... tacticalpreacher ...

Valentine’s Day…

tacticalpreacher — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:46:29 +0000

Tomorrow is noted not only by every Hallmark Store, but most folks as Valentine’s Day. Without respect to how you may feel about the contrivance which is the modern observance of the holiday. Tell the ones you love how you love them, do it well and do it often.

Below you will find what might be one of the most enduring love letters I have ever read.

Sullivan Ballou volunteered to serve in the Union army when the Civil War commenced. A week after writing this letter to Sarah, he was killed in the Battle of Bull Run. One has no doubt he loved his wife.

July the 14th, 1861

Washington D.C.

My very dear Sarah:

The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days-perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write you again, I feel impelled to write lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more.

Our movement may be one of a few days duration and full of pleasure-and it may be one of severe conflict and death to me. Not my will, but thine O God, be done. If it is necessary that I should fall on the battlefield for my country, I am ready. I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans upon the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing-perfectly willing-to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt.

But, my dear wife, when I know that with my own joys I lay down nearly all of yours, and replace them in this life with cares and sorrows-when, after having eaten for long years the bitter fruit of orphanage myself, I must offer it as their only sustenance to my dear little children-is it weak or dishonorable, while the banner of my purpose floats calmly and proudly in the breeze, that my unbounded love for you, my darling wife and children, should struggle in fierce, though useless, contest with my love of country?

I cannot describe to you my feelings on this calm summer night, when two thousand men are sleeping around me, many of them enjoying the last, perhaps, before that of death-and I, suspicious that Death is creeping behind me with his fatal dart, am communing with God, my country, and thee.

I have sought most closely and diligently, and often in my breast, for a wrong motive in thus hazarding the happiness of those I loved and I could not find one. A pure love of my country and of the principles have often advocated before the people and “the name of honor that I love more than I fear death” have called upon me, and I have obeyed.

Sarah, my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me to you with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when God willing, we might still have lived and loved together and seen our sons grow up to honorable manhood around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me-perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar-that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not, my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battlefield, it will whisper your name.

Forgive my many faults, and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness, and struggle with all the misfortune of this world, to shield you and my children from harm. But I cannot. I must watch you from the spirit land and hover near you, while you buffet the storms with your precious little freight, and wait with sad patience till we meet to part no more.

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the garish day and in the darkest night-amidst your happiest scenes and gloomiest hours-always, always; and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by.

Sarah, do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again.

As for my little boys, they will grow as I have done, and never know a father’s love and care. Little Willie is too young to remember me long, and my blue-eyed Edgar will keep my frolics with him among the dimmest memories of his childhood. Sarah, I have unlimited confidence in your maternal care and your development of their characters. Tell my two mothers his and hers I call God’s blessing upon them. O Sarah, I wait for you there! Come to me, and lead thither my children.

Sullivan

The second most terrifying aspect of writing….

tacticalpreacher — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 21:07:51 +0000

The blank page so full of hope soon to be doused with the ink of anguish…

eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation

tacticalpreacher — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:30:30 +0000

” Avoid being unclear, support being clear”

Eschew
es·chew [es-choo]
verb (used with object)
to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid: to eschew evil.

obfuscation
ob·fus·cate [ob-fuh-skeyt, ob-fuhs-keyt]
verb (used with object), -cat·ed, -cat·ing.
1. to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy.
2. to make obscure or unclear: to obfuscate a problem with extraneous information.
3. to darken.

espouse
es·pouse [ih-spouz, ih-spous]
verb (used with object), -poused, -pous·ing.
1. to make one’s own; adopt or embrace, as a cause.
2. to marry.
3. to give (a woman) in marriage.

elucidation
e·lu·ci·date [ih-loo-si-deyt]
verb (used with object)
1. to make lucid or clear; throw light upon; explain: an explanation that elucidated his recent strange behavior.
verb (used without object)
2. to provide clarification; explain.

Communicating effectively is at the very least a challenge when the stakes are high. Even when the subject matter is of fairly low value it can be a confusing mess. The language mixes up the simple to arrive at a stellar mess!

