Turn Now and Call Out

A good salvation message from the pulpit at Little Flock this past Sunday... and this emerged.

There is one way to salvation
One way to be redeemed
Only one way to deliverance
One way alone has been deemed

Helpless and hopeless and futile
By the world and the devil deceived
All of your goodness is filthy
His judgments are to be believed

Turn now and call out to Jesus
Turn and call out through your tears
Call for forgiveness and mercy
Call out and Jesus will hear.

A wide way that leads to destruction
By the flesh and its passions defiled
Turn now and call out to Jesus
Repent now and be reconciled.

How close can you get and miss Jesus
How close can you get to the cross
And yet never have His blood touch you
Close, yet remaining so lost.

Turn now and call out to Jesus
Turn and call out through your tears
Call for forgiveness and mercy
Call out and Jesus will hear.


March 21, 2010
Anthony Foster

Our sins were Borne

Our sins were borne
Before we were born..
On our behalf
Christ bore the wrath
My deliverance made sure
Though conceived needing the cure
Before I believed it was secure…
Redeemer of the world

All glory to Christ’s Name
All glory to Christ’s Name
I will never bear the blame
To live is Christ and to die is gain.

One died in the place of all
Turned back the curse, reversed the fall
He died for us
In Him we Trust
A substitute so resolute
He tore my sin out by the root
He took my place
Now he pleads my case
The iniquity of us all
On his head it did fall
Redeemer of the world

He bore our sins in his body
On the cross, on the tree
Purchased the Church by his blood
Oh crimson flood, oh crimson flood
He died and God was satisfied
He died and I was justified.
He died for all who died in him
Sufficient savior for all men
Efficient for those who have faith in Him
Redeemer of the world.


Anthony Foster
March 7, 2010

His Glory IS Our Good

Set your heart fully on the grace brought to you
Lay aside the futile way for the freedom bought for you
Lay aside the worldly pursuits that will soon fall away
Pursue the glory of the Lord, seek Him and obey.

For His glory IS our good
Once this truth is understood
It changes all our hopes and dreams
To gold and jewels from hay and wood
For His glory is our good.

We have seen his glory,
The glory of the Only ONE,
Who came from the Father,
Full of grace and truth, God’s precious SON.

He made the riches of his glory
known to the objects of his mercy,
Whom he prepared in advance for glory
And so we sing the marvelous story.

And we, who with unveiled faces
Reflect the Lord's glory and graces,
We are being truly transformed
Into his likeness we’re being conformed
His ever-increasing glory is shown
And it comes from the Lord alone

For His glory IS our good
Once this truth is understood
It changes all our hopes and dreams
To gold and jewels from hay and wood
For His glory is our good.

2 Cor 3:18
Romans 9:23

Anthony Foster
March 23, 2010

Voice of Thunder

The voice of the LORD is over the seas;
The God of glory thunders,
After it, a voice roars;
And we respond in wonder

He thunders with His majestic voice,
And His lightnings are not restrained
Whenever His voice is heard
Wondrous things are ordained

God is doing great things
Things which we cannot comprehend.
God is doing great things
In a world without end!

And the Most High uttered His voice,
The LORD also in the heavens thundered
Hailstones and coals of fire
That tear our sins asunder.

God thunders with His mighty voice
And we are filled with wonder
And so we sing now and rejoice
For wings we shelter under


Psalm 18:13 Job 37:4-5

Anthony Foster
March 20, 2010

Precious Pathway

Through the garden fall, through the purging flood
Through the Red Sea’s walls by the power of the blood
You opened up your heart, men opened up your veins
Deliverance you impart and so the path remains

Take us through the tribulation
Spare us from the coming wrath
That will fall upon the nations
Through persecution make a path
Deliver us from passions that would secure our defeat
Keep us from the evil one and from our own deceit

See us through, see us through
When we cannot see the way, let us see our way in You
Open up a precious pathway when we have no place to turn
Make the road a straight and narrow way to that place for which we yearn

Here at our Jordan see us through
Into your promised land
Lord bless us as we rest in You
As before your throne we stand

Take us through the troubled times
And help us pass each test
Help us read the travelling signs
And keep us as we rest

Your deliverance now demands
Your direction we must heed
Step by step at your command
As we now follow your lead.

See us through, see us through
When we cannot see the way, let us see our way in You
Open up a precious pathway when we have no place to turn
Make the road a straight and narrow way to that place for which we yearn


Anthony Foster
March 21, 2010

Think About Such Things

Set your mind on things above
And so you are set free
For truth and light and righteousness
Are there for all to see
Set your mind on the things above,
Not on the things that are on earth.
And you will see the blessedness
Of knowing their true worth

Whatever is noble, whatever is true
Whatever is right, whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely, and is to be admired
These are the things that you should desire
If anything is excellent or worthy of praise
Think about such things for all of your days

Colossians 3:2, Philippians 4:8-9

Anthony Foster
March 21, 2010

According to His Plan

Our faith and hope is in the Lord
We are held within His hand
According to His purpose
According to His plan
In the sending and the rending
Of the precious Son of Man.
According to His purpose
According to His plan

For we know that we know
And we know that we know that we know
Our God has authored the story
God will take evil
And use it for our good and His Glory

Our faith and hope is in the Lord
We are held within His hand
According to His purpose
According to His plan
In the sending and the rending
Of the precious Son of Man.
According to His purpose
According to His plan.


Anthony Foster
March 21, 2010

God Uses Whom He Chooses

I want to please you my Lord
I want to draw near to you
Not do something For you Lord
But to love and trust and fear you

Give me a heart to help others
To be a light to these dark times
Make me a door opening servant
Who knows his God makes the rhymes

For the sake of the obedience of faith
For the sake of the name of the Son
For the sake of the glory of the Father
By your Spirit, I am undone.

