Odegard Online

Bullet Pen

2011-12-14T23:27:00.006-07:00

I got a great early Christmas present from my wife - it's a pen made from two .308 Winchester cases. Talk about a "tactical" pen! The best part is that part of the price from each pen sold goes directly to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, which gives scholarships to kids whose parents have died on Special Ops missions.

For more information, check out "Junior's Bullet Pens." I was surprised how reasonably priced they are - on sale for just $17! They even have wooden pens in all kinds of hardwoods if brass really isn't your thing. If you don't need a pen, you can still visit the SOWF website and make a donation to them if you'd like to. My boss, Pat, has been supporting them for years and speaks very highly of the charity.

Support Scouting!

2011-09-30T21:30:00.004-06:00

My son is selling popcorn to raise money for his cub scout pack. If you'd like to purchase some, click here!

We have our son in Scouting because we want another way to instill strong character, confidence, and leadership skills in him while making new friends and having fun. Scouting is still conservative. They say the Pledge of Allegiance at every meeting and pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The boys learn to serve their community, learn valuable life lessons and skills, and have positive role models.

Some parents can't afford the uniform and the yearly dues, or to send their kids to summer camps. This is a great opportunity for them too. If you can help out, it would be great!

Trail's End makes some delicious popcorn snacks, and 70% of what you spend goes to the local pack, council and Scout rewards. If you feel like it, buy some popcorn today and support Scouting!

Let's Google That...

2011-09-18T12:55:00.010-06:00

I read an interesting comment from an article at The Blaze on the Occupy Wall Street silliness. The commenter, RangerP, suggested googling images for the "tea party movement" and then compare them to how the liberal Dems and lamestream media describe them. It sounds like a great idea, so let's try it.

Click here to google images for "tea party movement." I took the liberty of downloading the first four links that had pictures of people. Look at all those fascist, racist hate-mongers! You can tell by the way they dress and the horrible masks and the obscene signage that they want to destroy our American way of life and murder people in their beds!

The lamestream media and left-wing Democrats are showing us their true colors. They will stop at nothing to hold on to power. They will smear, defame, and outright lie to make their opponents look bad. This display of their lack of character shows just how unqualified they are to hold public office.

The next election is going to get ugly, no matter who we nominate, so let's nominate the best people for the job. Don't hold back on showing the world who these people are, always with the truth, always with respect, but giving no quarter and expecting none (because none will be given). The Tea Party and true conservatives must continue to maintain the moral high ground.

Never Forget

2011-09-11T12:56:00.012-06:00

As Christians, we must forgive.
As Americans, we can never forget.
As a Nation, we must have justice.

My deepest gratitude to all who have served since 9/11. May the Lord protect you and your families and give you courage, strength and the will to go on.

Our Runaway Government

2011-08-26T22:28:00.009-06:00

Today's Wall Street Journal reports that the Federal Government has raided Gibson Guitar plants in Nashville and Memphis. Was it the DEA looking for drug dealers? Nope. Border patrol pursuing undocumented workers? Nope. Homeland Security uncovering a terrorist plot or the FBI taking down an organized crime syndicate? Wrong again. Would you believe the US Fish and Wildlife Service was looking for illegal ebony - as in wood - lumber - fret board material. USFWS confiscated several pallets of wood, despite Gibson's documentation that the wood was purchased from a Forest Stewardship Council certified supplier (they were trying to comply with a maze of laws restricting illegal forestry products from abroad). The article goes on to explain not to take your 1920's vintage Martin guitar made of Brazilian Rosewood out of the country - US Customs will take it from you for transporting illegal "flora and fauna" across international lines.

In June, the Department of Education Office of the Inspector General (OIG) RAIDED A HOME, SWAT style, over unpaid student loans. What the heck is the Department of Education doing with an armed SWAT team? Aren't crimes like fraud and embezzlement the FBI's jurisdiction?

I'm paying taxes for this?

I'm looking forward to November 2012. This government is out of control, and it's not just the Wood Nazis at US Fish and Wildlife and Customs. EPA, Education, Energy, BATFE: shut 'em down, fire the bulk of them from the top down and then take the few necessary remaining parts (if you can find any) and put them elsewhere.

Sara Palin Rides Again

2011-06-01T07:54:00.004-06:00

So how is Palin responsible for the actions of a bunch of rabid reporters scurrying around trying to get a hasty photo or a selective sound bite? They complain of being treated like paparazzi when that is exactly the way they are acting! The reporters are responsible for their own actions and their own safety. They're grownups (well, sort of) with driver's licenses. If they get in a wreck because they're too busy watching the star-spangled bus and not what's going on around them, it's their own fault.

The other rabid bunch are the ones who froth at the mouth at the mere mention of Palin's name (both reporters and readers). Rational thought goes out the window, and they spew, regurgitate and believe every vicious lie and rumor. Using the image of the flag for personal gain is a federal offense! She's going to cause a wreck! She snuck out the back door of the hotel and we couldn't get a picture! Waaahhhh! She had the Down's baby just for the publicity of it. Trig is really Bristol's baby, fathered by Todd! She's getting divorced! She wants to ban books! She's a wacko religious fundamentalist! She's into witchcraft! She's done porn! She hates Jews! This one is priceless: she's starting all these rumors herself to generate sympathy and get elected!

I haven't decided if it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen, or one of the saddest. Personally, I think she's a strong, wise, classy lady who loves her country and is tired of taking crap from the mainstream media. She's also one of the most powerful people in Republican politics today. Even if she doesn't run, her endorsement will probably launch someone into the nomination. Love her or hate her, Sarah Palin is changing the way politics is done in this country, and that's a good thing.

Jesus is Risen!

2011-04-24T15:09:00.005-06:00

We woke up to a blanket of fresh, spring snow! The world is white, fresh, and clean. Easter in Colorado never fails to disappoint!

Today we celebrate that Jesus, the long-awaited Jewish Messiah rose from the dead on a Sunday morning almost 2,000 years ago. The Resurrection changed everything! Eleven disappointed, doubting, scared, heart-broken disciples, greeted by Mary's unbelievable news, were transformed in a short time into fearless, unwavering, bold apostles, sent into the world with the Good News that sinful men can be redeemed and transformed. Jesus' Resurrection validated all that He ever taught and did. It was the final proof that He was the Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul, another eyewitness to the Risen Messiah, wrote that if Jesus had not risen, Christians would be the most pitiful people on earth, lying about God, without hope, lost and foolish. (Funny how many think that way anyway!) Christianity would have died before it was born. The disciples would have gone back to fishing, farming and tax collecting, and all would have been forgotten. Instead, 10 of the 11 died martyrs' deaths and the 11th, John was imprisoned for his faith. All died courageously testifying that they had seen Jesus alive after He was crucified.

Flavius Josephus, the Jewish General who tried unsuccessfully to defend Jerusalem from the Romans in AD 70, became a historian and wrote about Jesus and the early Christians. Tacitus, a first century Roman historian also wrote about the beliefs of the early Christians. Neither one was a Christian, and both were critical of the early Christians, but they both verify Jesus' existence and the belief of early Christians that He was the Jewish Messiah, that he performed miracles and that he rose from the dead.*

The Resurrection changes everything. Because of it, Christians know that Jesus is God, that everything He taught is true, that there is salvation in no other name, that Christians who have died will rise again, and that we do not have to fear death, because Jesus conquered both sin and death, and will give eternal life to any who trust in Him for salvation. Let the critics try and say He never existed. Let atheists and agnostics question the reliability of the Scriptures. Let a sinful world reject the Gospel because accepting it would take away the pleasure (and pain) of their sin. I know that my Redeemer lives! It's like a bright, white, fresh, snowy morning in the mountains. Freedom is a wonderful thing. The Resurrection changes everything!

-----------------------
* While I have little doubt that the Testimonium Flavianum was altered by later Christian editors, the core message from Josephus, believable as a Jew writing on the subject, was that the earliest believers held as fact that Jesus was the Messiah, did miracles, was crucified on a Roman cross and rose from the dead on the third day.

Hero Facing Possible Charges

2011-04-19T07:48:00.004-06:00

Just to show you how insane New York City has become, a heroic school safety agent who picked up a fallen police officer's gun and defended the officer and others in the store from 5 criminals, exchanging gun fire and driving them off, is facing possible gun charges because he is not licensed to carry a gun. Liberals want us to be just like Europe. Well, they're accomplishing it. This is just like the United Kingdom, where defending yourself against armed criminals can get you in trouble with the law.

This kind of reaction from the authorities only exacerbates the problem of people who just walk on by others in need. In New York City, the brave hero might find him or herself in legal trouble for doing the right thing. Shame on the people of New York City for allowing their elected officials to strip them of their God-given rights. Shame on all of us if we allow it to happen where we live.

The Pink Equalizer

2011-03-23T19:25:00.004-06:00

How does a 25 year old, 110 pound beauty queen defend herself against a burly, 42 year old career criminal? She uses a .38 caliber pink equalizer. Her fiance said she wasn't a very good shot at the range, but apparently she was good enough to stop the bad guy after he invaded their home, dragged her upstairs and beat up her fiance who tried to defend her. That gave her time to retrieve her pink equalizer and defend them from this monster.
Good girl. Now go back to the range and get some more practice!

Gun Control for Everyone!

2011-03-22T21:01:00.003-06:00

In my reading today, I stumbled across a great article in the Washington Times, entitled, "A Gun Control Compromise for Everyone" by Eric Golub. It is an excellent, ironic proposal for a compromise everyone, liberals and conservatives, can agree on. Liberals do not want guns, so fine, do not allow liberals to have them. Conservatives want guns, so allow them to have all of them. Everyone gets what they want. Check out the article. You'll be smiling by the end.

A Salute To A Hero

2011-03-08T07:58:00.002-07:00

At 84 years old, WWII hero Ted Gundy is still one of the best in the world. This is an amazing, touching video.

Our Budget Ideas

2011-02-17T22:37:00.004-07:00

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) sent out an email today asking for "Your Budget Ideas." This is what I sent him, not that I am expecting him to listen.
------------------------
Senator Bennet,

Thank you for soliciting our comments on the budget. If you listen to them, we can stop the looming economic disaster. As you know, we are rapidly approaching the point where we will no longer even be able to pay the interest on the national debt. The President has submitted a budget, which, like most politicians seeking re-election, postpones the necessary pain of extreme cost-cutting until after the next election. Worse, rather than cutting the budget and reducing the deficit, he is continuing his runaway deficit spending. Yes, he inherited a budget deficit from his over-spending predecessor, but rather than bandage the wound and stop the bleeding, President Obama has cut even deeper and opened up an artery. In just his first two years, he took us farther in debt than all previous administrations combined! It took George Bush a full 8 years to accomplish the same task!

Government spending is out of control. It is time for courageous politicians to admit to the people that we are in serious trouble and make deep, painful cuts. Cut up the government credit card. No more debt! Eliminate unconstitutional programs and agencies. Seek and destroy government waste. End wasteful earmarks. The Republican promise of $100 billion in cuts is not even enough, when the President is planning another $1.38 TRILLION in deficit spending (and adding $7.2 TRILLION over 10 years). Please stop putting bandaids on arterial bleeding. Have the courage to make real, significant cuts, balance the budget, and start paying of the national debt.

If you don't, the next step is for the rest of the world to end the dollar's status as the world reserve currency, resulting in the collapse of the dollar and massive inflation. What was once whispered in dark corners of the Internet is now being reported on CNN and Fox News. We can't ignore the debt any longer. DO SOMETHING AND DO IT NOW! Please!

A True Hero

2011-01-12T20:24:00.003-07:00

When the horrible shooting in Tuscon happened, an armed citizen, Joe Zamudio, was next door in Walgreens. Here is the story in his words:

Note that without special military or police training, he was able to rapidly assess the situation and took the appropriate action. Even though he was momentarily confused about who the real shooter was, he didn't shoot the wrong person; in fact, he didn't even draw. Mr. Zamudio is a true American hero. He proves that an average citizen, carrying a concealed weapon, can make the right decision and make a difference within precious seconds, even though the police are only minutes away.

Why I D/Won't Own Apple Products

2010-12-30T15:35:00.004-07:00

The Apple Store has again refused an app promoting the Manhattan Declaration, a statement of Christian faith, because it is allegedly 'likely to expose a group to harm.' The supposed harm comes from the "anti-gay, anti-choice" language in the declaration, defending the Biblical positions that homosexuality and abortion are sin. According to the Apple Store, my Christian faith is harmful to others. The folks at the Manhattan Declaration summed it up, saying, "it is difficult to see how this is anything other than a statement of animus by a major American corporation against the beliefs of millions of Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox citizens."

So, even though I am looking forward to one day owning a handy little pad/tablet device, there is yet another reason not to purchase an iPad or any other Apple product. Heck, I don't even have iTunes or QuickTime on my computers.

There are some levels of politically correct insanity I can deal with (and have to if I want to buy almost anything these days), but when a company decides that a basic statement of Christian beliefs is "likely to expose a group to harm," I have no use for that company or its products.

Happy New Year!

It's CHRISTmas!

2010-12-24T12:16:00.002-07:00

The second best holiday of the year has arrived! In the next days, we celebrate the Incarnation, that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His Glory, the Glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, uncreated deity, fully God, stepped into time, taking on a human nature in addition to His divine nature. The almighty Son became a helpless baby, needing His mother to care for His every need and requiring protection from His step-father. For the first time, He was cold, felt pain, and identified with our weakness. He did not cease to be God, but instead "emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant" (Philippians 2:7), choosing not to exercise His abilities of God, but to live as one of us, depending on the Father and Spirit for strength and wisdom.

The Incarnation is a magnificent demonstration of the love, power, and wisdom of God. It was the necessary prerequisite for our salvation at the cross. It enabled Him to fulfill the promise to David that one of his descendants would sit on the throne of Israel forever and to be the Servant promised in Isaiah. It prepared the Lord Jesus Christ to be our High Priest, ever interceding for us to the Father and bridging the gap between us and Him.

In the midst of the gifts, the time with family and the wonderful food, take time to reflect on the Miracle of CHRISTmas, the Incarnation. Share it with your children and rejoice with the world that God has come near, Immanuel, God With Us.

Make Liberal Heads Explode

2010-11-22T21:50:00.003-07:00

They think it's a massive Tea Party Conspiracy! (It's not...)

Let's make liberal heads explode. Vote for Bristol and Mark!

Awana Grand Prix Results

2010-11-06T13:38:00.006-06:00

The little man and I had a great time, and so did a lot of other folks. It's hard to balance my competitiveness with the desire to see my kids involved and enjoying the building and the races. This year I think we did OK in that regard. We also put together a couple very fast cars. The little man's Green Machine averaged 211.3 mph (scaled!) and came in fourth overall after placing 2nd in the first heat and 1st in the 2nd and 3rd heats.

The cars winning 2nd and 3rd place tied at 211.6 (and had to run the first ever run-off), and the young lady who won 1st place for Sparks ran 211.7 mph. It was very, very competitive. We were only 0.4 "miles per hour" difference between 4th and 1st - 0.19% of the total speed.

My Go Fish car ran 213, 214, and 211 in three heats - I saw one time of 2.56- seconds (I'll have to record those next year). The 214.07 was one of the best times ever on the track. I guess we must be doing something right! (See my previous post for links to tips and tricks. Some work, and some aren't worth the effort.)

Until next year, keep it fun, keep the kids involved, and keep your drive to win in balance with the needs of the kids.

AWANA Grand Prix

2010-11-05T22:52:00.005-06:00

It's time again for the AWANA Grand Prix at our church. Cars have been built, the track is set up, and tomorrow is the big day. My little man has his Green Machine tuned up and ready, and my Go Fish ICHTHUS Mobile is weighted down and ready to go. I'll post pictures tomorrow!

For now, here are some sites I found with tips and tricks for making fast Grand Prix/Pinewood Derby cars.

