Sold Out To God

Galations 3:3 “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?”

Sold out is the only way to live. It is how we live when something is new and fresh. When you first fall in love, you set aside everything to be with the object of your affection. It’s hurts to be away from them. It is like that when we first find God. But as with human relationships we tend to grow comfortable, to think we knew who the other is and what they think. We assume much because of the relationship we have built and that very process of assuming starts a breakdown in the relationship.

What we must remember is that God has his own plans for his kingdom, the world and our specific circumstances. He organizes the campaign and gives us information on a need to know basis. Just as the architect is really the only one that fully grasps the big picture of a buildings construction, so God is the One with the big picture of enternity in view. Just as the mason, carpenter and plumber know and accept their roles in the construction project and submit to the will of the architect, we play a defined role in eternity that is pieced together by God for the completion of His master plan. Our job is not to understand the master plan but to get with the Architect to find out our job for today.

But alas! we too often make our plan, and we think that we know what ought to be done.We ask God first to bless our feeble efforts, instead of absolutely refusing to go unless God go before us.

Though we know better, our fear of submission makes us act like we know better for our lives than God does. But God is willing and able to reveal His Will to us. It the big picture of life it is far easier to wait until we have specific directions from the Lord than to spin off on our own plan and purposes only to find we have wasted years on something that might have been okay, but took entirely too much human effort. God wants to reveal His plans to us for in that revealing His plans in us and through us are more fully accomplished. And He can easily reveal His plans to the prayerful heart that is humble, tender and empty of its own agenda.

Oh that God would give us the intensity of desire for Him alone. It is in this desire that we refuse to accept anything else, anything less than God’s absolute revealed will for our lives. Oh that God would give us intensity in prayer to not let go of Him until we have His answer and His direction. Lord have mercy!

But where does this intensity spring from? It is in being sold out to God that the longing grows. When we seek the Holy Spirit’s working in our life it will come. When we surrender to God, when we conquer self and cast out sin then there is room for the Holy Spirit and the power of the Spirit in our lives.

Father, let the Holy Ghost have full dominion over me, in my home, in my temper, in every word of my tongue, in every thought of my heart, in every feeling toward my fellow men; let the Holy Spirit have entire possession.

Prayer is the key to unlocking the power of God. Prayer is the key to our submission to God. We cannot control our submission or surrender. We can only plead with God in His great mercy to allow it to happen in our lives. Making it happen on our own is proof that it has not happened. We need to believe less in speaking to men or thinking of our own solutions and more of speaking with God.

God forgive me that I have not honored the Holy Spirit as I should have done, that I have grieved Him, that I have allowed self and the flesh and my own will to work where the Holy Ghost should have been honored! May God forgive me that I have allowed self and the flesh and the will actually to have the place that God wanted the Holy Ghost to have.

Oh, the sin is greater than we know! No wonder there is so much feebleness and failure in the Church of Christ!

This synopsis and quotes are taken from Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray.

Support the Troops: Fly Your Flag

One of the frequent questions I get is how can the average person support the troops. There are, of course, a lot of great organizations to get involved with that send care packages to overseas troops and support injured troops at home. Do that…absolutely.

But there is a simple way we can all get involved. Fly our flags. For goodness sakes, we are at war. What better way is there to show solidarity than to stand with the troops by having Old Glory furling in the wind in front of the house?

And guess what. Patriotism is contagious. If you fly your flag, especially if you have a chance to talk with your neighbors about it, you may just see a few flags pop up in your neighborhood. See people instinctively are grateful to our men and women who go into harms way so we don’t have to. Most people in this country are still common and decent. They still sing the Star Spangled Banner with pride. And yes they still get a little choked up at the symbolism of the flag.

So I’m not waiting for Memorial Day. In the 1970s people tied the Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree. Well I’m going to do my cosmic part in telling the troops thanks by flying my flag until the come home. I used to do this every day, but somewhere as 9/11 faded into a memory I forgot.