I want to rest in your presence
To be a branch that trails where You send
Filled by the power of the life of the vine
A bruise reed that has learned to bend

God uses whom he chooses
Whether you know it or not
It all belongs to Jesus
So let the carpenter cast your lot.

For the sake of the obedience of faith
For the sake of the name of the Son
For the sake of the glory of the Father
By your Spirit, the victory is won!


Anthony Foster
March 22, 2010

Gratitude for Glory

Unbreakable love, unshakeable love I see
Incomprehensible love rule over me
And this love will make me be a man
Who dares to lose and dares to stand
Compel my heart to be an offering
My gratitude to Jesus I will sing
With humility then We persuade men.
In gratitude for Glory In gratitude for Glory.

Make my whole life an act of gratitude
As I start each day may I conclude
That I will strive with all your might
That I will seek to be made right
Break out in a new doxology
O’er the riches of your glory.
With reverence then We persuade men.
With gratitude for Glory In gratitude for Glory.

Oh manifest mystery
The riches of your glory
Christ’s power works in me and thee
This, the true testimony
This, the manifest mystery
Christ in you the hope of glory
With reverence then We persuade men.
With gratitude for Glory In gratitude for Glory.

So let us tell the story
Of the riches of your glory
So that men may be complete
This is the testimony
That transforms all of history
Christ in you the hope of glory
With power then We persuade men.
With gratitude for Glory In gratitude for Glory.

Proclaim Him and admonish men
With all wisdom teaching them
To present every man complete
Manifest before the mercy seat
To obey whatsoever Christ commands
We are now his voice and feet, his hands.
With gospel then We persuade men.
In gratitude for Glory In gratitude for Glory.

Anthony Foster
March 7, 2010

Heart Wide Open

Look into my heart's depths
My heart is open wide
My sight is clear
My motives pure
His Truth shall be my guide
We exalt the one we worship
Exalt the worthy one we praise
Exalt the worthy one we honor
With an upward call His name we raise

A heart wide open where love begins
Where love flows out and enters in
Yield to the love we have come to know
Oh love that will not let us go

We live in Him
We died in Him
We rose with Him
We hide in Him
He died for our unrighteousness
And so this truth we shall confess
He rose to make us righteousness
And so this truth we shall confess.

A heart wide open where love begins
Where love flows out and enters in
Yield to the love we have come to know
Oh love that will not let us go

Anthony Foster
March 9, 2010

Green Growth

I see new green growth in the wormwood
And resurgence of the flame
Lord we need more than revival
Resurrection is our aim.

For the bones of former glories
Have descended to the dust
Now our sepulchres are whitened
And our swords are red with rust.

To see new life from the cesspool
And new passion spark the fire
From the culture’s conflagration
Birth a holy new desire

See the glory of the Lord arise
Putting the old ways to shame
Bring the sacrifice to the altar
And see it consumed by your flame

Lord in this generation
Raise a remnant filled with power
Who will call upon the nation
To repent in this dark hour

For the smoke is on the water
And the workmen wear their wage
But our Lord is at the rudder
As we navigate this age.

Anthony Foster
March 8, 2010

Battle Song

There’s a war going on in our nation
And our culture has bent it’s knee
We must mount the battle stations
For o’er the land flows iniquity.

Get up every morning and put your armor on
Set your heart upon the battle,
Break out the battle song
Put on the shield and breastplate
Put on the belt and sword
Put on the shoes and helmet
And the battle is the Lord’s.

The clothing of Messiah will provide the sure defense
The just and justifier- on His mount we pitch our tents
He fills them with His Spirit- He commands; His Word is done
For believers, when they hear it, the victory is won.

Get up every morning and put your armor on
Set your heart upon the battle,
Break out the battle song
Put on the shield and breastplate
Put on the belt and sword
Put on the shoes and helmet
And the battle is the Lord’s.

Anthony Foster
March 8, 2010

Rest

I would rest here in your hands
Take my comfort in your plans
And when day is done at the setting sun
I will commend my nights to your command
I would rest here in your hands

I would rest in sweet repose
Kept securely through my woes
When the battle calls and when trouble falls
I will not lose my peace to my foes
I would rest in sweet repose

I will rest here 'neath your wings
And hear as your heartbeat sings
A sweet gentle song with a cadence strong
Held secure in the strength it brings.
I will rest here 'neath your wings

I will rest here in your peace
Where my soul shall find release
From what's less than best, to a life that's blessed
Where my vision is increased.
I will rest here in your peace

I would rest here at your feet
Here beneath your mercy seat
I will be your child, resting reconciled
Here my life shall be complete
I would rest here at your feet

Anthony Foster
March 15, 2010

The Day of Grace

We must be faithful to proclaim
The grace of God is not in vain
There will come a time when He will not hear
There is a time when He will not draw near

But this is still the day of Grace
Come and rest in Christ’s embrace
God is still on His throne in this place
This is still the day of grace!

This is the day of God’s favor
This is salvation time
Sinner, sit at His feast and savor
The bread and the new wine.

This is still the day of Grace
Come and rest in Christ’s embrace
God is still on His throne in this place
This is still the day of grace!

Believer, work while the day still lingers
Singing redemption’s song
Night shall fall on both the sinners and singers
And ears will grow deaf e’re long.

This is still the day of Grace
Come and rest in Christ’s embrace
God is still on His throne in this place
This is still the day of grace!

This is still the day of Grace
Come and rest in Christ’s embrace
God is still on His throne in this place
This is still the day of grace!

Anthony Foster
March 12, 2010

Gold and Silver, Precious Stones

Gold and silver, precious stones
Not wood nor hay nor straw
Build a life that God condones
A temple raised in awe.

Gold and silver, precious stones
Not wood nor straw nor hay
Build a life where God alone
Will say well done on that day

For the greatest work, the exalted aim
Is to hear “well done, you are without blame”
The highest goal and the noblest end
Is found in the role of pleasing Him.