Wayne Schmidt's AWANA Grand Prix Race Car Page (Engineering analysis of what works and what doesn't!)
Scoutorama's Mixed Bag (Some good, some bad)
Fast Facts (Generally good, basic tips)
Pinewood Freak (Lots of articles - READ THE COMMENTS!)
The Physics Behind the Car! (Very cool for the geekiest of us - explains why things work)

By the way, please note that some of the tips created for Cub Scout Pinewood Derby cars don't work or aren't necessary on AWANA Grand Prix cars. The GP axles don't have those annoying ribs, and GP wheels are made of softer plastic, so some of the tools for PD wheels you have to be very careful with.

So what is my regimen? It's a secret! When you're competing against folks who have tracks set up in their barns, you have to keep some kind of edge!

Mid Term Elections 2010

2010-10-19T21:45:00.002-06:00

Here are my election picks for the Midterm Elections this year. Hunting season is keeping me from posting my reasoning. The only one that really needs explanation is Tancredo. Dan Maes has discredited and disgraced himself on many fronts and needs to drop out of the race to allow Tancredo to beat Hickenlooper. That's the only way we'll have a conservative governor, and the only way to keep the Democrats in the Colorado legislature from ramming their agenda down our throats.

US Senator: Buck
US Rep: Lamborn
Governor: Tancredo
Sec. State: Gessler
Treasurer: Stapleton
Republicans for the rest

Amendment P – Games of Chance - AGAINST
Amendment Q – Temporary Location of State Seat of Government - FOR
Amendment R – Exempt Possessory Interests in Real Property - FOR
Amendment 60 – Property Taxes - AGAINST
Amendment 61 – Limits on State and Local Government - AGAINST
Amendment 62 – Application of the Term Person - FOR
Amendment 63 – Health Care Choice - FOR
Proposition 101 – Income, Vehicle and Telecom Taxes and Fees - AGAINST
Proposition 102 – Criteria for Release to Pretrial Services Programs – AGAINST

County 1A – Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Prohibited in Unincorporated Areas - FOR
County 1B – Term Limits for 4th Judicial District DA - FOR
County 1C – Term Limits for County Commissioners - FOR
County 1D – Term Limits for other County Offices – FOR

Colorado Springs 2B – City Retention of $600,000 of excess revenue for infrastructure – FOR
Colorado Springs 2C – TOPS Limit on Trails and Open Spaces Maintenance – AGAINST
Colorado Springs 300 – Strong Mayor Proposal - FOR

View the El Paso County November 2010 Sample Ballot.

Do your civic duty. Vote!

Beef / Elk Jerky Recipe

2010-10-19T21:41:00.000-06:00

NO SOY SAUCE!!!

Start with very lean meat. I prefer round steak. Trim as much fat as humanly possible. Slice the rest about ¼-3/8” thick and as long as possible. Butterfly any small pieces.

I mix the marinade first to make sure that the salt/sugar gets dissolved in the marinade and gets mixed evenly through the meat. In a gallon ziplock bag mix thoroughly:

Coarse Kosher Salt – 2 tsp/lb of trimmed meat
Brown Sugar – 2 tsp/lb
Penzey’s Turkish Seasoning – 4 tsp/lb
Ground Chipotle (or Cayenne) - 1 tsp/lb for medium heat
Paprika – a couple good dashes for color
Red Table Wine – 1 cup/lb

The Turkish Seasoning, chipotle/cayenne and paprika can be substituted with your own favorite blend of savory spices – just make sure it’s salt free or you will get too salty.

http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysturkish.html
http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeyschipotle.html

Add the meat to the bag, zip it shut and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate 6-24 hours.

Lay out the meat in a single layer on the grates in a smoker. Smoke at about 200-225 degrees for an hour (no more or it gets too smoky). (You could use 2 tsp/lb liquid smoke instead, but it won’t be quite the same.) Transfer to a dehydrator and dry per the instructions (usually at 155 degrees) for 6-8 hours – until dry yet pliable. Turn off the dehydrator and let it cool for an hour, then put in bags. If you don’t freeze it, keep plastic bags open for the first 24 hours as the moisture content evens out through the meat.

You can smoke it on a gas grill. Soak wood chips (hickory or mesquite) for 30 minutes, drain then wrap in foil. Punch a bunch of holes in the top of the foil, then put it on your left or right most grill burner (move the grate, put it right on the drip plate or lava rocks). Light just that burner on high, and heat it up until you start to smell smoke. Lay out the meat over the rest of the grill, away from the direct heat. Smoke for an hour or so.

You can also dehydrate in your oven. Put foil over the bottom rack in case of drippage. Put the meat on the top rack, turn the oven on Warm, then leave the door cracked to let the moisture out and keep the temperature down. If you use an oven thermometer, you can even get the heat adjusted to a perfect 155 degrees.

Unless I hide it, the jerky usually doesn’t last more than 24 hours anyway…

Never Forget

2010-09-11T08:15:00.003-06:00

Colorado Governor and US Senator

2010-08-09T21:54:00.002-06:00

OK, so life got away from me. It's election eve, and most of the people following this have already voted by mail, so here is the short and sweet version.

Colorado Governor:
In the words of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners (who I like), I "cannot in good conscience give members and gun owners a strong recommendation for this race." McInnis has handled the whole plagiarism issue very poorly, and has a weak record on gun rights. Maes really came across as a nutjob with his comments on the UN International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) program in Denver which is providing bikes to reduce pollution. After a little digging, I found little on the ICLEI program, but it does look like your typical UN socialist program, so maybe he's on to something. They did, after all, put Iran on the Commission on Women's Rights. So, if Dan Maes doesn't like the UN, all the better.

I don't like any of the candidates all that much, but I'm voting for Dan Maes. I just hope he can prove to the rest of Colorado that he's not a conspiracy theorist wacko nutjob.

US Senator from Colorado:
Ken Buck keeps "stepping in it" with his high heels and cowboy boots comments, and he's had some ethical questions, but if you dig a little deeper, at least his heart was in the right place. (That's cynicism, for those of you who don't get it.) Jane Norton, however, sealed the deal for me by getting support from John McCain. I can't stand big government McCain. Plus, when your website for your governor's race leads with "Ken Buck said what?" and a video of your opponent's (albeit very bad) attempt at humor, you must not have any serious issues to run on.

Like the Governor's race, I can't really endorse any of the candidates, but I'm going to vote for Ken Buck, just to tick off the big-government RINOs who support Norton.

By the way, on the Democrat side, I'm cheering for "I'm not taking PAC money(anymore)" Andrew Romanoff. Bennett doesn't care what the voters think and I want him out. With Romanoff's past habits of taking PAC money, it should provide good fodder for whoever wins the Republican nomination.

Colorado Treasurer

2010-08-04T21:40:00.004-06:00

The Republican candidates for Colorado Treasurer are Walker Stapleton and JJ Ament. Both are fiscally conservative. Stapleton has experience as a CFO in private industry. Ament has been a consultant to various state treasurers. The biggest deciding factor, for me, between the two is that Stapleton recently said that he thought that voter-approved tax increases would be a good idea for getting the state out of our budget mess. Ament opposes the idea, and so do I. The way out of the budget crisis is to eliminate wasteful spending, cut unnecessary programs and enable private businesses to grow, thus increasing tax revenues (which is caused by reducing tax rates: liberals don't understand that low taxes in a thriving economy produce more tax revenue than high taxes in an anemic economy). El Paso County voters crushed the last two requests for tax hikes, and I don't see the sentiment changing any time soon. Use OUR money (it belongs to the taxpayers, not to the government!) wisely and efficiently, and not for all your pet political projects, and ONLY then come and ask us for more. If you have a good plan for it, and we see the need, we might actually entrust you with it.

JJ Ament understands this, and that's why I'm voting for him.

El Paso County Sheriff

2010-08-01T21:20:00.005-06:00

According to the El Paso County sample ballot, there are four contested races in the 2010 Republican Primary on August 10th. They are:

US Senator
- Ken Buck vs Jane Norton
Colorado Governor
- Dan Maes vs Scott McGinnis
Colorado Treasurer
- JJ Ament vs Walker Stapleton
El Paso County Sheriff
- Terry Maketa vs Jake Shirk

In my short series, I'll work the list from bottom to top, which will leave the most hotly contested races until last. To be honest, I didn't even know the Colorado Treasurer was a contested race until I looked, so we'll look at that race next time. In the meantime, the Gazette has published a voter guide.

Terry Maketa and Jake Shirk have much in common, and much to commend them. To be honest, I think either one would be a good sheriff. First, they both support Vermont/Alaska/Arizona-type firearm laws for Colorado, namely that no license or permit of any kind should be required to carry a concealed firearm, but Shirk has made it part of his platform, while Maketa only brought it up when questioned in an interview. Both support a Colorado version of the excellent Arizona Immigration Bill. Both believe that Medical Marijuana is here to stay, but agree that abuse should be prosecuted. Shirk goes a bit further, stating that he voted against the dispensaries, but will uphold the Colorado law. Maketa did not specify his personal feelings on the law. I think he's just playing it safe politically. Of course, with no Democratic challenger, why would he feel the need to do that?

I think Maketa has a stronger position concerning not removing sworn deputies from the El Paso County Jail, as Shirk stated he intends to pursue, but I really like Jake Shirk's promise to publish the Sheriff's Department budget on the web. It is a big step toward a more open government. In addition, Maketa's April accusation that Shirk, a 35 year law enforcement veteran (vs. Maketa's 23 years), lacked experience left a bad taste in my mouth. As you will see in upcoming posts, I really don't like politicians who play dirty, and even though the sheriff's race has been pretty tame compared to others, when two candidates are this closely matched, the one who plays it clean will earn my vote. Add a very strong 2nd Amendment stance and a commitment to open government, and I'm sold.

I'm supporting Jake Shirk for El Paso County Sheriff.

2010 Colorado GOP Primaries

2010-07-29T21:35:00.004-06:00

The Colorado GOP primaries will be held August 10th, and I have decided to post my political decision making and generate some discussion. My goal is to post every few days with my thoughts on the individual races, then on or about August 8th, post my list for the election.

Some of the primary races are really turning nasty. The attack ads, political missteps, and tongue slips are getting pretty tiresome, and the GOP is fighting amongst themselves while squandering the best chance we have at stopping an out of control Federal Government. Some races are easy to decide, but others have been really hard, with me having to reconsider my early leanings due to the political nastiness and the diarrhea-of-the-mouth from some candidates.

My preference is for candidates who are small-government, tax cutting, fiscally conservative, morally conservative, liberty-minded people. I, like so many others, am tired of being hoodwinked by big-government Republicans (RINOs*) or candidates whose first priorities are lining their own pockets and doing whatever it takes to get re-elected. I'm not a dyed-in-the-wool Republican. I'm an old school conservative who leans Libertarian (but not all the way)**, and a Constitutionalist that believes in a limited Federal government, limited to providing a strong national defense, maintaining some semblance of order between the states and generally leaving me and my local government alone. I love the Lord Jesus, I love my family and I love my country, in that order. Government exists to serve the people and protect their lives, liberty and prosperity, not the other way around. I will not give up essential liberty to gain temporary security.

My main issues this year are:

Reversing Reckless Government Spending: The Federal Government is spending out of control, and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, on the verge of bankrupting the country. Colorado is doing a little better, but is addicted to handouts from the federal government. Locally, the Colorado Springs government still thinks it's their money, not that of the taxpayers.

Reversing Government Corporate Takeovers and Bailouts: They bought Fannie, Freddie, AIG, and Government Motors, and now passed a bill allowing the Fed to takeover any business they deem "too big to fail." We need free markets and competition, not government control of industry. That is Socialism. Capitalism works, Socialism fails. Read your history books (the unrevised ones...).

Government Accountability to the Voters: I don't want to silence special interest groups (I support some of them!), but I want my elected officials to answer primarily to the voters. I don't know how to do this, but I'm very tired of patronizing form letters from my Senators when I have serious, well-reasoned arguments against their positions. Term limits across the board!

Securing Our Borders: How many years has it been since 9/11/2001 and we still haven't built a fence on our southern border? Democrats think illegal immigration is a massive voter registration drive, while drug smugglers, human traffickers and terrorists come and go at will, and all the Federal Government can do is sue Arizona for taking steps to help enforce FEDERAL Law?

The Protection of Essential Liberties: Read the Bill of Rights. Freedom of religion, the right to keep and BEAR arms, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, government only has the powers given to it by the Constitution. Understand that those Amendments place limits on the Federal, local and state governments, and protect us from tyranny.

Repealing Obamacare: It is unconstitutional to force me to buy a product. I don't want the government or insurance companies in the room when I talk to my doctor. It's none of their freakin' business, and the health care free market will work much better without government interference.

There are no perfect candidates, but some are clearly better than others. I don't want to vote for one just because it's perceived that the other doesn't have a chance against the Democrats. It's time for conservatives to stand on principle and let the GOP know that we've had it with moderate, wishy-washy, politically correct candidates. I never want to have to hold my nose and vote for a John McCain again!

Stay tuned!

* RINOs - Republicans in Name Only, or Democrats in elephant's clothing. (So what do you call all the all-out Socialists running as Democrats?)

**Two issues keep me from becoming a full-fledged Libertarian. First, their isolationist foreign policies are horribly misguided in our global economy and dangerously naive about threats like Islamic extremism, drug cartels and organized crime, and old-style communist states. Second, as a Christian, I cannot adopt their Utopian "live and let live" philosophy on moral issues like abortion and legalizing dangerous drugs.

I Write Like...

2010-07-18T20:24:00.004-06:00

This evening I saw a blurb about a fun little website called "I Write Like." I've cut and pasted blog posts, paragraphs from old papers, etc, and so far, it has been pretty inconsistent. I've gotten hits for H.P. Lovelace, Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, and David Foster Wallace. If I ever get the same author two or three times in a row, I'll keep it.

One interesting question: what happens if I take quotes from various famous published authors and put them into the page?

Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" - Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov quote on publishing - Charles Dickens
Robert Heinlein's Armed Society Quote - Oscar Wilde
Robert Heinlein on rules and morality - Charles Dickens
Robert Heinlein on love and jealousy - H.P. Lovecraft
Charles Dickens, third paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens, American Notes for General Circulation - H.G. Wells
Charles Dickens, American Notes a few paragraphs later - Daniel Defoe

So, the site's not perfect. I write differently if I am writing a technical document at work, a theological paper for my Master's work, an email to a friend, or a blog post like this one. I suppose with a large enough sample, it might work better, but for now, it's just for fun. Oh by the way, this blog post was written by: Cory Doctorow, whoever that is... :o}

Hiatus

2010-07-13T23:16:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since April! Real life is more important than blogging. Back soon!

Just for Fun

2010-04-20T21:16:00.001-06:00

I haven't done much with my illusions lately, but here is some great sponge ball work.

Range Report

2010-04-18T19:34:00.006-06:00

I got a chance to go to the range this morning and had a ball trying out some of my new gizmos.

First, after I got set up and was waiting for the range to go cold so I could put up my targets, I looked at some of the other targets through my new spotting scope, an Alpen 15-45x60. One guy had a black silhouette target up at 200 yards. After squinting a little, I could make out the little black holes on the black target. I was thinking, "great, I got this thing so I could see 30 caliber holes at 200 yards, and these are hard to see!" After setting up targets, I complimented him on his shooting, and he said, "yeah, that's my 22-250." I was looking at 22 caliber holes at 200 yards - black on black! Needless to say, my 30 caliber holes, black on white, were easy to see, even when the mirage started kicking up. I am very happy with the scope! I even showed my daughter Saturn the other night - you can see that it has rings!

Second, my new Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk in .44 mag was a ball to shoot. Even with 240 grain full magnum loads, it handled beautifully. Almost anyone could handle 44 special loads in that gun. After getting the sights adjusted, it was shooting pretty well at 25 yards. Now I just need to get my skill level up to the capability of the gun... :o} I can't wait to try 310 grain elk loads. Black powder would be fun, too.

Third, the Limbsaver pad I put on the rifle was incredible. I shot 26 rounds from the bench today and felt like I could have shot 50 more. My shoulder wasn't sore at all, and it was like shooting a much milder caliber. It's the best after market shooting accessory I've ever put on my rifle.

