I read an email early this morning that mentioned this website in it.
HowObamaGotElected.com
You might want to check it out at HowObamaGotElected.com. There is a video there that has been viewed over 1.4 M times on YouTube to watch, then links to all the data and backup on the video including:
It’s all very interesting.
Sometimes I am soooooo embarrassed by others who profess to be Christians, and then do crazy and ridiculous and insensitive and not-classy things… uuugh! And they are serious! 
Is this realy the best way to introduce Jesus as a friend? It sure makes it harder for the rest of us…
According to reports from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), almost all the allegedly “lost” ice reported by Al Gore and other global warming alarmists, has come back. The report shows that ice levels which had shrunk from 5 million square miles in January 2007 to just 1.5 million square miles in October, are almost back to their original levels. I addition, a Feb. 18 report in the London Daily Express showed that there is nearly a third more ice in Antarctica than usual.
Today I will have completed one month as a new business at Headstand Media. That’s something to feel good about. A lot was accomplished, but there is a long way to go yet ahead. I am encouraged with the progress, and trying not to be anxious about the future.
Not only am I now working with a friend (Benjamin Nelson), and with two great partners (David and Don), I have also met a lot of wonderful new people: Jason Z., Justin, Chuck, Aaron and Tracy, Tom, Jason P, Jackie, Ben and many more. It’s been a pleasure to go to the office and work around these new friends on a daily basis.
I have also been blessed by the many friends who have emailed, telephoned and stopped by to see me. Patrick Flanagan, Mark Goeke, Kyle Williams, Steve Tanner, Ken Wolgemuth, Noel Birkey, Chuck Thomas, Derek Taylor and Chris Arndt to name a few. Others have called or emailed to give support and well wishes: Barry, Lou, Cindy, Tim, Corey, Krystian and so many more. Thank you so much for your encouragement.
As with any new business, the customers are very important. I am excited to have met Joel, Lauren, Vincent, and others at Sunshine Gospel Ministries. I look forward to working with Brandon on all the DKG web projects. Thanks to Chuck, Steve, Kyle, Mark and Trax for the new referrals and opportunities! Dwight, the creative work is awesome. I’m going to owe you big time!
One thing is for sure. I can’t do this alone! It takes teamwork, friendships, communication and relationship building to make it work. It’s really all about people… not jobs and tasks, projects or the bottom line. Understanding that it’s all a gift from God is key. I don’t control this new thing. It really isn’t mine anyway. I’m just a steward of what I’ve been given. The question is, what am I going to do with it? How will I make it grow and multiply? Will I be found faithful, having invested wisely and accomplished much?
I aim to give it all I’ve got. We’ll see what happens.
I made some more progress today, getting an initial webpage online for the new company. Nothing fancy, just the name and main contact information. I used a temporary logo, even though it will probably not be the final direction we will take. Still, it’s a start. I hope to have a new company identity and website completed by the end of this month.
The new company details are:
Headstand Media, LLC
333 Wacker Drive
Suite 850
Chicago, IL 60606
direct: 312-768-7450
randal@headstandmedia.com
headstandmedia.com
My family and I went to a real rodeo while we were in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in mid-August. We watched bucking broncos, bull riding, barrel racing, rodeo clowns and a number of other events in a family-friendly atmosphere. It was delayed a bit due to a rain shower passing through!
One the most memorable things about this event was how they started it. Think about how often at events like football and baseball games, you will hear the announcer telling the crown to stand, remove hats to show honor and respect for the American flag.
This was completely unnecessary here! A young woman on horseback started to ride into the arena with an American flag. Everyone stood immediately. Men removed hats, hands went to hearts, conversations stopped, children quieted down. Silence reigned as the flag was slowly circled in the arena, and came to a stop in from of the grandstand. The announcer commented on how he had not needed to tell us what to do! He made some heart felt comments about our nation, and the men and women serving in the armed forces. We sang the national anthem together. The young woman on horseback then took that flag around the arena at a very fast pace – it was a very inspiring and heart warming sight! We cheered and made a lot of noise!
I will never forget that moment and the feeling of pride I had, to be an American. I was also so thankful that this spontaneous display of national unity and pride is still reflective of most of America, outside of the Peoples Republic of Oak Park, Illinois!
I became aware of this article written by Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic recently, and found it to express my feelings on the “Global Warming” issue quite well. I encourage you to read it also. The article is called, “Freedom, not climate, is at risk.”
My previous post “Is Al Gore Right? – Who is Causing Global Warming? – Sunday, March 18, 2007″ that includes a link to the video entitled “The Global Warming Swindle” makes a similar case.
I also notice that Vaclav quotes Michael Crichton. I highly recommend a book that Michael wrote called “State of Fear.” You can read about it here. It is also mentioned and linked in my previous post.
Recently, George Barna has conducted a survey and published results that reveals an emerging movement of atheists and agnostics who are intentionally and aggressively making a united effort to belittle people of faith, and discredit their personal beliefs in God. For the study, atheists were defined as people who have determined there is no God and agnostics are those who doubt his existence.
This new survey shows some alarming gaps between Christians and other people of “active-faith” (defined as simply having gone to church, read the Bible and prayed during the week preceding the survey.) and those Americans who are in the “no-faith” camp. According to the study, “most atheists and agnostics (56%) agree with the idea that radical Christianity is just as threatening in America as is radical Islam.” Wow! This view is so misguided it is frightening!
