"When Swing Was King" Hits the High Notes

It was a busy week for "When Swing Was King" last week and, like always, we had a terrific time visiting our friends in the nursing homes and senior living centers. And, of course, we also enjoyed presenting them with the latest "When Swing Was King" program with its big band music, photos from the era, and an accompanying commentary that's not only interesting but fun.

The week's capstone was our presentation at the Brookstone assisted living complex. This one is always special for us. It's our biggest audience by far (it's a combined audience of residents and family) and we have some really enthusiastic fans here who continually let us know that we bring them one of the highlights of their month.

We thought things couldn't get any better here when, lo and behold, they did! Claire figured out how to run the Power Point program from her laptop directly through the facility's projection system. This gave us a much larger visual on the screen. And, for the audience members that have sight limitations or who are set way in back in the large room, this was a particularly appreciated improvement. Cool.

What a grand time we have with "When Swing Was King." The music. The stories. The love and laughter. It is a wonderful experience every time -- and we do it 11 (sometimes 12) times a month! Thank You, Lord, for our friends at these facilities, for the helpful staff (and they are especially good at Brookstone), and for the ministry that is "When Swing Was King."

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." (James 1:17 -- NASB)

Religious Persecution Getting Worse, Obama Administration Punts

The State Department recently announced that it was dropping coverage of religious freedom from its annual Human Rights Report. The declared reason: to avoid duplicating coverage available in the annual Report on International Religious Freedom.

There may be other reasons. Given the Obama administration’s consistent downgrading of religious freedom at home and in foreign policy, this move may be part of a larger reprioritization in human rights policy in favor of the advancement of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights.

Whatever one thinks of that initiative, however, the failure to promote religious freedom abroad is likely to have significant humanitarian and strategic consequences for the United States...

Thomas Farr's "Religious Freedom Under the Gun: The Obama Administration Neglects a Key Foreign Policy Issue" is a very important article, one that should drive you to more frequent prayer, more support for global missions, and more advocacy efforts for justice and religious freedom. You'll find the article right here at The Weekly Standard.

Will the NAE Change Its Ways?

"When we face difficult problems, we can choose to follow the world's prescription, or God's. If the NAE speaks with worldly wisdom in the name of evangelicals, it undermines pastors, parents, and young adults striving to do what's right. The Holy Spirit is real and can change people: Giving in to the contraceptive lobby is like saying the Holy Spirit is powerless to help us obey God." (Marvin Olasky)

Here's the latest on the National Association of Evangelicals' immoral connection with a group that promotes "contraceptive" use among the non-married -- including drugs and devices that are abortifacient. But though the story explains that the NAE may break from this group, it also shows that it wasn't because NAE leaders saw the light on the matter…but rather because they felt the heat.

Therefore, as I have done for years (see previous Vital Signs Blog posts dealing the the NAE such as 1, 2, 3, and 4), I continue to urge my fellow evangelicals to stop supporting the NAE. Get your denominations and individual churches out of this increasing heterodox and left-leaning organization.

CNN's Biased Reporting: Over the Top & Down the Drain

CNN’s ratings are in the toilet, and its president resigned last week. The network’s defenders say the problem is that it is an objective, “just the facts” network, in an era when most viewers prefer the partisan approaches they can get from Fox and MSNBC. But no one who actually watches CNN buys that...

Thus, when CNN did a story on Chick-fil-A today, what did it focus on? The merits of the controversy? The fact that more than one Democratic government official has threatened to violate the company’s constitutional rights, because its CEO is opposed to gay marriage? No. In a dog whistle to its liberal audience, CNN focused on the fact that Todd and Sarah Palin, along with thousands of other Americans, tweeted photos of themselves eating at Chick-fil-A.

CNN introduced its segment with Pink’s “Stupid Girls,” a song which is obviously inappropriate for a cable news bumper, and evidently was intended as a comment on Palin’s support for Chick-fil-A…

Why is the fact that Chick-fil-A’s CEO opposes gay marriage newsworthy? At least half of all Americans oppose gay marriage. So what is the point? There is, indeed, a news story lurking here: public officials in at least two major cities, all of them Democrats, vowed to violate Chick-fil-A’s constitutional rights by denying them permits to operate in their cities because their CEO’s political views are not 100% congruent with those of the Democratic Party–as of today, that is; until two months ago, President Obama was opposed to gay marriage too.

So what does CNN say about the real scandal that is hiding here in plain sight? Nothing. This is it, as you can hear in the video: “Several communities now trying to block Chick-fil-A from coming into their cities.” As though that were completely normal, and constitutional; and as though “communities” were trying to do it, as opposed to two or three liberal Democrats.

This kind of pathetic news coverage explains why CNN has become irrelevant, and now is going down the drain.

(John Hinderaker, "Why CNN Is a Failure" at PowerLine)

Are These Mistakes Obama Is Making? Or Revelations?

President Obama's Latest Challenge? Ray Stevens.

Forget about Mitt Romney, Barack Obama's election hopes may be in even greater danger from country music legend, Ray Stevens! For a lot more comedy classics, visit Ray Stevens.com.

Somethin's Happenin' Here

Warning. All of these stories rate very high in Yipes value.

* "DOJ to Colorado Family: Give Up Your Religion or Your Business" (CNS News)

 * "Documents Reveal Tonya Reaves Suffered Incomplete Abortion, Perforated Uterus, and Fatal Delay in Emergency Care Access at Hands of Planned Parenthood" (Operation Rescue)

* "Michigan Teen Opens Hot Dog Stand to Help Disabled Parents – City Shuts Him Down" (Gateway Pundit)

* "High Ranking DOJ Official Refuses to Affirm 1st Amendment Rights"

* "Senate Votes to Raise Taxes on Small Businesses" (The Foundry, Heritage Foundation)

 * "Obama’s Love Affair With Planned Parenthood: What Do You Want For Your Daughter?" (Barb Malek, Erase The Need)

* "Corzine’s MF Global Was Client of Eric Holder’s Law Firm" (Breitbart)

* "Oregon Man Sentenced to 30 Days in Jail -- for Collecting Rainwater on His Property" (CNS News)

* "Carney [Obama's Press Secretary] Unable to Identify Capital of Israel" (The Weekly Standard)

Teacher's Unions vs Improved Education of America's Kids

Warner Todd Huston reports on the latest union outrage, a particularly despicable fight waged by a Louisiana teacher's union against parents, a school voucher system, and the best interests of children.

If there is one thing that unions can’t stand it’s the wholly American idea of competition. This is never more true than in our system of miseducation where unions imagine that they should be the only possible avenue to the education of our children and in Louisiana teachers union bigwigs are threatening to sue any school that has the gall to accept vouchers from parents.

The union’s ploy is to claim that the state’s voucher system is unconstitutional so it filed a suit in the 19th Judicial District Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana…

This is a sign of desperation, I’d say. Unions are losing this argument all across the country so they are desperate to find a new way to eliminate school reform. The fact is, unions will do anything to destroy new and better ways to educate our kids.