Here’s information onflag etiquette

How To Report Keith Olbermann to FCC

I’m writing a detailed chapter on FCC complaints for a project I’m working on, but Keith Olbermann needs reported now. Here’s his egregious new abuse of the news.

Here is the FCC online complaint form. Here is the Privacy Act Notice for how they will use your information.

This is how I filled mine out:

Complete the top part with as much of your contact information as you want to. The more you include, the better for processing.

Complaint portion:
“1. MSNBC
4.a. MSNBC
b. Countdown with Keith Olbermann
c. 4/30/09
d. 8 pm
5.a. 4/30/09
b. 8 pm
c. Keith Olbermann and guest engaged in obscene, indecent and offensive hate speech full of lies and personal attacks against Miss California. These attacks were against her religious beliefs which are protected under the First Amendment. This is on a show on an all news network. It contained inappropriate bias. Here is the link of the segment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZK_0vmoIPI

Please investigate, fine and remove Olbermann from the air.”

The key components of the complaint are to use some or all of the following words which trigger an investigatable complaint: news bias, obscene, indecent, hate speech. It’s good to provide them with a copy to look at to make the job easier. It’s also important to tell them what action you want them to take.

Get Olbermann off the air and PMSNBC will wither up and die. At least get him fined and start to make his hate speech painful to him as it is to us.

Keep us updated with your results.

A Day With Constituent Services

Today I had a banking problem. Bank of America which got my TARP money…well, I’m not going into all of the details. But watch out for them. In fact, if you can, you might want to switch from them as I’ve heard from many their practices are, well, questionable. Since BOA got TARP money I figured the government had authority to try to rectify the situation.

But to start at the beginning. I called Bank of America customer service about the problem. They have no supervisor to speak to. There’s no fax number to fax a letter to. There’s no overnight mail address. There is only a PO Box. The poor customer service representatives certainly do not get paid enough to be the sounding board for all of these problems that their hands are tied to address.

My next call was to Treasury. The number there is (202) 622-2000. A machine picks up. There are no option for speaking to a live person. In addition you cannot even leave a message. The answering machine says something to the effect of “We are experiencing a high volume of calls. Call back later. Click.” I’ll fax them a letter, but don’t actually expect anyone to answer it or get a response if they cannot even answer the telephones.

So I decided to try the White House. The main switch board gets you no where. You have to speak to the comments section at 202-456-1111. The customer service representative was polite but had nothing she could offer me. They had referral information for people related to foreclosures, but not other banking problems. She did take down the details of my problem and would pass it along, but that was just for general information. She did not take my name or contact information. Instead she referred me to both the White House email system (she gave the wrong url) and the White House fax 202-456-2461 and suggested I use both so that there would essentially be a 3-prong attack on the problem, the first prong being her general information reporting.

Now it was time to get my Congressmen involved and I was going to do this in person. My first stop was at Senator Bond’s office. As seemed appropriate, his local office was in a gleaming office tower in the central Clayton business district. I was happy to see Fox News playing in the background. Lane Koch, the office manager, was pleasant and helpful. I explained the problem to her and she immediately produced a Privacy Authorization Form that would give the Senator’s constituent services liaison the ability to speak with Bank of America on my behalf. The liaison worked out of the Jefferson City office so I would need to fax the information to her, but she would start working on it for me. Lane offered to let me complete it there and fax it for me, but I needed additional account information that I did not have with me so I said I would fax it myself. She gave me the fax and phone for the direct contact. When I returned home I gathered the information and faxed it to Melissa Ortega in the Jefferson City office. A couple of hours later I called to make sure she had it. I did not get confirmation then or a return call confirming before the end of business.

