A Profitable Game…for Couples

The matching game we have used with couples over many years has been a grand success. It has generated profitable discussion among couples and their friends. It has served to develop better understanding and appreciation. And it has been a lot of fun.

Why don’t you consider utilizing the questions we have created to use for an evening party, conversation starters with friends, or even as an exercise with you and your spouse. Here is a sample set of questions. For more, just contact us.

Couples’ Game 2015 (A sample)

Questions for wives

1. Who was the more romantic during your courtship?

2. If you received $100 that was an unexpected gift, what would you use it for?

3. What was your husband’s favorite subject in high school?

4. If your husband had the choice of any occupation which would he choose?

5. What was the single most important factor which initially attracted you to your husband?

6. What is the complement which your husband most appreciates?

7. If your husband was suddenly announced as his party’s choice for the Presidency of the U.S., who would he choose for his running mate?

8. What was your favorite musical group in high school?

9. When your husband was a little boy (i.e. elementary school age), what was his answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Questions for Husbands

1.  When your wife is dressing for an evening out, which does she put on first – her dress or her makeup?

2. Who had the strictest upbringing?

3. What will your wife say was your most impressive accomplishment before you were married?

4. If your wife won a two-week, all-expense paid trip to any city in the world, where would she want to go?

5. What is your mother-in-law’s maiden name?

6. You have just climbed into bed at the same time as your wife when you both realized the kitchen light is still on.  Who gets up to turn it off?

7. Assuming an objective panel of observers could be found to examine both your and your wife’s driving habits, who would they select as the best driver?

8. Rabbits!  Would you rather A) hunt them?  B) study them?  C) ignore them?
9. You’ve invited someone special home for dinner.  What is your wife most likely to serve for the main dish?

I'm In Heaven...Again

Last night I sent out a letter to 21 of my closest friends, including several who no longer live in the area but with whom I want very much to stay connected. I thought I would post a version of that note here on the blog in hopes that it would stimulate you to do something similar with your friends...or perhaps to even join in this project with us. Here's the note:

Hey, guys,

I’m going to be spending some time in Heaven this autumn – Randy Alcorn’s incomparable book, that is.  I’ve read it a few times before and even taught a couple of classes on it but I figured it was time to go back and refresh my heavenly-mindedness with one of the most delightful, exciting, and influential books I’ve ever read.

Any of you interested in joining me?

I’m going to read, ponder, and use in my intercession one section of the book every week.  Each section is usually 20-30 pages long so that should take me just about to the new year.  But the reason I’m letting a few of my friends in on the project is because I’d love to have you participate.  Maybe you’re too busy with other tasks, other books.  That’s cool.  But  if you’d like to take the challenge, I’d encourage you to not only start reading Heaven but perhaps join in the conversation.  For the three of you who I meet weekly or the others here in the Omaha area I see often, that’s easy enough.  But  those of you far away could use email, phone calls, or the comment section in Facebook when I repost an item about Heaven from Vital Signs Blog that I’ll put there.

I’m making this invitation because I’ve decided not to wait till heaven to develop further some of the best friendships I’ve had in my life with some of the most terrific Christian men.  So…anybody in? 

P.S.  In my prayers for each of you these next couple of weeks, I’m going to use a C.S. Lewis quotation from Mere Christianity that Alcorn cites in Chapter 2 of Heaven:  “If you read history, you will find that Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next…Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in: aim at earth and you will get neither.”

Denny

Each Person's Inherent Worth

Tom Sharman, a good friend and the owner of Tesco Studios where a lot of great music has been produced over the years -- and many years of Vital Signs radio programs too -- wrote an excellent piece and submitted it the Omaha World Herald's Public Pulse. They haven't printed it yet and so I asked Tom if I could. Here it is:

"Last Thursday the Omaha World Herald ran three articles spanning the first several pages, all of which dealt with life and death - Nebraska's signature collection concerning the death penalty, the funeral of Ty and Terri Schenzel, and the sentencing of James Holmes.  In the case of Ty and Terri we saw the outpouring of love, sorrow, gratitude and praise for lives well lived in service for others.  By contrast James received a resounding rebuke from the Colorado judge and then jeers and railing from some in the courtroom audience.

The appreciation for the former and condemnation both from the judge and jury of the latter were earned and rightfully given.  But if we had the opportunity to ask the Schenzels if they were inherently better or more valuable people than Mr. Holmes, what would their response would be?  Although our natural thinking would be 'of course, the Schenezels are without doubt the worthy ones', I don't believe that would be their answer.

The reason is that Ty and Terri knew where the true basis of worth comes from - not from what we do (as wonderful or awful as that may be) or by any other standard we exalt, but rather from seeing ourselves and others just as God sees us - each a person created in His image.  This perspective does not all minimize the countless persons touched by the Hope Center or by the actions of James and those involved with the death penalty outcome.  And yes, we can easily see that this image is more outwardly tarnished in some cases than in others, but none of us will ever represent it as designed.  No, if Ty and Terri would have met James face to face, they would have valued and treated him like everyone else would attest who knew them."

Aping Culture vs Changing It

American Christians, sad to say, are in fact aping culture more than they are changing it. Thus the exhortations of Scripture, Romans 12:1 and 2, for instance, are more timely and critical than ever. “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

The Christian who thinks that he must be like culture in order to positively influence culture is sadly ignorant of history, the true substance of conversion, and the clear teaching of the Bible.

Are you aping culture, or are you seeking through prayer, discernment, and a counter-culture lifestyle to change it? That’s the question for today.

(And that’s also today’s 60-second radio spot from KLCV, 88.5 AM)

"When Swing Was King" Is Keeping Alive the Spirit of '45

Claire and I have created a special volume of "When Swing Was King" for this month, one commemorating the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II.