Finally, I was very happy with the results of my load testing. I'm working on a 180 grain Nosler Accutip load for elk hunting with my 308 Winchester. For the first time today, I tried using the "ladder method" (a simplified version) for load development. I loaded two sets of rounds from 40.5 to 42.6 grains of IMR 4895 in 0.3 grain increments. One set used Winchester brass, the other Remington. For foulers and sighters, I loaded two extra each at the 40.5 grain level. I fired the strings at two different targets at 200 yards, and noted each hit on the target shown here. I started with Remington, and noticed I was 5" right, so I adjusted the scope, then kept shooting. I wasn't shooting very well at first, but then settled in and got some very good results. The Winchester string came out very good. To be honest, I've never shot this well at 200 yards. Going slow and focusing on the fundamentals really helps!

Bottom line, the most consistent load is between 42.0 and 42.6 grains. I'll use 42.4, cheating it a little high. This should give me good temperature and load insensitivity. The best part is that the data matches both Lyman and Nosler data with 42.5 grains (the max) as the most accurate load for this combination of powder and bullet. It runs right about 2500 fps, which means they should be effective on elk out to 400 yards. Now I just need to find the optimum seating depth to narrow the groups a bit more and I'll be set. (Well, that and work on my riflery skills so I can shoot as well as my rifle!)

I had a good conversation with a fellow 308 Winchester fan. He was breaking in the barrel on a brand new FN-FAL. We talked about everyone thinking they need a 300 Win Mag or stronger to hunt elk. "If it's not a 338 Shoulder-Buster Magnum you can't kill 'em!" Nonsense! Old-timers were killing elk with 30-30's after WWII, and thought the 30-06 the GI's brought home from the war was overkill. All I know is the last elk I shot didn't complain about me not using a big enough gun!

Pro Football

2010-02-07T14:03:00.003-07:00

"22 men in desperate need of rest watched by 22 million in desperate need of exercise."

I'm taking the Spurs over the Yankees by 3 points, with a goal in the last minute of the third period.

Oh, and I'm excited about the Tim Tebow commercial. Everyone was upset about this?

Funny how incensed "progressives" get when others want to express their first amendment rights - especially about a story who made a politically incorrect "choice." By the way, the abortion issue is simple: every abortion ends a human life. It's a baby.

Happy Anniversary, Mr. President!

2010-01-20T07:45:00.003-07:00

Just a quick post to wish our President a happy 1st anniversary of his inauguration. Mr. President, you came into power on promises of transparency, hope, change and a new vision for America. A year later, we are celebrating another victory - the victory of the people of Massachusetts. A Republican will sit in the unassailable Democratic Senate seat held by the late Ted Kennedy. Scott Brown has shown that We the People are angry. We are tired of your backroom deals (when you promised transparency), your divisive politics (when you promised bipartisanship), your wholesale destruction of the American economy (when you promised hope), and your gaggle of socialists and communists that you hoped would change this country.

Some of us saw through you from the beginning. Personally, I'm ecstatic that the rest of the country, who you fooled with smooth rhetoric and empty promises, is now seeing you for the charlatan you really are.

I fully expect you and your cronies in the House and Senate, (Pelosi and Reid) to continue to play dirty, one-party politics. I'm sure you're going to try to cram a socialist health care bill (that We the People, oppose, by the way) down our collective throats. I'm sure you're going to downplay this, but we are so looking forward to next November's mid term elections. Don't think our anger is going away. Right now your super-majority is down by one. By late next fall, it will no longer exist. In two more years, you just will be a footnote in history, recorded as a bigger failure than Jimmy Carter.

Happy anniversary, Mr. President. Election 2012 is coming!

MLK, Civil Rights and the 2nd Amendment

2010-01-18T16:53:00.009-07:00

Gun control has historically been a tool of the racist and the power hungry. From well before the Civil War, African-Americans were denied the right to keep and bear arms in order to keep them subservient and under control. (Remember this truism "gun control is not about guns, it is about control"...) This continued until the Civil Rights movement, led by courageous men like Dr. King and others, brought about equal rights for all free men and women.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, when we remember a pastor and great civil rights leader who led a non-violent uprising that forced the US to recognize the equal rights of African-Americans under the Constitution. Almost everyone knows about his eloquence and his commitment to non-violence in the face of aggression, but not many know about his belief in the God-given right of self-defense.

In fact, as described in a research article entitled "Martin and Malcolm on Nonviolence and Violence" Dr. King had actually applied to the State of Alabama for a handgun carry permit in 1955 (which was denied) and kept one or more guns in his home for self defense during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. (He was receiving an average of 40 threatening phone calls a day, and for a time armed men were posted outside his house for protection." After his house was bombed that same year, he embraced the principle of nonviolence in total for himself.

Three nights later, Martin King’s house was bombed and people were amazed how calm he was. After finding out that his wife and baby were safe, he walked on his porch to face an angry black crowd with weapons of violence, ready to return an eye for an eye. “Don’t let us get panicky,” King said. He pleaded with them to get rid of their weapons because “we can’t solve this problem through retaliatory violence.” On the contrary, “We must meet violence with nonviolence.” Turning to the most persuasive authority in the black Christian experience, King reminded blacks of the words of Jesus: “ ‘Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; pray for them that despitefully use you.’ We must love our white brothers … no matter what they do to us.”

With great personal courage and devotion to the moral cause of civil rights, Dr. King chose to risk potential martyrdom and even the possibility of seeing his wife and infant daughter killed rather than to exercise his own right of self-defense, but even 4 and then 11 years later, he was still writing about the right of self-defense.

Dr. King saw three main positions on the use of arms. He wrote in the October, 1959 edition of Liberation Magazine:

Here one must be clear that there are three different views on the subject of violence. One is the approach of pure nonviolence, which cannot readily or easily attract large masses, for it requires extraordinary discipline and courage. The second is violence exercised in self-defense, which all societies, from the most primitive to the most cultured and civilized, accept as moral and legal.
The principle of self-defense, even involving weapons and bloodshed, has never been condemned, even by Gandhi, who sanctioned it for those unable to master pure nonviolence. The third is the advocacy of violence as a tool of advancement, organized as in warfare, deliberately and consciously.

Dr. King rejected the third position (supported by men like Malcolm X), pointing out that while some his fellow African-Americans felt that it was the only way to bring change, it would in actuality divide proponents of civil rights, drive away most of the uninvolved, uncommitted Negro community, and ultimately it would find itself outgunned and outmatched. Later in the same article he wrote:

There is more power in socially organized masses on the march than there is in guns in the hands of a few desperate men. Our enemies would prefer to deal with a small armed group rather than with a huge, unarmed but resolute mass of people.

Despite this, he was convinced of the truth of the second position, that self-defense is both moral and legal. In an article written May 4, 1966 entitled, "Nonviolence: The Only Road to Freedom," he was very clear that people in the civil rights marches would deliberately remain disarmed to avoid any legitimate act of self-defense triggering retaliatory violence. Any aggression against unarmed demonstrators only proved the evil of racism and gave Dr. King and his followers the high moral ground. He also wrote:

There are many people who very honestly raise the question of self-defense. This must be placed in perspective. It goes without saying that people will protect their homes. This is a right guaranteed by the Constitution and respected even in the worst areas of the South.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated just two years later on April 4, 1968. His killer, James Earl Ray was a convicted felon (4 convictions from 1949-1959) and an escaped prisoner. The Gun Control Act of 1968, signed the following October would have made it illegal for him to have a gun, but over 40 years of history of failed gun control laws have shown that it probably wouldn't have kept him from obtaining the rifle he used in the murder. This does not detract in the least from the fact that Dr. King was not only a champion of civil rights, but that he believed in the individual right to keep and bear arms and the right of self-defense.

I'll bet you'll never read that in the mainstream media...

-------------------------
Postscript. I should make it clear for those not familiar with my blog, or the history of Dr. King, that I am not in total agreement with him, even though I have a lot of respect for him. He was theologically and politically liberal and believed in big government. However, it is refreshing to find large pieces of common ground with someone with whom I would normally disagree. His commitment to equal rights and personal liberty are both very commendable.

Avatar

2010-01-14T07:50:00.003-07:00

I saw Avatar on opening day and really enjoyed the movie. Because they were so overplayed (and so cliche in Hollywood...), I was ready to dismiss the overt environmentalism, pagan religion, secular humanism, and anti-capitalist, anti-military themes in the movie. The story is really about growing up, about overcoming philosophical handicaps and seeing the world through someone else's eyes. The movie is about getting rid of prejudices and moving past our pre-conceived ideas about who people are.

Maybe that's why this revelation from Cameron's script (posted in several places) really ticked me off. Cameron wrote: "TROOPERS issue automatic weapons and magazines to a long line of mine workers. The miners lock and load like the redblooded redneck NRA supporters they are."

What a hypocrite. He makes a movie about overcoming prejudice, and his script is filled with liberal, communist, envirowhacko, pluralistic, post-modern bigotry.

Avatar is a well-made, well-written, incredible movie experience. The scenery is breathtaking and the main storyline is great. (The plant life on the planet is one big brain, a sentient being who the natives worship as their goddess, which appeals to adherents of secular scientism and new age beliefs - quite an accomplishment.)

Don't bother going to see it.

I like guns

2009-12-23T11:17:00.002-07:00

I just couldn't pass this one up. Merry Christmas!

Sorry I couldn't find the tag to embed it. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TC2xTCb_GU

Global Warming is Natural - 100 Reasons

2009-12-15T21:30:00.003-07:00

I was happy to see this article in the UK's Daily Express today - "Climate Change is Natural: 100 Reasons Why." The list repeats itself in a few places, and some of the reasons are not as strong as others, but overall it is a good summary of why I am a anthropogenic global warming "denier."

Here are some of my favorites from the article:

2) Man-made carbon dioxide emissions throughout human history constitute less than 0.00022 percent of the total naturally emitted from the mantle of the earth during geological history.

3) Warmer periods of the Earth’s history came around 800 years before rises in CO2 levels.

4) After World War II, there was a huge surge in recorded CO2 emissions but global temperatures fell for four decades after 1940.

5) Throughout the Earth’s history, temperatures have often been warmer than now and CO2 levels have often been higher – more than ten times as high.

6) Significant changes in climate have continually occurred throughout geologic time.

7) The 0.7C increase in the average global temperature over the last hundred years is entirely consistent with well-established, long-term, natural climate trends.

10) A large body of scientific research suggests that the sun is responsible for the greater share of climate change during the past hundred years.

15) Professor Plimer, Professor of Geology and Earth Sciences at the University of Adelaide, stated that the idea of taking a single trace gas in the atmosphere, accusing it and finding it guilty of total responsibility for climate change, is an “absurdity”

28) Despite activist concerns over CO2 levels, rising CO2 levels are our best hope of raising crop yields to feed an ever-growing population

<rant>
The earth has been warming and cooling for generations. The "warmers" cherry pick their data, ignoring major factors like the effect of sun and clouds. They use the unlikely extremes as scare tactics, and the ratings driven media is only too happy to pass on the horror stories. Socialist politicians have found a good excuse to manipulate the world economy to their ends. Dissent is crushed by the lie that "the science is settled," even though honest climate scientists admit that the earth's climate is so complex that we are only beginning to understand it. Climate change happens. It's natural. It's got some great benefits. Let's put our money and effort toward ending poverty and hunger around the world by bringing the rest of the world into the 21st century, not dragging everyone else back to the Dark Ages.
</rant>

Gospel Illusions #4 - Invisible Sponge Ball

2009-11-30T10:48:00.002-07:00

Do you have to see to believe? Here I use an invisible sponge ball to show that you don't have to see something to believe it's there!

If you enjoyed this illusion, please share it with some friends!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. Wehadababyitsaboy!

2009-11-14T08:31:00.004-07:00

It is no secret that the Atlantic Monthly is no friend to Christians. In the December issue, Hanna Rosin opines in "Did Christianity Cause the Crash?" that prosperity-"gospel" Christians were one of the causes of our current economic crisis. She gives a number of anecdotal stories as evidence, and even points to the coincidence that the prosperity-"gospel" is popular among African-Americans and Latinos, and those groups were hit especially hard by the mortgage crisis.

Never mind the fact that Democrat supported legislation forced banks to give loans to low-income families who otherwise would be a horrible credit risk. Never mind that predatory lenders were allowed to create exotic loan programs (like interest-only for n years) that allowed ignorant and greedy consumers to purchase more house than they could really afford. Never mind that greedy investors tried to take advantage of those loans to try to buy and flip houses they couldn't really afford, and then got caught with their pants down when the over-inflated market started to collapse.

But then again, I suppose some of those people were probably prosperity-gospel types, so Christ really is to blame for our greed, corruption and over-regulation...

On the other hand, I have to agree with Ms. Rosin's assessment that there is something horribly wrong with the prosperity-"gospel." From the outside looking in, she sees wealthy con-man televangelists encouraging people to engage in a self-help style risk taking based on "faith" which is in reality little more than gambling. She correctly points out that quacks like Joel Osteen sound just like New Age thought:

The advice is exactly like the message of The Secret, or any number of American self-help blockbusters that edge toward magical thinking, except that the religious context adds another dimension.

The prosperity-"gospel" is American Christianity's syncretism. Just like Mexican Catholicism has been merged with Aztec and Mayan pagan religious thought, branches of Evangelical Christianity have been mixed (to varying degrees) with the dark side of Capitalism, namely greed and materialism. It incorporates New Age thinking, that we have God's creative power and can create new realities with our words. To put it bluntly, it is heresy. While salvation comes from Christ, for the prosperity preacher, salvation is more about filling your wallet and living in a nice house than about forgiveness of sins, a new life in Christ, and storing up treasures in heaven. Our treasures on earth are subject to moth and rust, shifting markets and government interference. It's all going to burn one day, and only what's stored in heaven will last!

At the end of her article, Ms. Rosin points people to "the kind of hope that President Obama talks about, and that Clinton did before him—steady, uplifting, assured." She has merely replaced one false gospel for another. Obama's hope is for a godless socialism where the wealthy are taxed to death and the money given to the poor so they will continue to vote for the Democrats.

Real hope is found in Jesus Christ, the real Jesus found in the Bible, not the Rolex-wearing Jesus of the prosperity preachers and not the Marxist Jesus of the social-"gospel" types. Following Christ means trusting Him when the world around us is going crazy, loving the poor by giving them a hand-up, standing for truth and righteousness, and waiting for the day when we take the treasures we have stored up in heaven and laying them at His feet in worship, acknowledging that He is the source of all we have and all we will be.

Calling the Ft. Hood Massacre Terrorism

2009-11-09T16:18:00.003-07:00

This was a terrorist act. Ralph Peters gets it right in "Fort Hood's 9/11" in the Washington Post. (I highly recommend reading the entire article.) This was the act of a fanatical Muslim who tried to contact Al Quaeda, who questioned his patients because of their commitment to the War on Terror, who made radical statements to his co-workers, who listed himself as a Palestinian on a Muslim dating site, and who was evidently under investigation by the FBI for months.

Everyone is so scared of being sued for not being politically correct that no one did anything. No one just snaps. There are an abundance of warning signs, and for whatever reason, Army and FBI officials failed to act. Just like Cho at Virginia Tech, or the snot nose punks at Columbine, or any other mass shooting. There are warning signs for anyone with the guts to recognize and report them.

Call this for what it is - Domestic Islamic Terrorism.

Army Victim Disarmament Zone

2009-11-06T23:06:00.005-07:00

I was shocked and saddened to hear about the brave men and women who lost their lives at the hand of the domestic Islamic terrorist Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan. The AP reported that if it had not been for many brave and selfless heroes, the bloodshed would have been much worse. One paragraph about one of the heroes caught my eye:

The 21-year-old Fort Worth native (Pfc. Marquest Smith) quickly grabbed the civilian worker who'd been helping with his paperwork and forced her under the desk. He lay low for several minutes, waiting for the shooter to run out of ammunition and wishing he, too, had a gun.