Here's the full article.

What's the Plot?

As a large chunk of literature students around America know, Ronald Tobias claims that the story line of any novel, play or movie falls into one of 20 Master Plots.

1) Quest 2) Adventure 3) Pursuit 4) Rescue 5) Escape 6) Revenge 7) The Riddle 8) Rivalry 9) Underdog 10) Temptation 11) Metamorphosis  12) Transformation 13) Maturation 14) Love 15) Forbidden Love 16) Sacrifice 17) Discovery 18) Wretched Excess 19) Ascension 20) Descension.

The problem, is that Tobias' list falls all over itself. Each Master Plot is too closely connected to another. They collide, merge, overlap and mix together. To take one example, what would Tobias select as the Master Plot of Homer's Iliad? Tough choice, right? That's because the Iliad could fit quite comfortably into any one of the 20. Think about it. Every single one.

The weakness in Tobias' desire to identify and organize plots, of course, is that life itself doesn't easily fit into separate compartments. The intricacies of life -- they too collide, merge, overlap and mix together. Even my own life story, though not nearly as complex as the Iliad, would still embrace all 20 of Mr. Tobias' Master Plots. I suspect that many of you could say the same.

I think one of my high school literature teachers had the most honest and helpful perspective on this matter. He believed the plot of a story was simply the answer to the question, "And then what happened?"

I've found that works best. Thanks, Mr. Bandauer.

Oh, the Troubles That Come When O Leaves the Teleprompter at Home

The Obama campaign's bigger problem, both sides are now realizing, is that his words go beyond politics and are more devastating than the Romney complaints that Mr. Obama is too big-government oriented or has mishandled the economy. They raise the far more potent issue of national identity and feed the suspicion that Mr. Obama is actively hostile to American ideals and aspirations. Republicans are doing their own voter surveys, and they note that Mr. Obama's problem is that his words cause an emotional response, and that they disturb voters in nearly every demographic.

It's why Mr. Obama's "out of context" complaints aren't getting traction. The Republican National Committee's response to that gripe was to run an ad that shows a full minute of Mr. Obama's rant at the Roanoke, Va., campaign event on July 13. In addition to "you didn't build that," the president also put down those who think they are "smarter" or "work harder" than others. Witness the first president to demean the bedrock American beliefs in industriousness and exceptionalism. The "context" only makes it worse.

This gets to the other reason the Obama campaign is rattled: "You didn't build that" threatens to undermine its own argument against Mr. Romney. Mr. Obama has been running on class warfare and the notion that Mr. Romney is a wealthy one-percenter out of touch with average Americans. Yet few things better symbolize the average American than a small-business owner. To the extent that Mr. Romney is positioning himself as champion of that little business guy and portraying Mr. Obama as something alien, he could flip the Obama narrative on its head...

(Kimberley Strassel, "Four Little Words" in the Wall Street Journal.)

Obama Policy Protects (and Promotes) Lawlessness

In listening to the testimony of these border patrol officials, one understands just how dangerous to national security and the rule of law is the Obama administration's policy protecting illegal immigration.

Guys, this isn't mere incompetence. That would be bad enough. This reeks of a carefully calculated strategy to create more disorder, more economic distress and more illegal voters to help the Democrat ticket.

Reviewing "Soft Like Steel"

Perhaps the most compelling personal testimony I've read this year is the true life story of Mennonite housewife, Barbara Kennel, a woman who overcame personal tragedy, heartbreak and other significant difficulties in her quest to establish a happy home for her children in the difficult years before and after World War II.

The book is Soft Like Steel and its author is no less than the granddaughter of the book's heroic subject. Soft Like Steel is only 140 pages but Barb Malek manages to put into those pages a lot of history, a lot of memorable description and an awful lot of heart. Inspired (and substantially informed) by a journal kept by her grandmother, the Barb tells the story as it really happened, taking the reader through an emotional journey that tells of Barbara Kennel's numerous trials: the rigors of the Depression and the Dust Bowl, the death of a son, the war itself and, all the way along, the sorrows brought on by a cruel and unfaithful husband.

But before you decide that these circumstances mean Soft Life Steel will be a depressing read, forget it. Barbara Kennel's story represents an ultimate triumph which leaves the reader smiling and satisfied. And even the journey along the way is full of hope, joy and the powerful beauty one sees in a mother's dedicated love.

One never forgets the intense affection and admiration the author feels for the story's heroine. This is, after all, her grandmother. However, Barb Malek's abiding love and gratitude for Barbara Kennel successfully draws the reader in too. From the moment the journal is discovered and through all of Barbara Kennel's trials (her courtship and marriage, the death of a child, the various cruelties inflicted by her husband, the several periods of abandonment, a prison sentence, a confrontation with one of the "other women," etc.), the reader willingly joins the author in cheering Barbara on, relishing her resilience, glorying in the steadfast devotion she shows to her children, and applauding every triumph.

Soft Like Steel is a short read, as I said, but it's one the reader will not soon forget. The inspiration value is substantial - that's one reason it will stay with you. But you'll also find that it is a particularly effective stimulant to thoughts about your own family history and how you can be a better spouse, parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, and neighbor. I have a feeling that both the author and the subject of Soft Like Steel would be delighted at that outcome.

And one other thing. The legacy of Barbara Kennel's Christian faith, her love of children, and her devotion to relevant service has certainly been embraced by her eldest granddaughter, the one who shares her name -- the one who wrote Soft Like Steel. Barb Malek is a devoted wife, the mother of four grown children (one of whom is a missionary we support), and one of the founders and directors of the AAA Center for Pregnancy Counseling. Perhaps knowing this increases the reader's appreciation of how one life really can reach forward and bless the future. It did so for me.

You can order Soft Like Steel through Amazon or, perhaps better still and at the same price, order it straight from the publisher's web site right here.

A Mother Dies After Planned Parenthood Abortion; Obama Sends PP More Money

How did President Barack Obama respond to the death of Tonya Reaves after a botched abortion in a Chicago Planned Parenthood?

Well, first of all, he called for more taxpayer funding of the wicked abortion business. Steven Ertlet reports for LifeNews.com:

“Mr. Romney wants to get rid of funding for Planned Parenthood. I think that’s a bad idea,” Obama said. “I’ve got two daughters. I want them to control their own health care choices.”

Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue and Pro-Life Nation, told LifeNews Obama was “insensitive” and “disrespected Tonya with comments he made supporting Planned Parenthood .”

“When Tonya Reaves walked into that Planned Parenthood abortion clinic last Friday, she completely lost any control over her ‘health care choices’ as well as her life. She did not choose to die. Planned Parenthood took that choice from her,” Newman said.

“We have to wonder how Mr. Obama would have felt if that had been Malia or Sasha bleeding to death on that abortion table,” Newman added. “By supporting Planned Parenthood and advocating continued tax-funding of this troubled organization, Mr. Obama is intentionally condemning other young women – and perhaps even his own daughters – to the same tragically avoidable fate suffered by Tonya Reaves just a few days ago.”