Gold and silver, precious stones
Not wood or hay or stubble
Build a life on the Rock alone
That endures in the day of trouble.

Wood and hay and straw are burnt
When tested by the fire
Gold and silver, Precious stones
Are what our lives require.

For he is the power that works in Us
So strive with all of His might
We are God’s workmanship made just
Our ambition is to walk in the light-
To be pleasing in His sight.

Gold and silver, precious stones
Not wood or hay or straw
Build a life that God condones
A temple without flaw.

Anthony Foster
March 12, 2010

Reason 1342-why not to join a cult

Gross-out alert!
The most high God does not require ritual, just a humble spirit and contrite heart, which he will not cast out. It's simple enough- cry out to Him in repentence, believe the good news that man can be reconciled to God though faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and receive His salvation...

Redemption’s Fountain

Flowing blood, Precious blood
Covers the ransomed redeemed
Saved from sin’s chains
Loss becomes our gain
Made low, He shall be esteemed

Flowing love, precious love
Covers the sinsick soul
Saves from sin’s chains
The blood attains
To restore and make us whole

Redemptions fountain ever flows
Out from the mercy seat it goes
To a dry and weary land it sends its stream
At redemption’s fountain cleanse
All your filthy rags and sins
For the fount contains the power to redeem.

Flowing love, precious blood
Renews our lives each day
He became our sin
We’re God’s righteousness in Him
Christ is The Truth that Lights the Way.

Redemption’s fountain ever flows
Out from the mercy seat it goes
To a dry and weary land it sends its stream
At redemption’s fountain cleanse
All your filthy rags and sins
For the fount contains the power to redeem.

Anthony Foster
March 7, 2010

Lost Ark?

I've been reading of the Lemba people for years, but I was interested to see this article recently.
I can't make our what it would look like in 3D as it looks sort of like a lumpy bowl in the picture. Guess I would look lumpy too if I was made of 2500 year old wood...

Belated Birthday 7

OOPS. Missed the fact that I have been blogging seven years as of January 18th. So much for seven being the number of perfection.

I hope the blog will be a bit more focused and vital going forward, and as much fun as it was to start. Not much of value here recently, I realize, but that is on my to do list to change!

News for Educators

I generally read more in a month related to industry developments than I have recently. However these articles are worth pointing out for general interest and comment.

• 10 Demographic Trends offering Opportunity and Challenges- Education

Dynamics' Market Research and Advisory Services Identifies Key Growth Areas

Some highlights:
o Growth areas in higher ed will be at the associates and graduate level, ranging up to 25 percent growth
o Younger students are likely to be working on a project with other students the age of their parents.
o Men are underrepresented and schools need to find ways to market to their needs.
o The age demographic is becoming less and less relevant to how students learn.
o By 2020 minority students will outnumber Caucasian students.
o Online highschool courses are booming.
o Enrollment in the 2 year public sector will exceed supply.

• Google to push Google Voice and Google Wave to Businesses

Google is marketing to businesses, but this has implications for education as many of their innovations are in the areas of collaborative work environments.Mobile technologies are becoming more enabled as a one stop communications center in the process, which has potential application in the learning environment. The chrome OS is driving netbook and Google apps development. The future holds new third party software applications that will hook into Google collaboration apps.

• The seventh annual Sloan Survey of Online Learning reveals that online enrollment rose by nearly 17 percent from a year earlier.

The growth exceeds previous years, but the thing that strikes me most is the relative lack of headway schools are making in getting faculty buy-in. Less than one-third of chief academic officers believe that their faculty accept the value and legitimacy of online education. This percent has changed little over the last six years. The proportion of chief academic officers that report their faculty accept online education varies widely by type of school but reaches a majority in none. Yet nearly 20 percent of schools offer no training for their online instructors. From my experience, once faculty have had a bad online experience they tend to fault the medium rather than the methods or their abilities, and it is difficult to get buy in from teachers who are getting burned by lack of support and no evangelistic exemplars to motivate them.

Personal Responsibility and Aimless Apologies

Another commentary from Thomas Sowell that has the "ring of truth", I think. It also makes one think on the nature of forgiveness.Is there such a thing as aimless forgiveness? And what is the relationship of accountability, responsibility, grace, and forgiveness?

I have been encountering these thoughts in the context of defining the proper and just modus operandi when it comes to the restoration of leaders (of all stripes) who have moral failures.

Here's a point of contention: while Dr. Sowell is definitely worth reading, pondering, and even discussing, I do think that anyone in a role model or leadership situation DOES need to acknowledge their failures corporately as well. The other side of the coin of personal responsibility is responsibility as a citizen of society, culture and the moral universe.

In regard to the Tiger Woods apology, morality is not found in renouncing all desire, as TW pointed to from his Buddhist perspective, but in desiring the divine forgiveness and redemption found in the ONE who is the worthiest of all desires.

Not sure what the point of this is, but it is interesting.

Pew study on the variance in income based on religion I can't tell if this is household income or individual- I don't see that they clarify this point.

The Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie is the most effective, inexpensive and stylish way to combat psychotronic mind control.

Thought I would see what I looked like in the latest mind control deflector attire. I figured I could save some $$$ with a do it yourself version instead of buying this...

Sojourners (Bring Us Through)

The waters lay before us and there was no bridge in view
And crossing seemed impossible and a foolish thing to do
But we could hear you calling us to wade into the deep
The river opened up and you revealed your path so steep
You took us through as surely as the promises you keep

Sojourners must sojourn
Strangers must be strange
Pilgrims must make pilgrimage
And so changed men must change.
Aliens must travel
In a dry and weary land
Put one foot in front of another
Until we learn to stand
There is joy in the journey
But the travellers must roam
Press on toward the heavenly mark
Until God takes us home

The mountain we were given required that we must climb
And as we were ascending it has taken us some time
To overcome it and subdue its heights
But you preserved us from it perilous plights
But only as we’ve kept you in our sights.