Consider the following…

it’s a hoodie…

A hoodie (also called a hooded sweatshirt or hoody) is a sweatshirt with a hood. They often include a **** sewn onto the lower front, a hood, and (usually) a drawstring to adjust the hood opening, and may have a vertical zipper down the center similar to a windbreaker style jacket. I am sure we could list off the vast number of variants for what most folks consider acceptable as a hoodie. Such a broad term can at times mean we need to clarify which “hoodie” we speak of. Such as the green hoodie with the biohazard symbol on it. Then there is the whole question of whether a hoodie should be considered a jacket.

honor…

One word I recently noted in a study text was the honor. For the most part it is used to convey the sense of respect due to a special subject or person. A less common use comes across with the idea to honor ones debts. The sentence in question was similar to this: “God will honor our choices, even our bad ones” Given the sentence there it might be construed that the author was suggesting that God did not care what we did. Clearly this not being the case we chase down the word tree and find its application in the similar vein as one honoring a commitment with a slight twist that God will allow us to honor ours.

Heel

Does this mean then we should never break out what I call the 10$ words? I really doubt I could. It is wise though to be aware that we might just create some unintended obfuscation when we seek simple to espouse elucidation..

stuff to be in 2012…

tacticalpreacher — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:41:06 +0000

1. be writing

If there is one part of my work at proclaiming the Gospel that I like the least it would be writing. Once the words are inked to the page, that’s it! No tinkering with the prose, no slight shift in method or a second go round to make sure you are being clear. Last year I was able to complete a number of written projects and this year I want that to grow even more.

“But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” Ecclesiastes 12:12 (NASB)

2. be flexible

Jill is enrolled at Tennessee Tech as lower division nursing student. (She expects to be enrolled in the nursing program in the spring of 2013) Over the years I have found a great advantage in my solid and steady schedule. I am learning to accomplish as much (or more) than before, but without the routine. It’s odd that I can spend the same effort and time on a project but when you shift around the schedule even a bit from what is comfortable it changes more than you thought it would. (sometimes in unexpected ways for the better) Learning to reach beyond that should leverage my productivity in a way to make her success and our families far less stressful.

I love that she has such amazing goals for herself and will do all I can to help her reach for them.

“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.” Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NASB)

3. be simple

Society is increasingly complex, full of messes of monumental proportion. In the midst of that doing more with less will be an uncommon choice. Given some of my other goals this might seem counterintuitive. I have slowly been inching this way in small bursts and hope to make this path full blown for the year.

“9 That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So, there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NASB)

4. be fit

nuff said.

“A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace. What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?” Ecclesiastes 3:8-9 (NASB)

A Philosopher Desiring to Destroy Parental Influence « Apologetics Snapshots

tacticalpreacher — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:55:18 +0000

A Philosopher Desiring to Destroy Parental Influence « Apologetics Snapshots.

A Philosopher Desiring to Destroy Parental Influence

by Doy Moyer

Richard Rorty was a philosopher who taught at Princeton, the University of Virginia, and Stanford. He was known for his extreme and bold liberalism. The following is what he said about religious parents and his unabashed efforts to indoctrinate his students. Any parent looking to send kids to college need to see this:

“It seems to me that the regulative idea that we heirs of the Enlightenment, we Socratists, most frequently use to criticize the conduct of various conversational partners is that of ‘needing education in order to outgrow their primitive fear, hatreds, and superstitions’ … It is a concept which I, like most Americans who teach humanities or social science in colleges and universities, invoke when we try to arrange things so that students who enter as bigoted, homophobic, religious fundamentalists will leave college with views more like our own … The fundamentalist parents of our fundamentalist students think that the entire ‘American liberal establishment’ is engaged in a conspiracy. The parents have a point. Their point is that we liberal teachers no more feel in a symmetrical communication situation when we talk with bigots than do kindergarten teachers talking with their students … When we American college teachers encounter religious fundamentalists, we do not consider the possibility of reformulating our own practices of justification so as to give more weight to the authority of the Christian scriptures. Instead, we do our best to convince these students of the benefits of secularization. We assign first-person accounts of growing up homosexual to our homophobic students for the same reasons that German schoolteachers in the postwar period assigned The Diary of Anne Frank… You have to be educated in order to be … a participant in our conversation … So we are going to go right on trying to discredit you in the eyes of your children, trying to strip your fundamentalist religious community of dignity, trying to make your views seem silly rather than discussable. We are not so inclusivist as to tolerate intolerance such as yours … I don’t see anything herrschaftsfrei [domination free] about my handling of my fundamentalist students. Rather, I think those students are lucky to find themselves under the benevolent Herrschaft [domination] of people like me, and to have escaped the grip of their frightening, vicious, dangerous parents … I am just as provincial and contextualist as the Nazi teachers who made their students read Der Stürmer; the only difference is that I serve a better cause.”