Why didn't this brave young man have a gun? He was unarmed because the DoD does not allow anyone without a specific reason to carry a weapon to be armed. All weapons (except personal weapons registered and kept in base housing) must be secured in the post armory. Usually, this means that only Military Police or civilian security forces (like the heroic Kimberly Munley, who shot and stopped the domestic Islamic terrorist) are armed on a base. I served 5 1/2 years in the Air Force, and the only time I was allowed to carry a gun was on the few occasions I was taking weapons training. You could bring a personal weapon on base to shoot at the firing range, but it had to be registered with the SPs, unloaded, locked and stored separately from ammunition, and you had to have a qualified range master on hand if you were using it.

So why did we have so many victims in a building full of highly trained, proficient, experienced warriors, with only a lone gunman with two handguns? They were not allowed to carry the tools to defend themselves. The shooting went on for four minutes after the 911 call was made. What difference would it have made if Pfc. Smith and his courageous compatriots had been carrying sidearms? How many seconds would the terrorist have lasted if they had weapons at the ready? Would the coward Hasan have even tried?

Update, 7 Nov 09:
Several commentators have picked up on this theme, including Gun Rights Examiners Daniel White, Howard Nemerov and Kurt Hoffman. They write with far deeper analysis than mine and arrive at the same conclusions.

Another quote, this time from cnsnews.com:

"I was confused and just shocked," said Spc. Jerry Richard, 27, who works at the center but was not on duty during the shooting. "Overseas you are ready for it. But here you can't even defend yourself."

Gospel Illusions #3: Following Christ

2009-11-01T11:37:00.001-07:00

When we follow Christ, we often have to act differently than the world around us. Here is the double-card turnover used to demonstrate Matthew 16:24 and Ephesians 5:1-2 and how we need to follow Christ even when everyone else is going the other way. My daughter was very patient over the course of several takes. Cards can be slippery and hard to handle. She had some trouble with them too... Practice an illusion until you have it cold before trying it - especially with kids! Be ready for anything!

Gospel Illusions #2: Transformation

2009-11-01T11:34:00.003-07:00

God radically changes someone when they become a Christian. Here are two classic illusions, Scotch and Soda and Penny to Dime, both used to demonstrate the transformation described in 1 Cor 5:17. This is a nice followup to the Color Changing Discs. Kids want to be involved with the illusions, so close-up illusions work well. Listen to my son at the end of the video: they always want to try it themselves! I teach kids the pinch drop coin vanish when they want to learn a trick.

Guilty

2009-10-31T10:36:00.003-06:00

Guilty on all nine charges.

Mr. Senator, Are You Paying Attention?

2009-10-27T17:14:00.001-06:00

Senators Udall and Bennett,

What part of "no public option" are you senators having trouble understanding? Have you forgotten the message you received loud and clear during your recess town hall meetings?

The "public option" on the current Senate version of the health care bill that Senator Reid is pushing is the first step to a socialized medicine nightmare in this country. There are many areas where we can compromise on health care legislation, but the public option is completely unacceptable. No. No! NO! NO PUBLIC OPTION!

Sincerely,

Jeff Odegard
Colorado Springs, CO

Gospel Illusions: Color Changing Chips

2009-10-25T00:19:00.003-06:00

As I explained in a post last year, I have been doing Gospel Illusions for the kids in AWANA every week. I've been thinking about posting a few on YouTube and seeing if there is any interest. Here is my first video, sharing the Gospel with Royal Magic's Color Changing Brass Chips:

Please provide some feedback so I can improve these. I'll post new videos here as they become available.

Liberal vs Conservative - Take 2.

2009-10-13T16:16:00.003-06:00

From an email I received at work:

(Don't miss Take 1, below!)

HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

For those that don't know about history .... Here is a condensed version:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel.. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundation of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:
1 . Liberals, and
2. Conservatives.

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to BBQ at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement..

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the conservatives by showing up for the nightly BBQ's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually evolved into women. Those became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of Democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare.. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most social workers, personal injury attorneys, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud or Miller. They eat red meat and still provide for their women. Conservatives are big game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, engineers, corporate executives, athletes, members of the military, great airline pilots and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans.. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get more for nothing.

Here ends today's lesson in world history:

It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above before forwarding it.

A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self.

Liberal vs Conservative - Take 1.

2009-10-13T16:14:00.004-06:00

From my old friend Adam McManus, in his daily email alert:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CONSERVATIVES AND LIBERALS
If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't` eat meat.
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.
If a liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a person of color is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.
Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
Liberals demand that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God and religion silenced. (Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.
A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

If a conservative slips and falls in a store, he gets up, laughs and is embarrassed.
If a liberal slips and falls, he grabs his neck, moans like he's in labor and then sues.

Sigh...

2009-10-11T13:34:00.002-06:00

Barack Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize, for ??? Not that the Nobel Prize has been worth anything since Yasir Arafat and Al Gore won it. What was once a prestigious award is now meaningless. It would be like giving me a Silver Star just for coming on active duty during the last month of the first gulf war.

On another note, Michael Blomberg, NYC Mayor opposed to the 2nd Amendment, released an investigative report about the so-called "gun show loophole," where several of his investigators broke the law themselves by purchasing guns after claiming that they could not pass a background check. Blomberg thinks we need a federal law to prevent this. However, it's already against the law to sell (even a private sale) a gun to someone who you believe could not pass a background check. How about enforcing the laws we already have?

At least we got some snow this weekend. The frost on the trees was absolutely beautiful this morning!

Please Vote NO on Cass Sunstein

2009-09-09T07:52:00.000-06:00

Senators Udall & Bennett,

As you know, Cass Sunstein has been nominated by President Obama to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. I vehemently oppose his nomination and hope that you will agree with me that he holds radical views that are out of step with common Colorado values.

In a 2007 speech at Harvard University, Professor Sunstein said that he wants to ban hunting, and he intends to do it by regulating it out of existence. He is also strongly supports increased gun control, and downplays the 2nd Amendment. Colorado citizens view the rights to bear arms and to hunt as sacred, and modern wildlife management (including hunting) has given us some of the healthiest wildlife populations in history. We need to enforce current gun regulations and remote those that clearly have no effect on violent crime, not create more.

In a 2007 speech at Harvard, he put animal suffering on the same moral scale as human genocide and slavery. On page 11 of "Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions" (2004), he made the bizarre statement that animals could bring lawsuits against people. This could have devastating effects on farming and ranching in Colorado. Grocery prices are high enough without new, insane government regulations giving Bessie the Milk Cow human rights.

In his 2008 book “Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness” he says that he wants to change organ donation from opt-in to opt-out, which would make the very personal, private choice about organ donation almost no choice at all. Colorado values freedom and personal liberty.

Sincerely,

Jeff Odegard
Colorado Springs

Give back the Helmet

2009-08-26T21:45:00.009-06:00

We picked up a game for the kids at a garage sale. It's a Christian themed game called "Armor of God." Overall, it's a pretty good game. You go around the board trying to collect the 6 pieces of spiritual armor described in Ephesians 6. There are "battle" cards that either give or take away pieces of armor depending on the situation. For example, "you got in trouble at school, but then confessed to your parents. You get the Breastplate of Righteousness." or, "you didn't read your Bible, give back the Sword of the Spirit." It's a kid's game, on the kids' level, so it doesn't have to be perfect.

However, my daughter drew a card and got stuck trying to read a big word, so I took it to read it for her. It read:

You are embarrassed to
let your friends know
that you go to church
on Sundays.

Give back the
Helmet of Salvation.

I just smiled, gave the card to my wife and said, "let's pick another card." My daughter ended up with the sandals or something like that, and we kept playing. I kept the card when we cleaned up and put the game away.

So what's wrong? Can you really lose your salvation by being afraid to tell your friends you go to church? The card is based on a faulty interpretation of Matthew 10:32-33:

32 "Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven."

At first glance, some would jump to the conclusion that for Jesus to deny someone before the Father means that they will lose their salvation, but the passage is saying something quite different. The real question is, what does it mean to have Jesus confess or deny us before the Father?

2 Timothy 2:11-13 says:

11 It is a trustworthy statement:
For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;
12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him;
If we deny Him, He also will deny us;
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Here enduring is contrasted with denying. If we endure, we receive the reward of reigning with Him. If we deny Him, He denies us - denying us the reward of reigning with Him. This is just what Luke 9:26 says: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." It's not about losing salvation, it's about being ashamed before the Father on the day of judgment. Look back at 2 Timothy 2:13. If we are faithless, if we blow it, if we are ashamed and afraid to tell people about Him, He remains faithful to us because of His character. He gives us grace when we blow it because He is gracious, loving and forgiving.

My favorite passage about our security in Christ is Ephesians 1:13-14, which says,

"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory."

We are saved by grace through faith, and the moment we believe we receive the Holy Spirit, who seals us and is the pledge - the down payment - on our salvation. God does not break His promises, and His purpose in this promise is His own glory. You can't give back the Helmet of Salvation any more than you could turn a butterfly back into a caterpillar. At the moment of faith, a fundamental change happens inside you, and "you are a new creature; old things have passed away. Behold! New things have come!" (2 Cor 5:17)

I don't think that card will make it back to the game.

Note: Here is a slightly longer article on the topic of eternal security.

Fox News Still Pushing Soft-Core Porn

2009-08-17T21:06:00.004-06:00

Today's fair and balanced soft core porn from Fox News:

"Olivia Wilde's Potty Mouth" (including "hot" photo spread of Ms. Wilde in various stages of undress.
(Former Playboy Model and Hugh Hefner girlfriend) "Holly Madison Tending Bar!"
Fox "SexPert" "Wetter is Better"
Maxim Monday "Haley's 'Bust-Out' 3-D Role"

Come on Fox! The economy is on the rocks with unemployment and foreclosures are set to skyrocket. Our president is trying to cram a health care plan nobody wants down our throats. Iran and North Korea are pushing for nuclear weapons, and you are trying to make an extra buck pushing porn?

Our society is crumbling around our ears and you're contributing to it. Please, please, clean the trash off your site and focus on the real news.

This just in (well, it was news to me...): The New American, March 20, 2006 reported that Rupert Murdoch has a growing porn empire, including channels on his British Sky network. Come on Mike Huckabee, you're a former Baptist pastor. Come on Glenn Beck, you're a Mormon. Come on Father Jonathan, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, you're good Catholics. Stand up to your boss and tell him Fox news needs to clean up its act!

Open Letter to Fox News

2009-08-12T20:43:00.003-06:00

Letter sent to yourcomments@foxnews.com this evening:

I'm really tired of all the sex and sleaze on foxnews.com. I'm not a prude (but I am a Christian), but how often do I have to see "Playboy bunny wants bigger breasts" on a serious news site? Half of the articles in Features & Faces consistently use sex to draw readers to your news site, and I'm tired of it. I'm a conservative who will find other sites to read.

Besides, since Mr. Murdoch wants to start charging for his websites, I need to wean myself off your site before he does. I refuse to pay for Internet news. That's what your advertisers are for.

Democrat, Republican or Texan?

2009-08-10T22:57:00.013-06:00

I got this in an email at work today, and couldn't pass up posting it!

Are you a Democrat, a Republican or a Texan? The answer can be found by posing the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. You are carrying a Colt 1911 cal. 45 semiautomatic pistol, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. What do you do?

(Image courtesy of Xavier Thoughts)

....................................................
THINK CAREFULLY:
....................................................

Democrat's Answer:

Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Colt have appropriate safety built into it?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me? Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few days and try to come to a consensus.

...................................................
Republican's Answer:

BANG!

...................................................

Texan's Answer:

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!* Click..... (Sounds of reloading)
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click

Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester SilverTips or Hollow Points?'
Son: 'Can I shoot the next one!'

* Note: the original email only had 9 bullets in the 1911 before reloading. The 1911 magazine holds 10. Actually a real Texan would load up 10+1. Also, there would be no "click" when the gun was empty because the slide would lock back and the hammer would be unable to drop, thus no "click". A competent handgunner would also be counting rounds expended and rounds remaining, so the second magazine would be on it's way to the gun immediately after the 11th round (10+1) was fired.**

** The previous note confirms that I am a gun geek. :o}

Things that make me angry...

2009-07-28T07:57:00.005-06:00

This from Telegraph.co.uk today:

"A businessman was held on suspicion of attempted murder after confronting a gang of youths who allegedly threatened to kill his wife and attacked his stepson outside their home.
Colin Philpott was roused from bed and, still barefoot, challenged the group as his stepson, Alex, was battered in the front garden of the family’s £500,000 property.
In the scuffle which followed, one of the youths, named locally as Josh Hasler, was stabbed a number of times and collapsed in the street. Police were called, leading to the arrest of Mr Philpott and five of the youths, aged 16."

A gang of at least 6 punks break into his house, attack his stepson, threaten to kill him and his wife, and he gets arrested for exercising his natural, God-given right to self-defense? According to the liberal nutjobs who run the country, I suppose he should have just rolled over and let them kill his family. Poor, misguided youths; they probably didn't know any better. They're the real victims here.

I hope the bobbies come to their senses, drop all charges and issue an apology, but that would assume a level of common sense that they just don't possess anymore in jolly old England.

Please Vote No on Heath Care Reform

2009-07-18T09:53:00.002-06:00

Senators Bennet and Udall,

I have been watching the progress of the health care debate on Capitol hill and am very concerned, as I was with the Cap and Trade bill, that the proposed bill is a fiscal nightmare waiting to happen. I do not need to provide you with the specific details, but here is a quck list of my concerns:

The CBO has warned of a $1 trillion cost explosion if it is passed. To pay for this, plan is to heavily tax the top tax bracket, which will hurt small businesses and entrepeneurs, further hurting the economy. In fact, it is very probable that taxes will have to eventaully be raised for all Americans (despite the President's pre-election promises) to cover skyrocketing health care bills.
In other countries, nationalizing Health Care has lead to rationing, long waits, lower quality of service, and health care workers leaving the practice. Why is the survival rate for prostate cancer almost 98% in the US, but only 74% in Great Britain? Why are there ridiculously long waits for common surgeries in the UK, Canada and the rest of Europe, but very little wait here in the US? Nationalized Health Care has (like Cap and Trade) been a national disaster in countries that have tried it.
The government has been unable to efficiently and effectively run any other program. I have no reason to believe it will do any better with health care. Nationalized health care will only add a monstrous layer of bureaucracy, control and inefficiency between me and my doctors.
Please look at the list of cons at http://www.balancedpolitics.org/universal_health_care.htm.

Yes, we have a healthcare problem in the US, but it is nothing compared to the problems caused by Nationalized Health Care in other countries. There are better solutions out there that respect individual liberty, privacy, choice and the free market capitalism that has made this country great.

As an additional note, I notice that the Honorable John Thune (R-SD), sponsored Amendment 1618 which was added to the Defense Authorization Bill (S. 1390). It would give individuals with state-issued Concealed Handgun Licences (CHL) reciprocity in all states that allow concealed carry. At this time, CHL reciprocity between states is a constantly changing, confusing mess that puts law-abiding citizens in danger of unknowingly breaking gun laws in various states. Every trip out of state requires researching the current reciprocity and laws of each state I will travel through. Please support Amendment 1618 to SB 1390. Please support the People's Right to Keep and Bear Arms as documented in the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution and upheld in last year's Heller v. Washington D.C. decision.*

I have noticed that support for President Obama is plummeting, especially among independent voters, and that many moderate Democrats are beginning to resist the President's radical agenda in light of the upcoming mid-term elections. I was very interested to hear that Senator Bennet is up for re-election in 2010. I look forward to casting my vote in that election. For the first time ever, I am considering getting personally involved in backing the candidate of my choice.

Sincerely,

Jeff A. Odegard
Colorado Springs

* Note to my blog-readers: The rights outlined in the Bill of Rights are "inalienable" and "natural" rights, inherent to men, women, and children because they are given by God.. The Bill of Rights recognizes, documents, and codifies these rights, but does not grant these rights. On the contrary, the Bill of Rights (like the rest of the Constitution) limits the powers of the US Government and protects the rights of the people and the individual States.

Meaningful Independence Day

2009-07-04T23:28:00.002-06:00

Hope you had a meaningful Independence Day. May God bless the USA according to His grace and not as we deserve.

