bierkergaard

Thaddeus Stevens died on 11th August, 1868. Inscribed on his tombstone were the words: "I repose in this quiet and secluded spot, not from any natural preference for solitude; but finding other cemeteries limited as to race, by charter rules, I have chosen this that I might illustrate in my death the principles which I advocated through a long life, equality of man before the Creator". Last night, after getting both delighted and decimated by some Chicken Vindaloo at The Himalayan restaurant in Lancaster--to be fair I asked for it to be hot--me and my companions walked through the Celebrate Lancaster crowds back to where our cars were parked. One of our companions for the night was a Chica couch-surfing from California. She suggested to calm the heat from the food that we stop for some drinks at a local watering hole. Kind of fight fire with fire, I suppose. It actually worked. Like giving Ritalin (a form of Speed)  to hyperactive children to calm them down....

Photo from here Romans 3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. In much of the culture wars (Red vs. Blue) rather than the Blue vs. Gray of the Civil War, both sides appropriate Jesus on their side, much as did the South and the North. I think it is wise to step back and first consider what Lincoln said on such sentiments: "Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God's side, for God is always right." Although Lincoln was not a Christian in the traditional sense--he rarely invoked Jesus's name, doubted the afterlife, did not consistently attend church--his comment is transcendent. And reflects a humility that is rare. As the Civil War ground on, a conflict that neither side imagined would last and become as horrific as it did in terms of casualties and cost, it would have easy for Lincoln...

I try to be timely in my posts--to bring the timeless truth of Scriptures into our contemporary situation. So, here is my take on DOMA, SCOTUS, etc. I have no great beef with homosexuals wanting to get married--just as long as our society still allows people to dissent. Legal does not always equal moral and we have to understand the difference. I don't expect non-Christians to hold biblical beliefs. It is unreasonable. It is hard enough for us Christians to be Christians. A major concern, and it is more than just a concern, is that many twist the Scriptures to fit our preferences. And that is the underlying issue here. The Bible, the whole counsel of God, is either in force or it is not. One domino goes down, and the rest will follow. Just a matter of time until other doctrinal dominos fall. 20th century Liberal Christianity shows that in spades. I don't have to argue predictively. Historically. We are supposed to have Freedom of Religion ...

Perceive the way of nature and no force of man can harm you. Do not meet a wave head on: avoid it. You do not have to stop force: it is easier to redirect it. Learn more ways to preserve rather than destroy. Avoid rather than check. Check rather than hurt. Hurt rather than maim. Maim rather than kill. For all life is precious nor can any be replaced. -Master Kan This is my lovely left leg, hairy and all, recently after a wipe-out on my mountain-bike. Feel free to use, royalty-free. One trending joy in the last few months has been getting on the mountain bike and riding a different trail each time. Last early evening, my buddy B.R. and I were scheduled to ride. Then one of those summer showers came and doused everything. Mountain-biking on wet rocks is pretty dangerous. B.R. said the rocks would be slicker than snot on an icicle. He spent several years in Alaska and his vocab reflects the geography up North. B.R. is a very good mountain biker and knows all o...

Our pastor yesterday did a little preaching on Acts 17 and then sent us out the door for about thirty minutes to walk around  and see what idols existed in our little Athens, Lancaster City, Pennsylvania. I didn't see any fertility goddesses or cows walking around. Instead, I witnessed a whole of closed stores, parked cars, and passersby. Although, there was a purse snatching later in the day at a cafe right next to where our church meets, and the criminal was chased down and tackled by ticked off citizens. What I observed most were beauty salons. Not sure what that says about our society. Appearance idol? Besides those who are trippy spiritually with New-Agey tenets minus the more ferocious beliefs of Karma, or Buddhism-light without the worldly renunciation, spirituality has taken on  "here and now" philosophy--whatever gets you through the day type of deal. Our idols are real, but they pass as routine. They are still deadly mind you, b...