– ‘Universality and Truth,’ in Robert B. Brandom (ed.), Rorty and his Critics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2000), pp. 21-2.

What is Rorty’s status now? Inconsequential. He died in 2007. What is his legacy? The destruction of faith. And frankly, I have little doubt that now he would do anything he could to change that.

From Watchman Magazine: Lessons From the Tragedy of September 11, 2001

tacticalpreacher — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 20:45:56 +0000

Just as a hole still resides in the heart of Manhattan’s skyline so does a wounded heart find itself pressing forward in the hearts of many on this day.

Our life on this earth is marred far to often with tragedy and pain…

Lessons From the Tragedy of September 11, 2001

BY ROGERS, HEATH, ON SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2011

I wrote this article just weeks after the terrorist attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. I have reprinted it here for our consideration on the tenth anniversary of this event.

As President Bush has said, none of us will ever forget where we were and what we were doing when we heard about the terrorist attacks on September 11^th. I saw a little bit of footage on the morning news as we were getting ready for the day. I was too busy to stop and listen and left the house thinking that there was just a fire on one of the floors of the World Trade Center. After I dropped Paige off at school, I turned on the radio to find that all the programming had been preempted. It was then that I realized that something serious was taking place. After a few moments of reporting the radio went silent. Then I heard Peter Jennings say in disbelief, “The north tower has just collapsed.”

It wasn’t until I got home for lunch that I got to see the footage for myself. I went numb when I saw the airliner crash into the World Trade Center. All those passengers killed against their will and at that exact moment. What horrors they must have gone through! I was overcome with the thought of the towers crumbling to the ground, killing the thousands of innocent people who had not managed to get out of the building. That evening I sat in our basement listening to the radio with the lights off, feeling like the world as I knew it had just come to an end. Like the rest of the nation, I felt helpless and mortified. For the first time in my life I did not feel safe.

Lives were changed by this tragic event. Only time will show the true significance that this event will have upon history, but the short-term changes are being felt and seen already. There are some lessons that need to be learned from this tragedy. Some are more obvious than others, but all of them are important.

1. Evil Exists in this World.Why do things like this happen? Why do innocent people have to die in such a tragic manner? The Bible indicates that there is no way to avoid this reality. We live in a fallen world that has been cursed by the presence of sin (Genesis 3:17-19). As long as we live in this world, we are subject to the effects of sin and evil. Since the nature and working of sin and evil are mysterious (2 Thessalonians 2:7), we are left to wonder “Why?”

God has not promised to take evil away, or to build a hedge around us to protect us from its effects, but God has made a promise to Christians that we will never undergo any burden that is greater than we can bear.“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”(1 Corinthians 10:13).

2. The Terror of Helplessness.The Bible says that hope is an anchor.“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil”(Hebrews 6:19). An anchor is used to keep a ship steady and on course in the midst of a storm. Hope serves the same purpose. People can endure almost anything as long as they have hope, but once hope is gone, all is lost.

One can only wonder what the passengers on those four airliners felt once they realized that the plane they were on was not going to land. There was no way to escape. They could only sit and wait for their death. How about those in the World trade Center who were trapped on the floors above the impact of the airliners? Advancements in technology and architecture had raised those buildings so high that these people were out of the reach of any hope of rescue. No one was able to help them. How can we ever forget the scores of people who made their way to “ground zero” with pictures of their loved ones who were unaccounted for? They had spent days wandering through hospitals and armories in a desperate search. Many of them told reporters that they were still holding out hope, but their faces told a different story.

3. Judgment Will Be Sudden and Unexpected.No one had any way of knowing what was going to happen that day. The people on those planes and in those buildings were simply going about their normal business. No one was prepared for what was going to happen. There was no warning – just instant terror!

The Bible says that the Second Coming of Christ is going to take place in the same manner.“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape”(1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). Jesus tells us to“watch” and “be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:42, 44).

The victims of this tragedy had no opportunity to escape. Time did not pause just for them. Judgment will be the same way. It will come suddenly and those who are not ready will be lost. Are you ready?

4. Some Things Really Are Not Important.Within hours of these events, the announcements of cancellations started to pour in. Our daughter’s Open House at school was scheduled for that evening. It was canceled. Major League Baseball games were called off for one day, then for two more days, then for the entire weekend. The entire Minor League Baseball season was canceled and champions were announced. The National Football League canceled their slate of games for that weekend, which led to the cancellation of all college games for that weekend.

