Christian living

April Foolishness

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April 2, 2009 By kimc

April Fool’s Day came and went this year with hardly a giggle in our house. Sure, we played a few jokes but nearly all were verbal and immediately followed by shouts of “April Fool’s!” The shouts were hardly necessary since they were invariably preceded by raised eyebrows and skeptical faces.

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Hubby was mean enough to call his poor, long-suffering mother and other relatives, raising false hopes of a surprise visit to Tennessee. tsk, tsk.

What April foolishness happened in your house?

And now that your regularly scheduled day of national foolishness has passed – not to be confused with the national foolishness that happens every day of the year – here is a more serious look at foolishness:

Filed Under: Bible, birthdays/holidays 5 Comments

I love stories that end like this!

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March 27, 2009 By kimc

We should never let circumstances – even difficult ones – determine our standard of right and wrong. God’s standard is perfect and eternal.

Fellow members of the congregation where we attend were told that their unborn grandchild had no brain. The parents were urged to abort. They were assured there was no brain, and this child would die once born anyway.

They decided that since their doctors’ best advice ended with the same heartbreaking scenario no matter what they chose- they were going to be the parents of a dead child- they would prefer to at least have the chance to hold her gently before she left them rather than dismember her, and they continued the pregnancy.

Can you guess how it ends? Vist The Common Room.

Do you know other stories like this? Please leave me a link!

pf button I love stories that end like this!

Filed Under: Christian living 15 Comments

Darfur Genocide Awareness

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

March 17, 2009 By Perry C.

My friend Matt posted this to Facebook in Feb.

He is in the Sudan now please life him up in prayer.:

Wells needed for Darfur Refugees

In December, I visited a community called War Lang, located on the Southern Darfur border. This community consists of 10,000 people. They have no wells. During the rainy season, they dug holes in the ground to collect rain water. But now that the rains have stopped, the holes will be dry within a few weeks. At that point animals and then people will start to die.

PPF is currently raising the funds to dig the community some wells while the weather is dry enough to get vehicles in there.

Please consider giving a special gift at this time that will help us with this, and all the other projects we’re involved in.

Blessings!

Will you consider helping out?

Filed Under: Christian living, Dad's corner Leave a Comment

Pi Day

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

March 16, 2009 By kimc

A quote of note from good friends of ours:

If we do not pursue righteousness, how else will we be reminded every day of the need for God’s grace to obtain it for us?” – Erik Engstrom 3/14/2009 (Pi day)

I think the statement can stand alone on its own merit, but is it weird if I admit that part of the reason I love this quote is because of how it’s dated? Did I ever mention that I was a math whiz as a little kid?

Pi day? Is that a holiday? Pi Day, with a capital D? I think it is now.

Drat. We just missed it, but just wait til next year! Wait – we didn’t miss it. We had apple pie for breakfast on Pie Day! How fitting is that? I think this is the start of a beautiful tradition. My kids might even come to appreciate pi rather than hating it like they do now.

Filed Under: Christian living, mom is neurotic 6 Comments

My first ever live radio interview

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

March 3, 2009 By Perry C.

Last month when we were hunting down in south Texas I had the (first in my life) chance to be a guest on a live talk ration show. My good friend Adam McManus – the local Christian Radio firebrand who hosts a show on KSLR 630 am in San Antonio – hosted me to get my opinion on an article where a liberal goofball called me irresponsible . Not really, but he did say,

I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don’t really hear anyone say the “p” word.

Naturally I was happy to oblige, since I know a thing or two about having more than 2 kids.

Well almost happy.

Remember I told you that I was in south Texas deer hunting? Well, on this particular afternoon I was guiding instead of hunting. I was not going to take the call but the young man I was guiding insisted that I take the call – regardless of what it did to his hunt.

SO I called and spoke rather softly Most of the time I’m on the phone there are 4 big deer just off to the north of our deer stand.

Anyway I want to share the interview with you – Adam was kind enough to send me a copy so without further ado here it is:

My radio interview (click to listen)

amcmanus My first ever live radio interview

Adam on KSLR 630 AM

You can hear Adam’s show ”Take a Stand” every day ONLINE if you don’t live near San Antonio. Just go to KSLR.com and he is right there on the front page. You can also go to Adam McManus blog or email him at adam – at – kslr.com and you will receive his daily email action alerts and program notes. I’ve been a subscriber for over 5 years now. Very useful and very informative. It’s a great way to be notified of issues you need to call your Federal Representatives about.

