Smart Phone

Finally I have entered the second decade of the 21st Century.  I am now the proud owner of a phone that does everything but serve me my coffee in the morning (still looking for that ap).

I have to admit that I am kinda proud that I was able to get 4 years of use out of my Palm Centro, but its very clunky internet interface meant I wasn’t using any of my unlimited data that Sprint so generously charges me for every month.  Unlimited is the only plan that makes sense for me (since my cell is my only phone).  I had to do something.

Along comes Best Buy with a great deal last week.  Spend $60 on “Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 3″ and receive a FREE HTC phone (with 2 year agreement, offer void where prohibited).  For Sprint customers (that’s me) that meant the $100 HTC Evo 4G was now $60 with a free case and awesome game thrown in!

I couldn’t be happier.  I now have 27 versions of the Bible in my pocket.  An 8 megapixel camera always at the ready.  I can surf the web and check my Gmail while sitting in a waiting room or whatever.  I have a to do list (now I just gotta do it) and a calendar with me always, and I now understand about Angry Birds.  Addictive that game.  In fact I still haven’t opened Call of Duty, but I have burned precious smart phone battery slingshoting (new word?) birds into feathery explosions of portable game joy.

With the GPS turned on I can now navigate life with a modern tool guaranteed to enhance the quality of my wasted time.  As long as the battery holds up.

 

I Have a Dream

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream.  A dream that is clearly a Biblical principle.  That men would be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.  On this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day I think it’s appropriate to listen again to that amazing speech given in August of 1963.

There are some that complain that the Bible condones slavery.  Dr. King, being a preacher of God’s Word, knew that that couldn’t be further from the truth.  Unfortunately slave traders and slave owners of the 18th and 19th Centuries did what they could to cloud the issue and attempt to justify their sin.  They pointed to passages in the Bible that seem to approve of slavery, but left out some very important facts.

The most important is that the slavery that was allowed in Biblical times was indentured servitude.  Back then if you went into debt and couldn’t repay, you became a slave to pay off the debt.  Once the debt was paid, or at Jubilee, a slave was to be set free and debt free.  Many servants liked the way their masters took care of them and chose to stay as Bond Servants. (just as God’s people are called to be His Bond Servants)

Meanwhile, Man Stealing was explicitly forbidden in the Law and was punishable by death:

Exodus 21:16
¹⁶ “Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.

Any slave trader who tried to justify kidnapping people to sell them into slavery by using the Bible was adding to their list of sins.

Indeed it was a Christian that fought to end the slave trade in England.  They made a movie about the life of William Wilberforce, “Amazing Grace.”  The famous hymn of the same name was written by a former slave trader who later became a member of the clergy.  The song conveys the amazing grace of God who can rescue even a slave trader from his horrible sins thanx to the sacrifice made on the cross by God’s only Son Jesus!

If you want to know God’s heart when it comes to prejudice you can look at Moses and his sister Miriam.  In Numbers Chapter 12 we learn that Miriam and Aaron were upset at Moses because he had married an Ethiopian.  God got upset and gave Miriam a taste of Leprosy:

Number 12:9-11
⁹ So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them, and He departed. ¹⁰ And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, suddenly Miriam became leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. ¹¹ So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please do not lay this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned.

Moses cried out to God to heal his sister and God answered, but only after Miriam stayed outside of camp for seven days. God says that man judges the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.. One of many great points that Martin Luther King, Jr. made in his speech was that man should see his fellow man as God sees him.

I have a dream that echos the dreams of Dr. King.  That this nation will turn to Biblical principles.  That God’s Word and Spirit would guide our individual words and actions.  That lawmakers and those appointed in authority would look to God for guidance as they lead.  And yes, that God would continue to bless America and that He would use His people to be salt and light always.

Is SB1070 a Just Law?

A friend of mine sent out an e-mail to a number of folks on her email list.  One of the recipients cited scripture:

Exodus 23:9, “Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.”

And here was my 2 cents worth response:

Joseph and his family were asked to stay in Egypt by Pharaoh when Joseph was “Assistant Pharaoh.” Hundreds of years later the “nation” of Israel had grown in numbers and the new Pharaoh forgot the promises made to Joseph and his family generations before.  Egypt oppressed Israel out of fear mostly.  While Israeli’s were “aliens” in Egypt, they were legally in the country, even esteemed invited guests to begin with.

In other words, Israel entered Egypt legally and later had their rights revoked.  Quite different than Illegals that break the law to become aliens.  Hence, illegal aliens.   Read Romans 13 if you want to know what God thinks about obeying the law.  The authorities are both a minister of God and don’t wield the sword for nothing.  If you do good you don’t need to fear the authorities.

SB1070 is not an “unrighteous” law that goes against God’s laws or even Jesus’ teachings.