I wore a teabag on my hat at the parade and street fair in Monument, CO today. Guess that means I'm officially a "bitter clinger," Taxed Enough Already, gone public.

Please Vote No on Climate Bill

2009-06-26T10:21:00.001-06:00

Senators Udall and Bennet,

First, I would like to thank you for your recent vote supporting our right to keep and bear arms, documented in the 2nd Amendment.

Please vote no on the upcoming climate bill. I am a conservationist, outdoorsman, fisherman and hunter. I believe in doing all we can to preserve the environment for future generations. I believe we can accomplish this through responsible land use and common sense legislation. However, this bill is a financial nightmare waiting to happen. I'm concerned about increased taxes which will result in no real impact to the global climate or the environment - only increased taxes and increased government control.

Sincerely,

Jeff A. Odegard
Colorado Springs

Sent to both Senators this morning.

Real Hope and Real Change

2009-05-29T22:31:00.006-06:00

Today we celebrated the life of one of my wife's Cubbies, a little girl of 5 who died last Saturday of an asthma attack. She was a beautiful, spirited little girl, always eager to help and a strong little leader. She struggled with over 30 food allergies, but was always a bright spot in everyone's day.

During the funeral there was a lot of discussion of how happy she is now in Heaven. (She trusted Christ for salvation recently and then followed Him in Baptism only three weeks ago, on the same night my daughter was baptized.) It got me thinking about the Hope we have in Christ- and not just the hope of Heaven, because there is more!

You see, Heaven is a wonderful place, where God wipes every tear from our eyes and where we are finally free from sin, pain and sickness. We get to worship our Creator alongside the angels, and get to see our loved ones who have gone before us. We find incredible bliss and joy in the presence of the Trinity, and can finally know Jesus even as He knows us (1 Cor 13:12)! In Scripture God gives us these tantalizing glimpses of heaven, but then reveals that there is much, much more!

As wonderful as Heaven is, it is only temporary. Contrary to popular, unbiblical Christian mythology, believers will not spend eternity in Heaven, sitting on a cloud strumming a harp. (And we do not become angels, either!) God created us as both physical and spiritual beings,* and to be disembodied, floating around in Heaven, as wonderful as it is, is not how God created us or intended us to be! It's not natural! My friends, we were made for Resurrection!

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul lays out an argument for the Resurrection of Christ and then begins to give us glimpses of our future. He says (v. 20) that Christ is the "first fruits" of the Resurrection, and that our glorified resurrection bodies will be infinitely different from our current bodies. With the imagery of a grain of wheat falling to the earth, dying, then coming back as a beautiful plant, he describes how our bodies will change to become imperishable, immortal, glorious, powerful and spiritual. When does this happen?** When Christ returns:

Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,

“Death has been swallowed up in victory."
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Cor 15:51-55)

Now that my friends is Real Hope and Real Change! We will spend eternity in an amazing New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22)! We will have immortal Resurrection bodies like Christ's. Most importantly, we will see Him face to face and know Him and His love perfectly! That dear little girl is rejoicing with Christ in Heaven right now, but she has so much more to look forward to. And so do we!

---------------
* For the budding theologians out there: I hold a dichotomous/bipartite view of anthropology. We are ontologically one person with one nature having both physical and spiritual aspects. For my trichotomous friends, a word study of soul and spirit will show that the two terms are used interchangeably for the non-material aspect of man and are not distinct. (While you're at it, compare those terms with heart, conscience, mind, and will). Hebrews 4:12, 1 Thes. 5:23 and 1 Cor 2:14ff. need to be understood in light of the rest of Scripture. In perspective, however, the dichotomous / trichotomous discussion is an interesting in-house debate, but definitely not anything worth dividing over!

** 2 Corinthians 5:1-8 makes it almost sound like we receive our Resurrection bodies when we get to heaven, but 1) we need to understand it in light of all of Scripture, including the explicit timing provided in 1 Cor 15:52, 1 Thes 4:16; Rev 20:5, etc and 2) that the main idea in this passage is that we are struggling and have to live our lives in a way that pleases God, in light of the hope He gives us of a better future with Him!. Now another interesting topic is "How many Resurrections are there?"

February 22, 2010 - National Park Day

2009-05-22T22:50:00.002-06:00

The president signed a law into effect today (attached to the credit card reform bill) that will allow concealed carry in many national parks. However, because of the language of the bill, it will not take effect for 9 months, even though the sponsors intended for it to be immediately binding. The Interior Department and National Park Service, who hate the idea of free citizens bearing arms, intend to follow the letter of the law and wait nine months.

Therefore, my ban on visiting National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges will continue until February 22, 2010, when the 2nd Amendment will finally also be valid on Federal lands. See you in Rocky Mountain National Park when the snow clears next Spring. And not a moment before.

OWB Holster for Baby Eagle RS

2009-05-20T07:47:00.008-06:00

This is my latest venture into the world of holster making. (Click on the pictures for a closer look.) It is an Outside the Waistband (OWB) paddle holster with a thumb break snap and two different cants. I built it to carry either openly on my hip or concealed behind my hip. After using the holster for a couple weeks, I actually like the canted setting best for either position. The vertical position is nice because the gun rides a little higher, but the FBI cant is definitely more comfortable for both carry and draw.

I cut the back first, then cut out the top piece on the barrel side of the holster and sewed it on. Then I wet-formed the leather using a plastic bag around the gun, a wooden form and lots of molding with my fingers. After it was dry I dyed the inside, put the front snap (on the back of the holster) and cut out the grip/trigger side and sewed it. Finally, I died the outside and put the back snap on. I covered the back of the back snap with a piece of suede to keep it from scratching the gun. The strip of leather around the mouth of the holster is there partially to provide a little extra stiffness to hold the holster open (a trick from the IWB holster world), and partially for looks. The gun was really tight, so I had to do the "put it in a plastic bag and ram it into the holster" trick. Next time, I'll add another 1/4" to the width of the back piece.

From the back, my stitches don't look as straight. If you compare to my first IWB holster, though, I think I've made some good improvement. The stitching wheel my Dad gave me last Christmas really helped. This was a fun project, but my wife is happy to have me back with the rest of the family and not constantly down in the basement.

Next will probably be a magazine holster for the other hip...

Up on a Ladder...

2009-04-29T22:29:00.000-06:00

Laura and I went to a free dinner last night sponsored by a fire-safety vendor. It was a nice example of someone using FUD (Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt) in a sales pitch. We didn’t buy anything, but enjoyed a nice free meal and a fairly entertaining speaker. I did some fact checking afterward, and found that he was dead on concerning the most common type of smoke detector installed in homes:

“In the early 1990s Texas A&M University did a full scale scientific investigation into the effectiveness of optical and ionization smoke detectors in different types of fires. The study determined that in a smoldering fire, with its relatively low number of large smoke particles, optical detectors fail 4.06 percent of the time, while ionization detectors have a 55.8 percent failure rate. For flame ignition fires, which have a large number of small, energetic smoke particles, ionization smoke detectors had a 3.99 percent probability of failure while optical smoke detectors have a 19.8 percent failure rate.” (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Smoke_detector#Reliability)

Your ionization detector only works 44% of the time in smoldering, smoky fires, and the studies I read show that it takes quite a bit of smoke (upwards of 15 minutes) before they actually go off. Bottom line, if you have plain ionization smoke detectors in your home, head to your favorite home improvement store on your way home and pick up some combination optical/thermal detectors or optical/ionization detectors (for about 96% reliability), one for each level of your house. While you’re at it, pick up a combination Carbon Monoxide/Explosive Gas detector for each area where you have Natural Gas or Propane, and Carbon Monoxide detectors where you have a fireplace or wood stove.

Don’t be penny-wise and pound foolish. Do some research of your own and you’ll find yourself on a ladder installing your new smoke detectors…

Once in a Lifetime

2009-04-18T17:08:00.005-06:00

God has blessed me in many ways, but He has given me a special glimpse of His wisdom and grace this week. Work took me away from my family, the farthest I've ever been from home. I miss them very much and call every chance I get. Work is a good distraction, but the evenings are difficult. I'm really looking forward to being home again.

For the last two nights, I've had the opportunity to go down to the beach where I'm staying and see an amazing animal. I missed the main nesting season, but the Green Sea Turtle mothers are still coming on the beach at night to lay their eggs, and some babies are still hatching. Last night I saw two mama turtles and over 20 babies. Tonight I saw more adults and a few babies, and got a chance to watch as one dug a hole in the sand and laid her eggs.

I suppose you have to be patient to be a sea turtle. In the middle of a 2,500 mile journey to her birthplace, the gentle plant eater takes a couple of hours to fight against the undertow, pull herself slowly up the beach above the tide line, then dig a 18" deep hole, lay her eggs, and then return to the sea. (You certainly have to be patient to watch them!) She dug the hole with her back flippers, dipping them one at a time into the hole, cupping the sand like you would in your hand, then dropping it. Before using that flipper again, she would fling the sand away, and then drop her flipper back into the hole. At the end, she was really stretching to get the hole as deep as she could. The eggs went in so fast, all we heard was a small noise, and then she was turning around , covering the hole as she went. This three foot turtle then went slowly and directly back to the sea, where she disappeared in a wave.

Last night I followed a tiny baby (about the size of the palm of my hand) on its journey to the sea. Our footprints in the sand were ravines to this little lesson in persistence. His journey began probably 3 or 4 days ago when he hatched under those 18 inches of sand. Along with his brothers and sisters, he had to dig up out of the sand and then crawl out of the 2 foot deep nest. Getting out of the nest was like crawling on your belly from the bottom of a quarry. Up and down and around, he kept heading for the light of the sea - I probably followed him for 30 minutes (who knows how far he had already come!). A wave came up over the baby, and then he was gone. Only one out of a thousand live to adulthood, but he never gave up.

Thank you, Lord, for the lessons of patience and persistence, and for getting a glimpse of your Glory in your Creation. I will never forget it.

Me with a Mama green turtle.

Two baby turtles on their way to the sea.

Quickly, Go Tell!

2009-04-12T07:31:00.003-06:00

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you."

And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to report it to His disciples.

Matthew 28:1-8 (NASB)

The greatest truth of Christianity is the literal, bodily Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel, as defined in 1 Corinthians 15, is that Jesus died on the cross according to the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. Death and sin have been defeated. We can have new life in Christ and live and reign forever with Him because of the Resurrection. That's Good News worth telling!

Happy Easter!

Gospel Illusions

2009-04-09T22:40:00.006-06:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, one of my favorite places to do illusions is at church for the kids in our AWANA program. Over this last year, I've used a number of tricks to illustrate a number of Biblical principles. I thought that a blog post would be a good way to capture those and possibly encourage someone else to use some of these old standards in their church. These are some of my favorites:

Cups and Balls - The balls penetrating the stacked cups is used to represent Scripture memorization. As we memorize verses, they eventually move from our head into our hearts where they change us (Rom 12:2). Balls jumping from cup to cup show how, once verses are memorized, God can bring them to mind when they're most needed. The final loads show us that God can take the little verses that we memorize and use them to do amazing things.

Scotch and Soda - The copper coin represents our sinful selves before we knew Christ. Jesus, represented by the silver coin is holy. When we trust Him for salvation, He covers us and changes us. The quarter that replaces the copper coin shows that we are now forgiven and declared righteous. That the quarter is smaller than the copper coin (it appears to have shrunk) shows that we should be humble and not be as prideful as we were before we came to Christ. Ephesians 2:8-10.

Chinese Linking Rings - I use the rings linking together to show how my grandmother told me the Gospel, then I tell the kids, and then they are supposed to tell others, making a chain of faith. "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" 2 Tim 2:2.

Color Changing Brass Chips - This little gem from Royal Magic is a great buy. After doing the black and white jumping from hand to hand bit, I step right into a Wordless Book presentation. Black represents our sinful nature. White represents God's holiness. Jesus came down as God incarnate and (with the black covering the white, the white turns red) died on the Cross for our sins. When we trust Christ, (with the red covering the black, the black turns green) His blood covers our sins and we receive eternal life. Turning the green over reveals yellow/gold, demonstrating that we will spend eternity in heaven with the King. Turning over the red shows blue, representing the Holy Spirit who, like water, helps to keep us clean from sin. (Rom 6:23).

Double Card Turnover - In this trick, a child takes one half of the deck and then does what you do. You each select a card, look at it, hand it to the other person, and they put it in their half of the deck. The illusionist puts both halves of the deck together, and fans them out on the table. To everyone's surprise, the two cards are face up. I always make sure that my card is the King of Hearts, so I can tell the child that as a Christian they'll often have to against the flow, but as long as they follow the King of Hearts, they will be doing the right thing.

Okito Coin Box - The coins seem to escape a little brass box and pass through the box and my hand into theirs. In the same way, God has provided a way for us to escape and be free from sin, "knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin" Romans 6:6-7.

Coin Matrix - Four cards, four quarters. One card is placed over each coin, and then as the cards are lifted, the coins gather, one at a time, under one card. This is a neat parable about fellowship. Christians want to come together and spend time with each other. Hebrews 10:24-25.

There are others. I've had some flops and busts, too. Last week we had Western Day, and I brought my possibles bag as part of my cowboy getup. I started telling them about how the possibles bag held everything a cowboy needed for shooting, starting a fire, etc. My intention was to ask them what things a Christian should have in his or her possibles bag. In the process of them asking about what I had in my bag, I forgot where I was going and launched right into a poorly chosen trick with a totally unrelated message. I don't know what I was thinking, but just have to trust that the Holy Spirit keeps working even when we become "fools for Christ's sake."

A Nice Distraction.

2009-03-24T00:05:00.006-06:00

I've been working on an old hobby. Since I was in junior high, I've been intrigued by illusionists. I picked up Mark Wilson's fat little Cyclopedia of Magic* sometime during high school, and have been hooked ever since. I've been doing magic for my family and friends for years, but this year started doing tricks with Biblical applications for my AWANA Sparks. Between bright K-2nd Graders and some very sharp coworkers, I've been challenged to improve my sleight of hand and presentation skills.

My favorite illusions involve coins. I picked up Bobo's Modern Coin Magic a couple years ago and have really enjoyed making coins appear, disappear, multiply and change. I've always got a couple coins in my pocket "just in case." Some of my favorites are Just Pretend, Scotch and Soda and a little Coins Across routine that explains why I have so much trouble teaching my daughter addition and subtraction. The Coin Matrix is also a favorite.

I also really like Cups and Balls. My sister gave me Mysterio's Encyclopedia of Magic and Conjuring by Gabe Fajuri for Christmas and it has a great section on Cups and Balls. I picked up the I Love Jesus cups in the photo above at a Christian bookstore and the balls from my local magic shop (Blackthorne Magic at Citadel Mall) .

The best part of magic is using it to illustrate Biblical principles. I explain to people that I just do "tricks" to entertain and to teach. When I do it, I'm making it look like something happened when it didn't. When Jesus walked on water and healed people, He really walked on water and healed people! When I do a trick and it looks like the balls passed through the cups, I was just pretending. The point, I'm making, however, is true. When we put God's Word into our heads, it passes through into our hearts and begins to change us from the inside out.

In a future post I'll list some of the illusions I have used and the Biblical principles I've illustrated with them.

---------
* Instead of Cyclopedia of Magic, now I'd suggest a kid start with Wilson's newer Complete Course in Magic. It's expanded and easier to follow, and has a few more advanced routines.

Galatians Published in Christianity Today...

2009-02-23T21:30:00.005-07:00

When I read this post in The Sacred Sandwich, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The satirical premise is that Paul's Epistle to the Galatians was published in Christianity Today, and these are the letters to the editors the following month.

Why has the church fallen in to such a Christian pragmatism? People think that it must be true because it works - never mind how much they have to abuse Scripture to "support" their pet practices. Whatever happened to the idea that experience must be tested in light of God's Word, and then rejected if it is found to be unbiblical?

Why can't we criticize unbiblical attitudes and behaviors without being called unloving? In Ephesians, Paul tells us to "speak the truth in love." It's like two wings on an airplane - you can't be truly loving without the truth, and to tell the truth without a humble, loving attitude is unChristian. When did the Truth of God's Word become so unfashionable in the Church?