In doing so, we are emphasizing our deep appreciation to the men and women who went into harm's way during the war...and to all of the men, women, and children here at home who sacrificed, supported, prayed, suffered loss, and worked so diligently to help the Allied cause be victorious.

We're calling the program Keeping Alive the Spirit of '45 as we seek to remind the seniors in the facilities we visit every month how much we admire the unity, courage, and resolve their generation demonstrated in fighting for liberty, justice, and the democratic rule of law.

The songs in the program all come from the war years and, not surprisingly, they include some of the most poignant, sublime music America ever produced. The photos accompanying the songs also reflect the critical times of 1942-1945.

If you, your family, your home school group, and so on have never caught a "When Swing Was King" presentation...boy, would this be a perfect time to finally do so. The schedule is right here.

And the Keeping Alive the Spirit of '45 song list?

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra — “American Patrol”
2) Dinah Shore — “I’ll Walk Alone”
3) The Ink Spots — “This Is a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening”
4) Bing Crosby — “I’ll Be Seeing You”
5) The Mills Brothers — “Till Then”
6) Vaughn Monroe Orchestra — “When the Lights Go On Again”
7) Vera Lynn — “The White Cliffs of Dover”
8) Perry Como — “Long Ago and Far Away”
9) Harry James Orchestra (Vocals by Helen Forrest) — “I Don’t Want to Walk Without You”
10) Benny Goodman Orchestra — “Jersey Bounce”
11) Bob Crosby Orchestra (Vocals by Dave Street) — “I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen”
12) The Andrews Sisters — “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B”

Faux Celebrity Katie Hopkins Calls for "Euthanasia Vans"

Katie Hopkins, a British television “personality” whose fame comes from appearing on reality TV shows, recently opined that society needs to get cracking on killing off senior citizens.

I’m not kidding.

Hopkins told the Radio Times, “We just have far too many old people….It's ridiculous to be living in a country where we can put dogs to sleep but not people.”

Her solution? “Easy. Euthanasia vans - just like ice-cream vans that would come to your home. It would all be perfectly charming. They might even have a nice little tune they'd play. I mean this genuinely. I'm super-keen on euthanasia vans.”

Sigh.

The world just got a little bit more chilling.

"Planned Parenthood Is In Trouble"

John Hinderaker of Power Line writes…

Planned Parenthood is in trouble. While Democratic politicians continue to stand behind the organization, corporate sponsors reportedly are dropping by the wayside. Planned Parenthood has tried to go on the attack, claiming that the first two videos were “deceptively edited”–an absurd assertion, given that the raw footage was released in its entirety at the same time as the shorter, edited highlights versions–and falsely claiming that the people involved in the Center for Medical Progress have “been behind the bombing of clinics, the murder of doctors in their homes, and in their churches.” Someone call the U.S. Attorney!

What makes Planned Parenthood’s position so difficult is that it has never really been a secret that the organization sells babies’ organs. What Planned Parenthood wants to say (and does say, although with a certain lack of conviction) is that selling babies’ organs is a great thing because they are used in scientific research. The problem is that no one who watches the videos has that reaction. The sale of body parts is obviously a dirty business–that’s what you will think if you watch the videos, anyway–and it’s hard not to feel that abortion is a dirty business too.

Press reaction to video number three has been muted. The New York Times, for example, doesn’t appear to have mentioned it. Most “mainstream” outlets wish the whole thing would go away, and are focusing their coverage on side issues, like Republicans’ efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. The less said about the actual content of the videos the better, for obvious reasons.

But press reaction is also probably cautious because everyone knows there are more videos where these came from. At this point, no one knows what those videos will show or how much worse the situation could get for Planned Parenthood. So for now, liberal news organizations are trying to keep their heads down and pretend that the news story is all about politics.

Okay, Just How Does Planned Parenthood Do Its Thing?

The Decline in Reading

Studies show that Americans, including American Christians, are reading considerably less than the last few generations. It’s just one more illustration of how we’re becoming dumber, lazier, more superficial, less discerning, and more easily led.

Of course, beginning to read books again isn’t the solution to all our messes.  But it can be an important part of our defense against the ever-encroaching, post-modern culture. That’s why I’m reading more than ever, why I started a book club that is now in its 24th year, why Vital Signs hosts book discussions, and why I organize book reading in my church. Oh yeah, if Americans put down the computer games, videos, and smart phones – and more frequently picked up a book? That would be step in the right direction.

Interested in more about reading, in book clubs, in effecting the culture? Step over to TheBook Den, Vital Signs blog dedicated to literature.

(The above post is the transcript of today's Vital Signs commentary broadcast at 7:59 on KLCV, 88.5 FM, Lincoln and Omaha)

Is Planned Parenthood Selling Aborted Baby Parts? Go to the Video Tape.

A shocking new expose’ video has caught Planned Parenthood’s top doctor describing how the abortion business sells the body parts of aborted babies.

New undercover footage shows Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Senior Director of Medical Services, Dr. Deborah Nucatola, describing how Planned Parenthood sells the body parts of aborted unborn children and admitting she uses partial-birth abortions to supply intact body parts...

That video is right below and the rest of Steven Ertelt's LifeNews story is right here.

Reasons for a Public Pro-life Witness

Why do I continue to give a public witness to the sanctity of life outside abortion businesses?  Well, in an article available on the Vital Signs Ministries website, I describe five reasons. And number five in that list is this: a pro-life witness outside an abortion business insures that men and women – even those who ultimately decide to commit the abortion – will forever remember that someone was there to plead with them, “no, don’t do this.” 

They will retain in the memory of their abortion experience that someone was standing up for their child…and for the mother’s spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. That provides a tremendous incentive for repentance, a motivation to seek forgiveness and healing from the God Who delivered His Son to die for all of mankind’s sins.

To check out the four other reasons, please zip on over to the website of Vital Signs Ministries.