What was the explanation for these cancellations? Over and over again we heard athletes, coaches, and team owners say, “There are some things that are more important than sports.” How right they are. It is sad that it takes a tragedy like this to get people to realize this fact. Don’t get me wrong. I am a sports fan, but the fact is that sports were not any less important the week after this tragedy than they were the week before.

People need to get their priorities straight. How many spouses and children are neglected in the name of sports and recreation? How many senior citizens are left alone while their children and grandchildren run here and there doing unimportant things? How many church buildings do these sports fans pass by on Sunday morning to get to the big game? How many people are going to face God in judgment unprepared because they have wasted their life away with unimportant things?

5. Good Will Triumph.Some ask why an all-powerful and benevolent God allows such tragedies to take place. God has His reasons. Times of suffering and pain are opportunities to test our resolve and prove what we are made of (James 1:2-4). America is passing this test with flying colors (the most prominent being red, white, and blue!!!). Our country has grown closer and stronger as a result of this tragedy.

We have a long way to go. The families left behind will have to mourn and put the pieces back together. The Pentagon and World Trade Center will have to be rebuilt. The airline industry will suffer, which will most likely have a domino effect upon other parts of our economy, but in the end we will come out of this better than off than we were before September 11^th.

On a much more important level, we hope this recent tragedy will awaken the hearts of men and women to see the need for God in their lives. Now more than ever Christians need to be letting their lights shine (Matthew 5:14-16). People who were once indifferent are now looking for answers and hope. May their find what they are looking for (Matthew 7:7-8), and may their hearts be good and honest when they find it (Luke 8:15), and may they serve God faithfully for the rest of their lives (Revelation 2:10).

Watchman Magazine » Lessons From the Tragedy of September 11, 2001

Whats a Good Logo?

tacticalpreacher — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 19:02:02 +0000

Whats a Good Logo?.

But I want Flaming Skulls with Meerkats and a Ford truck all at once!

Soccer Season is upon us with full force

tacticalpreacher — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:03:44 +0000

Growing up in what might be called Soccer City USA (Pleasanton, CA home of The Ballistic United Soccer Club) seems to have skewed my expectations just a bit. I keep wondering where is Krazy George and why is he not leading the Parade to open the season! Even more odd, there is no soccer parade! It felt like every kid in town was on a team, we held practices everywhere. I vividly recall getting my first red card (I ran screaming like a banshee at an opposing player and while no contact ensued I was sat down and reprimanded). Over time I learned that while I could be confused easily for Alexi Lalas while in College (due to a stellar goatee). I am not really a soccer player. I run when someone chases me. Otherwise I burn dead dinos to get around.

The boys seem to be doing well so far, James is rocking on a team with his buddy Jude and with some focus should make for an exciting time! Jesse really enjoys playing and has a number of friends and classmates on his team. His coach is gearing up for some extra practices so that should really tie them together.

So bring on the soccer!

GOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! (Jesse has been forewarned of my willingness to invoke this parody with all my copious lung power…..

When should you let your kids use Facebook? | Jon Acuff’s Blog

tacticalpreacher — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:22:33 +0000

When should you let your kids use Facebook? | Jon Acuff’s Blog.

Later than they want.

Why?

Because posting a photo online is like getting a digital tattoo.

Once you post it, you can never delete it. It’s on there forever, traveling across the world on servers you will never have access to.

So, would you let your 12 year old get a tattoo? If the answer is “no,” then don’t let them get on Facebook and post photos. They don’t know that college admissions counselors are going to Google those photos. Future employers are going to background check them on Facebook and Twitter for years and years to come. And those are people who are actually looking with good intentions.

The entire world is going to see that photo, and though a small, small, small portion of that world represents their friends, a bigger proportion represents people who might not have the best intentions for that photo.

Scary? A little.

Realistic? A lot.

When should let your kids use Facebook?

Later than they want.

Further, given that Facebooks TOS limit participants to 13 years of age or OLDER…

Christophobia (via Mike’s Bible Notes)

tacticalpreacher — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:27:23 +0000

Even as the gospel makes inroads into the hearts of a man, It seems all the more often we hear of the response of society trying to crush and demean those of faith.

I often ask or state, that if your faith does not encounter trial perhaps your faith needs a closer look!

Well, I thought that I had come up with a new word that should be added to the cultural dictionary of our time. As it turns out, the work already appears on Wikipedia. It is defined as follows: Anti-Christian sentiment is an opposition to some or all Christians, the Christian religion, or the practice of Christianity. Christophobia or Christianophobia are also according to Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE) names for “every form of … Read More

via Mike's Bible Notes