Adam had another segment on February 18th about the weird (and I believe inappropriate) emotional attachments that are formed in the modern workplace. You can read a great article on his blog about this title “KSLR LISTENER & VISION FORUM BOARD MEMBER DON HART RESPONDS TO THE ADAM McMANUS SHOW SEGMENT ON “WORK SPOUSES”

Definitely worth a read.

pf button My first ever live radio interview

Filed Under: Christian living, Dad's corner, Patriarchy, worldview 20 Comments

Random Musings

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March 2, 2009 By Perry C.

Adventurous Boyhood Lives!

I want to throw out a couple of links to 2 young blogger friends of mine whose writing I admire. victory or death 236x300 Random Musings

John Horn wrote a post waaay back in November that I enjoyed on Boy’s and Toy Soldiers He also has a great giveaway running on this post.
Joshua Titus put his virtual pen to electronic paper and produced a squib on the motto “Victory or Death!” it’s thought provoking and timely.

Here is a taste of it:

Travis drew a line in the sand and offered every man in the Alamo an “honorable” way out of this death trap. Out of 190 men, only one crossed that line.
Each of those men died. But they sent a message to the world that Texans would not surrender their homes, their families, or their freedom. They also held the Alamo long enough to set things in motion for the men who would ultimately defeat the Santa Anna. If it weren’t for the Alamo defenders who refused to flee or surrender, there might not be a Texas today.

Faith by Hearing

I recently stumbled across the blog of a Canadian gent who is blogging “to collect and categorize the ever-growing availabilty of great Reformed and conservative evangelical audio preaching & teaching”

In his own words:

Faith by Hearing is designed to collect and categorize the ever-growing availabilty of great Reformed and conservative evangelical audio preaching & teaching that has a high view of God and Scripture. This is not merely a machine gun listing of sermons and lectures (though it may seem like that at times.) This is a personal project to encourage others to be blessed by the preaching and teaching of godly men who are faithful to the all-powerful Word of God.

(excerpted from faithbyhearing.wordpress.com/about)

The post that caught my attention was “Patristics for Busy Pastors: An interview with Ligon Duncan” on the importance of studying the early church fathers. I’m about halfway through it so far and am really enjoying the message and look forward to getting some of the books in the bibliography at the end of the post.

Tech stuff

I recently subscribed to the daily email updates for CNET’s webware blog I found a handly little tool called CL Desktop

It’s a handy way to search craigslist, and it pulls the images from the criagslist posts asthubnails/previews when you do your search. Best of all it’s free!

Filed Under: Christian living, Dad's corner, homeschooling Leave a Comment

Anti-procrastination

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February 9, 2009 By kimc

In the spirit of anti-procrastination Friday, I’m posting on Monday this week. No, it doesn’t matter that I failed to post last Friday. This counts for next Friday. It’s my holiday, and I get to make up the rules.

So…I finally assembled another Geneva Bible page for our poor Canadian customer. She ordered her page in November and we shipped it. After several weeks she very courteously let us know that it hadn’t arrived yet. We checked and learned that it had cleared customs a week or two earlier, and encouraged her to wait a bit longer.

A few weeks later she emailed again. Still no page. She asked us to initiate a trace, and after more waiting we learned that nobody knew what happened after it cleared customs. It seems to have dissolved into a sticky puddle of nothing on the floor of some nameless Canadian post office. Do they even have post offices there? I don’t know. Maybe that’s the problem.

Finally, we decided to just replace the poor woman’s order. And then I realized we were out of frames. Each page requires one frame and 2 panes of glass. I had to order them and wait. And then we got sick. And then we went on a prescheduled-not-on-our-own-dime hunting trip. And got sick some more.

And now, this very day, after an inexcusable amount of time, I have assembled a replacement. It’s extra special to make up for the delay. I hope it’s special enough. Most of the pages we frame and sell are 400 year old random Old Testament passages, but this one is a title page – far more ornate than what she would have gotten in the first place. I’m thinking I’ll toss in a set of bookmarks, also made from 400 year old Geneva Bible pages. The goal is to make her so happy that she’ll place another order someday and actually hope that it gets lost along with my brain.

Do you think it’s working? Tell me this: if you were her, would you ever order from us again? Would you just thank God that you didn’t ripped off and wash your hands of us, or would you recommend us to others?