And the second response from the President? He didn't bother to wait for Congress (Does he ever?) nor did he bother to abide by the will of state legislators. With his usual arrogance and zealous devotion to abortion, Barack Obama ordered, on his own, another $426,000 of American's tax money to go to Planned Parenthood.

Barack Obama. As long as he's in the White House, Planned Parenthood (the nation's largest abortion company) is assured the money will flow in...even as the blood of preborn boys and girls flows out.

This Just In: Rahm's Values Are Chicago's Values

What's wrong with this picture?

Chicago's Democrat Mayor Rahm Emanuel has forcefully condemned the pro-marriage convictions of the CEO of Chick-fil-A and promised to do whatever he can to keep the chicken sandwich business out of the city.

Said his honor, “Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values.”

Later in the day Mayor Emanuel spread out the red carpet and opened his arms to welcome to Chicago the leader of the Nation of Islam, the notoriously anti-Semitic troublemaker, Louis Farrakahn.

Championing homosexual weddings? An arrogant intolerance of Christian values? Tolerating anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism? Those are now "Chicago values"?

God help the city.

Dirty Trick Alert: Romney Didn't Invest in Abortion

Did Mitt Romney invest in the abortion industry?

Guy Benson, the Political Editor of Townhall.com says no. Steven Ertelt of LifeNews.com says no. Even CNN says no.

But will that stop Team Obama from trying a last-minute smear using this lie? Don't bet on it.

So the best course of action is to get the facts (letting others know too) so that those character attack ads will fail...if the President's Democrat re-election leaders decide to use them. 

Can "Slut Walks" and Abortion Zeal Revive Feminism?

Caitlin Moran, whose book is half autobiography, half women’s-lib instruction manual, and was just released in the States, has been described as a “rock-star feminist,” “totally brilliant,” “a feminist heroine for our times,” “outrageous,” “delightful,” and “precisely what feminism has been waiting for.”

So, I read “How to Be a Woman,” and here’s the thing: I consider myself a feminist, and I was definitely not waiting for this book. I was certainly not waiting for excessive information on Moran’s excruciating journey through puberty; intimate details about her gross dog; her annals of awkward sexual exploration; and, most mystifying, her passionate defense of abortion and pornography, irrationally paired with her equally passionate condemnation of strip clubs and Botox.

The problem, I suppose, is that most “real” feminists I know of—Caitlin Moran and Slate writers like Marcotte likely among them—would probably consider me a weapons-grade woman betrayer with a full-time residence on Planet Patriarchy. I am, after all, pro-life. I have been known to vote for Republicans. If you want to be a stay-at-home mom, I think that’s fine. If you want to be the CEO of Yahoo and say you’ll only take three weeks of maternity leave—interestingly, Mayer is getting pilloried for this decision as well—that’s fine too. I believe that casual sex is destructive, not empowering. I often don impractical footwear crafted by male oppressors.

I also generally shy away from celebrations of meaningless vulgarity, which, sadly, seems to be the leading theme in both Moran’s book and in the gigantic, flaming, multi-car pileup that is modern-day feminism. In “How to Be a Woman,” it’s OK to be a “slag” or a “slut,” as long as we’re “simply being honest about who we really are.” In interviews, Moran expresses approval for the recent rash of mortifying “Slut Walks,” in which young women strut down the street in ill-fitting, body-baring “clothing” in order to prove that they are empowered, not sexual objects. Which totally makes sense, if you’re crazy.

Moran has also gained applause for the book’s “fearless” description of her own abortion, which ended a “surprise,” inconvenient pregnancy. (Surprise! You can get pregnant when not using birth control on a trip to Cyprus! Who could have seen that one coming?) Two children past that pesky baby stage were just fine for Moran—“My two girls,” she writes, “are all I want”—but three would cramp the style. Bye-bye, baby.

What makes the account especially horrifying is Moran’s blithe insistence that abortions just aren’t that big of a deal—they are, she writes, merely “an operation to remedy a potentially life-ruining condition”—coupled with her clear awareness that she is ending a human life. At least in the bad old days, abortion defenders used to pretend they didn’t know when life begins, endlessly debating that magic tick of a clock when a fetus with a beating heart suddenly becomes a person. Many of today’s abortion-happy feminists are, to their credit, more honest, but the implications are scary.

When it comes down to it, whether addressing abortion, sex, or any otherwise self-indulgent behavior, the message of “How to be a Woman” is this: “If it feels good, do it.” How on earth is this retread of a failed 1960s mantra, known for its disastrous legacy, “brilliant” and “original” (Publishers Weekly)? How is this “entirely necessary” (Elle magazine)? How can this possibly be “engaging” and “brave” (The Independent)?

It’s quite telling that one of Moran’s “heroes,” the recipient of several glowing pages in “How to Be a Woman,” is the pop singer Lady Gaga. If you listen to Moran, Lady Gaga is a feminine hero for our time, breaking boundaries, creating new social spaces, clearing the way for young people to cast off the shackles of oppression. Of course, if you’re really paying attention, you’ll notice that Lady Gaga is an updated Madonna clone in a meat dress, desperate to shock, mistaking vulgarity for creativity: the musical equivalent of an old, dying system’s last gasp.

No wonder certain feminists are getting so wound up. They have reason to be worried. Something new is out there—conservatism, decorum, chastity, and respect are downright radical these days—but it’s not poor Gaga…

(From Heather Wilhelm's superb article in Real Clear Politics, "When Did Feminism Become So Embarrassing?")

A "Thoroughly Converted" Man Reaches Out to the Needy

“So far this year, I made arrangements for 36 men to parole out of Illinois prisons and come to Wayside Cross for its residential program. It’s a Bible-based, Christ-centered program. We have 93 men in our residential program when it’s full.”

That's Tom Beatty talking about jail ministry, discipleship and aftercare programs. And, as always, he makes good sense.

“A lot of the guys are recovering from addictions but some are just learning how to live life on life’s terms without trying to escape through drugs or alcohol or sex. I would not have come here except that this option is available to them. I have been working at this long enough to know when men are released from incarceration and have nowhere to go, they get back into trouble.”

“If we don’t do something with these guys, we don’t have a leg to stand on the next time the garage gets burglarized, do we? We Christians have got to go into the jails and tell them about Jesus.”

Tom knows quite intimately the force of that last statement. For he himself was in jail in 1979 when he believed in Jesus Christ as his Savior, receiving forgiveness of sin and a brand new life.

“I was a drunk, a drug addict and a jerk. I mostly used marijuana and methamphetamines for years, but I would use whatever drugs that were available…[Then] Jesus Christ radically changed my life but it was necessary because I was radically out of control…”

It is vitally important to note, however, that Tom speaks with authority to the men in the jails not only because he's been there himself, but because that radical power of God unleashed in and through his life is very much in the present tense.