(The above post is the transcript of today's Vital Signs commentary broadcast at 7:59 on KLCV, 88.5 FM, Lincoln and Omaha)

Enemies of Marriage

Lest you think that modern liberals were the first to attack the sanctity of marriage, I’d like you to note this particularly pernicious precursor.

“My personal opinion is that it would be a natural development for us to break with monogamy…Marriage laws are in themselves immoral…With bigamy, each wife would act as a stimulus to the other so that both would try to be their husband’s dream woman -- no more untidy hair, no more slovenliness.”

Sounds like something you’d hear from one of the free-thinkers of the press, academia, or Hollywood, right? However, the quotation actually comes from Heinrich Himmler, the Nazi Reichsführer of the SS -- the murderer, adulterer, and right hand thug of Adolf Hitler? You see, declaring yourself an enemy of natural marriage doesn’t make you part of the progressive future. It makes you part of the pagan past.  

(The above post is the transcript of today's Vital Signs commentary broadcast at 7:59 on KLCV, 88.5 FM, Lincoln and Omaha)

How (and Why) the Police Are Taking American's Property

Thanks Alex Anderson, Melissa Quinn, and the Heritage Foundation’s Daily Signal.

Public Schools: At War with Conservative Values

...Catholic, evangelical and other private schools -- even home-schooling -- are the best educational options for families who adhere to traditional values. If there were an exodus from public schools by people who are sick of political correctness, not to mention the government school system's inability to bring students up to the levels of other nations, perhaps the politicians and those responsible for these propaganda camps might wake up and offer parents school choice.

As long as parents willingly put their children in a school system that not only undermines their values, but in many cases openly opposes them, and then makes children who hold to a different worldview feel odd, even bigoted and behind the times, public schools will continue to do so.

This is what happens when standards are abandoned and truth becomes subjective…

Better get your children out now before it's too late and you and the nation have lost them to an alien intellectual philosophy and a hostile moral power.

Read the rest of Cal Thomas' provocative column "Time to pull your kids out of public school?" right here.

Providential Snowflakes

There is no doubt that things look very bleak for the cause of freedom and justice nowadays. But please don’t let that keep you from bold actions of advocacy or from bold prayers for God to act as well. Remember, for instance, that in the autumn of 1941, Hitler’s Nazis had blitzkrieged all across Europe, held England in a stranglehold, were confidently drafting 5 and 25 year plans for their Third Reich utopia, and were planning to rid the entire world of Jews and other people they deemed inferior.

But that same autumn, snowflakes begin to fall on the Russian steppes. And in those tiny, delicate snowflakes lived the providence of a holy God, a just and merciful God Who stood in opposition to the Nazi’s evil schemes. That winter in Russia was the beginning of the end for Hitler and his murdering thugs.

Yes, things are dark and decadent now, but I do urge you to let those little snowflakes remind you to keep acting in faith…and to keep praying for divine intervention to rescue our culture.

Did These Get By You?

For those of you doing duty in the culture wars, here's a few of the best articles from recent days.

* “Stephanopoulos’s Long, Long Record of Loyal Service to the Clintons” (John Fund, National Review)

* “Teacher assails practice of giving passing grades to failing students” (Jay Mathews, Washington Post)

* “The Death of the Green Energy Movement” (Stephen Moore, Daily Signal)

* “House of the Stacked Deck of Cards: The privilege of being Hillary Clinton” (Noemie Emery, Weekly Standard)

* “Al Sharpton’s daughter sues city for $5M after spraining ankle” (Kathianne Boniello, New York Post)

* “Germany’s Green-Power Program Crushes the Poor” (Robert Zubrin, National Review)

* “The US Lost 1,335 Soldiers in Anbar. ISIS Just Took it Back…Thanks Obama” (Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit)

* “What if the World’s Most Expensive Fighter Planes Can’t Defeat Our Enemies?” (Mike Fredenburg, National Review)

A Case in Point of "Real" Racism

1) Incoming Boston University professor Saida Grundy calls "white college males" a "problem population” in angry tweets. And in other recent Twitter messages she says that "white masculinity is THE problem for America's colleges." And "Deal with your white (%*#*@), white people; slavery is a ‘YALL’ thing.” And "Every MLK week I commit myself to not spending a dime in white-owned businesses. And every year I find it nearly impossible."

2) Is she fired? No. Boston University Robert Brown acknowledged that her messages could be “hurtful” but then gave her plenty of understanding.  "I do not say this lightly or without a great deal of consultation and soul-searching," Brown's letter reads. "I understand there is a broader context to Dr. Grundy's tweets and that, as a scholar, she has the right to pursue her research, formulate her views, and challenge the rest of us to think differently about race relations. But we also must recognize that words have power and the words in her Twitter feed were powerful in the way they stereotyped and condemned other people."

3) Saida Grundy apologizes...in her way."I regret that my personal passion about issues surrounding these events led me to speak about them indelicately. I deprived them of the nuance and complexity that such subjects always deserve."

4) And the response of other liberals? Hey, Saida ain’t racist! You are! A hashtag campaign ensued and a petition of support which read, “Racism extends to virtually every institution in American society - including higher education. Calling Professor Grundy's tweets racist minimizes the very real effects of racism for people of color in the United States."

5) So calling white people names; smearing all white people by making them responsible for slave ownership; insisting that white males are the primary, if not sole, problem in American colleges; and bragging about race-oriented discrimination in consumer decisions — that’s not racism. Real racism is thinking that Professor Grundy is out of line.

6) Saida Grundy starts her job in July.