Or if you’d rather not answer, just get off your duff and do something you’ve putting off. I know you had a perfectly good excuse reason for delay, but just do it now. Then come right back and tell us. Right back, you hear? No procrastinating!

Filed Under: Bible, blogging & technology 20 Comments

ABC Bible Memory Verse Songs

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

January 31, 2009 By kimc

We had the privilege of previewing Sonbeam’s new collection of songs for Bible memory, and I have to tell you the little ones in our house enjoyed them quite a bit. Her ABC Bible Memory Verse Songs includes one Bible verse set to music for each letter of the alphabet. The tunes are cute and catchy, and the songs are short enough for little ones to learn easily.

Each song sounds different, but usually includes the entire verse just once or twice. You can hear short samples of some of the songs here. There is just enough repetition to help little ones memorize the words without turning into the song that never ends. I especially appreciate that the Bible reference is included right in the song.

There is also a parent’s guide that includes each Bible verse, a brief simple lesson, and the complete lyrics.

Sunday, February 1 is the launch date, and for One Day Only you will be able to download the entire song collection for the sale price of $7.95. Oops. Did you already miss it? Give it a try anyway. Candace said she might be a little slow taking down the sale.

Filed Under: Bible, reviews 2 Comments

Princess Diaries 2 notes

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

January 11, 2009 By kimc

My notes on Geoff Botkin’s talk at the film festival, How to Anyalyze a Hollywood Film. This session was by no means intended to be comprehensive, but rather a crash course in critical thinking as it applies to movies. Likewise, my notes are not at all comprehensive, but just the highlights that I managed to record, poorly paraphrased by me.

Mr. Botkin played very short clips from the film, pausing frequently to discuss. In all, we probably viewed less than 5 minutes of the film, but this generated enough discussion to fill the entire time alloted for the session and then some. He first commented on individual phrases from the opening scenes, encouraging us to examine why each word, phrase and line applies in the dialogue. Remember that in most situations every line was carefully scripted and planned.

You are all going out there as individuals. Children are taught at graduation that they are going out as little kingdoms unto themselves.
Woodrow Wilson School of International Policy: A fictitious school named after the 2nd most treasonous president in terms of constitutional fidelity, the one who instituted the income tax system and established the Federal Reserve Bank. Who do they honor, and why do they choose him? Look around at other public schools – who are they named after, and why?

Norman Rockwell’s slice of culture & worldview provided many teachable moments to the Botkin family: dating, courtship, relationships, kissing, marriage. We can find the same opportunities around us, e.g. in the names of institutions and in small and casual lines of movies.

Graduation ceremony: how did it originate? When these scenes are portayed as a grand celebration in the life of every good citizen, do our homeschooled children begin to believe that they have missed out on something?
Tiger mascot: our children need to know about the idolatry of collegiate sports that captures the hearts of so many. Cheerleaders, etc.

Movies like this will define true love, dating, international affairs, and more for your children. They should not be learning such things without our guidance and direct input.