You see, Tom is an old friend of mine and I've seen his life and ministry, as they say, "up close and personal." As a jail chaplain, in rescue mission work, as a husband and dad, Tom has proven to be one of those "thoroughly converted" men who demonstrate that the power of God's grace is not just immense, not just holy, but also ongoing. Tom Beatty's testimony isn't just about the historic miracle of being born again. It's very much about the miracles that help him to live free in the here and now.

I too experienced a rather dramatic conversion in 1970 and the Christian organization with which I became involved frequently put me on the stage to tell my story. Those public speeches tended to be 80 or 90 per cent about shocking, titillating vices I had indulged in with a brief finale telling how I had eventually been saved, delivered and cleaned up.  But one night after hearing one of my talks, the late Ervin Butler (a wise, patient and loving pastor whose son had become a dear friend) told me, "Denny, don't ever be slow to tell people how the Lord saved you. And I'm pleased and proud of you for being so bold and enthusiastic in telling your story. But never forget that a Christian's true testimony should also be able to describe, honestly and with the same passion, what the Lord has done in your life in the last 24 hours."

That was an important corrective, delivered by a guy I trusted because of his long experience with God, his knowledge of the Bible…and because I knew he had my best interests at heart. And I have no doubt even now, over 40 years later, that Erv's counsel became part of the momentum in my life towards Christian activism -- taking Christianity not only as a thing of the past (my conversion) or a thing of the future (going to heaven), but also as a relationship with Jesus that is of the utmost relevance to the immediate present.

That's what I mean when I use the phrase "thoroughly-converted." And Tom Beatty is one of the extraordinary examples I know of that ongoing miracle. That's why he is such an inspiration to me every time the Lord brings him to mind -- as He did a couple of times the last few days. That remembrance prompted me to write him a quick note, to read the article from which I've quoted above, and to direct your attention to Tom's exhortations about jail ministries and aftercare which are always important for the Christian community to heed.

“It’s really simple. We talk to people about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the one who changes people’s lives. He changed my life 31 years ago, and I’ve never been the same since. He saved my life. I’ve seen Him change hundreds, maybe thousands, of people since then.”

To learn more about Wayside Cross Ministries where Tom now serves, check out their website. To read more about Tom's history and motivation for men's ministries, this article from the Lincoln Journal Star (done when Tom was serving as a chaplain in that city) is a good one. And, finally, I include for Omahans links to the Open Door Mission and Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, two of the other extremely important organizations in our city which, back in the day, also benefited from Tom Beatty's involvement.

If you can't help Tom out in Illinois, I'm sure he'd be delighted if you can lend a hand or give a donation to either of these ministries.

Dispatches from the Field #1 -- Getting Through the Week

Last week's schedule had only one presentation of "When Swing Was King" but there was an awful lot of other stuff to get done and so were really hustling.

And we were doing a lot of praying "on the fly."

There were, for instance, the regular hours to be invested in Vital Sings Blog, including the cross-posts on Facebook and Blogs Lucianne Loves. There was also the weekly compilation of highlights from the blog to send out via e-mail.

But the schedule also included a talk to a group of Christian teenagers from Hope Church who had come along to the "When Swing Was King" presentation at Skyline nursing home. They had come to observe but also to visit with the residents. They did a really great job. And afterwards we went back to the church and talked for over an hour about ministries to seniors and developing a Christian worldview and lifestyle. The kids were very responsive and we left impressed and a bit more hopeful about the next generation.

Also on the schedule last week were two sessions (Wednesday and Saturday mornings) of prayer and sidewalk counseling outside the horrid Planned Parenthood abortion mill; a clergy luncheon (at which I was the only non-Catholic clergy); quite a bit of lawn maintenance to help it survive this scorching weather; my Tuesday morning regimen at Panera's, preparation for Sunday’s sermon, and getting out this month’s LifeSharer letter.

The LifeSharer letter is always quite the project. First, I've got to write it. (Literally. Pen. Yellow tablet. Longhand.) Then Claire types it up. Then I proofread and edit the text. And that step is repeated an average of 4 times. Then we get it printed and bring it back to be folded. Before this, by the way, Claire has printed off address labels and return envelopes. We then fold, stuff, stamp, seal and get it all to the Post Office. The final two tasks are Claire posting the LifeSharer on the VSM website and also sending it out via e-mail to the 100 or so who prefer receiving it that way.

And that's every month. Whew.

So, things were certainly busy enough last week. But then life is always bringing surprises along, isn't it? And so we ended up having to squeeze in a few more activities: a visit to our home from a member of our church intensely agitated over family matters, a lengthy phone conversation with another friend also distraught about family problems, a hospital visit, a men’s breakfast at church, and so on.

All things considered, it was a week which really emphasized that an ongoing dependence on the Holy Spirit is an absolute necessity for life -- at whatever pace it's lived. For strength, for wisdom, for perspective, for graciousness and patience, for joy, and for victory, He must be one's constant Companion.

And yes, in case you're wondering, it was a very good week. Busy and sometimes difficult but also exhilarating and effective. And, of course,  the opportunity I have in working alongside Claire makes even the tough and tedious things into blessings.

And, for a little more on the importance of stimulating fellowship, see the next post.

Dispatches From the Field #2 -- Close Encounters of the Beneficial Kind

A few months ago I started setting aside early Tuesday mornings to head up to one of my "branch offices" (the Panera's restaurant on west Maple) in order to do some writing and ministry planning and, as it’s worked out, to enjoy very stimulating conversations with John Malek, who drops by for 45 minutes or so before he heads for work.  John has long been one of my best friends, a Christian brother who is a fellow pro-life activist, a Board member of Vital Signs Ministries, and a part of the Notting Hill Napoleons, our rather famous literary club that's been going for over 20 years.  John and I were even friendly competitors for many years in a fantasy football league.  So we share a lot of interests and have experienced some 27-28 years of adventures together, some of which (sidewalk counseling, intercession, civil disobedience) have been pretty intense.

These Tuesday morning conversations are but the latest revelation to me of how valuable such friendships are to my ongoing spiritual development.  For even though one can (and should) find friends comforting, the ultimate purpose of Christian friendship isn’t comfortability. Rather, it's growth in Christ and improved service to His kingdom.

The writer of Hebrews describes it like this: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”

Christian fellowship should provide comfort certainly.  But it should also produce plenty of encouragement, accountability, correction, exemplary living, assistance, inspiration, prayer, complements, thanksgiving, empathy, rejoicing, wise counsel, and a sanity check which helps defend one another against the constant attacks from a pagan culture.  And these are the things I receive from solid friends like John.  They are blessings which stimulate my growth in Christ, expand my vision, deepen my understanding, improve my service to others, and enlarge my hope for that perfect fellowship I will one day enjoy with Jesus Christ and all of the redeemed.