Next I went to Claire McCaskill’s office. It was located at the very edge of the artsy Loop abutting the hood. You walk up to the building and have to be buzzed in. Then they talk to you through a glass window. I spoke with Joeana Middleton who couldn’t hear me sufficiently until she came out from behind the glass. She was patient listening to my story, but not especially compassionate or helpful with my dilemma. She kept saying there was nothing she could do since BOA is not a government agency. She said the Senator could not contact a private company. When we discussed that as a taxpayer I was one of their owners that did not seem to phase her and she kept reiterating there was nothing Anyone could do. She suggested I go to a local bank branch. She would not take my contact information, refer me on or even tell McCaskill my story. Instead she referred me to the Senate website to send an email. Having just come from Senator Bond’s office where they at least had a program to make an inquiry I knew McCaskill’s office was really not doing their job for me. This was confirmed by my visit to the next office.

My last stop was at Representative Lacy Clay’s office. It was on the edge of the elite Central West End. I walked into the office and had to laugh. There were papers and newspapers and stacks of stuff everywhere. It looked like a real government office including that there were no staff to be found except for the woman who was too busily engaged in conversation to help for a couple of minutes. After my wait, I was directed to Dawn Fuller who was the most helpful person I met all day. She was very friendly, concerned and compassionate about my problem and immediately knew what to do. Working for a representative meant that she was to go to person on these problems and I did not have to communicate with a distant city as was the case with Senator Bond’s office. Dawn immediately printed out a Privacy Authorization similar to the one I had received at Bond’s office. She had me fill it out right there. When I needed additional information I called her with it later and she put it in for me. I called to give the information, left a message and she returned my call within the hour AND apologized that it took so long. Knowing how urgent the problem was she sent the information off this afternoon and again apologized that she would not hear anything back today and that it might acutally take a few days to get any assistance from the liaison. She offered a very valuable insight that if there is a lobbyist involved anywhere in the process there is a contact that can get things done. She had several ideas and avenues for how to attack the problem. I must also say that in addition to the help she provided me on my particular problem, Ms. Fuller offered me information and help about stimulus programs that might be available for various situations and gave me a comprehensive linked document with detailed information on the programs and how to apply for them. I was pleasantly surprised with my experience in Rep. Clay’s office. As one who does not generally hold his political views, his office was still there to help solve my pressing problem.

This was Day 1. I’ll keep you apprised of what comes from it.

Oppose Prostitution on Craigslist Erotic Services

The Craigslist Killer has brought a face to the underbelly of Craigslist. Well known as a website where you can find both an apartment and a sofa to put in it, Craigslist also has a well established personal section. But what the average user of Craigslist and the average parent does not know is that buried in the services section is a section for erotic services, i.e. prostitution.

Most erotic services pages are thinly veiled solicitations for prostitution. Many include an erotic picture. Many include a description of the offered services. And the only thing you have to do to access the prostitution solicitation is to click the link. It takes you to a page with a warning and disclaimer that says in part:

Unless all of the following points are true, please use your “back” button to exit this part of craigslist:
I am at least 18 years old.
I understand “erotic services” may include adult content.
I agree to flag as “prohibited” anything illegal or in violation of the craigslist terms of use. This includes, but is not limited to, offers for or the solicitation of prostitution.
I agree to report suspected exploitation of minors to the appropriate authorities.
By clicking on the links below, I release craigslist from any liability that may arise from my use of this site.

You then click the appropriate category w4m, m4m, etc and are taken to the appropriate listings.

To be fair, Craigslist does cooperate with authorities when requested to do so. However by making this prostitution information readily available they provide much more opportunity for illegal activity than they ever stop. They also provide an opportunity for the community to flag a listing if it violates the terms of service which prohibit illegal activity (Section 7.n). But the problem with community policing is that many members must flag an item before it is reviewed for removal. The other obvious problem is that the people generally visiting this section are actually looking for prostitution and are unlikely to flag posts.

So what is a web user to do?