Don't Miss These "Must Reads"

* “How Obama’s Made Sure to Leave Every Part of the World More Dangerous than He Found It” (Robert Ehrlich, National Review)

* “Catholic University Investigated for Offending Muslims by Having Too Many Crosses” (John Hayward, Breitbart)

* “US to award Iran $11.9 billion through end of nuke talks” (Adam Kredo, Fox News)

* “The 7 Steps the Next President Should Take to Boost Our Economy” (James Carafano, The Daily Signal)

* “Christian schools will have no choice about gay marriage” (Michael Farris, USA Today)

* “Conservative Nebraska Legislature tackles liberal issues” (Anna Gronewold, Associated Press)

* “Stay Quiet and You'll Be Okay” (Mark Steyn, Steyn Online)

* “Bigot Peter Singer: Don’t Pay to Treat Disabled Babies” (Wesley J. Smith, National Review)

What Happened to Jefferson's Plea for Freedom of Conscience?

In addition to its own immensely lucrative profits from surgical and chemical abortion, our government gives Planned Parenthood yet more money...as in more than $540 million every year! And, of course, most of those citizens are profoundly grieved and offended at the barbaric destruction of human lives the wicked business commits.

Jefferson (and the rest of our nation’s founders) would be dumbfounded and aghast at how the American dream has turned out.

The Lasting Impressions of a Pro-Life Witness

We received an encouraging note today from a veteran sidewalk counselor and pro-life leader who serves the cause in another part of the country. We have known and appreciated her friendship for many years.

We thought you might find her message of interest as well.

An overdue response to your March letter:

Hi Denny,

[You wrote] in your March letter — “A pro-life witness outside an abortion business insures that men and women – even those who ultimately decide to commit the abortion – will forever remember that someone was there to plead with them, “no, don’t do this.”  They will retain in the memory of their abortion experience that someone was standing up for their child…and for the mother’s spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. That provides a tremendous incentive for repentance, a motivation to seek forgiveness and healing from the God Who delivered His Son to die for mankind’s sins.”

So true!  And here’s another thought:  I’ve wondered exactly what sort of feelings the woman will have as she remembers us, but I recently received an answer in one case at least:  I was told by the leader of a local post-abortion group that one of the women in the group said that she remembers me (her description was amazingly accurate after more than a decade) and the memory of my presence there is actually comforting  to her now.  She views it as God, in His love for her, reaching out to her even at that last minute.  That was comforting to ME, that she wasn’t allowing the memory solely to “beat her up” even more…  

Please say hi to Claire for me. 

May God continue to bless your work!

Did You Know You're Giving Planned Parenthood $540 Million? Every Year?

Just a quick reminder:

According to Planned Parenthood’s own accounting, the mega-abortion business scored $58.2 million in excess revenue for the year, making their net assets more than $1.3 billion. That’s right, B as in billion (not to mention base, blasphemous, and barbaric). And Planned Parenthood rakes in a big chunk of that cash from American taxpayers, like over $540 million every year now.

Remember also that Planned Parenthood’s abortion numbers remain consistently high (nearly 900 abortions every single day) despite the fact that its overall clients have substantially decreased. That doesn’t square very well with the business’ constant claims of providing health care to men and women. Indeed, under Cecile  Richards’ leadership, Planned Parenthood’s cancer screening and prevention services have been cut by more than half. And their other services, never serious enough to give much attention to, are falling off almost completely.

For instance, in that latest annual report, Planned Parenthood boasts of committing 327,166 abortion procedures in one year while only making 2,197 adoption referrals. Do the math yourself.  It works out to about 149 abortions for each single adoption referral.

No, behind all the slogans, Planned Parenthood is all about abortion. And it is being helped along substantially with your tax dollars.

Infuriating? It sure ougta’ be. So write yourCongressman and Senators. And tell your co-workers and your Sunday School class and your sweet Aunt Gertrude. It’s way past time that Planned Parenthood is denied a place at the public trough.

"Best Reads" From the Weekend

* “The Disgraceful Republican Cave-in on Loretta Lynch” (Andrew C. NRO)
McCarthy,

* “The liberation of President Obama” (Washington Times editors)

* “Our Mean-Spirited President Cuts Loose” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

* “Over 75? Sign here if you're ready for death” (Sophie Borland, Daily Mail)

* “How Christianity invented children” (Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, The Week)

* “Hillary Thinks She Is Bigger Than God” (Ed Driscoll, PJ Media)

* “The Clintons' Little Tin Box” (Clarice Feldman, American Thinker)

* “Feds Play the Race Card to Crush Parents’ Revolt Against Common Core” (David French, NRO)

Living Unplugged

Obama's Mess in the Middle East

Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, and a former senior director of the National Security Council has written a very lucid, very important article for Mosaic. "Tectonic Shift in Obama's Iran Policy" details how Barack Obama's shameful nuclear deal with Iran is just the beginning of a whole lot of trouble. The president’s goal, at the expense of America’s allies, is full-fledged détente with Iran.

I print a few paragraphs below but, believe me, you'll find the full article very helpful in understanding the mess our president is creating.

Exaggerating the successes of Lausanne may have been a savvy maneuver against the president’s domestic critics, but it weakened his hand against the Iranians by telegraphing his deep personal investment in the negotiations. Failure to get a deal would now be a major embarrassment. Knowledge of this fact gave Khamenei an opening, which he exploited with his defiant speech. Not so fast, the speech signaled to Obama. In order to get the agreement that you’re already celebrating, you must pay—in the form of more concessions to me. 

If past behavior is anything to go by, Obama will give Khamenei what he wants. Indeed, American concessions have propelled the negotiations forward at every stage…

One of Obama’s greatest diplomatic successes is to have persuaded much of the world, including many of his critics, that the primary goal of his Iran diplomacy is to negotiate a nuclear arms-control agreement. In fact, the primary goal is détente with Iran.

In the president’s thinking, détente will restrain Iranian behavior more effectively than any formal agreement. In addition, it will also open the way to greater cooperation with Iran on regional security. Détente will permit the United States to pull back from the Middle East and focus more on its domestic priorities. Finally, it will vindicate Obama’s ethos of “engagement,” which he sees as a superior alternative to the military-driven concepts of American leadership championed by his Republican opponents. In short, détente will secure Obama’s legacy.