Tuesday mornings then have produced good things.  I’m convinced that I've got stuff done that I probably wouldn’t have had I not re-arranged my schedule.  But, certainly as important, have been the quality conversations I’ve had with John.  They are reminiscent of other high quality fellowship that has so enriched and helped me over the years -- long talks about everything under the sun with Dan Butler; endless hours on the front porch with Dana Hall; a Friday morning Bible study at our place in Village Green that included dear friends Perly Schoville, Dan Hovanec, and Mark Morin; lunches with Tim Sullivan, Bob Thune, Kurt Oyer and a lot of others over the years (most recently, with Allen Nelson); tea with Pat Osborne; coffee with Patrice Kabore; post-production talks at the radio studio with Tom Sharman; early morning prayers down in Nebraska City with Quint Coppi; and dinners with Keith and Carol Moran.

And, certainly not the least valuable, was the stimulating fellowship with fellow pro-life activists at Village Inn on early Saturday mornings after praying in front of the abortion mill. That group would include John, Quint, Tim, Kurt, Mark, Keith and Carol, Pat but also Matt Troutman, Don Kohls, Dick Wilson, Bev Weis, Karla Struble, Jack Miller, Ruth Denzler, Terry Herring, Jim Williams, Joe Ferrante, Mary Roberts and many more.

And, yes...Claire.

From Chuck Cooke and Dick Hall in the the very first days of my Christian experience through the more than four decades since, the stimulating, protecting, joyful fellowship of serious "doers of the Word" has been of limitless benefit to me. And I'm deeply grateful to them all (and to "the Giver of all good and perfect gifts," God Himself) for the myriad of blessings they have provided me.

If you don't have such friends, for crying out loud, go get some! And, if you do have such heroes in your life, make sure you're taking the time and effort necessary to glean all that you can. Don't just play church. Don't settle for surface conversations. Hang around Christians who are intent on studying God's Word and then living it out. You need such friends around you...and you need to be such a friend to others.

Godly fellowship -- accept no substitutes.

Chivalry: An Ancient Code We Desperately Need Now

“Chivalry?  Why maiden, she is the nurse of pure and high affection, the stay of the oppressed, the redresser of grievances, the curb of the power of the tyrant.  Nobility were but an empty name without her.  And liberty finds the best protection in her lance and sword.”

 Chivalry. The word itself stirs the imagination and moves the soul to embrace manly virtues: strength, courage, a willingness to fight in a noble cause. But also kindness, innocence, courtesy and grace.  And we must not forget honor, self-discipline, loyalty, and a burning love for God.

In recent speaking engagements (three Christian men’s groups, a gathering of teenagers, a church congregation), I’ve dealt with these themes.  And in these talks, I do not treat chivalry as myth or literary legend.  I deal with the subject as a historian and Christian activist, emphasizing to my audiences that chivalry did not live only in the romances of King Arthur, Sir Roland, Robin Hood and others.  Chivalry was a hard fact. It was a set of ideals, to be sure, but ideals which were devoutly pursued by men very much from the real world...

The July LifeSharer letter from Vital Signs Ministries is up on the website.

Was Obama's Anti-Business Gaffe a "Defining Moment" of the Campaign?

It's as if President Obama climbed into a tank, put on his helmet, talked about how his foray into Cambodia was seared in his memory, looked at his watch, misspelled "potato" and pardoned Richard Nixon all in the same day. It's fun to imagine the hand-wringing that must be going on within the White House as staffers try to figure out how to undo the damage their boss has done with his anti-entrepenurial riff. 

Defining moments in politics are strange beasts. Sometimes they're only recognized in hindsight, while sometimes they throw the train off the tracks before a sentence has been completed. Sometimes their effect can be contained and minimized, while sometimes their effect on the political narrative mestastasizes. This one is very bad for the White House.

These defining moments take hold most devastatingly when they confirm what a large portion of the electorate already believes. Taken alone, it seems unfair that a single moment, an unguarded remark or a slip of the tongue can carry such weight. They're often dismissed as "gotcha" moments, but when voters are able to nod and say, "I knew it," these moments stick and do terrible damage. We have witnessed such a moment.

That's Pat Sajak weighing in on the President's remarkably dumb statement from last week.

Certainly President Obama's remark reflected his genuine disdain for business and entrepreneurship, but he was still awfully dumb to actually say it.

That's what happens when he tries to talk without his teleprompter.

But was it really a "defining moment" as Pat Sajak believes? After all, the mainstream media, like it almost always does in such cases, ignored the President's statements. CNN, for instance, didn't even mention them until 3 days later and only then because they had to report on the zealous GOP response.

This means that President Obama's remarks (which he is already running away from) are only going to damage his hopes to win another term in the White House if regular folks like you and me spread the word. You can do so by reminding friends, family and church members about President's smear of free enterprise, hard work and creativity.

You can use humor to make the point by showing them things like this, and this, and this. You can recommend articles like this, this and this.

And you can draw their attention to political responses like the two I post below.

A "defining moment" for the President's re-election campaign? It can be...if we provide the exclamation point to his remarks.

A Sizzling Sixteen of "Summer Songs"

Whew. It was another scorcher this yesterday. But with the morning's sermon behind me, I diverted my attentions from the heat by watching Ernie Els pull off a completely unexpected win in The Open AND by compiling a list of my favorite summer songs. I wonder how they compare with your favorites.

Here they are...

1) "All Summer Long" -- The Beach Boys. (But, of course, you could toss in here a dozen others from these guys that could also make the list: "I Get Around." "Surfin' U.S.A." "Surfer Girl." And so on. They are certainly pop music's version of The Boys of Summer.)

2) "Summer Nights" -- Marianne Faithfull (Moody, romantic. It's been a favorite ever since the days of my misspent youth.)

3) "Our Last Summer" -- Abba (Like many of Abba's later songs, this is great music…but music with a message of particular relevance to my generation.)

4) "Theme from 'A Summer Place'" -- Percy Faith Orchestra (Beautiful music by which to fall in love. And, as I can also attest, by which to stay in love!)

5) "See You In September" -- The Happenings (Tuneful, fun but also tender, especially for those who remember the pain of summer partings.)

6) "A Summer Song" -- Chad & Jeremy (A Top Ten hit from 1964. Mellow harmony. Meaningful lyrics. A very pretty number.)

7) "Under the Boardwalk" -- The Drifters (Classic New York soul from one of the greatest vocal groups of the early rock era.)

8) "Summer Rain" -- Johnny Rivers (A dreamy 1967 song that was played on hi-fi sets, 8-track tape machines, and late night FM radio programs throughout the "flower power" years.)

9) "One Summer Night" -- The Danleers (No doubt about it, this is doo-wop magic. The Diamonds had a nice recording of this too.)

10) "Sealed With a Kiss" -- Brian Hyland (A little saccharine perhaps but this 1962 song effectively captures the feeling of a temporary separation that at least one of the parties suspects might end up being more than temporary.)

11) "V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N" -- Connie Francis (Fun and funky. Connie at her playful best.)

12) "Here Comes Summer" -- Jerry Keller (Could it be that I've loved this song for over 50 years? Yep. I first heard it played over Denver's KIMN in 1959.)