1. Get a free or paid content control system on your computer to prevent children from accessing the readily available erotic pictures. Craigslist, and other sites, use the PICS system that works with many software packages

2. Submit an online complaint to Craigslist. If you want to copy my request this is what I did. Type of issue is “law enforcement”. Subject is “Erotic Services.” Here is the message I sent:

I was surprised to stumble upon Craigslist’s erotic services section and find there is a substantial amount of prostitution solicitation going on there.

As you are aware, solicitation for prostitution is illegal under Section 647(b) of the California Penal Code. As such it is illegal under section 7.n of the Craigslist Terms of Service.

In addition your verification of adult status in wholely inadequate. An Adult Verification System (AVS)for portions of your site such as the personal section would protect against the dissemination of pornography to minors.

This shall be a request that you terminate the erotic service section of craigslist since it increases pornography by providing a readily accessible business platform for it. It shall also be a request that you implement an AVS system in other sections of your site.

I will be providing the information results I receive from you to the proper authorities either explaining your cooperation with this request or your failure to cooperate.

3. You can also send a letter to:

Craigslist
1381 9th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122

or fax it to 415-504-6394

Vote: Des Moines Register Poll About Gay Marriage

As you may recall the Iowas Supreme Court just recently legalized same sex marriage. The Des Moines Register has a poll on its website on the gay marriage question. Right now conservatives are getting their butts kicked. There are two likely reasons for this:

1. The liberals have been getting the word out and are trying to skew the results.

2. The question is written tricky. The correct answer for conservatives is NO!

Take a minute and vote in this poll and see if we can’t turn the results around.

Vote: Do you agree with the decision to legalize same-sex marriage?

Scientific polling shows the majority of Americans are opposed to same sex marriage. So do the results of elections. When the people get a voice they vote against same-sex marriage. Let your voice be heard today!

5/1/09 Update: When I first posted this the conservative opinion only had 8% vote. Now the results are more respresentative of the actual view in America with 57% being against the Iowa Supreme Court legalizing abortion. One of the interesting changes to the page is that now that the true views have been registered The Register added “Note to readers: Clearly this is not a scientific poll – and it is allowing people to vote multiple times.” This was not on the page when the poll was going in their favor. Additionally it’s not right. Try to vote twice. I tried and got “Thank you, we have already counted your vote.” It’s a liberal lie because truth does not equate to their version of the world. Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.

How to Choose Your Means: Conservative Rules for Radicals (Part 3)

Does the end justify the means? Conservatives have a tendency to play by the rules so we view this question as irrelevant. We have a blanket rule that the end does not justify the means and when the liberal does not play by this rule we criticize them. But by doing so we let them define the field of play and by defining it they have control of it.

The better question is does this end justify this means. Really every political action we take is a means. Some clearly are acceptable. Some we view as unacceptable. Take the example of stealing. Stealing is wrong. Plain and simple it is wrong. But the vast majority of people will steal food when their children are starving. Criticizing them for doing so neither feeds their child nor protects our food from being stolen. That does not mean we should compromise our morality, but to successfully win we must understand that most people will compromise their views given the right circumstances. That knowledge can be used for you or against you. And the enemy is using these rules and tactics. Failing to acknowledge them only guarantees we do not know how to fight.

That being said Alinksy lays out eleven concepts about end and means:

1. People are more concerned about means when they are not directly involved in the issue. In the case of the stealing mother, while she may feel remorse for stealing she would feel far more remorse for letting her child die when there was something she could do to prevent it. It’s easy for us to sit back and say she is wrong, but it is not our child.

2. Means is judged by your political position. To Americans the Declaration of Independence is a proud statement of independence from a leader who should not retain authority over us. The British saw it differently. To them it was traitorous rebellion.

3. In war the end justifies almost any means. We see this with our congressmen and their newly found politically correct disguist for waterboarding. In 2001 and 2002, shortly after 9/11 they were all in favor of doing whatever it took to stop the terrorists. Today with the memory faded they have an entirely different view.