The study also reveals that, “two-thirds of Christians (63%) who have an active faith perceive that the nation is becoming more hostile and negative toward Christianity. ” No kidding! I wonder where they get that idea?
As a Christian who believes in God, I have a difficult time with the misguided belief that my faith is “just as threatening in America as is radical Islam.” Where do these people get this idea? How many Christians have committed acts of terror? How many people have had their heads cut off in the name of Jesus? How many people really believe that people are being tortured, mutilated, humiliated and murdered by fanatic, fundamentalist Christians? Where do the atheists and agnostics in this survey get these warped ideas?
I fear that it is partially due to our “news media,” which loves to paint a negative biased picture of people of faith on a regular basis in print, on the radio and in mass media. The “entertainment” industry also does this on a regular basis in movies, TV shows and in music.
Then there is the realm of politics, where public servants who profess a belief in God are maligned, slandered and denigrated by those of a more “liberal” and “progressive” party or label. Their views and even their very right to serve the citizens they represent, is questioned.
So, we know the caricatures that are widely promoted in the public arena. But the facts bear out a different picture when the lifestyles of “no-faith” people are compared with people of “active faith.”
People of “no-faith” are:
• Less likely than active-faith Americans to be registered to vote (78% versus 89%)
• Less likely to volunteer to help a non-church-related non-profit (20% versus 30%)
• Less likely to describe themselves as “active in the community” (41% versus 68%)
• Less likely to personally help or serve a homeless or poor person (41% versus 61%)
• More likely to be registered to vote as an independent or with a non-mainstream political party
Another glaring difference between the groups is the paltry amount of money that “no-faith” people donate to charitable causes. In 2006, the average “no-faith” American donated just $200, and “active-faith” Americans averaged $1,500. If you subtract church based giving from these figures, “active-faith” adults still donated twice as much as atheists and agnostics. Looking at it a bit differently, just 7% of active-faith adults failed to contribute any personal funds in 2006, compared with 22% among the no-faith adults.
So, I ask… which group generally does more good for our society, especially toward those who need help… the poor and needy? Which group exhibits good citizenship, care for others and involvement in our society? Which group actually more often practices what it preaches? Which group contributes less toward the common good?
The term “Idiot” was originally created by the Greeks to refer to people who were overly concerned with their own self-interest and ignored the needs of the community.
Harry Reid stated on April 19th that “The war is lost…” Oh really? View Video
I don’t know about Harry, but I am personally very thankful that there are brave young Americans willing to take the fight to the enemy, rather than to sit back and wait for them to bring their evil, murderous, butchery here. It’s clear to me that our enemy wants to destroy us! Remember 911?
Harry and his band of Democrats want to cut off all support for our troops and force them home by October. Nothing like broadcasting to the enemy… “Just hang on until October, then you’ll be able to take over Iraq and follow the retreating Americans home!”
What could possibly be motivating such self-interested views? Could it be plain old partisan politics? Could Harry and his ilk be playing politics with the lives the Americans who are dying each day to defend our safety and way of life?
I can only draw one conclusion. Harry Reid is by definition, an idiot.
This basic question was posed by the “Fox & Friends” hosts, to Fr. Jonathan Morris, a Roman Catholic priest in the Vatican this morning as I was working out. Fr. Morris basically said that a more constructive question is, “Why is it that some people choose to use the gift of free will to do bad things (like the VT student) and others choose to use their free will to save others (like the professor)?
This is also a very good question. But, his response still doesn’t fully answer the first question about God’s role. I think some people would feel that he didn’t answer the question.
C. S. Lewis wrote an entire book about this topic entitled, “The Problem of Pain.” He wrote out of his own experience and firsthand relationships with people who struggle with this topic. Later in his life he wrote out of his own pain “A Grief Observed,” based upon his own deep struggle to align his faith with the loss of his wife Joy Davidman, to cancer. I recommend both books.
Peter Kreeft has helped us to see the question this way: “Imagine, he said, a bear in a trap and a hunter who wants to liberate him. The hunter cannot win the bear’s confidence, so he has no choice but to shoot the bear full of tranquilizers. The terrified bear thinks the hunter is trying to kill him. He does not understand that the hunter is acting out of compassion.”
“I believe,” Kreeft says, “God does the same thing to us sometimes, and we can’t comprehend why He does it any more than the bear can understand the motivations of the hunter. We simply have to trust God.”
It really boils down to “who” you put your trust in, and if that “who” is trustworthy. If you trust only yourself, you will eventually be faced with your own limitations. If you trust other men, or governments policies or political systems, you will also eventually be disappointed. If you trust God, you may not always understand the “why” questions, but you can find out if he is trustworthy or not through personal experience.
Suffering and tragedy is a reality. I have seen it up close and personal. Does this mean God does not exist? Does it mean he doesn’t care? I think not. It means He has a bigger purpose and plan in mind that I can’t fully understand at the moment. I CHOOSE to trust Him anyway, because in every other area of life, I have found Him to be trustworthy.
Cho Seung-Hui had a choice and made his choice with the free will God gave him. Others made their choices. I have to make mine. In the end, we will all be held accountable for those choices. No one will get away with anything.