A valley lay before us, the bridges burned behind
Its briars and brambles tore us, as they overgrew our minds
In the valley of death’s shadow the perils e’re increase
The slough of despond threatens to steal our righteous peace
In the valley there’s a vista and a vision of release

Open up a way that’s far beyond our view
Make us a miracle in ways that only you can do
Then all who see will know all glory is to You
Bring us through, bring us through, bring us through!

Sojourners must sojourn
Strangers must be strange
Pilgrims must make pilgrimage
And so changed men must change.
Aliens must travel
In a dry and weary land
Put one foot in front of another
Until we learn to stand
There is joy in the journey
But the travellers must roam
Press on toward the heavenly mark
Until God takes us home

Anthony Foster
February 13, 2010

Redefining Normal

Turned in the defense draft of my dissertation yesterday. There's more to do in terms of preparation for the defense in March, and prepping for graduation in May, but I am mostly done, and am having to readjust to getting up on a Saturday morning with no research to do. I think I can adjust quite nicely, given a little time. We are ready to fly the coop and the weather is not cooperating. Bad, weather.

I am sitting and thinking back on the last five years that have flown oh, so quickly. The outstanding feature of this process is that it became an act of worship and sacrifice somewhere along the way. The discipline of simply doing something "as unto the Lord" changes your life. I thought I knew all about that before we started this process, but new lessons were surely learned.

New challenges lay ahead as we transition again to a new phase. We don't know whether that means staying put or sojourning to a new situation or even a physical relocation. I am sure that God will make it obvious in our lives and the call will be clear. This has become a reality for us and I never want to live life any other way than that.

Reading List just got Longer

Looking forward to a couple of good reads- both by Thomas Sowell,Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow at
The Hoover Institution, Stanford University...Intellectuals and Society and The Quest for Cosmic Justice.

Ordered our Tickets

Looking forward to this at ATL next Sunday-

This musical tribute to Ella Fitzgerald is an amazing performance that takes a trip down memory lane with a legend and her band. It’s a trip you won’t want to miss! Featuring breathtaking songs like “That Old Black Magic” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” and stories of her extraordinary life and personal resilience, Ella captures the essence of the woman behind the microphone, delivering a sensational live concert that channels her remarkable voice.

When the veil shall part

When the veil shall part, Christ will rend our hearts
And the truth shall be revealed.
When the veil shall part, then repentance starts
And we shall be truly healed

When our minds are confronted with a new reality
When the hearts of the hunted are given eyes that truly see
And the shadows of darkness lift and give us clarity
We shall then be free, yes truly free…

When the veil shall part, we will fill our hearts
All the cravings that have been concealed
By our fallen minds and eyes that are blind
In His light our spirits shall yield
For then we shall see him as he truly is
We will bend the knee and in one accord believe
As we see, finally see and bend the knee
Clearly see with clarity
So part the veil so we may truly see!

Anthony Foster
January 26, 2009

Free Spirit

In the final analysis, when it comes down to dust,
There only one way to be free, one place to place your trust

Free to serve the mighty King
All else becomes our slavery
Bound to passions that will clip your wings
But whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

There’s only one way to be free
And that is as a prisoner of love
Held fast forever is the true liberty
Bound by the chains forged above.

There’s only one way to be free
And that’s to be held captive by grace,
God’s heart’s desire and yours agree
That is the only unencumbered place

For his yoke is easy and his burden is light
And this is the only place where all is right
Your spirit soars as it is freed
Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.

Anthony Foster
January 25, 2009

Earthbound

Earthbound follies leave us vacant
Earthbound follies leave us lost
For we were never created
To suffer such a cost
Missing the glory
Missing the beauty
Missing the profound way,
Made for dancing in the deep
But sitting in decay.

So curse God and die… if you must
But it’s so much better to tie yourself to trust

There’s only One that is faithful
Only One that is True
Only One Savior
He’s waiting for you.

There’s only One that is faithful
Only One that is True
Only One Savior
He’s waiting for you.

There’s only One that is faithful
Only One that is True
Only One Savior
He’s waiting for you.

Anthony Foster
January 27, 2010

Bless my Memory

I awaken with a start, pulse a- pounding with my heart
As I’ve dreamed another nightmare of the soul
Like a vision dark but clear I am flushed with fiery fear
And I’m on the verge of losing all control.

For a moment I’m a prisoner of a still fresh memory
My past life rears its ugly head as my mind plays tricks on me
And I need a check on my reality.

For in those moments chains of doubt
Come to my heart and find me out
I surely need your Grace to see me through
For I was lost but now I’m found
That former life can’t keep me bound
But sometimes Lord I find it hard to trust
You understand that I am only dust.

So I will remember the day when you taught me how to pray
And pray I will until my knees are sore
For there is no lack in you- my hard heart hasn’t got a clue
Yet you dwell inside me at my very core

That’s what you have promised, and that’s what I believe
I’ll trust, adhere, rely on this thing impossible to conceive
This gift that I have received

There are moments chains of doubt
Come to my heart and find me out
I surely need your Grace to see me through
For I was lost but now I’m found
That former life can’t keep me bound
But sometimes Lord I find it hard to trust
You understand that I am only dust.

But I see the transformation and I see the evidence
And I’ll walk by faith and not by sight in growing confidence
As I cast myself upon your mercy seat
I pray my consecration be complete.

Forgive my sin as I confess
Restore my soul to righteousness
Help me Lord to bless this test…
And bless my memory.

Anthony Foster
January 25, 2010

Life Preserver

Preserve our life, secure us, your own
Preserve our life-consecrate it to you alone
Not to us oh Lord, not according to our ways
But to You be all the glory, all honor and praise!

Preserve our life within your holy place
Reserve our life as vessels of your grace
Defend our cause, plead our case
Deliver us from the Evil one
Until your Kingdom Comes.