4. Judgment of the means must be made in the historical context where they were undertaken. See the above example of waterboarding after 9/11 versus the view of waterboarding today. You must make your judgment for your means in the moment. History either views it favorably or unfavorably, but will look to the context of when the decision was made.

5. Concern with means increases as more means are available. In the stealing mom example, if taking that piece of bread was the only thing actually keeping her child alive she is not judged harshly and is generally viewed with compassion. If, however, she is offered a job that she refuses to take or is given food that she refuses to cook or has other means to obtain that food, then stealing is looked upon harshly. Creativity in means will often provide an acceptable, but also marketable, means. Acceptable is no good if it goes unnoticed.

6. The less important the end, the more alternative means you can consider. One tendency of radicals is to look at whatever our end is as extremely important. Here we must be realistic and view the objective through the eyes of those we wish to join with us. Almost universally Americans viewed planes crashing into the Twin Towers as important and would go to virtually any means to make sure this did not happen again. Yet the vast majority of Americans do not care about saving a bug on the verge of extinction, or at least do not care enough to make an effort to stop the extinction. Pick an end for which you can get a critical mass of backers.

7. Winning justifies your end. Winning is the difference between being a traitor and a founding father. If you are not sold out to your cause enough to win you are on a fools errand to use any drastic means.

8. The morality of the means is judged by your strength at the moment it is employed. Put simply, people don’t like a bully. If the enemy is about to surrender and you kill them instead your end does not justify your means. But if your back is against the wall and you are on the verge of defeat a bullet to the head of your enemy is imperative.

9. If you means is effective it will automatically be hailed by the enemy as unethical. We see this political speak in the tea party movement. The media has portrayed the movement as anti-American. Why? Because they need the PR machine to convince scores of people seeking redress of their complaints that they are unethical. The movement is too large already and pressure must be put on others not to join. This pressure is proof of the effectiveness of the means.

10. You do what you can with what you have. History remembers Ghandi as a peace activist. But there is evidence that peaceful protest was not his preferred political method. He used civil disobedience because he had no guns. If he had had guns he would not have had trained men to use them. But what he had was a large number of bodies that could show up. Seeing that he crafted a strategy that worked with what he had.

11. Phrase the goals very generally. Make them marketable. We must have a slogan that engages and motivates people. Obama was a master of this. He sold hope and change. Who could be against hope? Who could be against change? But what do they mean? They mean something different to each person. Each person can project their hope and their change into that general goal.

Using these guidelines we can develop effective strategies, we can use effective means to justify our particular end or goal. Using these strategies we can regain political power and take back our nation!

In part 2 we identified the problem and the parties need to obtain a solution to the problem. In part 4 we will explore the role our language plays in our political cause.




Send Arlen Specter a Retirement Card

Today Arlen Specter looked out for himself and switched parties from the Republican Party to the Democratic party. Just a couple of weeks ago he was a huge fan of the two party system and said he would not leave the Republican party.

In the interim Specter has taken a listening tour of Pennsylvania and determined that he would lose in the Republic primary to Pat Toomey who is leading Specter by 21 points in the polls. Here he talks about his original switch to becoming a Republican.

Anyway, for any conservative this is good news. He could not be counted on anyway and we were shackled by his claim to being a part of the GOP when he was a RINO. Now he is their problem. While he was not a moderate Republican he will be a moderate Democrat. All the blame for all the mess now falls squarely on Democratic shoulders. Republicans have not a thing they can do to stop anything. The reality is they did not and could not stop it before but everyone kept holding out hope. The hope is now dashed unless Coleman pulls out a miraculous victory in Minnesota’s stolen election. But guess what. It is ALWAYS darkest right before the dawn. The base in energized like it has not been in my adult lifetime. People are starting to take action. So to me this is a great thing. It is the fresh start and the redefinition opportunity the GOP has been looking for. We cannot be afraid of the moment because in the big picture this moment will stand as a turning point.