So, do I laugh or do I cry?

From the Mouths of Babes

2009-02-16T22:33:00.001-07:00

4 Handed Guitar...

2008-12-22T19:47:00.002-07:00

It's been too long. My fingers are soft - I can't play for more than 10 minutes without my fingers hurting, but I still enjoy good guitar. Here's a little fun with Mozart:

Let's Visit a National Park Next Year

2008-12-06T10:32:00.004-07:00

The Interior Department is changing a 25 year old ban on concealed carry in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. The rule will take place mid-January before B. Hussein Obama takes office. As long as the new administration does not change the rules, my family and I will probably be visiting Rocky Mountain National Park next summer. My ban on visiting National Parks will be lifted the same day the ban is lifted.

Of course, you still have the crowds, crime, and pollution that have made me prefer national forests and state lands. But, there are some really pretty places to see, and now my family will get to enjoy some of them.

Happy 90th Birthday!

2008-11-07T17:55:00.008-07:00

One of my all time heroes, Billy Graham, evangelist and Christian leader, turned 90 today. I know he'll probably never read my blog, but I want to wish him a big Happy Birthday anyway. He is a man whose faith, integrity, and steadfastness of purpose have inspired me since I was a teenager. I remember watching one of his crusades when I was in high school, and thinking - he believes what I do, but I want more of what he's got!

Presidents and world leaders have sought his counsel, but he has remained humble. While huckster televangelists soaked people for millions, he lived on a modest income. While the world wrestled with agnosticism and postmodernism, he remained devoted to the truth of God's word.

May God raise up more men and women like him!

An American Tragedy

2008-11-04T23:04:00.004-07:00

While many celebrate tonight in Chicago's Hyde Park and around the country, some of us mourn. We mourn the coming loss of liberty. We mourn the coming loss of morality. We mourn the coming loss of prosperity.

Bitterly clinging to my guns and religion for four more years, until change for the better.

Obama Doesn't Tolerate Dissent

2008-10-31T09:55:00.002-06:00

Once again, Obama punishes reporters who dare to disagree with him. It's really too bad the mainstream media is so infatuated with him, or he probably wouldn't have made it out of the primaries.

Hey Obama Supporters - Economics 101

2008-10-31T08:11:00.000-06:00

Redistribution Applied!

2008-10-30T22:17:00.002-06:00

My old friend Adam McManus, conservative Christian talk radio host from San Antonio, sent out this little gem in his email alert today!

(interesting e-mail from an anonymous person)

Today on my way to lunch I passed a homeless guy with a sign that read "Vote Obama, I need the money." I laughed.

Once in the restaurant my server had on an Obama 08 tie, again I laughed as he had given away his political preference just imagine the coincidence.

When the bill came I decided not to tip the server and explained to him that I was exploring the Obama redistribution of wealth concept. He stood there in disbelief while I told him that I was going to redistribute his tip to someone who I deemed more in need -- the homeless guy outside. The server angrily stormed from my sight.

I went outside, gave the homeless guy $10 and told him to thank the server inside as I've decided he could use the money more. The homeless guy was grateful.

At the end of my rather unscientific redistribution experience I realized, the homeless guy was grateful for the money he did not earn, but the waiter was pretty angry that I gave away the money he did earn even though the actual recipient deserved money more.

I guess redistribution of wealth is an easier thing to swallow in concept than in practical application.

Obama the Socialist

2008-10-28T19:14:00.004-06:00

This was a headline on FoxNews.com a couple days ago, with a quote from Barack Hussein Obama's memoir Dreams from my Father. First we have his "spread the wealth" quote with Joe the Plumber. Next we have him in saying in a 2001 interview that he was disappointed that the Supreme Court did not do more to overcome the limitations the US Constitution placed on the state and federal governments. Listen to the actual radio interview in its full context in the YouTube clip below. (Of course, the Obama campaign's response is that this is a "manufactured issue.")

I've said it before, I'll say it again: Barack Hussein Obama is a socialist, a Marxist of the first order. He doesn't like the fact that the Constitution places limits on the State and Federal Governments.

To give you an idea of some of the issues that top his legislative agenda for his presidency, here are some of the bigger laws that he wants to see pass (and with a Democratic super-majority in the House and Senate, the rest of us won't have a choice):

Freedom of Choice Act: FOCA will repeal most of the pro-life laws, including parental notification and the ban on partial birth abortion. Apparently 46 million children slaughtered in the name of choice is not enough. (Obama voted 4 times against the Infant Born Alive Protection Act in the Illinois Senate.)

Hate Crimes Legislation: So much for freedom of speech. Under Obama it will become illegal to voice the opinion that homosexuality is an unhealthy, unbiblical lifestyle. Preaching the seven passages in the Bible that condemn homosexuality could be construed as "inciting violence against a minority."

Fairness Doctrine: Liberals cannot compete in the marketplace of ideas, and with the now openly liberal mainstream networks, the Democrats are planning on bringing back the "fairness doctrine" which will require stations to run "balanced" coverage of the issues. Unfortunately, their definition of balanced and ours are incredibly different. They think Jon Stewart and Keith Olbermann are centrist... This would require our favorite radio stations to put a liberal on the air with equal time with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and the like. So much for freedom of speech, again.

Comprehensive Sex Education: Want your 5 year old Kindergartener learning about the birds and the bees? Forget about any balanced discussions of abstinence versus "safe" sex - this will turn sex education from K-12 over to Planned Parenthood, who by the way, makes money when a pregnant teenager comes to them for an abortion. What a marketing tool for them! What a disaster for our children!

Gun Control Legislation: As a State Senator, Obama voted 4 times to reduce the rights of law-abiding citizens to use guns to defend themselves. He opposed semi-automatic shotguns and pistols, and wanted to ban rifle hunting ammunition because it is "armor piercing." Biden says Obama won't take our guns away, but looking at his record, it's really hard to believe otherwise. He even suggested that the police should be allowed to go door to door to search for and confiscate "illegal" weapons. So much for the 4th amendment.

So much for the 1st, 2nd, and 4th amendments. Since he has so little regard for the rest of the Constitution, I won't be surprised when he starts trashing the rest of it too.

We Voted!

2008-10-25T22:37:00.005-06:00

We went and participated in early voting Thursday evening. With the longest Colorado ballot since 1904 and what is certain to be a contentious, high turnout election, we decided to beat the lines and vote early. Here is my recap, especially for those who are still going to vote here in Colorado.

Candidates: Although it goes against my independent streak, straight ticket Republican this year. The deception, scare tactics and voter fraud on the part of the Democrats has been terrible. Obama the Communist terrifies me. I just wish I could have voted Palin-McCain rather than McCain-Palin.

Ballot Measures: (Take a cheat sheet with you when you vote - you'll never have time to read all of them in the booth!) Since there's so many of these, I'll try and keep it short.

Colorado Amendments

46 - Yes - Colorado Civil Rights Initiative - No preferential treatment based on race, sex, or ethnicity for state hiring, education, or contracts. Well, duh!

47 - Yes - Right to Work - Outlaws agreement requiring union workers to pay union fees for union representation. Workers cannot be forced to join a union in order to get a job. You should see the scare tactics the labor unions have been using on this one... Liberty!

48 - YES - Definition of Person - Defines human life as beginning at fertilization. Let's have our policies line up with what science has been telling us for the last 20 years. At the moment of conception it is a unique human life. It's a baby!

49 - Yes - Public Payroll Standards - Ban governments from taking deductions directly from employee paychecks for any nongovernmental special interest group. See number 47, above.

50 - No - Expanded Gaming - Allow casino towns to vote on whether to increase bet limits to $100 from $5, expand hours of operation and add games. Doesn't anybody see the damage gambling does to families and neighborhoods where casinos operate?

51 - No - Sales Tax for disabled services - Increase the state sales tax (by 2 cents on every $10) to fund services for those with developmental disabilities. Either I'm a heartless monster or I think that the state already has funds for this - tied up in various pork projects and wasteful spending.

53 - Yes - Severance Tax Reallocation for Transportation - Improvements to I-70 in the mountains, which improves roads without increasing taxes. Although I think this is part of a government shell game, they're not increasing taxes to do it, and I-70 definitely needs the work.

54 - Yes - Campaign Finance Curbs - Bar sole-source government contractors and unions with exclusive bargaining powers from making contributions to political candidates. This is a "no" to graft and corruption. See 47 and 49, above.

58 - Hell No - Severance Tax - Governor Ritter's huge tax energy tax increase. And the Democrats say they don't want to tax the middle class. What the heck is this? Tax and Spend Liberalism at its finest.

59 - No - K-12 Schools Funding - Increased taxes, but the legislature spent the money this is replacing elsewhere. This is a classic tax and spend shell game. We won't vote to raise taxes for the projects they shifted the funds to, but they cry about the suffering children in the schools and everyone's heart breaks. Put the money back where it belongs and fund your pork out of your own pockets!

Referendums

L - No - Reduce the age of a Colorado legislator from 25 to 21. These knuckleheads are already inexperienced enough.

M - Yes - eliminate obsolete provisions in the state constitution about land value increases. I read the provisions. They don't make sense, so remove them. Now, keep going and keep removing laws that don't make sense or are offensive to rational citizens...

N - Yes - eliminate obsolete provisions in the constitution about intoxicating liquor. Ditto for M.

O - No - Increases the number of people required to sign petitions for constitutional amendments. Let's see, government doesn't want the people interfering with its business, so make it harder for the people to submit constitutional amendments for the rest of the people to decide on. Oh NO!

El Paso County Issues

1A. Hell NO! - 1% Sales Tax Increase - The largest tax increase in county history - *doubles* the county sales tax from 1% to 2%. They claim it's for essential and emergency services, but they're asking for way too much. Clean out the government waste and your pet projects and come back with a more reasonable request and we'll talk about it.

Colorado Springs City Ballot Issues

#200 - Yes - Rescinding Stormwater Fees - The stormwater fees aren't much, but they were an end-around of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights (TABOR). If you need the money, show us your budget and convince us a tax increase is necessary. Don't try to pull a fast one and call a tax a "fee."

#201 - Yes - Rescind Non-Voter Approved Taxes - The title is pretty self-explanatory.

Blackballed by Obama/Biden

2008-10-25T22:29:00.002-06:00

What happens when you ask the Obama campaign tough questions? You get blackballed. No more interviews, sorry. Why are they afraid of hard questions? Of course, when you get used to the mainstream media throwing you softballs all the time, I can imagine you'd get upset when a real journalist asks some tough questions:

More discussion here. Let's see.

Is "spreading the wealth around" Marxist? Yes.

Is Obama a socialist? Yes.

Can we expect suppression of free speech under an Obama presidency? Absolutely.

Another Reason to Carry in National Parks

2008-10-13T06:59:00.002-06:00

FoxNews reported on Saturday that Mexican Drug Cartels, hurt by post-9/11 border security, are now growing marijuana on public lands, including National Parks and Forests up and down the West Coast, Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. According to AOL News, "The pot growers pose a risk to the public. In some cases, growers are operating near campgrounds, roads and beaches. " According to King5 News in Washington State, "Agents go in heavily armed knowing the growers often are too." It seems the drug cartels have to watch out for "patch pilots," competing drug dealers who steal from their crops, so they often post armed guards on the site to shoot anyone who comes nosing around, like you and your family out for a nice Fall hike.

But law abiding citizens with concealed carry permits are not allowed to bring loaded concealed weapons into National Parks? It sounds like some National Parks are not the "completely safe" places that the liberals have been leading us to believe.

Puh-leaze!

McCain vs Freddie and Fannie, 2006. Nuff Said.

2008-10-12T19:43:00.002-06:00

The Truth About the Economic Mess

2008-10-03T18:50:00.004-06:00

Who caused the current economic mess? Barack Hussein Obama says it's John McCain and the Republican policy of deregulation. Palin didn't even respond to Biden during the debate last night when he made that claim. The real causes?

Social engineering. Political correctness. Regulation. The Democrat's own risky, socialist housing policies, forcing banks to make subprime loans to those who in all financial reality should never have received a loan in the first place.

Check this out:

If McCain doesn't rip Obama on this during the debates, something is very wrong. He needs Ross Perot charts, mass TV marketing, and web sites with all the gory details.

Priceless!

2008-09-09T09:11:00.007-06:00

Needles and Leather Thread - $4
Scrap Leather from Tandy - $8
Metal Clip from a Cheap Nylon Holster - $Free
Free time while I'm looking for work - $Expensive
Having enough leather left to do another one - $Priceless!

I have been wanting an Inside the Waistband (IWB) holster for quite awhile now, but options are limited to get a leather holster built specifically for my Magnum Research Baby Eagle. My Dad used to do leather work as a hobby, and recently made himself a holster for his Ruger Super Blackhawk when he couldn't find a crossdraw holster exactly like he wanted. (Of course, Dad has all the right tools so his looks 100 times better than mine...) Since I'm out of work and money is pretty tight, I decided to give it a try myself. The result is a sub-$10 holster that would cost me at least $70 new. Admittedly, mine doesn't have quite the same fit and finish as the commercial ones, but for something that is hidden by my clothes and is actually pretty comfortable, I'm very happy.

One of the things I really wanted, but is hard to find, is a flap that covers the rather sharp tang on the back of the Baby Eagle. I didn't want it digging into my side all day. The other thing I was looking for was a fairly strong cant to the holster. However, after making it, the one thing I would change is to increase the cant even more - to somewhere around 30 degrees or more. The "FBI Cant" is really comfortable wearing it just behind the hip on the strong side. The last requirement was a holster stiff enough to stay open so I can re-holster the weapon one handed. The extra layer of leather on the outside works perfectly!

I'm going to use the leftover leather to make an OWB (outside the waistband) holster for hunting and the range. I still like my fanny pack, but this gives me a few more options, especially when I need to dress up a little more for work. (That is, when I get my next job.)

Why buy it when you can make it yourself, and have fun doing it?

New Scope - Sightron SI HHR 3-9x40

2008-07-20T22:35:00.006-06:00

My new scope is on its way, a Sightron S1 with their new Hunter Holdover Reticle (HHR). I picked the scope because for the price, reviews said Sightron's optics were very comparable with many more expensive scopes. I looked at one at a local shooting store before ordering it (for $40 less, not counting tax...) online. You can't beat free shipping.

One of the things I was really excited about was the ballistic holdover reticle, which allows you to determine where to hold the Point of Aim (POA) for different ranges. Of course, it's set for the ballistics of a particular factory ammo, but with a little tinkering and handloading with my Savage 11GL in 308 Winchester, I should be able to determine the appropriate ranges for each of the hash marks.

Another reason for choosing the ballistic reticle was that it can be used for determining the range to target for objects of known size. The military uses the mil-dot system, which uses equally spaced dots of a specific size across the vertical and horizontal axes to determine windage and elevation as well as distance to target. The problem with it is that you either have to have a spotter to do the math for you, or you have to carry ballistics cards to simplify the process. I wanted something a little easier. Since hunting is a little more forgiving than target shooting (especially at the ranges I'm capable of actually hitting anything!), I figured that it would be possible to use the HHR reticle to get a good approximation of the range to my target - a deer or an elk.

Sightron's website has the dimensions for the reticle at both 3x and 9x power at 100 yards, so a little simple algebra in Excel, and a little graphics wizardry in PowerPoint, and I came up with the following chart (click to see it full size). (I also have one for Elk). According to Chuck Hawks, the average size of a deer from back to chest is 18 inches. (An elk averages 24 inches.) The resulting chart lets me set the scope at either 3x or 9x, then based on the measured size of the animal, tell approximately the range of the deer. I added in the Point of Aim (relative to the scope reticle, not the deer in the image!) to help me remember the amount of holdover for that range. A little practice, and memorizing my charts, and hopefully I'll be able to get a good working estimate for range and holdover very quickly when I'm in the field. The little X's on the diagram are to show that those are outside the view of the scope, out of range for my level of skill, or beyond the responsible killing ability of the ammunition.

For those who are wondering, I based the holdover on the averages of ballistics data from available over the counter loads from Winchester and Remington. Once I work up my handloads, I'll adjust the diagram accordingly.