Dear Diary, Wellll, it’s me. Brand new college graduate-slash-princess… What is the traditional attitude expressed in a journal? What should it be? What do we already know about the heroine from this entry? We see how she defines herself. Her diary is a scrapbook of experiences that revolve around herself. The traditional purpose or tone of journals were for interpreting life in light of scripture, often being later used as roadmaps for descendents. This one is flippant and self-centered.
…He went off to tour the country with his band. This is what all cool guys do, right?
I’m a little nervous [about becoming queen]. I didn’t have a class called “How to Run a Country 101″ That would be the first 5 books of the Bible.
And I’ll sit on a throne. Is that scary or what? Yes, the thought of a girl like this on a throne is scary. Ruling takes a lot of wisdom and responsibility. Our children need to have some understanding of how a monarchy works. We see the nature of palace life, and the characters of palace life. Incidentally, you never touch the royal personage, though we see it happen in the film when her tiara is knocked off her head and replaced. Some of what is portrayed is realistic, while some is not. Use this as an opportunity to learn the difference.
We see the princess. Do our daughters want to be like her? What do we think of her dress? We hear gossip. Deportment among friends: do we squeal when we see each other at a formal occasion? How do we interact with young men?
“Shut up!” (said by queen, signifying amazement) Authority figures are shown to be cool, progressive and lovable when they engage in pop culture and jargon.
This is the 21st century! We’re moving into the 21st century. The message is, “Let us join Hollywood in making war against blood (family), soil (traditions), father, mother and religion.”
Arranged marriage: the film will define what we think of this. We learn that marriage needs chemistry and sparks, and love as popularly defined. We don’t subscribe to arranged marriage but we need to define these issues, not Hollywood.
Machiavelli: he is mentioned, and merits discussion.
His snake of an uncle: point out the impropriety of speaking this way about others, and the fact that it also would not happen in this setting.
Valley girl mannerisms, speech, facial expressions, general deportment. Don’t let our daughters imitate this behavior!
Sorry. [single word, said in a sulk] A typical 21st century apology, showing no repentance or contrition. Apparently accepted by the queen, who immediately responds by supporting the actions for which the princess apologized.
I have my own mall! Materialism presented as desirable. What girl wouldn’t want her own mall?
I just love to look at him. While reviewing photos of eligible prospects for an arranged marriage, a photo of an ineligible young man is included. All the women approve. Lust is encouraged.
His boyfriend thinks he’s handsome also. Approved by characters, who obviously subscribe to modern definitions of sexuality.
He looks…decent… How should we make marriage decisions? Based on appearance?
You can be a princess today just like me. This is set as an example of leadership and ruling.
She sneaks out the window to meet the cute boy even though she is engaged and just hours away from marriage. Apparently this is ok because they don’t engage in sex.

What are the virtues being talked about when Christian pastors say that this movie is “loaded with virtue”?

Just a few of the messages to be found in this film: Eschew duty. Follow your heart. Changing your mind at the altar is not a big deal. Good boys are boring. Bad boys are the interesting ones, because they have a magical, debonair, resourceful presence. Boring boy is masculine, honorable, etc. Interesting boy is an effeminate, woman-chasing cad. Occasional good advice is later rejected in favor of a “better” course of action.

One of our most important responsibilities is to see that our children marry well; this film is a primer on marrying poorly.

In summary, don’t be fooled by a lack of gratuitous sex, overt violence, or swearing. There can be far more harmful and insidious messages within the movies we watch, especially when we are trusting enough to allow our children to consume them freely or unattended. Everyone has a worldview, and they do not develop in a vacuum. Every film contains and communicates messages and a worldview, and those who don’t watch with a critical mind and eye will absorb those messages and find themselves molded by that worldview. It is our duty to shape and form the worldviews of our children rather than allowing Hollywood to do it for us.

Filed Under: videos, worldview 23 Comments

Is it true?

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January 10, 2009 By kimc

I’m listening right now to one of my favorite seesions at the Film Festival every year: Geoff Botkin’s How to Analyze a Hollywood Film.” The vicitm – er, subject this year is Princess Diaries 2. I thought that was an odd choice, but he made an eye-opening statement when I commented on that: he says that this film has been very popular among homeschoolers. Apparently the general consensus is that it is sweet and innocuous, or even very good.

Really? What do you think? Have you seen one of both of the Princess Diariesmovies? What did you think? Looking back, what do you think now?

Filed Under: videos, worldview 15 Comments

Christian film-making has come of age!

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

January 8, 2009 By kimc

The title of the post says it all for this year’s Christian film festival. That statement by Doug Phillips was met with a deafening round of applause.

One film being featured this weekend, Fireproof, is the top-grossing independent film of the year!

There were 250 entrants this year, with 50 semi-finalists.

The grand prize will be the biggest cash prize of any film festival in the United States.

And I am confident that the opening ceremony, happening right now, has more attendees than ever before. The first floor of the Lila Cockrell Theater is completely filled; we are in the balcony, which is nearly full too!

More later.

pf button Christian film making has come of age!

Filed Under: videos, Vision Forum, worldview 1 Comment

Film Festival

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January 8, 2009 By kimc

It starts tonight – the opening ceremonies for the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. Whew! That’s a mouthful! We just say the film festival around here because as far as we’re concerned there’s only one.

Opening ceremonies are tonight, followed by 2 very long days. I’m going to drive into town with our oldest and youngest tonight, to accompany hubby, while the rest of the children stay home and prepare for the next two days. This includes but is not limited to Going To Bed Early.