By contrast, Khamenei is pursuing highly specific goals. Three stand out above all others. He is seeking, first, to preserve Iran’s entire nuclear infrastructure; second, to repeal the sanctions on the Iranian economy; and third, to abolish the international legal regime that brands Iran a rogue state. In all three areas, Obama has already satisfied his core demands…

The disarray and atomization among the anti-Iranian states in the Middle East means that they (like the American Congress) will likely prove incapable of mounting a decisive opposition to Obama’s détente. But their inability to stop it does not mean they will ever accept it. They will remain dedicated to contesting Obama’s policy, and they will continue to fight back against Iran and its proxies in Yemen, Syria, and Iraq—not to mention new venues that will appear over time.

Détente, therefore, will deliver disequilibrium, the exact opposite of the effect intended. By negotiating an arms-control agreement, the president has shifted the tectonic plates of the Middle East order. And for tectonic plates, it takes a move of just inches to level whole cities.

Did I Miss Anything Important?

Maybe. How about these articles?

* “Free Speech in Peril” (Myron Magnet, City Journal)

* “The Abortion Industry and Human Traffickers: Partners in Crime” (Becky Yeh, Live Action)

* “California Committee Passes Bill to to Force Pregnancy Centers to Promote Abortions” (Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com)

* “Hillary's Terrible First Week Is A Bad Omen For Democrats” (Editorial, Investors Business Daily)

* “Former Sen. Coburn on what's 'disgusting' about Washington” (Paige Winfield Cunningham, Washington Examiner)

* “Canadian bioethicist attacks conscientious objection” (Michael Cook, BioEdge)

* “An education is a terrible thing to waste: Too many Americans are wasting precious years and vast amounts of cash acquiring a college education.” (Kevin Ryan, Mercator)

* "A Traitor Comes Home: A Look at the Zaccheus Narrative" (Denny Hartford)

A Traitor Comes Home

“And He entered and was passing through Jericho.” (Luke 19:1) This is the short and unpretentious beginning to one of the most well-known narratives of the New Testament, the story of Jesus’ encounter with the short-statured taxman, Zaccheus. But though this is a familiar account, there’s still much to apply from its teaching and, quite possibly, a few new things to learn too. Let’s take a look.

Tread the rest of the April LifeSharer from Vital Signs Ministries right here.

A Few "Wow" Articles Not To Be Missed

* "Police: Muslims threw Christians overboard during Med voyage" (Associated Press)

* “Faith Takes a Furlough” (Tony Perkins, FRC)

* “Former TSA Agent: Groping Scandal Is Business as Usual” (Jason Edward Harrington, TIME)

* “Girl Scouts Troop Hopes to Attract Transgender Recruits” (Austin Ruse, Breitbart)

* “Chelsea Clinton — $10M Apartment, $3M Wedding, $600K Job: I Just Don't Care About Money” (Leslie Larson, New York Daily News)

* “ESPN suspends reporter after ugly towing-lot rant” (Mark W. Sanchez and Justin Terranova, New York Post) (Warning: the video clip accompanying this story contains the reporter's profane and vile language. And was the lady fired by ESPN as she certainly should have been? No. She was "suspended" for one week!)

* "Obama Says Cuba Doesn’t Sponsor Terrorism. So What Are All These Hijackers and Bomb-Makers Doing There?" (James Kirchik, Daily Beast)

"Uneducated and Untrained" Witnesses

“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13: NASB)

The local society around Peter and John could not figure out the source of their confidence.  The Greek words give special meaning to what the locals really thought of these two bold men.  First, they were said to be uneducated.  The Greek word is “agrammatos,” which is literally “without grammar.” Peter and John were uneducated fishermen who would, using our terminology, “slaughter the King’s English.”  Second, these men were untrained. This is a word that looks better in English than Greek, for the Greek word is“idiotes.” I think you can figure out what English word grew out of the original Greek!  In essence, the community considered Peter and John to be illiterate idiots! 

But there was one other thing the community saw in Peter and John—they had been with Jesus!  This was a testimony to the belief in the risen Lord.  Everyone knew they had been with Jesus before the crucifixion, but the change in demeanor was proof to the community that they had been with Jesus after the crucifixion, giving tangible proof of His resurrection. Better to have the presence of the risen Lord in your life than the best education this world can offer! 

From “No Replacement” by Dr. Randy White, one of the daily devotional columns you can find at “Word for the World with Dr. Randy White” on Crosswalk.com.

By the way, the above illustration is from the painting “Peter and John Running to the Tomb” by Eugène Burnand (1850 – 1921).

Christian “Witnessing”

Dr. Michael Youssef has these comments about witnessing:

…Many Christians talk about witnessing but most don’t have a truly accurate view of what being a witness means. To better understand the term, just look at what a witness in a court trial does. His duty is simple: to tell the truth about what he experienced. He is not responsible for fully understanding the law or the process; he is only obligated to tell what he saw and heard. Telling others what we experienced when we met Jesus is our duty as witnesses for Christ, and it should be our joy to do so.  How can we keep the gift of salvation quiet and not share it with others?

The Samaritan woman was not a Bible scholar and did not fully understand all that had just happened to her, yet she could not contain her excitement. Her simple testimony was to tell everyone she met, “Come and see.” That sums up our role as witnesses: we are to invite others to come and see what Jesus has to offer them. We are messengers, bearers of the most valuable invitation people will ever receive.

Christians are often relieved to learn they are not responsible for saving souls; that role is divine and not ours. Just as a witness is not responsible for the verdict, we are not held accountable for whether the people we invite to know Jesus ever accept that invitation. A witness only tells his experience and then leaves the outcome up to the judge or jury.  In the same way, we share the Good News and then the Holy Spirit takes over…

“Leading The Way with Dr. Michael Youssef” is a daily devotional available on Crosswalk.com right here.