If we glory let us glory in the way that we are weak
For power is perfected in the powerless who seek
To cast their all upon the living altar made of flesh
The sacrifice made once for all- this bread that’s ever fresh.

Preserve our life within your holy place
Reserve our life as vessels of your grace
Defend our cause, plead our case
Deliver us from the Evil one
Until your Kingdom Comes.

January 28, 2010
Anthony Foster

The Faithful Fiery Few

Like Gideon’s army who were held to a higher account
Change us from vacant visionaries to a never flagging fount
Living water flowing through us in directions that are true
Lord hasten your arrival, make us the faithful fiery few

From broken cisterns that are stagnant cause your river now to flow
Turn our passion to compassion as we rise against the foe
Rend our garments in our outrage put on raiment that is new
Quicken now our broken spirits make us the faithful fiery few

Lord revive us as your remnant and our numbers multiply
Fill our wineskins with your Spirit as we overturn the lie
May your power mount within us, by your Spirit make us new
We your purpose powered priesthood make us the faithful fiery few

Lord then take this revived remnant and let the fire grow
Until we’ve become a multitude of soldiers on the go
Till we cover all the nations and we do what we must do
Until many see and fear you, make us the faithful fiery few.

Anthony Foster
January 26, 2009

The Ark Sails On

Timeless and eternal, no markings or measures
In an endless flight toward endless pleasures
Mark one, mark two, mark three, mark four.
We sail through the way who is the door
We soar, we soar, we soar-
Through endless wonder evermore.
All aboard, all aboard
Open the ark fling open the door.
Come inside and abide
In this ark we shall glide to that peaceful shore.
The flood is arising so come inside.
Oh sinner, what are you waiting for?

Endless journey, endless flight
Riding o’er chaos into that sweet night
Gone is the turmoil on this glassy sea
We would drown in the depths of His serenity
He still hovers over the deep as He sings
And we hover with him beneath his sweet wings
So gone is the legacy o’er which we weep
Gone is the fear of the eternal sleep
For lo we are waking to eternal dawn
And with our soul’s captain we sail on and on.
Now the tumult that would take us under
Is quiet and peaceful and still
For all us voyaging pilgrims
Who would sail to the end of His will.

Timeless and eternal, no markings or measures
In an endless flight toward endless pleasures
Mark one, mark two, mark three, mark four.
We sail through the way who is the door
We soar, we soar, we soar.
Through endless wonder evermore.
All aboard, all aboard
Open the ark fling open the door.
Come inside and abide
In this ark we shall glide to that peaceful shore.
The flood is arising so come inside.
Oh sinner, what are you waiting for?

Anthony Foster
January 27, 2010

Slow in the Wonder (Idle My Soul)

Take me on a journey,
Take me down the road
To Emmaus or wherever
Just as far as we can go

May the walk clear my vision
Let it idle my soul
May I slow in the wonder
As I see what you show.

Take me on a journey,
Take me down the road
In step with your Spirit
As I carry a light load

Keep me from the detours
Keep me from the slough
Make my path a straight one
As I’m following You.

The walk will clear my vision
Let it idle my soul
May I slow in the wonder
As I see what you show.

Anthony Foster
January 28, 2010

Be Our Sight

I’ve the memory of a prisoner, in a life that’s been unbound
These memories of being lost now help me know I’m found
I remember well the precious day
When Lord Jesus taught me to pray
And I was transformed from darkness into light
And the change was made complete
As I cast myself on His mercy seat
Then desolation gave way to vibrant sight

Show us your plan and purpose, show us your mercy sweet
Show us the road before us where compassion is complete
From memories of darkness guide us to the glorious light
Where despairing cries of anguish turn to songs that fill the night.
Be our sight, be our sight, be our sight.

Now the tremors in our souls give way to pure and profound peace
Resting in your righteous refuge Where the prisoner is released
Fathomless fear gives way to faith as we’re held safe and secure
No more nightmares of our former ways, sweet dreams instead endure.

Show us your plan and purpose, show us your mercy sweet
Show us the road before us where compassion is complete
From memories of darkness guide us to the glorious light
Where despairing cries of anguish turn to songs that fill the night.
Be our sight, be our sight, be our sight.

Anthony Foster
January 27, 2010

Starting a fire takes practice

This struck me as analogous to evangelism at many levels...

The important lesson to learn is how to properly use a firesteel in combination with cotton tinder, followed by effective fire building skills at home or in a controlled camping environment before you embark on a backcountry journey in which a lack of these skills could inhibit your safety.

* Practice sparking the firesteel onto tinder at home
* Practice adding kindling to the tinder
* Practice building small fires from the kindling
* Practice keeping a fire going

There is a theme that seems to be occurring here - practice, practice, practice. Use the following informative photos as a starting point. Keep in mind that the striker has an 'up' and 'down' side. The method by which the metal is pressed creates a sharp edge and a dull edge. The side marked 'up' should be facing you when you strike so that the sharp edge causes sparks.

Godmodes

Here's a link to an artcle on hidden access points to Windoze 7, notwithstanding delusions of grandeur.

Musings on God's Will

Just posted this to Rob's site... who is...

"pondering the much taught principle of knowing God's will BEFORE we make decisions."

Paradox here. We walk by faith and not by sight. It's much harder to become aligned with God's will than knowing God's will, I think, but a "prayer for alignment" is one God will answer with an "amen" (James 1:5). Staying clean by the power of the Spirit before Him gives us sensitive ears to hear Him shout the obvious. But I find He often says "...trust me, not your senses." We may even come to points where we doubt in the darkness what we heard in the light but 2 Chronicles 16:9 still attains. Holiness implies devotion, and we often like Abram have to engage in going without knowing. There are many levels of trust that reveal themselves in different contexts, by grace. Power is perfected in weakness, and grace is ever sufficient. So the better we know His character the better we can apprehend His will.