This year is the biggest and best yet: record-breaking prizes, several full length feature films, celebrities like Kirk Cameron and the Von Trapp family singers, the always-amazing Charlie Zahm and George Sarris, plus many of my favorite speakers like Voddie Baucham (whose family I would love to meet!), Kevin Swanson, Geoff Botkin (whose family I know and love), Peter Pollock (who got me excited about the world of photography in his session last year), and of course Doug Phillips.

I’m hardly a social butterfly, but I always look forward to the film festival. The films are exciting, but even more than that, I just can’t wait to see old friends and meet new ones! My girls helped sort name tags in preparation for the festival and they’ve already tipped me off to several friends who have registered.

Will you be there?

Filed Under: videos, Vision Forum, worldview 6 Comments

Matthew Henry on the topic of death

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December 10, 2008 By kimc

Last night I was at Vision Forum with the entire family. As I sat at hubby’s desk, my eyes fell upon a sheet of paper taped to a door. It bore the words to the old hymn, “Whate’er My God Ordains is Right.” I was surprised to see it there. The ink has faded slightly in the 5 years since hubby posted that paper, but there it hangs, a reminder of sweet sorrows.

Maybe that’s why Matthew Henry’s commentary on John 11:11 really impressed these words of Christ upon my heart this morning:

After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.”

It is good to call death by such names and titles as will help to make it more familiar and less formidable to us… A good Christian, when he dies, does but sleep: he rests from the labours of the day past, and is refreshing himself for the next morning. Nay, herein death has the advantage of sleep, that sleep is only the parenthesis, but death is the period, of our cares and toils… Though the body corrupt, it will rise in the morning as if it had never seen corruption; it is but putting off our clothes to be mended and trimmed up for the marriage day, the coronation day, to which we must rise.

What encouraging words to cling to in times of sorrow! No, I’m not in a time of sorrow at the moment, but I want to hide these words of Christ in my heart away for a day when they are needed. I’m thankful for our sleeping brother Mr. Henry, who reminds us to meditate upon every precious word of Christ.

pf button Matthew Henry on the topic of death

Filed Under: Bible 2 Comments

The Bible Bee

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 22, 2008 By kimc

Hubby had an idea a while back: Everyone knows about spelling bees, but why doesn’t somebody start a Bible bee? We didn’t act on the idea, but were excited to learn that somebody else had the same idea and actually did it!

Does this sound like good clean fun, or what?! We recently asked some questions about the upcoming Bible bee, and here are the answers we received from Mark Rasche, the Executive Director of the National Bible Bee.

Give us the short answer: What is a Bible Bee?

The Bible Bee is a Bible memory competition for children and youth between the ages of 7 and 18. It is very similar to a spelling bee, except contestants are required to recite Bible passages and facts rather than spell words. You can visit our website at www.biblebee.org for more detailed information.

The Shelby Kennedy Foundation is preparing to launch the first-of-its-kind, world-class Bible Bee Competition. The competition will begin with Local Contests in communities nationwide on September 12, 2009. The top 100 finalists from each age group will advance to the National Contest in Washington, D.C. to compete on November 5-6, 2009.

Who came up with this idea? How and why?

The inspiration behind the National Bible Bee was a young lady named Shelby Kennedy. Shelby went home to be with the Lord after an intense struggle with cancer in 2005. Shelby was described as a “one-in-a-million Christian who had an unusual spiritual gift of faith, a special person who radiated joy, life, and hope to everyone she met.” Although Shelby had minimal energy and needed to use a wheelchair most of the time she was awake, what energy she had was focused on proclaiming Jesus Christ. Her testimony of hope in the midst of a fiery trial sparked a spirit of revival in those around her.

A good friend of Michael Farris (our Board Chairman) attended Shelby’s memorial service and was so encouraged about her love for the word of God and commitment to Scripture memorization, that he wanted to do something to honor her memory.

He got to thinking about the National Spelling Bee, and what it seemed to be—a comparative waste of time. He concluded that while spelling words have their place, there is no value in spelling words when compared with learning the word of God.

Taking these two ideas together, he approached Mike Farris and said, “Let’s start a National Bible Bee, in honor of Shelby Kennedy, to see that young people memorize what’s truly valuable—the word of God.”

Are there any limits to who can participate?

Any student between the ages of seven and eighteen is eligible to participate in the National Bible Bee Competition.

What do you think participants will gain?

