Lions and Eagles

Our Federal politicians love to talk about how much they support education. They talk about all the money they want to throw at the states for special education projects. And the price for states that want to take that money is, they have to comply with certain Federal regulations. But, per the Constitution (10th Amendment), education should be in the States' ballpark. Want to take a wag at how much of the education money spent in Georgia comes from the Federal level? 3%. That's right. Just 3%. Now, want to take a guess at how much of the overhead rules and regulations dropped on our teachers come from the Federal level? 90%. That's right. A mere 3% of the state's education money comes from the Federal government. And the price for that is, 90% of the overhead our educators have to deal with. At what point do we decide it's worth getting rid of the 3% to be free of the 90%? Just a thought.

So one person gets a need fulfilled, and another person pays for it. If the payer is paying willingly, it's charity. Otherwise, it's theft for a noble cause. But the Bible doesn't say "Thou shalt not steal unless it's for a really good cause". It says "Thou shalt not steal." Sorry, sometimes the Bible is hard that way. What it means is that we have to save lives without stealing. But let's ignore the theft aspect for a moment. Let's focus on charity. I like charity. Charitable actions bring a multitude of spiritual rewards, both for the gracious, generous, and loving giver, and for the humble receiver. Throw government into the mix, on the other hand, and all spiritual rewards are lost. The givers (taxpayers) lose the chance to be lovingly and personally invested in the well-being of their fellow man, because the government's in the way. And the receivers lose any reason to be humble. Why offer up humble thanks for a government "righ

The purpose of the US Government, as envisioned by its founders, was to defend the people of the nation from foreign invasion and rebellion from within, and to govern the interactions between states. The purpose of The Episcopal Church, as envisioned by its founders, was to defend the people of the nation from spiritual harm and false doctrine, and to govern the interactions between states. In the US Government, laws are made and budgets are created by a bicameral legislative body known as the US Congress. In The Episcopal Church, canon laws are made and budgets are created by a bicameral legislative body known as the General Convention. The US Congress is over-weighted at the moment with ideological liberals. Conservatives are present, but do not have enough numbers to be effective. The General Convention is over-weighted at the moment with ideological liberals. Conservatives are present, but do not have enough numbers to be effective. The leaders of US Congress have decided that thei

The Anglican Church in North America has just been born. Hallelujiah! How many wonderful ironies can I find? The news headlines are full of talk about us as "breakaway Episcopalians"... but it is the Episcopal Church that has been generally breaking away from Christianity. We are called "schismatics", but in reality, this is a drawing together of groups that have been splintered by history and circumstance. I'd even call it an "un-schism". And then there are those crying "doom" over the new union even as it begins. See, you've got the group called Anglo-catholics. Solemn services, smells and bells, organs and traditional choirs. And you've got the group called Evangelicals. This crowd is known for praise songs, praise bands, and generally letting the worship carry them away, if that's how the Spirit moves them. The "deal-breaker", according to the naysayers, is that these two groups disagree over the theology of Women

I had a dream last night. It was at my church, during the worship service. (Anglican, BCP 1928, if that helps set the scene.) We were all singing praise music, as joyfully as you can imagine. And we were dancing with lions. Fully-grown lions, in the church, playfully dancing. And no, I hadn't been reading or watching any Narnia lately. It's been a while since I journaled or blogged or anything. It's been a long time since I've really followed either Slashdot or LiveJournal . But I've had some thoughts lately that I'd like to shape by putting them into words. So, as I start out this new writing, let me say: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)