Graduation!

2008-05-10T23:18:00.003-06:00

I have finally finished my Master of Arts in Biblical Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary! It has been quite a ride for the last 7 years. I started seminary a year after getting married, and my two kids (3 and almost 5) have never had a daddy who was not in school. For those reasons, and because I'm just plain tired, we're going to take a one year break before pursuing any kind of full-time ministry. My backpack has hung in the garage for seven years, and I need to teach my family how to camp!

I would appreciate your prayers for the Lord Jesus Christ to give us a restful year, and for Him to show us where He wants us when the time comes. My passions are for discipling new Christians and young leaders, and counseling the hurting.

Over the last seven years I have learned not just Bible and theology, but how to approach Biblical and theological issues in a way that produces fruitful change in me and the ones to whom I minister. I am grateful to my professors, the seminary, and mostly to the One who has called me onwards and upwards. To Christ be the glory.

Happy Patriot's Day!

2008-04-19T23:04:00.004-06:00

April 19th, 1775, Old North Bridge, Concord, Massachusetts. The shot heard around the world began this nation's fight for independence. This day is a powerful reminder of many important beliefs I have. The first, and most important to me, is "No king but King Jesus!"

John Ashcroft was roundly criticized for his "No King but Jesus" speech at Bob Jones University, but he was only reminding us of our colonial and Revolutionary War heritage. In a 1774 report to King George, the Governor of Boston noted: "If you ask an American, who is his master? He will tell you he has none, nor any governor but Jesus Christ." The pre-war Colonial Committees of Correspondence soon made this the American motto: "No King but King Jesus." And this sentiment was carried over into the 1783 peace treaty with Great Britain ending that war, which begins "In the name of the most Holy and Undivided Trinity... ." (Catholic Education Resource Center)

(Is the United States a Christian nation? - No. Just read the news and anyone can see that it is not. Was it founded by mostly Christians based on Christian principles? - Yes!)

The second belief enshrined in that first gunshot is that free men have the God-given right to own and carry arms for self-defense and the preservation of liberty. The minutemen were massing arms (including cannons), ammunition and supplies for war, and the British were on their way to confiscate them. Before you can subjugate a populace, you have to disarm them. Adolph Hitler understood it. Josef Stalin understood it. King George understood it, and learned the hard way what happens when tyrants encounter free men with liberty in their hearts and guns in their hands.

The third idea I find in the hearts of the patriots is that of liberty - the desire to live a life of freedom. This is not libertine freedom - the freedom to do whatever we want, regardless of what happens to others. Government is given by God to "bear the sword" (Rom 13:4) and punish evildoers, but not to be a source of fear for the law-abiding citizen. Our freedom is the freedom to do what is right, loving God and loving each other without fear of a tyrant telling us what we will do, what we will believe, or what we will think.

Happy Patriot's Day! Wouldn't it be great if it was a national holiday?

No king but King Jesus!

Feedback for Walmart

2008-04-15T22:33:00.002-06:00

I left the following feedback on the Walmart site today:

Dear Sir or Madam,

I was deeply disturbed to hear about the changes in Walmart's policies regarding the sale of firearms and related products. Because of your competitive prices, I have been purchasing all of my practice ammunition for both handgun and rifle at your stores as well as a number of shooting, fishing and camping accessories, and was strongly considering buying a hunting rifle from you next month as well.

Your new policy of videotaping all firearm sales as well as creating a computerized log of all firearm sales is an unnecessary invasion of my privacy. In order to purchase a firearm I already have to show a valid picture ID, fill out an extensive information form and submit myself to an instant background check. The measures you are taking will have a negligible effect on reducing the number of "straw purchases" of guns to be used by criminals - the buyers will simply shop somewhere else. All that these measures will accomplish is costing you the business of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding sportsmen.

I will not shop from your outdoors department again until you rescind these unnecessary policies that only serve to invade my privacy and drive away loyal customers. Any additional cost is well worth my privacy.

Sincerely,

Jeff Odegard
Colorado Springs, CO

2008-04-12T10:24:00.004-06:00

Barack Hussein Obama, running for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States said last Friday in Pennsylvania:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them... And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

So, in his thinking, religious beliefs and second amendment support are on the same level as bigotry and hatred for immigrants. Faith is nothing more than a crutch for poor, embittered small-town hicks.* The right to keep and bear arms is an anachronism clung to by backwoods peasants. (In 1996 Obama supported a ban on the sale and transfer of all handguns or any semi-automatic weapons. He opposes concealed carry and the right to self-defense.)

How anyone could support such a pompous, condescending communist, I will never know. I sincerely hope Hillary wins the Democratic primary, dividing and destroying the Democrat party in the process, and that McCain can choose a true conservative as a running mate who can lead the party back to its roots.

* For the record, I grew up in a town of about 2,000 people in Montana.

Dancing Bears

2008-04-05T10:40:00.004-06:00

While checking out the news this morning, I stumbled on this bear video on LiveScience.com. I showed the kids and they thought it was hilarious. So enjoy!

Concealed Handguns Increase in Colorado

2008-03-11T22:29:00.004-06:00

According to a report released this week, the number of concealed handgun permit (CHP) applications in Colorado jumped by over 50% last year, and in El Paso County (the Colorado Springs area) went up 87%. (I personally contributed to that number last August!) There are now about 8,400 active concealed handgun permits in El Paso County, about 1.46% of the population, or 1 in every 68 people.

A graph of the monthly application statistics showed spikes in applications immediately following the February 2007 Utah mall shooting, the April Virginia Tech massacre, and the December New Life Church shooting. A Monument (just North of Colorado Springs) area politician also said that the increased number of CHP applications was due to encroachments on 2nd Amendment rights.

Why did I get a permit? Was I scared by the news? Was I upset about my rights eroding before my eyes? Was I on some kind of mid-life crisis, macho paramilitary kick? No, no, and no. (I'm not yet old enough for a mid-life crisis!) I have a family. If something happens, I have the responsibility to protect them. The news has taught me that by the time the police usually show up, it's already over. As an outdoorsman, I enjoy shooting. I'm a hunter. I treasure my constitutional rights. But beyond all that, I know that this world can be an incredibly dangerous place, and I have a wife and little ones to protect. I also have a larger responsibility to my community - not as some sort of vigilante who goes looking for trouble - but as someone who does not hesitate to defend the weak and needy and make our community a safer place. It's also a Biblical responsibility - see Proverbs 31:9; Isaiah 1:17; Luke 11:21 and others. (Don't get on me about the context of the verse from Luke. I know what it is, but the statement of fact still stands!)

All states except Illinois, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia allow their law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns if they jump through the necessary hoops of training, background checks and application fees. (Vermont is unique in that any law-abiding citizen may carry concealed - no permit required!) Everywhere that concealed carry has passed, crime rates have dropped. Criminals have to wonder, "is this guy one of the 1 in 68 here with a permit?" (Or one of those unnumbered libertarian souls who believe the 2nd Amendment is their concealed carry permit!) Is the owner of this home or business armed? It makes them think twice and the crime rate drops.

Concealed carry is a good thing! If you don't already, look into it!

Another Campus Shooting...

2008-03-06T13:40:00.005-07:00

There was another campus shooting - in Jerusalem. An armed terrorist attacked Jewish seminary students killing 8 and wounding 9, 3 seriously. The terrorist was shot - by a student with a handgun. (The original reports said he used a rifle.)

One of the students, Yitzhak Dadon, said he shot the attacker twice in the head. "I laid on the roof of the study hall, cocked my gun and waited for him. He came out of the library spraying automatic fire," he said. (source: FoxNews.com)

Apparently the terrorist was finished off by an Israeli Defense Force member who lives nearby.

I don't know, but it sounds like guns on campus can make a difference for the better.

Pray for the victims and their families. Pray for students and faculties of American universities to be allowed to defend themselves.

Updates: 8 Mar 08

Several outlets are reporting on the fact that the mainstream media is downplaying the fact that a student with a gun played a role in stopping the terrorist.

See the CCRKBA and the WorldNetDaily pieces.

Add Yitzhak Dadon to the list of CHL/CCW heroes that includes Jeanne Assam (heroine of the New Life Church shooting) and many other unsung heroes.

The Only Choice for President

2008-02-05T23:02:00.001-07:00

Tonight we participated in our precinct Republican caucuses here in Colorado Springs. It was a little different, considering that in Texas you vote in the primaries almost exactly like you vote in a general election. You go in, show your ID (a very good thing!) and go and submit your picks. Here, it's a precinct meeting, with lots of boring legalese, discussion of the process, etc. It's definitely not a kid-friendly environment - we took the kids, kept them quiet for the 10 minutes leading up to the presidential straw poll, put in our votes and then left. By now, you've seen the pictures, so you know that we voted for Mike Huckabee. Let me tell you why.

First of all, he plays bass guitar. It has a much bigger cool-factor than a saxophone any day. :o}

Seriously, we have listened to all the conservative talk show hosts say, "a vote for Huckabee is a vote for McCain." Well, at this point, Romney and Huckabee's delegates together only come to half of McCain's. We had to vote our conscience.

Ron Paul is a no-brainer. He is absolutely clueless and isolationist when it comes to national defense and the very real threat that radical Islam poses to our nation and the rest of the free world. As a Libertarian, he is also on the wrong side of most moral issues that are important to us. However, I like his ideas for limited government, even if they are probably a bit extreme...

John McCain is a RINO (Republican in Name Only, a Democrat in Republican clothing). Bills like "McCain-Feingold" and "McCain-Kennedy" should tell you everything. He is on the wrong side of moral issues, limited government and fiscal issues. If McCain gets the nomination, I can state categorically that I will be looking for a third party candidate, even if it means throwing the election to Clinton/Obama. I will never vote for the man.

Mitt Romney is a fiscal conservative and strong on national defense, but supports a ban on so-called assault rifles, supported tax-payer funding for abortions, supported gay marriage in Massachusetts, and only recently "saw the light" when it comes to abortion - very conveniently in time for his presidential bid. Just for the record, his Mormonism has nothing to do with my decision - his record on moral and second amendment issues has everything to do with it.

Mike Huckabee is strong on national defense, and has a strong history supporting an end to abortion, support for a national marriage amendment, support for second amendment rights, including opposing a ban on so-called assault rifles. I am concerned that he is not as fiscally conservative as I like, but has promised to push for tax cuts which will strengthen the economy. On the other hand, he is so strong on the issues I care most about that I can overlook his other shortcomings. None of the other candidates even come close!

Vote your conscience. Vote Huckabee!

And that's the way you do it...

2008-02-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

There is an ongoing debate in this country whether law-abiding concealed handgun permit holders should be allowed to carry concealed weapons on school campuses - elementary through the university level. Never mind that those who take the effort to get the training and background checks and spend the money to get the permit are far less likely to engage in violent crimes than the rest of the general population. (The statistic from Florida is that permit holders are 300 times less likely to commit a violent crime with a firearm.)

In Israel, this debate has been over for decades, and their decision works. In a January 25th article, IsraelInsider reported that two armed Palestinian terrorists broke into an Israeli high school and attempted to take hostages. If this happened in the US, the result would be catastrophic. Who knows how many would be shot, blown up, kidnapped or traumatized. In Israel, the result is two dead terrorists killed by armed counselors, and minor injuries suffered by the two counselors who resisted. By the time the authorities were notified and arrived on scene, the danger was over and the kids were safe.

Psychopaths, terrorists, and criminals of all types need to know that schools (and malls, and churchs, and everywhere else) are unsafe places - for them. Children should know that those responsible for caring for them are capable of protecting them, and that school is a safe place where they can focus on reading, writing, 'rithmatic, not wondering what unstoppable threat is coming next through the classroom door.

My New Job!

2008-01-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to report that after three months of honey-do's and belt-tightening, I'm starting a new job on Monday. I will be working for Project Performance Corporation, a McLean, VA consulting company. I will be doing security consulting for Compassion International, a Christian ministry dedicated to bringing children around the world out of poverty in the name of Christ. I am very excited about both PPC as a company and getting to work supporting a wonderful Christian ministry here in Colorado Springs.

Laura has supported children through Compassion for years, even before we were married. She sponsored a little girl in Africa, then after we were married we sponsored a girl in Guatemala, and now a girl in Honduras. It has been a very worthwhile investment, seeing these girls grow up, being educated, given health care, food, and most importantly, being introduced to a relationship with Christ. If you've never considered sponsoring a child, please think about it today!

The Odegard Advent Wreath

2007-12-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

Every year now we have an Advent Wreath at our house. We are using the candles to teach our kids the meaning of Christmas. We start on December 20th, and light one candle at supper each night, ending on Christmas Eve. It really creates a sense of anticipation as the Holy-Day draws near. As the kids get older, we'll take them deeper into the symbolism, but for now it's pretty simple. The Blue (or purple) symbolizes Christ's royalty.

The first candle (bottom center) is the Candle of Anna & Simeon, who were waiting for the promised Messiah, just like we are waiting for Christmas to come. It is the candle of Prophecy and Hope. (Isaiah 9:2-9; Romans 15:12-13; Micah 7:7)
The second candle (bottom left) is the Candle of Joseph and Mary, Jesus' mommy and step-daddy. The candle holder is shaped like the star of David to remind us of Christ's royal lineage. This is also the candle of Peace. (Micah 5:1-2, 4-5; Isaiah 7:14)
The third candle is the Candle of the Angels and Shepherds. It is Rose colored because of the joyous message, and is called the candle of Joy. (Luke 2:7-15)
The fourth candle is the Candle of the Wise Men, who came to worship the newborn Christ. It is the candle of Worship and Love. (John 3:16; 1 John 4:19)
The center, white candle is the Candle of Christ, the Candle of Faith. He is the answer prayers for Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. It is the candle for Jesus' Birthday! (John 1:29; 3:1-8; 8:12; Isaiah 9:2; Matthew 5:15)

May you and yours have a wonderful Christmas Season!. Merry CHRISTmas from the Odegard's!

Defending the Church Against Maniacs, Crooks, and Others

2007-12-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Authorities have finally released Matthew Murray's reasons for killing innocent Christians at the YWAM center in Arvada and at New Life Church here in Colorado Springs last weekend.

“I’m coming for EVERYONE soon and I WILL be armed to the (expletive) teeth and I WILL shoot to kill. . . . God, I can’t wait till I can kill you people. Feel no remorse, no sense of shame, I don’t care if I live or die in the shootout. All I want to do is kill and injure as many of you . . . as I can especially Christians who are to blame for most of the problems in the world.”

How do you defend against someone like this? He is obsessed, furious, and beyond reason. He has a plan in place, has equipped himself (a rifle, two pistols, smoke grenades and backpack with 1,000 rounds of ammunition), and doesn't care if he lives or dies. When he shows up at the dorm, or the church, or the shopping mall, or the playground, you can't reason with him. You can't say, "hey, let's talk about this over a cup of coffee." Your only option is to respond with force the moment the threat is identified. You shoot to stop and you don't stop until he does. It doesn't matter if he is a homicidal maniac, a thief with a gun, a fanaticist strapped with explosives or a mugger with a knife. Life is a precious gift from God, and your life and the lives of those you are defending outweigh his a hundred times over.

For churches, there are a number of things to consider. There are several threats that must be considered. The staff needs to develop contingency plans (including responses to each identified threat, fallback plans, plans for communication and notification, etc.) and train staff members what to do in case of an emergency (including medical emergencies - CPR and first aid). Threats could include anything from:

power outages
accidental fires and floods
hecklers
vandals
thieves and con artists
arsonists
bomb threats
armed attackers

(against the preaching pastor, staff, or congregation in general)

suicide bombers or car bombs
hostage takers

The church needs to consider all entrances and exits and how to protect them. If a situation arises, where should the people in the sanctuary, adult Sunday School, and children's ministry be taken? Where are the fallback positions in case the first place is unsafe? Who determines if an evacuation is safe or if people need to remain in secureable areas in the building. How will the staff and security team communicate? Will the security staff be uniformed or plainclothes, openly carry arms, carry concealed, or be unarmed? Will the church hire permanent staff, off-duty law enforcement or use trained volunteers (or some mix of the three)? How much training and preparation is required for safety, effectiveness and legal liability purposes? What information should be given to the congregation? Are there physical measures that can be implemented (like proper lighting at night or concrete posts in front of the building to protect against car bombers)? What are the best positions to post security staff? What areas of the building are most vulnerable to specific threats?