If we are to show compassion toward our fellow man, what about the hundreds (thousands?) of illegals that are kidnapped and raped by those bringing them here?   What about the repeat criminals that don’t belong here that are stealing, killing and raping Americans?  In some cases raping children.

There is nothing wrong with asking someone for their “papers” when (and ONLY when) someone is stopped for a suspected crime.  When I get stopped for speeding what is the first thing the officer asks me for? My “papers.”   A drivers license is “your papers.”   Legal Aliens are expected to carry their proof of being here, and they know it, and they do it gladly!  (at least the ones I have talked to)   Border Patrol already has the authority to ask anyone, and everyone, if they are legal residents and if they suspect otherwise they can search your vehicle and check your “papers” all according to existing Federal Law.

I am tired about this law being lied about.  This law makes it HARDER for police to racial profile.  This law forces sanctuary cities to stop enabling criminals.  This law makes it a felony for an illegal to reenter after being deported.  It’s NOT a police state bill.  It is a state law that does what existing federal law does.  Those that are lying about SB1070 are stirring up hatred.   Some people honestly don’t know better and the media is helping them to misunderstand.  Others are lying on purpose for political reasons.   Talk to a rancher on the border about how they live in fear.  Our state leaders couldn’t wait any longer to protect it’s own citizens, that’s all.

Not everybody coming here is looking for a better life.  Many of those that are end up “stealing” social services and tax payer $$ for health care and education.  Others looking for a better life are being kidnapped and raped.  Phoenix is the WORLD’S second leading city for kidnapping!  Where’s the outcry over that?

America has a LONG history of being king to Aliens.  Most of us are ancestors of those who immigrated here legally.  We have seen the aliens and we are them!

I enjoy a good debate, but it should NEVER included name calling.  We should discuss these things openly so we can come to well reasoned solutions.   Unfortunately there are forces tearing us apart.  There is way too much name calling going on… and lying.   Please pray for our country.

Work Pays Off

Funny.  I can’t seem to get motivated.  Will I have to jog 3 – 5 miles a day for the rest of my life so I can be fit and trim and avoid dying of a heart attack?  I think I’m starting to think I am more of a hiker bike rider than the runner I used to be.  It’s harder than I remember!

Then there is this.  My junior year in high school I returned from my Summer vacation in San Diego.  I had spent the Summer goofing off at the beach and sneaking joints when I could.  (I was pretty lost back then.  No focus.  No vision.)  I reported for two a days in bad shape.  I struggled through the first game and then quit so I could party.  It’s one of the biggest regrets of my life!  If I had to do it over again, I would have stayed home for the Summer, worked out with the team, and been the stud on the football field I should have been.

How does that relate to now?  True, I don’t have anything to prove on the field.  That’s for men younger than I.  However, there is a life lesson for me.  Press through.  Set a goal and trust God to help me achieve it.  I can’t let my laziness of the past few years keep me from good health now.  It will be hard.  I will want to quit.  But if I will persevere, there will be a reward.  The Bible says that work pays off:

1. Proverbs 10:4
   Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.
2. Proverbs 12:24
   The hand of the diligent will rule, But the slack hand will be put to forced labor.
3. Proverbs 13:4
   The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made fat.
4. Proverbs 21:5
   The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage, But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.

You get the idea :-)

So, this morning, I am going to jog.  I signed up for www.everyoneruns.net, a 5.5 mile run on April 14th.  Ambitious considering I am having trouble running 2 miles right now!  But, with persistence I can do this.

I wanted to climb to the top of Pusch Peak today, but I don’t have the 6 hours it will take.  Even better, I want to climb to Finger Rock.  The vertical climb is the same, but since the trail starts higher, it ends higher!  Awesome views from up there, I’m sure.  Plus I’ve yet to climb to Finger Rock.  Maybe on Monday…

Bike on the Bike Again Still

Awesome!

I’m going to a later church service this morning to hear one of my co-workers preach at the Salvation Army, so I decided to make good use of the extra time.  I went on my usual bike ride up Pusch Peak on East McGee.  Much better today!  It was still hard, but my legs did better and I didn’t feel ill when I got home like yesterday.

I left a half hour earlier than yesterday and the temperature was almost 90 both days!  When I got back at 9:00 (same time I left yesterday) it was already 92.4.  Expecting maybe 108 this afternoon.  We topped out at 106 yesterday, I think.

It is that time of year.  Seeing as how I have trouble exercising after work, (it is too hot to hike at 5:30pm) I’m starting to think I can do my bike ride every morning before work!  Why not?  It gets light around 5am.  I can get up by 5ish,  (I’m usually up around 5:30 anyway)  drink my coffee and a smootie while I read my Bible until 6ish, then I could ride from around 6:00 to 6:30 and still have plenty of time to get to work by 8:00!

Great idea.  Now I just need implementation.