13) "Wonderful Summer" -- Robin Ward (A one-hit wonder from a pretty brunette who was raised in Nebraska. And though she didn't have any other radio hits, you can hear her voice in the TV theme songs of Batman, The Partridge Family and several others. Also in hundreds of commercials like those touting Rice-a-Roni.)

14) "Summer in the City" -- Lovin' Spoonful (A harder-edged song that any of the others in this list but still a favorite. I hear this song and...presto...I'm back pumping gas at Banner Tire on West Evans in south Denver.)

15) "Hot Fun in the Summertime" -- Sly & the Family Stone (Did I say "funky" to describe an earlier song. Forget it. THIS is funky.)

16) "Summertime, Summertime" -- The Jamies (Sure, it's almost a nonsense song but with such a catchy chorus that I had to put it in the mix. And who can't help like a song that contains these lyrics: 'Well, I'm so happy that I could flip. Oh, how I'd love to take a trip. I'm sorry teacher but zip your lip. Because it's summertime.')

If you don't remember these songs (or if you've never heard them at all), you can find most of them on You Tube. Have fun...And stay cool!

Heroes

Office Depot Partners with Lady Gaga

The latest American business to go out of its way to disparage marriage, sexual sanity and religious values?

Office Depot.

Yes, Office Depot has joined hands with one of the most polarizing cultural figures of recent times, a singer whose own morality and outrageously poor taste has become infamous -- Lady Gaga.

Office Depot's specific drive is to sell products connected to Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, an organization that extols the "bravery" of letting people celebrate their personal, philosophic and sexual individuality.

Nancy French over at NRO drew our attention to this new partnership and that prompted Claire to check out the website. After doing so, she decided to write the following note to Office Depot, a business we had utilized quite a bit over the years, and announce that we would no longer be shopping there.

Dear Office Depot,

I was very disappointed to see that your company has partnered with Lady Gaga and her foundation, Born This Way.  Why? First of all, Lady Gaga is a remarkably poor role model for America's youth. Even a cursory check of her lifestyle, fashion choices and song lyrics demonstrate an outrageous coarseness and tastelessness. Why would Office Depot choose to partner with such a polarizing figure, a person who has regularly gone out of her way to offend the moral sensitivities of most Americans? What dolt in the Office Depot advertizing department okayed that idea?

Secondly, I went to the “Stories of Bravery” on the foundation website, and discovered (no surprise) that most of the testimonies there involved a defense of homosexual practice. Where are the stories of young soldiers going into harm's way? Or the stories of young students resisting peer pressure in order to do well in school academics or sports? What about the young man or woman who holds a job while also working hard in their studies?  What about the young person who chooses not to have sex until they are married or the young mother who stood against the pressures of obtaining an abortion when she deiscovered she was pregnant? What about the young person who takes his/her summer vacation to help others?  

No, these kind of stories aren’t included in the foundation website. Instead, they are nearly all about gay identity and gay social practice. The agenda of the foundation couldn't be clearer. Born This Way (and apparently Office Depot) interpret bravery in a very limited, very directive way.

Because Office Depot has made such an elaborate campaign to help promote and fund Lady Gaga's career and the Born This Way foundation, I will be taking my business (which has been substantial over the years) elsewhere.

By the way, in looking for a photo to accompany this post, I saw just how over-the-top Lady Gaga is in her desires to shock and offend. From the pictures that came up in the internet search, I think I can safely say that Lady Gaga is definitely trying to make Madonna look like a prude.

So why on earth would Office Depot go with Gaga? It was a very irresponsible and offensive decision.

Has "Worship Music" Become Trite, Tedious & Untrue?

"Instead of feeling the joy of joining with other believers in offering praises to the Almighty, I often feel insulted, bored, and disconnected from 2,000 years of worship history. And just when I think that maybe it’s just me having a selfish and sinful attitude — a very real possibility — a flamboyant electrical guitar solo breaks out. I’m left deciding whether to waive my iPhone and buy the t-shirt or just shut up and go home."

In "Why I’ve Stopped Singing in Your Church," Bill Blankschaen has an essay that I'm sure many will find provocative...if not downright confrontational. But I happen to think he's thinking along sane and healthy lines.

Here's the article.

You Didn't Build That! A Few Comic Perspectives.

In addition to The House That Jack Didn't Build that I posted yesterday (which received an awful lot of interest), I'm posting below a few others:

Dear kids,

Nice toy. But don't bother trying to build anything with it. Somebody else must do that.

Signed, Your President

Dear Starship,

No, you didn't build this city. Somebody else made it happen.

Signed, Barack Obama

From the U.S. Department of Labor

Dear Foundations,

Please be advised that Buttercup can no longer build you up. As of this past weekend President Obama has declared that no one can build anything anymore -- up, down or sideways -- without help from the government.

Please remember this in November.

Jack Didn't Build That House

"This is the farmer sowing his corn
That kept the cock that crowed in the morn
That waked the priest all shaven and shorn
That married the man all tattered and torn
That kissed the maiden all forlorn
That milked the cow with the crumpled horn
That tossed the dog that worried the cat
That killed the rat that ate the malt
That lay in the house that Jack built!"

Dear Jack,

Forget this nonsense. You didn't build the house anyway. Somebody else made that happen.

Signed, President Barack Obama.

P.S. The farmer is no longer sowing corn. His cornfields were taken by eminent domain for development as an outlet mall. The cock is dead. The priest now lives in a monastery because Christian values and practices are no longer tolerated in the public square. He wasn't needed anyhow -- who actually bothers to get married nowadays? Of course, milking maidens no longer exist; the FDA prohibits them. Dogs and cats are no longer around -- they were outlawed in a neighborhood covenant which was upheld by the 3rd District Court.

But the rat? Well, it it turns out he was of an endangered species and was therefore protected by the full powers of the government. He and his very large family are doing very well. Indeed, we're proud to say that my administration has been particularly proficient in serving the interests of rats. Please remember this come November.

(Other comic perspectives of Barack Obama's "You Didn't Build It" comment can be found in this Vital Signs post.)

Bundles of Joy or Alien-Parasites?

One influential writer is insisting that abortion hereafter be called "development prevention" while using the word "cells" to stand for pre-born boys and girls. Another progressive is a bit bolder. She calls these kids "alien-parasites."

Welcome to the modern era -- an era which certain "thought leaders" are determined to make less precise, less realistic, and less humane.

Barb Malek discusses this sad devolution of Western culture in her essay of July 17 right here at Erase the Need.

Obama's Lack of Business Sense: Is It Ignorance or Disdain?

This morning I participated in a media phone call organized by the Romney campaign. It was led by John Sununu and focused on President Obama’s astonishing claim that “If you got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.” Sununu was joined by four small business owners.