Repeal the Death Tax...Please!

After a Facebook post earlier today in which I linked to a recent article in the Rapid City Journal in which Senator John Thune advocates a repeal of the death tax, I wrote, "Bob Thune's little brother advocates an idea that's long, long overdue. Why not add a call, e-mail, or handwritten note to YOUR political representatives urging them to co-sponsor and work hard for the passage of the Death Tax Repeal Act of 2015. (Thank you Senator Thune. Thank you Senator Fischer. And I'd like to thank you too Senator Sasse but you haven't co-sponsored this important bill yet! Come on, brudda.)

I then e-mailed Senator Sasse using his Senate website. I included the link to Senator Thune's article, the gist of my remarks, and a second appeal.

So, what about it, Senator Sasse? Will you please co-sponsor this legislation? I'd love to add a postscript to Vital Signs Blog and my Facebook page applauding you for doing so.

Thanks for your consideration.

Denny Hartford
Director, Vital Signs Ministries
Omaha

Ecuador President Trashes America. Our President Applauds the History Lesson.

From Fausta’s Blog comes an illuminating (and sad) report on the Summit of the Americas:

President Rafael Correa of Ecuador managed to tear himself away from Twitter to give a speech condemning the U.S., and portraying Latin America (and especially Ecuador) as a paragon of freedom and human rights. 

Barack Obama was next, and he agreed with Correa!

Obama stated, “I wanna make one last comment, er, addressing er, some of the points that er, president Correa raised that I’m sure will be raised by a few others during this discussion. Er, I always enjoy the history lessons that I receive, er, when I’m here.

Having prefaced that, Obama continued, “I am a student of history so I tend to actually be familiar with many of these episodes that have been mentioned. I am the first one to acknowledge that America’s application to concern around human rights has not always been consistent. And, I’m certainly mindful that there are dark chapters in our own history in which we have not always observed the principles and ideals upon which the country was founded. Just a few weeks ago I was in Selma, Alabama celebrating the 50th anniversary of a march across a bridge that resulted in horrific violence and the reason I was there and the reason it was a celebration is because it was a triumph of human spirit in which ordinary people without resort to violence were able to overcome systematic segregation. There voices were heard and our country changed. America never makes a claim about being perfect, we do make a claim about being open to change.”

Fausta’s Blog then provides links to a few indicators of Ecuador’s “high standing.”
They include:
* Heritage Foundation & Wall Street Journal's Index of Economic Freedom — Ecuador #147
* Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index — Ecuador #119
* Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index — Ecuador #146
* Institute for Economics and Peace/Economist Intelligence Unit: Global Peace Index — Ecuador #109

How’s that for history lessons?

About Those Subtle Nuances of Obama's "Mideast Policy"

The Best of the Weekend

Here's a few of the best (and most important) articles of the past few days:

* “The ‘Party of CEOs’ and Religious Liberty” (Maggie Gallagher, NRO)

* “Obama to Remove Cuba From State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Why That’s Bad.” (Ana Quintana, The Daily Signal)

* “Democrats Are the Real Abortion Extremists” (Ian Tuttle, NRO)

* “You Won't Believe Why a University Deactivated a Christian Group” (Fox News)

* “Sex educators urge births” (Shannon Roberts, Mercator)

* “Hillary Clinton, Champion of the Downtrodden?” (John Hinderaker, Power Line)

“Very Strong is a Working Supplication of a Righteous Man”

In the mysterious but wonderful union of God’s sovereignty and man’s free will, there is prayer.  Can prayer actually change the course of events then? Of course. Both the Holy Scriptures and personal experience say yes. And does it change the mind and heart of the intercessor? Yes again. Indeed, that is one of its primary and most important purposes. And does prayer please God? Does He enjoy hearing the worship, the meditation, and the appeals that come from His beloved children? Most definitely. So pray, my fellow saints. Pray without ceasing. Pray in humility, gratitude, and faith. And pray with a keen eye to the promises of Your heavenly Father.  

“Very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man,” James 5:16. (From Robert Young’s Literal Translation of the Greek text, published in 1862)

Truth: Remember It, Tell It, Live It

The injustice and cruelty of the Soviet Union’s vast organization of labor camps in the 1930’s and 1940’s are now well known. But that knowledge didn’t have to surface. Indeed, without the grace of God acting through such heroic individuals as Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the truth might well have remained buried by Communist cover-ups.

Solzhenitsyn's was the foremost voice raised against the grandiose and oppressive Soviet machine. Through rare courage and sacrificial efforts, he managed to alert the whole world to what was happening to countless numbers of innocent human beings.

Solzhenitsyn’s most famous (though not often read) book is the riveting 3-volume Gulag Archipelago. In that incredible work, the former slave camp worker documents the massive catalog of outrageous lies, violence, and criminal corruption perpetrated by Soviet Communism. In the Gulag (and even in his fiction), Solzhenitsyn serves as an historian. It is enough, he insists, to simply record what happened, to give the truth an open hearing. He had a bold faith that when people learned the real story of Soviet tyranny, they would resolve to never again allow the devil an open door to such blasphemy and brutality.

It is in this sense that Alexander Solzhenitsyn is hailed as a prophet – not as a foreteller, but as a “forth teller.” He held up the banner of truth. Simply by performing that service, he helped change the world.

Solzhenitsyn’s play The Love-Girl and the Innocent, set in a forced labor camp in Siberia in 1945, features one of the persecuted men listing just a few of the monstrous crimes performed by Soviet thugs that he has witnessed. The prisoner is beside himself with fury, feeling utterly helpless to do anything about this all-enveloping injustice. But in response, Pavel Gai, an imprisoned ex-soldier who has experienced more than his own share of horrors, answers him with chilling authority. “What can we do? Remember – that’s all.”