Christmas Epiphany Theophany

January 6 is celebrated variously as Christ's birthday (Armenia), the revelation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ (Theophany), or the celebration of the Incarnation (Epiphany). Here's a little ditty in remembrance of Him...

Whom have we, Lord, like you?
The Great One who became small,
the Wakeful who slept,
The Pure One who was baptized,
the Living One who died,
The King who abased himself to ensure honor for all.
Blessed is your honor!
It is right that man should acknowledge your divinity,
It is right for heavenly beings to worship your humanity.
The heavenly beings were amazed to see how small you became,
And earthly ones to see how exalted.
~ St. Ephrem the Syrian

E sursum Agnus mittitur
laxare gratis debitum;
omnes pro indulgentia
vocem demus cum lacrimis.

The Lamb descends from heaven above
to pardon sin with freest love:
for such indulgent mercy shewn
with tearful joy our thanks we own.
~ Prudentius, Vox Clara

A pastiche of themes in Avatar to ponder

Spoiler ALERT!

I have heard from several people recommending that I see the movie- which I had already planned to do- I believe to comment, one must have seen the source material.Forgive me if what follows contains redundancies, as I started typing and this is what emerged.

What did I think? My simple aesthetic response in review is that I thought that visually, it was what was to be expected. What was amazing to me was the poverty of the story. I saw it as utterly predictable, and a rehash of so many other movies.

There were so many layered, multiple allusions to other stories without total commitment to any of them. Elements of animism, pantheism, near eastern,and indigenous paganism emerge. One thing one must grapple with on the front end is Cameron's role in the culture as a Christ hater who actively puts resources and influence into denying the resurrection- that makes him an antichrist according to the definition of 1 John 2:22 (that's not the only definition). It is difficult to ignore this when approaching the film.

On another level, critically, I thought the movie dangerous to undiscerning minds, and that includes far too many who should know better. This was a vehicle for what has re-emerged as Gaia-theology, environment as mother goddess. But it's not that simple- animism and pantheism, which are logically similar but different drop their distinctions here and join in the fray, and the particular chunks of specific belief systems held by native Americans are layered in as well. Everybody seems to want to identify with native American pagan ritual today. The victimization of this people group by colonialists in the history of the world does not change the fact that their religion is false.

Nature worship origins go back to the fall, and are at the basis of the Babylonian Tiamat/Marduk enmity wherein a male deity imposes order on chaos. It includes the notion that all belief that will bend the knee to it has a place at its table as seen in the subsumation of Dr. Grace Augustine, the missionary/scientist of the plot. The bible attests that here are many antichrists. If indeed there is an ultimate antichrist and beast that can fool the elect, we should entertain the possibility that it won't come necessarily from Europe or the Middle East per se, but from this inferior theological point of view.

A few for instances of the looting of other stories:

Pandora. In Greek mythology was the first woman created by the gods and who released all manner of evil upon the earth out of curiosity. So what was the point of hanging this moniker on the moon-world? The negative connotations of Pandora ring true to my point of view, but not Cameron's. I think this is a key to the modus operandi- so many negative connotations of the referecned myths become reconstituted as the good the true and the beautiful here. From the viewer's POV, evil is invested with good and good is portrayed evil by an unmitigated focus on fallen aspects in this place where the hero loses the sense of which is real- the dream or reality- another theme from the spirit of the age...

Anyone who has spent any time in Muhlenberg County Kentucky will know of the evil of the rampant rape of nature by man. But this film extends the guilt of that to any stewardship of nature, inequitably, and clearly points to the US military industrial complex as being the embodiment of evil in the world. This broad brush approach is pretty stupid.

The heroine Dr. Grace Augustine who goes (as a missionary) to the NaVi to educate them eventually is saved by them as she is wounded by her own people and then subsumed in the Mother Goddess. Even as she encounters the deity she wants to "take some samples." This is a blatant attack on missions in general. This is another rejection of modernity, and constitutes a call to pre-modernity, even the primordial as an alternative.

The NaVi are a conglomeration of pantheistic and animistic belief layered on a Gaia personal Mother goddess. The NaVi have much in common with a African and Native American pagan system of belief. Indigenous paganism is the zeitgeist, and it rules in this film.

At another level this is a diatribe demonizing the American military-industrial complex. Even the VA is targeted. The Marines as bad guys? We know Cameron hates Christ, so that makes sense, I suppose.

I've heard many say this is "unlike anything you’ve ever seen before?" No way. Films that this film cherry picks-

The Matrix
Fern Gully, the Last Rainforest. The Hexxus and the Leveler come to mind when watching the movie- remember that?
Dances With Wolves
Final Fantasy I and 2
Iron Man and The Hulk closing battle sequences
Jurassic Park
Return of the Jedi-Ewok versus the Empire
Apocalypse Now
The Pocahontas myth
Features of Gilgamesh, Ishtar, and Lilith myths.

and I could go on but you get the picture.

Even the 3D effects were tiresome after a while, as was the ratatattat of the machine gun fire drumming a tattoo on one's psyche.

The NaVi take liberally from the lifeforms they share Pandora with and let them return to the mother goddess. I didn't hear any of the beasts saying "you're welcome" as they were being thanked for giving up their lives to be eaten. The NaVi see this as somehow different than the aliens who take what they want by their survival of the fittest mentality.So this turns out to be a fallen Eden after all. The idea that Er-wah "only keeps the balance of life in check" was the deistic notion that was proposed- but then it responded to the high priest Jakesully. Even the deity's name sounds a bit like Yahweh.

It is also anti-colonialist- therefore anti-American propaganda wherein the alien is demonized as destroyers of their world and out to mine another. While the US is certainly not without fault, this is an oversimplification and perversion of the role the US has played in the world.