Sununu was nuclear. He said that Obama’s comments show three related things: 1) The President doesn’t understand how America and business work. No wonder his administration has failed to create jobs. 2) Obama’s crony capitalism: he thinks the way to create jobs is for the government to pick winners and losers, and slide money to Obama’s bundlers and allies. 3) Obama’s attitude toward small business also reflects where he comes from, the “murky political world” of Chicago where politicians and felons are interchangeable.

Sununu wrapped up by saying that not only were Obama’s comments insulting to entrepreneurs, they show he has no idea how the economy functions. He said he wished Obama would learn how to be an American...

John Hinderaker of PowerLine goes on to describe the highlights of this conference call with journalists. And then he details some of the lowlights too; namely showing how the mainstream (read Democrat) journalists on the line tried to ignore, distort and spin things in Barack Obama's favor.

This is a most enlightening article...in more ways than one.

Campaign Slogans: Joe Biden-Style

Barack Obama: The OutSourcer-In-Chief

President Obama Meets with Sleaze Master

Before his speech yesterday in Cincinnati, President Obama had a meeting with that master of sophomoric sleaze, Jerry Springer, an enthusiastic supporter of Obama's reelection campaign.

Good grief.

Abortion zealotry. Disdain for the Constitution and the American people. Princely arrogance. Fast & Furious. Dismantling our national defense. ObamaCare. An economy in the tank.

And now Jerry Springer?

Democrats -- is this what you want to stand for? Really?

Barack Obama Awards More Fed Money to Planned Parenthood

Yes, ObamaCare is going to make things much, much worse. But please understand that your tax dollars are already being used to fund abortions.

The latest examples? Barack Obama's sending out millions to Planned Parenthood which, among other things, uses your money to pay abortionists' salaries, buy abortifacient drugs for minors, and promote obscene and socially-destructive sexual practices among American teenagers.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the modern Democrat Party's idea of "your tax dollars at work."

Do Christians Just Pick & Choose Which Bible Verses to Follow?

Okay, you've heard the spiel before."You Christians just pick and choose which of the rules in the Bible you're gonna' obey. It's all subjective and muddled. For instance, you condemn homosexuality as a sin but then you ignore all kinds of other Bible commands about the Sabbath or not eating pork. You're just hypocrites."

How do you answer that kind of thing? Well, take a lesson from Tim Keller who has some very clear, very wise advice right here.

Still Drinking Starbucks?

In January of 2012 Starbucks came out in support of same-sex marriage, saying that it was "core to who we are and what we value as a company."

So for those of you who subscribe to the biblical definition of marriage as a committed union between one man and one woman, I certainly hope, that if you must buy overpriced, trendy coffee drinks, you will do so at another shop.

And I'm also hopeful that you will join me and 45,000 others (and counting) who have let Starbucks know about your decision by signing the petition at DumpStarbucks.com.

More information can be found by going to this previous post, which also includes links to other Vital Signs posts on the subject going as far back as 2005.

Thinking of Rain, Duties, Music...and Rain Again

This morning is a busy one: a little blogging, a bank run, and finishing the LifeSharer letter.

The afternoon is full as well with its highlight being a presentation of "When Swing Was King" at Skyline. Joining us for the event will be a dozen teenagers from Hope Church and afterwards, we will be heading back to the church with these young men and women to enjoy some ice cream and Claire's cookies.. and to have a discussion about ministry to seniors.

And then, we'll get the LifeSharer letter printed and start the folding, envelope stuffing, stamping etc. in order to get it ready for the mail.

But before all of that, I've got another mandatory assignment -- I've got to to get out and get the lawn mowed. And the expectation of performing that chore in this heat and extreme dryness is making me yearn for rain.

And thinking about rain reminds me of a couple of posts I put on the blog and Facebook a couple of summers ago. One of them was a compilation of my Top Ten Rain Songs and the other was YouTube clips of three of those selections. I re-post them now for your consideration and, hopefully, your enjoyment.

First the Top Ten Rain Songs:

10) Rhapsody In The Rain -- Lou Christie (Written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert. Melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet.")

9) Rainy Days and Mondays -- The Carpenters (Written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams.)

8) Walkin' in the Rain -- Jay and the Americans (Written by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil.)

7) What Have They Done to the Rain -- Marianne Faithfull (Written by Malvina Reynolds.)

6) (I'll Do My) Crying in the Rain -- Everly Brothers (Written by Howard Greenfield and Carole King.)

5) Kentucky Rain -- Elvis Presley (Written by Eddie Rabbitt and Dick Heard. Featured on piano was Ronnie Milsap.)

4) Summer Rain -- Johnny Rivers (Written by James Hendricks.)

3) Early Mornin' Rain -- Peter, Paul and Mary (Written by Gordon Lightfoot.)

2) Smoky Mountain Rain -- Ronnie Milsap (Written by Ronnie Milsap.)

And...drum roll, please. The Number One Rock Era "Rain Song" is:

1) Rainy Night in Georgia -- Brook Benton (Written by Tony Joe White.)

Hey, Binky! Are You Going to the Food Stamp Party?

The Obama administration is rapidly pursuing its vision of a “transformed” America–an America in which most people are dependent on government, and therefore the party of government, the Democrats, will be dominant. 

One of the administration’s prime vehicles for stimulating dependence is the food stamp program, which, as we wrote here and elsewhere, has exploded under Obama. Food stamps now make up 80% of “agriculture” spending, and the Department of Agriculture has come under fire for aggressively building up the numbers of food stamp recipients. 

The Department has put out literature explaining how to hold “food stamp parties” in one’s home to get friends and neighbors into the program. It also sponsored a series of Spanish-language radio ads encouraging illegal immigrants and others to get on the dole...

Don't stop now. Read more of John Hinderaker's important PowerLine article, "U.S. Becoming a Nation of Dependents." 

Are Brides Giving Obama Their Wedding Gifts?

On June 22nd, I alerted you to Team Obama's attempt to bring ham-handed fundraising into American weddings. Well, here's a quick story on how that ploy worked. Actually, I should say... how it didn't work.

Of course, the biggest story in this affair is how the mainstream media adamantly refused to report on it because of how it made Barack Obama look goofy, tasteless, and remarkably marrogant.

Oh yes, the MSM is eager to do stories that make conservatives look bad -- even if reporters have to invent those stories themselves. But let a progressive pull some bonehead play like Obama did with the wedding registry and the press will ignore it completely.

Independent sources, however, have had some fun with Obama's foolishness as evidenced by the parodies I show you below:

By the way, I don't know who originated the first parody, but I found it at Doug Ross's blog. The second came from the Bulletproof Patriot.

America's Economy, Prestige and President -- They're All Shrinking.

Matthew Continetti has a compelling piece in the Washington Free Beacon, entitled, "Honey, I Shrunk Obama."

Here are a few excerpts:

The most telling moment of the campaign this week was not Mitt Romney or Joe Biden’s speech to the NAACP convention, but President Obama’s Tuesday appearance in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nor was it the content of Obama’s message that made his utterances noteworthy. It was the small venue: yet another community college. Now, Kirkwood Community College is no doubt a fine place, but Sports Authority Field at Mile High it is not. And one is unlikely to come across a better indicator of presidential shrinkage.