And that's what Alexander Solzhenitsyn did.  He remembered.  In fact, it was his constant plea to God to help him remember specific events, people, and situations so that he could record the true history of the Soviet Union's crimes against humanity and God. Solzhenitsyn desired more than anything else to be a faithful historian in order to effectively honor the victims but, more importantly, so that the preserved truth could set the future free.

Ronald Reagan was one of those who was inspired by those revelations and he acted on the knowledge that Solzhenitsyn had so bravely preserved. The Wall fell. The camps are now empty. Truth, just a simple presentation of the truth, can indeed destroy the darkness.

And now in our day, with the dark lies of totalitarianism, terrorism, appeasement, and false religion all pressing again to drown the truth, Alexander Solzhenitsyn's example and exhortations are as valuable as ever.

The Constantly Changing "When Swing Was King"

One of the things that most astounds and delights our “When Swing Was King”
audiences is that we have created 23 different programs!

And each volume has 12 original hit songs. Each volume has over 200 photographs projected on the screen by a Power Point program. And each volume has its own commentary to accompany it.  This means that we need not repeat any our monthly program for two whole years.

The full truth, however, is even more exciting because we actually never repeat a program!

No kidding. I’m always doing something to update, improve, and make more relevant each program in our repertoire.  A good example is Volume 4.4 which we will be playing to our regular schedule of 11 nursing homes and other senior centers throughout the month of April.  Last night I completed my revisions: three different songs, dozens of new photographs, and a wholesomely revamped narrative.

I base the changes on what we learn from our audiences.  We carefully note, for instance, their reactions to the songs and pictures and stories. We also welcome specific requests.  And, since “younger” seniors continually enter our audience, we regularly add in songs from later years.  Our forte remains the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s, but we are also seasoning our catalog with songs from mainstream crooners from later years: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole, The McGuire Sisters, Patti Page, The Mills Brothers, The Ames Brothers, Rosemary Clooney, and so on.

Here’s this month's song list which we will start presenting on Thursday.

1) Glenn Miller Orchestra (Main vocals by Tex Beneke)
“Chattanooga Choo Choo”
(Photo theme: trains and train stations from back in the day)

2) Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra (Vocals by Bob Eberly & Helen O’Connell)
“Green Eyes”

3) Artie Shaw Orchestra
“Begin the Beguine”

4) Benny Goodman Orchestra (Vocals by Martha Tilton)
“The Lady’s in Love With You”

5) Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (Vocals by Frank Sinatra)
“Fools Rush In”

 6) Lawrence Welk Orchestra
“Alley Cat”
(Photo theme: cats)

7) The McGuire Sisters
“Sincerely”
(Photo theme: Scenes from the year 1955)

8) The Mills Brothers
“Lazy River”
(Photo theme: rivers, riverside activity)

9) The Andrews Sisters
“Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”
Photo theme (World War II)

10) Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra
“Blue Again”

11) Vaughn Monroe Orchestra
“There I Said It Again”

12) Sammy Kaye Orchestra
“Daddy”

Of course, just reading through a song list is hardly an effective way to experience the fun, interest, and relational value of “When Swing Was King.” So why not check our schedule and choose a presentation that you could attend and help us visit the residents?

We’d love to have you.  But they would love it even more!

Top Ten Hints for a Successful Marriage

Top Ten Hints for a Successful Marriage

Here are ten practical exhortations to keep your marriage sharp, happy, and as effective a ministry as it can be.

10) Take Nothing for Granted.

Routine can be comfortable but it can also wreck spontaneity, passion, gratitude, and fun.  So be careful.  Cultivate a spirit of appreciation for one another. Understand that true love isn’t mere sentiment.  It is action and thus requires time, effort and dedication.  My friends in Belarus have a saying that fits here: “A wife isn’t a guitar.  You can’t play with her awhile and then hang her on the wall!”

9) Build Up Your Marriage Partner.

Discover the compliments that are especially meaningful to your spouse and use them often.  Expressions of gratitude, affection and praise should be business as usual between the two of you...including in public. Billy Sunday, the major league infielder turned evangelist once advised husbands, “Try praising your wife...even if it does frighten her at first!” Convince one another that you are their best friend and their biggest fan.  Don’t worry about their ego getting too big -- life will take care of that.  For your part, you can’t be too much of a cheerleader for your spouse.

8) Hang Out with Godly People.

The company you keep is a far more important factor in a successful marriage than most people realize.  Don’t underestimate it. Develop friendships as a couple with people who take seriously the things of God.  Such friendships will be of immeasurable help in providing accountability, inspiration, assistance, and, as the Scriptures put it, the “stimulation to love and good deeds.”

7) Keep the TV in its Proper Place.

Don’t be fooled.  People do become what they watch and listen to.  And modern television presents an awful lot that is contrary to the spiritual values you’ll need to keep your conscience clean, your adventure with Christ active, and your romance pure and strong.  Furthermore, don’t let the TV steal time that could be better spent in other ways.  TV can sometimes be an innocent friend, but it can more often be a powerful distraction - even a tyrant.  So beware the power of the tube. (This warning, of course, applies to the computer too.)

6) Never Criticize Your Spouse in Public.

And I do mean, never!  Anger, mockery, sarcasm, embarrassment -- these shouldn’t be part of your relationship, period. But when these things occur in front of an audience, it can create loads of hurt, a lot of resentment, and it can severely damage the trust, respect, and intimacy that every strong marriage needs.

5) Pray.

Become comfortable in praying together...not just in crises or during church services or with the kids at bedtime.  Rather, pray together throughout the week as an expression of your union as a couple with God.  And pray with a willingness to take the actions God directs you to.  Also, developing a pattern of praying together will be a tremendous help to the next item in the list.

4) Fight Fair.