In honor of the moment I have sent Senator Specter a retirement card. My handwritten note says “Congratulations Senator Specter. Thank you for leaving the Republican Party. We were going to retire you anyway. We are tired of a senator who acts in his best interests instead of the interests of his constituents.”

Won’t you join me in celebrating this retirement moment. Here are his office locations. Heck why not send one to each office. Here’s Pat Toomey’s campaign website.

Washington DC
711 Hart Building
Washington , DC 20510
Main: 202-224-4254
Fax: 202-228-1229

Lehigh Valley
504 W. Hamilton
Suite 3814, Federal Building
Allentown, PA 18101
Main: 610-434-1444
Fax: 610-434-1844

Erie
17 South Park Row
Federal Building, Suite B-120
Erie, PA 16501
Main: 814-453-3010
Fax: 814-455-9925

Harrisburg
228 Walnut Street
Room 1104, Federal Building
Harrisburg , PA 17101
Main: 717-782-3951
Fax: 717-782-4920

Philadelphia
600 Arch Street
Suite 9400
Philadelphia , PA 19106
Main: 215-597-7200
Fax: 215-597-0406

425 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1450
Regional Enterprise Tower (old Alcoa Building)
Pittsburgh , PA 15219
Main: 412-644-3400
Fax: 412-644-4871

Scranton
310 Spruce Street
Suite 201
Scranton , PA 18503
Main: 570-346-2006
Fax: 570-346-8499

Wilkes-Barre
7 North Wilkes Barre Boulevard
Stegmaier Building, Room 377M
Wilkes-Barre , PA 18702
Main: 570-826-6265
Fax: 570-826-6266

National Day of Prayer May 7

Welcome to the 58th Annual National Day of Prayer. On Thursday, May 7, 2009 millions or prayer warriors across America will unite in prayer at thousands of events in cities and buroughs, villages and towns from Bar Harbor to San Diego, from Seattle to Key West.

The 2009 theme is “Prayer… America’s Hope” and is based on Psalm 33:22 “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.”

Beth Moore will join Shirley Dobson to lead the nation in prayer as the 2009 Honorary Chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

President’s usually join in the event. President Obama has not yet done so. Here is the Presidential Proclamation issued by President Bush last year.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 22, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God’s will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country’s future in His hands.

From our Nation’s humble beginnings, prayer has guided our leaders and played a vital role in the life and history of the United States. Americans of many different faiths share the profound conviction that God listens to the voice of His children and pours His grace upon those who seek Him in prayer. By surrendering our lives to our loving Father, we learn to serve His eternal purposes, and we are strengthened, refreshed, and ready for all that may come.

On this National Day of Prayer, we ask God’s continued blessings on our country. This year’s theme, “Prayer! America’s Strength and Shield,” is taken from Psalm 28:7, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.” On this day, we pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform, for their families, and for the comfort and recovery of those who have been wounded.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing each year a “National Day of Prayer.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2008, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God’s continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

National Day of Prayer, 2008

I wrote President Obama to see if he will be participating. I have not yet gotten a response.

But let’s not wait for leadership to fall into line with God’s plan. Let’s get out there and join in prayer for this nation, for it is the only thing that will save us.

New York Anti-Gun Legislation This Week

New York is in a race with the Obama administration to disarm Americans. Whether you live in New York or not your voice is needed to stop the this grab at our Second Amendment rights. This is just the first step. It’s coming to your door. Call, write or email state senators from the link listed below. If you don’t have a New York address find one from a friend, family or someone you meet on the street.

The post detailing each piece of legislation and the sponsors is by Rochester Conservative.

It is critical that you contact your lawmakers TODAY and respectfully urge them to OPPOSE these measures! State Assembly Members can be reached by phone at (518) 455-4100. To find your Assembly Member, please click here. Your State Senator can be contacted through the Senate switchboard at (518) 455-2800. To find your State Senator, please click here.

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