The sky people are said to be greedy and thoughtless like undisciplined babies who have to learn the righteous way. Sully becomes a proselyte of the NaVi and then their messiah. He is initiated as a warrior by doing battle with a dragon-figure and subduing it. Sully and Neytiri mate before the mother goddess and that joins them for life.

"Sully" as a (does this evoke the recent heroism of Captain Sully) character is also “sullied”- Jacob Sully –as in the biblical deceiver Jacob who is redeemed by wrestling with the Angel of the Lord and is crippled for life.

Sully joins with and prays to the Tree of Souls as a high priest figure.

As a warrior he leads the people forward as a foil against imperialistic evil forces- the sky people. Is this an allusion to the prince of the power of the air? Sully puts on NaVi flesh and comes to them to warn them of impending doom and ends up leading the fight against the forces coming in the air to "take what they want." after the defeat of the enemy, then he retires from messiahship and fully identifies with the NaVi and spends his life with the female leader of the People. Sounds like Cameron's view of the Christ.

The nature goddess’s seeds light on Sully and “choose” him, surrounding him in light like the Holy Spirit descending as a dove. This constitutes a “sign” from the goddess.

Jake calls the tribes from the four winds as the rider on the chariot of fire- the big red bird-dragon thingy.

“I see you” is a theme that recurs frequently and culminates when Sully is seen for who he is- a frail and damaged human.

Every NaVi person is born twice- once into the world and once into the People.

The hero is a paraplegic who takes the place of his scientist brother who died- a picture of Adam and the second Adam? In this case it is the modern scientific paradigm being displace by the brave heart that is unscientific and becomes not postmodern, but is transformed into a pre-modern purity.

Jake becomes the perfect mediator as fully human fully NaVi- but far short of the Christian messiah who is God/Man. This is closer to reincarnation than regeneration.

Jake is initiated as a warrior after he becomes enlightened.

The giant tree is destroyed but it is just an image or type of the tree of souls to which the diaspora flees as they are forced from their land.

The avatars are tabernacles.

So, as I see it, such a melange of competing ideas from existing stories is subsumed by the overarching Gaia idea. That idea becomes a metaphor for a false spirituality. The interconnectedness of all of life is related to spiritual connectivity and whatever you believe can be subsumed into this conglomeration as easily as Dr. Grace Augustine was.

In biblical terms, man is to steward and build the earth- culture is built from nature.That includes cutting trees and planting them, mining the earth and conserving it. The film creates an us and them, simplistic world that belies reality.

100 things we didn't know last year...

It's always nice to learn a hundred things in a small amount of time...I knew quite a few of them, but learned a few things too...and I adm it, there are some I have never thought about till now.

First blush review of Sherlock Holmes.

The film bears little resemblance to a Conan Doyle story. This is a much darker, much more physical and less cerebral Holmes with a story that rehashes elements of many action flicks in memory, complete with a strongman giant and malevolent midget. Sadly, I had figured out the main mystery within a few frames of the resurrection of the bad guy.

I just cannot get into a kungfu fighting Sherlock, or the Num3ers slo-mo step by step methodologies showing Holmes’ brain at work. Whereas the heroine and her blackjack can take a villain out with one slap, it takes Downey and Law scores of blows and a hardware store to take out their opponents, ostensibly to drag out the overly long action scenes. Honestly, this reminded me of a combination of James Bond and the Wild Wild West in turn of the century London with little of the Holmes idiosycrasies in evidence.

Throw in the occult underbelly and overtones along with slaughterhouse and sewer scenes, and you could almost smell this film. How many films in recent memory have depended upon the presence of s secret society set to rule the world as it’s core malevolence attraction? Umm- there the Illuminati who are apparently everywhere in video games. Movies, comics, fiction, Freemasons as in National Treasure, Skull and Bones, Opus Dei and so forth. This is getting pretty tired. And speaking of tiresome, Robert Downey is in danger of becoming typecast as himself. Give me Jeremy Brett.

Idea Park

Sometimes I use this space to park ideas for further exploration later. Today's idea is that of a leader as an architect of synergy. When a leader is only able to bring all the parties he leads to the table as a conglomeration of individual interests, the results are gridlock and less than the sum of their parts. Results are stringently limited. When a leader leverages leadership qualities, results happen that are more than the sum of the part. there is a creative stewardship involved in this. The character of these results are based in the character of the qualities leveraged, that is, by the quality of authority or power invested in him/her, by the power of personality, or by the power of compelling compassion and service- or any of the many other qualities of a leader. Virtue begets virtue, and vice begets vice. You will know them by their fruit, Christ said...

to be explored further....

Bliss

To revel in the presence
Of the source of all delight
To come and bow in reverence
Transformed from blight to right

We were made for this
We were made for this
To enter into bliss.
In his glory at His throne
Reveling here in Christ alone

To be never separated
In adoration unabated
To linger there our one desire
We will gaze on him and never tire

Raptured by His righteousness
There at the mercy seat
To be forever, always blessed
Our destiny complete

Where glory to glory reflects
And praise upon praise resounds
And light to light is mirrored
In resplendent radiance found

Where wrong is set right
By His covering made clean
Lesser desires will fade from sight
In the light of the unseen.

We were made for this
We were made for this
To enter into bliss.
In his glory at His throne
Reveling here in Christ alone

Anthony Foster
December 26, 2009

Seek the Child of Heaven

He is the Word that had to be said
He is the prayer we pray.
He is the gift that arose from the dead
A gift to give away
He made the star in the skies
That points the way in the night
He is the one that gives it light
And oh He shines so bright

Burn away the darkness that blinds us
Burn away the darkness that binds us
And give us sight
Oh give us sight

To see the Son is to see
The God who is unseen
We see the Son and see
His purpose for every thing

Seek the child
Oh seek the child
The child of heaven reconciles
He sets the prisoner free
To arise and to shine bright
In His presence whole and holy
Whole and Holy
Whole and Holy
Enter in and stand in glory
Seek the child of heaven
Come and shine within His light

Gloria to the glorious one
Our Creator is revealed
His glory he now shows
God on High is here below
So that we can know
So that we can know….