Conflicts and confrontations are going occur.  That’s natural and it’s no big deal if you observe some basic rules - rules that are simply applications of the vows you took on your wedding day.  Examples? No rage, no threats, no leaving the house, no name-calling, no whining, no comparison to others, no unfair exaggerations (as in “You always” or “You have never, ever”), no dredging up the past, no bringing in your spouse’s family, and so on. The purpose of the argument should always be kept in view and that is seeking a unified, mature, spiritually sound solution to the problem – not creating wounds, getting your way, or getting even.

3) Serve God as a Team.

You don’t need to always be involved in the same things or be under each other’s feet, but you should always have a lot going on between you, including activities that require teamwork.  Foremost in this area for most couples will be parenting. If and when that ministry comes along, both of you must embrace it.  But there are also household chores, the budget, social interaction, Christian ministry, avocations, and so on. Make sure you are in fellowship and growing together, not apart.

2) Forgive.

Forgive frequently and genuinely.  Forgive before being asked to.  Forgive not only for love’s sake and for your own peace of mind, but forgive over and over because Jesus Christ, as evidenced by the ongoing effects of the Cross, forgives you over and over.  One of the most important ways to express your appreciation of the life Jesus gave to pay the penalty of your sins is to lean completely into His grace. You can thereby forgive others, especially the one He has blessed you with as a life partner.

1) Keep Falling In Love.

You mustn’t be content with your album of wedding photos.  Make your marriage an existential, active, even a celebratory relationship.  And that comes not only from spending time together but from your personal spiritual growth. Robert Browning, one of Western civilization’s most romantic poets, nevertheless took a practical view of what’s most essential in marriage. “Success in marriage,” he wrote, “is more than finding the right person, it is being the right person.”  Dedicate yourselves to developing your relationship with Christ as individuals and you will improve your relationship at the same time.

What's Going On?

Here's a few articles from the past few days you might have missed:

* “Special Editorial: Kill the Deal” (William Kristol, Weekly Standard)

* “Interview With a Christian” (Russ Douthat, New York Times)

* “Munich, Anyone? Obama’s Iran Agreement in Translation” (Roger L. Simon, PJ Media)

* “Religious conservatives are the targets of discrimination, lawyer says” (John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times)

* “Why Obama Snubs Europe: European leaders never thought they'd miss George W. Bush.” (David J. Karl, National Interest)

* “Smash the ‘Bamboo Ceiling’ of Racial Quotas” (John Fund, NRO)

Yet More Breakthroughs Using Adult Stem Cells

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have successfully created 'mini-lungs' using stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with cystic fibrosis, and have shown that these can be used to test potential new drugs for this debilitating lung disease. 

The research is one of a number of studies that have used stem cells -- the body's master cells -- to grow 'organoids', 3D clusters of cells that mimic the behaviour and function of specific organs within the body. Other recent examples have been 'mini-brains' to study Alzheimer's disease and 'mini-livers' to model liver disease. Scientists use the technique to model how diseases occur and to screen for potential drugs; they are an alternative to the use of animals in research.

(Of course, this technique of using adult stem cells is also an alternative to the dead end exploitation of embryonic stem cells.)

Read more about this development in this Science Daily report, "Scientists grow 'mini-lungs' to aid study of cystic fibrosis."

And that's not all.

Just two days earlier, Science Daily published this remarkable story, “A Single-Cell Breakthrough: newly developed technology dissects properties of single stem cells.”

Researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine have figured out a way to isolate and grow thousands elusive intestinal stem cells at one time, a high throughput technological advance that could give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology gastrointestinal disorders like never before.

[It's] a way to isolate and grow thousands elusive intestinal stem cells at one time, a high throughput technological advance that could give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology gastrointestinal disorders like never before.

The human gut is a remarkable thing. Every week the intestines regenerate a new lining, sloughing off the equivalent surface area of a studio apartment and refurbishing it with new cells. For decades, researchers have known that the party responsible for this extreme makeover were intestinal stem cells, but it wasn't until this year that Scott Magness, PhD, associate professor of medicine, cell biology and physiology, and biomedical engineering, figured out a way to isolate and grow thousands of these elusive cells in the laboratory at one time. This high throughput technological advance now promises to give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology and explore the origins of inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal cancers, and other gastrointestinal disorders...

Here is the rest of that article.

Planned Parenthood's Tax Grab? It's Actually Worse Than We Thought.

Planned Parenthood has denied that its use of tax dollars – which average a whopping half-billion dollars a year – are used for abortion or for promoting abortion. But a review by the Government Accountability Office found widespread taxpayer funding for abortion advocacy organizations – six of them.

Jim Sedlak of American Life League suggests there's a smoking gun in the report. ‘The GAO reported that 75 percent of the money that goes to Planned Parenthood is not from Title 10, or Title 5 or Title 20, or any of the other programs that we usually talk about.’

Instead, 75 percent of the money is in Medicaid reimbursements...

Seventeen states use Medicaid to pay for abortions for any reason, which equates to taxpayers paying to abort the poor's unborn children.

Read more here.

And then write your Congressman and Senators.

Checking In

Among the many excellent articles provided by the increasingly important alternative media this past weekend, I've chosen to pass along the following:

* “Liberals against Religious Liberty in Indiana” (The Editors of National Review)

* “Obama, son of anarchy in the scrambled Middle East” (New York Daily News editors)

* “Expected Iranian nuclear deal worse than Israel feared: Netanyahu" (Dan Williams, Reuters)

* “Black Church Group of 34,000 Churches From 15 Denominations Splits With PCUSA Over Gay Marriage” (Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post)

* “Hillary Clinton’s unpardonable scandal trail” (Adriana Cohen, Boston Herald) 

* “Google controls what we buy, the news we read — and Obama’s policies” (Kyle Smith, New York Post)

* “By It’s Own Criteria, The Obama Administration Is An Economic Failure” (John Hinderaker, PowerLine)

* “Hillary: The Democrats’ Nixon” (John Fund, NRO)