this, but I intend to. Perhaps it would be like cheese straws..... 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp 1/2 t salt 1/4 t ground black pepper pinch of cayene pepper 8 ounces grated parmesan cheese 1 cup all purpose flour Preheat oven to 350. Mix butter, salt, black and cayenne pepper at low speed until blended. Add cheese and flour alternately and mix at low speed until smooth. Shape dought into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes. On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-1/8 inch thickness and cut into desired shapes. Bake on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake until light golden, about 13-15 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes then transfer to racks to cool completely. ....doesn't that sound good.......I won't get to attend Sarah's cookie swap this year, but if I did, I'd take this! I'll let you know how it turns out when I try it!

Fresh Flowers

There are some occasions when fresh flowers simply make the difference in how a special celebration looks and feels.....Flowers bring a sense of cheerfulness and classical beauty! This is a combination of white "innocence" roses and Christmas greenery. I made the arrangement and it was the centerpiece at mama's birthday party....I have always been a little nervous about flower arranging, but with the help of a few books on the topic, trial and error, and a little obsessive compulsiveness about whether this bloom is in the right place or not, I think I have had some stunning results (if I do say so myself!).

.....Fred's stand on the issues

The choice is clear if we look at the candidate's stand on the issues.... http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/Fred_Thompson.htm

80th Birthday

My mother (Rose Mary Semon Nettles) was born born Dec 3, 1927. We celebrated her 80th birthday this weekend with a nice party in Selma, Alabama. All her children and grandchildren were present except our son, John and Tiffany's son Braxton. ....that means Cindy/Gilbert, Mary Jane/Clay, Rose Ellen/Michael and Johnny/Tiffany and 20 grandchildren were in attendance. AND in addition, Mama's siblings, Uncle Manny and Aunt Dessie made it and friends from UMW, PineBelt, the surrounding communities AND some relatives drove from neighboring states to attend! It was a happy occasion for all and we're planning to do it again in 20 years!

A Collect for Sunday

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of you Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Advent of our God our prayers must now employ. And we must meet God on the Road with hymns of Holy joy. The everlasting Child incarnate deigns to be. Selects a servant's life to live, God's people to set free. Before the dawning day let sin's dark deeds be gone, and all our old life put away, our new life to begun. All glory to the Christ who comes to set us free, with God and Spirit ever One throughout eternity Words: Charles Coffin (18thC), tr. John Chandler (19thC)