There is unprecedented prize money of $260,000 being offered at the National Competition in Washington D.C. But while competing for awards is fun and exciting, the greatest reward is drawing near to God. We are striving to make every effort to help children and youth comprehend the power of the Bible passages they are studying (Hebrews 11:6). We recognize that only a small percentage of contestants will win awards; so, as the playing field narrows, we want to encourage all contestants to cheer on the finalists and “rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15).

The bottom line is that while the National Bible Bee promises to be a financially rewarding experience for a select group of national finalists, it is important to keep in mind that every child or youth who hides God’s Word in his or her heart is a winner! This is why we want to strongly emphasize our overarching goal—to reach children and youth with the truth of God’s Word, encouraging them to genuine spiritual growth, so that they may be effective ambassadors for Jesus Christ to the next generation.

How many local Bible Bees are there right now?

We just announced the National Bible Bee a few weeks ago, and we have received hundreds of phone calls from people all over the nation requesting information on how to host a Bible Bee. And we already have about a dozen Local Planning Committees registered! Incidentally, the cut-off date for registering a Local Planning Committee is January 31, 2009.

Is it difficult to start a Local Bible Bee in my area?

Not at all. We have spent several months putting together a comprehensive procedure manual that walks you through every step of the process. The manual is fun, user-friendly and thorough. Additionally, we have full-time professional event planners who are available toll-free throughout the entire program.

What is the best way for folks to get involved right now? (start a Bible Bee?)

I recommend that anyone interested in hosting a Bible Bee first go to our website – www.biblebee.org and get familiarized with the local and national Bible Bee information. After reviewing the site, they should call our toll-free number at 1-888-324-2532 to speak with one of our Event Planners about registering.

Where can I find information about starting a Bible Bee?

www.biblebee.org or call us toll free at 1-888-324-2532!

So…check and see if there’s a chapter in your area. If there is, consider joining. If not, consider starting one. And let us know if you do either!

***If you’re not convinced yet, check out the awards. You won’t believe what you see!***

Filed Under: Bible 7 Comments

Sen. John McCain’s Record on Life Revisited

Current giveaway: Grandpa Jake's Campfire Cooker

November 3, 2008 By Perry C.

Bob and Wes once again take up the pen on the eve of the election to shine the light of truth on not only Sen. John McCain’s deplorable prolife record but also on what appears to be the quiet coverup of some Christian writers and leaders.

According to Republicans for Choice — a pro-abortion organization that endorsed Sen. McCain in February 2008 and who had representatives present at the Republican Party Platform Hearing held in Minneapolis this August — Sen. McCain’s staff sought to weaken the platform plank on the sanctity of life by promoting more inclusive language that this pro-abortion group had proposed. And, while their efforts failed due to the fact that “many of the Delegates on that Committee were not McCain Delegates — they were Huckabee and Romney et al Delegates,”^[19] the Republicans for Choice claimed McCain’s cooperation with them as a victory — touting it as the “first” time that a Republican presidential campaign had sought to advance their agenda during a GOP platform proceeding. A statement on the official Republicans for Choice website reads:

Today the sub-committee on the Platform on Crime/Values considered historic language, suggested by Republicans For Choice, that the Party work with those who disagree on the Plank on abortion both within the Party and across party lines to find real positive and pro-active solutions to reduce abortion. This is the first time any GOP Presidential campaign has worked with the pro-choice elements with whom they disagree to try and broaden the Party’s position on abortion. The McCain campaign did not control enough votes on the committee to stop them from stripping this historic language out of the Platform. But this is a step forward.^[20]

Was Mr. Ertelt aware of this activity on the part of Sen. McCain’s staff to undermine the pro-life plank of the Republican Party Platform in August — evidence for which is prominently displayed on the Republicans for Choice website? If so, why the slippery response to our concerns on Sen. McCain’s long-stated desire to weaken the platform’s plank on life? Is Mr. Ertelt prepared to say that our concerns were unfounded? How could it be that this information — along with Sen. McCain’s acknowledgment that he acted “too hastily” in voting to save Terri Schiavo’s life — got overlooked?

Please take a moment to read their latest article here.

Also read Caleb Hayden’s response to Mr Erelt and Carmon’s squib “Pyrrhic Victories Leave a Bitter Aftertaste”

Remember the Devil is in the details: read the footnotes.

May God have mercy on our nation.

Psalm 2

1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,

3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall have them in derision.

5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

6Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

8Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

9Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.