The White House took desperate pains to note that the president talked to an “overflow crowd.” What it did not mention was that an overflow crowd in a community college gym could not fill the seats in, say, the OSU stadium. There was a time when Obama regaled audiences of 30,000, 75,000, 80,000 people. Now he speaks to true believers at high schools. By the end of the campaign he may well find himself, like Spinal Tap, playing to a threadbare crowd at Themeland Amusement Park in Stockton, California (a city which, fittingly enough, is bankrupt). The sign outside: “PUPPET SHOW AND PRESIDENT OBAMA.”

This is no joke. Our incumbent’s appeal, grandeur, resources, and power have all steadily withered, like slowly deflating balloons…

One is almost touched at the naivety and credulity that mark these fulsome, vaporous, and cloying objectives and ideals. One also wonders what the Obama of Elections Past would say to the Obama of Elections Present. After all, his approval rating has been on a steady downward track since Inauguration Day 2009, and hovers somewhere in that dangerous band in the mid- to upper-40s. A majority of Americans say he has changed the country for the worse. Republicans are lost. Independents are dyspeptic. Only the base remains.

The cool and collected traveler with global popularity has vanished. In his place is a president with nothing to say about Europe’s fiscal crisis, one who seems impotent in the face of Russia’s belligerent support of a murderous Syrian dictator, whose attempt at Middle East peace was a colossal failure, who seems more interested in preventing an Israeli strike than in stopping the Iranian bomb, and who happily cuts away at America’s defense budget. Global confidence in and approval of Obama’s policies has fallen. Only Japan and Russia view the United States more favorably than they did in 2009. The citizens of the world are as disillusioned as the citizens of the United States. “Our moment” and “our time” seem to have passed...

Conservative Rock 'n Roll?

Oh yes, says National Review's John J. Miller and in this interesting article, he lists his Top 50 of all-time conservative rock songs. Now, I must admit I don't recognize half of the songs Mr. Miller has selected. After all, as a dedicated devotee of "classic" rock, I pretty much stopped listening to anything made after the 4 Seasons broke up.

Anyhow, I do have a couple of comments about Mr. Miller's list. For instance, I enthusiastically agree with his choice of "Kicks" by Paul Revere and the Raiders. I once described on an old "Vital Signs" radio program how the lyrics of that song had been all-too-true for me back in the 60's and how God used it as a haunting reminder of the emptiness of my life in those years. Other songs from Miller's list that would also have made mine (if I ever tried to come up with one) include the Beatles' "Taxman," the Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and the Everly Brothers' "Wake Up, Little Susie."

Miller also listed a Dylan song from the early 80's that certainly deserves a spot on such a list. But if you open that door, the explicitly Christian lyrics of nearly every song on the albums "Slow Train Coming," "Saved," and "Shot of Love," have to be dropped in too.

Also, if one simply considers record sales and ratings on the pop charts (instead of insisting on one's own tastes of what constitutes rock 'n roll), then songs like Barry Sadler's "Green Beret" or Neil Diamond's "America" should be near the top of such an enterprise. And, given the plot of the film in which a teacher's dedication to intelligence, courtesy and a hard work ethic overcomes the amoral attitudes of London street toughs, Lulu's "To Sir With Love" is more than qualified.

Others for the list? How about James Brown's "Living in America," The Silhouettes' "Get A Job," Steppenwolf's "Renegade (describing John Kay's flight from Communist East Germany), and The Supremes' "Love Child."

Finally, when morality is considered an essential "conservative" value (as Miller rightly does), there's a whole gang of records extolling marriage, fidelity and a basic sense of decency that could make the list. Paul Davis' "Sweet Life," The Grassroots' "Midnight Confessions," the 4 Seasons' "Bye Bye Baby," Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" and so many others underscore the commitment, even under severe temptation, to be faithful to one's spouse.

So, of course, there are always going to be additions, omissions and other differences of opinion when one encounters a list like Miller's but that's a whole lot of the fun, isn't it? He's therefore provided an admirable service and I urge you to go over and have fun with it yourself.

(This post is an edited, updated version of one from back in...gulp...2006. Have I been blogging that long!)

The Inspiration Soars On

This compelling song by Nick Cannon and the video clip he created deserves another look and listen.

Cruising Along with "When Swing Was King"

Claire and I have had the honor (and pleasure) of presenting "When Swing Was King" three days in a row. Well, counting this afternoon's program at Immanuel Courtyard, it will be four days in a row. That schedule that's hindered us a bit with other obligations: the LifeSharer letter, the pie social preparation, the lawn, next Sunday's sermon, etc. But there's no escaping the fact that we're still having an awful lot of fun.

Tuesday's presentation was at Heritage Pointe where we had our second showing in their theater room. We love it there and so do the residents. We're very pleased that the activities director has scheduled us for that room from now on. Setting up is a little easier (they have their own screen) but, most important, the atmosphere of the darkened room makes the drama of the photos and the sound quality of the music really terrific. You really get into the feel of the thing.  People were singing, swaying and reminiscing to their hearts content. And, as always, there was time for some pleasant visiting too.

On Wednesday we were at Lindenwood, a rather atypical place for us in that many of the residents are younger and physically mobile. Yet they continue to be one of the most enthusiastic audiences for "When Swing Was King." They ask a lot of questions, do a lot of talking, and applaud every song. We laugh as much at Lindenwood as anywhere else and we've made a lot of good friends: Pat, Mavis, Lyle, Carolyn, Christiano, Betty, Sy and more.

Thursday afternoon found us out at Life Care Center in Elkhorn for a packed house. One of the nearby nursing homes had been invited in to participate (they're coming more frequently, that's really cool) and we were really crammed in. But a good time was had by all -- about 30 in all. There was a lot of emotion yesterday; a lot of singing along on the Ella, Dick Haymes, Tommy Dorsey and Fred Astaire numbers; and a lot of sparkling memories. The only problem was when the power cord came out of the projector. That it takes a few minutes before everything can warm up again. But I filled the time by telling them stories about items they had just seen on the screen (Listerine Shaving Cream and Kool-Aid) and nobody missed a beat. In fact, the residents responded so well to the impromptu anecdotes that Claire suggested that we should perhaps plan on a power failure every showing. Cute girl.

This afternoon we will be at one of the best of the 11 (sometimes 12) places we do every month -- Immanuel Courtyard. Our audience consists of both the independent living apartments and the assisted living wing and these folks really dig the program. Also, the AD there is a great gal with whom we share a lot of spiritual convictions. We're especially excited about today's program because it contains two songs expressly requested by one of the residents. We know she's going to get a big kick out of the fact that we found them for her. And one of them ("Sugar Blues" by Clyde McCoy is proving to be a fan favorite.)

So, we're planning on a great time...even if it means that mowing the lawn will have to wait. And, of course, anytime you'd like to join us, you'd be more than welcome. The monthly schedule is right here.