Matthew Murray sent threatening emails to YWAM before the attack, and made hate-filled posts to an anti-Christian website just before and after the Arvada attack. Does the staff know how to identify warning signs like this and know who to notify? Can they distinguish between someone acting suspiciously and some poor guy just looking for a handout? After hearing about the attacks in Arvada, New Life Church beefed up their security and it paid huge dividends in human life. They identified a possible threat and took action to protect their people, even at the risk of looking silly in the eyes of some.

I need to caveat this post with a disclaimer - I am not an expert on physical security - I'm a network security professional, but I am also a gun owner who has thought a great deal about how to protect my family and what it means to carry a weapon. I know enough to say that basic security principles apply whether you look at a computer network or a church foyer. Common sense and deliberate, forward thinking will save lives. The basic steps of incident response are:

Planning and preparation - without this, you are doomed to failure...
Prevention - what can you do now to reduce the threat or your vulnerability
Detection and notification - training, training, training...
Containment - you need a capable, properly equipped team in place. Now...
Eradication - removing the threat and protecting people and assets...
Recovery - working with authorities, updating plans

The church needs to build relationships with local law enforcement agencies and identify trained individuals (with current or former law enforcement backgrounds, military , government or private security experience) within the church. Those organizations and individuals will be your best resources for increasing security and protecting your congregation. Only bring in outside consultants if you are unable to get the help you need from within the church or from local law enforcement. On the other hand, realize that this will not be a zero-balance item in the church budget. You are going to have to spend at least some time, effort and money to increase your security and protect your people.

We live in a dangerous world. Great Britain has learned that trying to eliminate guns through gun control and bans is an abject failure. Attacks against churches and other public places are becoming regular occurrences. Churches need to take some time, now, to plan, prepare, and train for contingencies. Old plans need to be updated on a regular basis. Training must be recurring. Security needs to be added to the church budget. While we shouldn't turn our churches into fortresses or make security a distraction from worship and fellowship, it should be a reassuring, felt presence that will act as a quiet deterrent for would-be attackers.

Scripture tells us that "God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and discipline" (2 Tim 1:7, NASB). We do not live by fear, but by faith. God has given us the ability and the right to defend ourselves (Ex 22:2), and has promised His protection as well. We do our part and then trust Him to do His. Please don't let this tragedy pass by and believe that it can't happen to your church! Do something about it!

The Latest on Hagee

2007-12-10T15:55:00.000-07:00

John Hagee seems to be backpedaling on statements he made earlier in his book In Defense of Israel, which I commented on earlier. In an open letter, Hagee says that there was confusion over his use of the term, "Messiah," in which he apparently distinguishes between the "suffering Messiah" of the First Advent and the "reigning Messiah" of the Second Advent. He wrote that he is releasing a new version of the book with Chapter 10 expanded and revised to make his position more clear.

I am going to have to wait and see what changes he makes - how far he backpedals - before commenting further. In his letter, he says:

"I was surprised to learn that some people were interpreting my words as a rejection of this most fundamental Christian belief that Jesus came to earth as the Messiah promised in the Hebrew Scriptures. I have been preaching the gospel for half a century."

If you read what he wrote, and listen to what he said on his TV ad, it's extremely hard to come to any other conclusion. He has already said that Jews do not need to trust Christ for salvation, and he keeps some pretty radical company in the heretical word-faith movement, so he didn't exactly have my trust to begin with. In fact, a claim that Jesus did not come to be the Jewish Messiah seems to follow logically for someone who has taken great pains not to offend Jews or the nation of Israel, and who said that Jews can find salvation apart from becoming a Christ-follower.

I'll remain skeptical, but I'll wait and see what Hagee has to say before commenting further.

On the Colorado Church Shootings

2007-12-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

I was shocked to hear about today's shootings so close to my new home, and I'm grieving for the families of those killed at the YWAM training center in Arvada and here in the Springs at New Life Church. One or more bad guys with guns ended the lives of four innocent people (including two teenage sisters at New Life) and put several others in the hospital (including the father of the slain girls). We have some new friends who left New Life only minutes before the shooting.

In the midst of this, I am left wondering how long it will be before the gun-control crowd start to make their foolish noises. One of the differences between gun law here in Colorado and where I lived in Texas is that it is legal for those with a Concealed Hangun Permit to carry in church. As I thought about the similarities and differences between the shootings, I realized that there is one major fact that stands out: at the YWAM center, none of the victims, to my knowledge, had a firearm. At New Life there were armed security personnel. The pastor credited the security gal (yes, a woman with a gun!) who shot the murderer with saving lives. The media was emphasizing the rapid response of the Colorado Springs police and El Paso County sheriff's department (only two minutes), but if you read the facts carefully, you will see that by the time they arrived, the shooting was over, and the bad guy was dead.

This only emphasizes all the more the great need for law-abiding citizens to be armed. Even when the police can respond in minutes, it only takes seconds for a bad guy to kill innocent people. Only armed citizens already on the scene, trained and ready, can stop the violence before it is too late. New Life Church wisely had contingency plans in place, the staff were trained, and they had people with guns ready to defend the congregation. Thankfully, the planning and preparation worked, and lives were saved. Before His death, Jesus told His disciples that if they weren't armed, they should sell a coat and get a sword (Luke 22:36). It wasn't his intentions that they be armed to the teeth (two were enough for the group), but simply that they be able to defend themselves.

As a Christian, I believe that human life is one of the most precious gifts God has given us and I hope that I will never have to defend myself, my family, or others. I would like to think that God will keep us from harm, send the bad guys somewhere else and let us live a peaceful life. Today's shootings remind me that the bad guys are never far away, and that we have to always be diligent, watchful and prepared. The Christians shot today were no different from me - I just happened to walk out of a different church this morning, an hour earlier and 8 1/2 miles away. I think that Scripture is pretty clear on my right to use lethal force in self-defense. (Note to gun control people: the Bill of Rights, including the Second Amendment, is an acknowledgment of rights that the people already possess - it does not grant rights. The people grant rights to the government, not the other way around!)

If it had been my church, would there have been someone armed and ready to defend the innocent from some homicidal punk? I know the answer to that question at my church. Do you?

Give Thanks!

2007-11-22T10:54:00.000-07:00

It is good to give thanks to the Lord
And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning
And Your faithfulness by night,
With the ten-stringed lute and with the harp,
With resounding music upon the lyre.
For You, O Lord, have made me glad by what You have done,
I will sing for joy at the works of Your hands.

Psalm 92:1-4, NASB.

We are so thankful this year for God's goodness. He brought us to Colorado Springs, gave us a beautiful home and wonderful new friends. He gave us a missions-minded, transparent church full of real people.

We look forward to seeing what He is going to do in the next year!

John Hagee has left the building...

2007-11-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

I have always held a very skeptical view of John Hagee, pastor of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio. I disagreed with his assessment that Jesus was wealthy, and his belief in a prosperity gospel. I was deeply disturbed by his association with the word-faith movement. I was very troubled by his view that Jews did not need to trust in Jesus as their Messiah for salvation. (“San Antonio fundamentalist battles anti-Semitism,” Houston Chronicle, April 30, 1988, sec. 6, pg. 1), but I always held my tongue because I have some very dear friends who attend his church. I have always tried not to let denominational differences get in the way of loving Christian relationships, but have tried to gently suggest that there were some other, better, very excellent churches along that same stretch of loop 1604 in North San Antonio (Harvest Fellowship, Community Bible Church, Park Hills Baptist to name a few). But now, in his new book, In Defense of Israel, Hagee has crossed a significant line:

“It has been my privilege to join Congregation Rodfei Sholom in San Antonio for the celebration of Passover with Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg. Four cups of wine are served at the Passover with a meal that symbolized the tears and suffering of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
The first cup is the cup of Remembrance.
he second cup is the cup of Redemption.
The third cup is the cup of Salvation.
The fourth cup is the cup of Messiah.

When Jesus and his disciples came to the final cup during their last celebration of the Passover, Jesus refused to drink the Messiah’s cup. He told his disciples, “Take this [Messiah’s cup] and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:17-18).

In refusing to drink the cup, Jesus rejected to the last detail the role of Messiah in word or deed. The Jews did not reject Jesus as Messiah; it was Jesus who rejected the Jewish desire for him to be their Messiah.” (John Hagee, In Defense of Israel, pp. 144, 145).

In a television advertisement, Hagee says that his book will "shake Christian theology," claming:

The Jewish people did not reject Jesus as Messiah
Jesus did not come to earth to be the Messiah
Jesus refused (by word and deed) to be the Messiah

The Apostle John (a Jewish believer) wrote, "who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son." (1 John 2:22) Christos - Christ - is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew meschiach - messiah. According to this passage, Hagee, in denying that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, is in line with the spirit of antichrist. The Apostle's next statement is "whoever denies the Son does not have the Father" (v. 23). I will not go so far as to say that Hagee is not a Christian - that is for God to decide - but I will state emphatically, for the record, that what he is teaching is outright, blatant heresy.

Some have tried to defend Hagee by saying that there is a distinction between a political and a religious Messiah. (pjmiller - see post 12, then the responding posts) However, the Scriptures make no such distinction. The only distinction is that between Jesus' roles in the First and Second Comings - first as the Lamb, then (yet to come) as the Lion. Jesus rejected the Jews political overtures at the time because the time had not yet come for Him to take political power. I don't care if you're Dispensational, Covenant or what - historical Christianity has always agreed on this point. Look at how Jesus responded to Peter's (another Jewish believer) confession, "you are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God!" (Matthew 16:16). Jesus exclaimed that Peter was blessed and that this revelation had come from the Father Himself. He then warned them not to tell anyone, particularly in light of His coming Crucifixion.

The beloved disciple wrote at the end of his gospel, "therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31 - see also 1 John 5:1). Salvation hinges on trusting in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, as God Incarnate, as the only one able to save us from our sinful human nature. How can anyone claim to preach the Gospel when they deny one of the basic tenets of the faith?

See also:

Biblewheel, "Review of In Defense of Israel by John Hagee"
Richard Fisher, "The Other Gospel of John Hagee" Personal Freedom Outreach,
Link to YouTube video - From Hagee's own mouth.

Update:

I saw someone quoting from John 4:25-26 in response to this:

25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Update: 13 Nov 07

Nancy Almodovar of Silent Cry Ministries has done an excellent job exposing Hagee's selective quoting of the Scriptures he uses to defend his ideas in "Defending the Faith with Elegance."

The Pastor and the Gun

2007-11-01T23:01:00.000-06:00

A pastor was delivering a sermon entitled "Stand Still and let the Lord Fight your battles", on the topic of not fighting but letting God vanquish evil himself. As he was delivering the sermon, a gust of wind lifted his coat and the congregation noticed he was carrying a gun.

After the service a member of the congregation asked him, "I understood your sermon, but aren't you contradicting yourself by carrying a gun? You did say you are supposed to let the Lord fight your battles for you?"

"I did say that, yes," said the pastor. "The gun is just to hold them off until the Lord gets here".

Adapted from Keep and Bear Arms.

A friend recently questioned me about my concealed carry license. He said, "when you become a pastor, you'll probably be the only one carrying a gun." For his information, I recently met a pastor here with a CCW. Judging from what I've been reading online, I don't think it's as rare as people think...

A hunting I did go...

2007-10-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

Laura encouraged me to go hunting last weekend with my new friend Josh. As it turned out, I really needed the break. I'm not eligible for a resident hunting license until Thanksgiving (6-month waiting period), but I went along as camp cook, driver, spotter and advisor. We camped the first night at 10,200 feet, just outside of Fairplay, CO, not far from the world's highest incorporated city, Alma, CO. After setting up camp, we did some scouting. We saw a lot of elk sign, including fresh tracks and fresh droppings, but not even a hint of deer. (Josh had a mulie buck tag for that area.) When we returned to camp, it was a little breezy, but the wind settled down about dusk, allowing us to light a charcoal fire and cook up some sirloin steak, foil potatoes and green beans. It was a little chilly, but overall really nice. Josh really appreciated my four season tent!

Before dawn on Saturday we hiked up to an aspen meadow we'd found the day before and settled in within view of a game trail to watch and wait. We sat there for almost an hour, not seeing anything more than some nice birds and a beautiful sunrise.

We looked around a little more, then decided to have breakfast, break camp, and drive up to NW Colorado where he had a doe tag and we knew we'd have better luck.

We got there about 3 in the afternoon, and under cloudy skies drove out to the public land where he'd shot all of his deer the previous couple of years. Not much later, we spotted two mulies running up a hillside 600 yards away. (I've got to get me one o' them fancy range finders like Josh has - 598 yards, to be exact!) We drove around the rest of the afternoon, saw lots of hunters, including one dragging a deer out, but no deer. Then the weather moved in... It began to snow and blow - the first snow I'd seen since moving to Colorado. I was ecstatic. I was even more grateful for Josh's GPS, which led us back to the spot he'd camped the year before despite the disorienting snow and twists and turns of the wagon rut trails we were on. (I've got a Garmin eTrex HC - Vista, Summit or Venture on my Christmas list!)

We set up camp in the blowing snow, got a fire going, and heated up some water to make Ramen noodles. My leather gloves were quickly soaked, and my pants, which I'd sprayed with Camp Dry were starting to get a little damp. We warmed ourselves by the fire, which helped, but then decided with the blowing snow we weren't getting any drier, and we needed to get in the tent and get some dry clothes on. With two sleeping bags (one inside the other) dry clothes, my Z-Rest pad and a couple of Josh's hand warmers, I kept mostly toasty all night. We had great cell phone reception, so I was able to talk to Laura and the kids and pray with them. They were having a late night since Laura's friend Charlene and her niece had flown in to Denver that evening.

We woke up again early and found ourselves under four inches of fresh snow. It was beautiful. I love the cold crisp air when it has just snowed! It reminded me why we moved from Texas in the first place. I love the mountains, the outdoors, and the snow! Josh decided to take a walk, and I volunteered to break camp while he was gone. He took a radio with him, and before long I heard a couple of gunshots in the distance. Josh had shot at some does, but was out of ammo. I ran some out to him and tried to help him find a blood trail, but we couldn't, so I went back to camp to finish cleaning up. Josh set out again (this time with his ammo box!) and before long I heard a couple of more shots, then Josh on the radio saying "meat in the freezer!" I finished packing up, then drove down the closest part of the road to where he shot the deer, then walked up to meet him. Josh shot the deer about 3/4 mile from the road, and I helped him drag it about half that. I was so grateful for my new Vasque hiking boots (Goretex, to which I added mink oil to the leather) and a pair of gators. With heavy wicking hiking socks on, my feet didn't get cold or wet in the slightest, even pulling the deer through brush covered in four inches of snow! (Side Note: I've given up on Timberland boots with their cheap plastic lace hooks. I broke one pair in 12 months and the replacement pair they sent me in only 8 months. I'm not a heavy hiker by any means!) By the way, click on the picture and check out the herd of pronghorn hanging out on private land...

Our drive home was interesting. We went through the Rabbit Ears Pass in chain-only conditions. I got re-acquainted with winter driving, and later stuck in traffic on I-70 with all the Coloradoans also getting re-acquainted with winter driving. I think I picked it up faster (after a 10 year hiatus) than most of them did. What a bunch of knuckleheads!

We got home about dusk on Sunday, and found that Colorado Springs had a couple inches of snow. I missed the kids having their first snowball fight, and was sad about that, but it was wonderful to be home with my family, to see Laura's old friend, and to have great memories of my first Colorado hunting trip. I can't wait to go next year, license and rifle in hand!

Inconvenient Truths...

2007-10-18T18:59:00.001-06:00

Former VP Algore wins the Nobel peace prize, despite his film being full of outright lies and bad science.

See the Cartoon at TownHall.com