Anthony Foster
December 26, 2009

Best Laugh of the Day

Glad to see Dave Barry hasn't lost his touch- here's his 2009 in review....

What I saw at Southern Lights @ the Kentucky Horse Park

12 Snowflakes blinking
11 Toy soldiers
10 Disney displays
9 Snowmen waving
8 Reindeer flying
7 Gingerbread men
6 Famous fables
5 Ninjas fighting
4 Horses racing
3 Bears a flashing
2 Jedi dueling
1 Santa’s limo
And no baby Jesus nowhere!

So I must echo the sentiments: Bah, Humbug!!!!

Musings and Meditations at Christmas

The great shame and the great sin of the world is not complicated. It is simply and only and always-- undervaluing Jesus. This takes on a multitude of forms from blatant rebellion and cosmic anarchy on one end of the continuum, to sentimentalizing Christ and making him a safe, warm, and fuzzy buddy that you can take or leave. Sin violates who Jesus is. It is seeking sustinence and pleasure in his gifts rather than enjoying the one who gave them. In enjoying his gifts, even then we must enjoy them in the way that they were intended to be enjoyed. So whether the sin is calling God a liar in not believing his Word, or in substituting the pursuit of ease comfort and pleasure for pursuing him, or in devastating your family and body with runaway desires, in the end it boils down to this truth. To value Jesus- who is of the ultimate worth in the universe, less than he is due is worthy of death.

The world offers many competitors and substitutes that vie for our attentions,loyalties, and energies. While Jesus needs not be defended from Santa, it needs to be said that it is our very reason for living to worship and adore him. We have tremendous freedom and opportunity to find his light in all it's various facets- his poikilos grace, as it is in the Greek. Because he is full of grace and forgiveness, mercy and compassion for he understands our sufferings and desires better than we do ourselves.

He can understand our hearts because he created them. Jesus was unique because he is God. He is God-nature and Man-nature all wrapped up in an explosive and incomprehensible package of love. Jesus was unique as a human in that he never sinned and he rose from a stone cold death with power. The bible says in various places that God raised him, that the Spirit raised him, and that he raised himself. It’s paradoxical, but Christians believe this is reality, and stake their lives on it, not because of some leap of faith, but because of the character and nature of the One who told us this is true. His resurrection defines reality.

This undervaluing of Jesus- anything that deprives him of the glory and honor that is due him as the incarnate logos, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world is something every individual on earth is accountable for. He defines glory and honor; the world devalues and perverts it.

He is the only one who can purify all the things we pervert, and make no mistake, we are all experts at that, every one of us frail children of dust. Only in Christ can we trust, for he will not fail. As the fulfillment of the law, and the perfect image of God in whose image we are made, he defines Sin. He is the only one who has the authority to forgive sin. Therefore since failure to acknowledge the Truth of his Worth is at the root of all sin, he is the only solution to the sin problem. No religion can make that claim. Only in this person- the most high God in a body, the child who was born in a cattle stall in a dark and weary world, can we find reconciliation with God, and our very salvation. This determines whether you go to heaven: not who you are, or what you’ve done, but whether your desire to be with Jesus in all of his worth drives your life. If you don’t have much use for him in this world, what makes you think you can worship him in heaven?

Jesus is more than the reason for the season. He is the reason for the universe- let's worship him in Spirit and Truth every moment of every day. that makes all the difference- it will lead us to a life of humilty and gratitude, loving others because we are loved, for we are never more like Jesus that we are when we are giving of ourselves.

The Blind Side- a review

I'm not much of a sucker for schmaltz, so I don't watch much of the Hallmark Channel. I must admit that I half expected this film to be of that ilk, but I was pleasantly surprised. There were points that danced dangerously close to that tune...but all in all this was a good story, and a fine performance from Sandra Bullock, who carried the film through some treacherous territory where it might have descended into being just another tear-jerker.

We've gained a bit of experience on the inside of the foster care system and know of the heroic actions of many who put their money where their mouths are when it comes to care and compassion. People really can change a life by taking care of widows and orphans, but it's equally true that their own lives are changed in the process. Bullock was convincing as well as entertaining. The depiction of the role the kids in the family made in making the intervention work was a good touch.

The down side: Tim McGraw is really a weak link as an actor in my opinion. His wooden performance was a distraction.

New Jerusalem

The new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem
Where the lamb is the light and the tree of life grows
And the stream of living water flows and flows and flows
With a stone and a new name, in the new Jerusalem.
Oh blessed day when it descends- the new Jerusalem.

To be changed into the likeness
Of the risen lamb
To be transformed into righteousness
Forever to stand
In the presence of the most High
Or to fall upon our face
Before the awesome throne of grace.

The new Jerusalem. The new Jerusalem
Where the lamb is the light and the tree of life grows
And the stream of living water flows and flows and flows
With a stone and a new name, in the new Jerusalem.
Oh blessed day when it descends- the new Jerusalem.

Now as we celebrate his birth
We see the portent of his worth
In the now and in the not yet
In the future that’s already set.
The earth by glory is consumed
The day God’s rose has fully bloomed.
In His Incarnation we see the sign to come
For the final Word is said and done.

Anthony Foster
December 14, 2009

One Life

One life is not enough
So we shall see forever
With one purpose in mind
Our ties with sin to sever
And then true purpose we shall find.

One life is not enough
To apprehend His glory
To know His worth
To know His victory
And so His kingdom comes to earth.

One life is all we’re given
To receive the life beyond
One life to be forgiven
To take on His precious bonds.
One life to live within the light
To be redeemed and be made right
All this life is a gift in which we trust.
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust.

One life is not enough
To render all the praise
One tongue to speak
One voice to raise.
One heart and mind with which to seek.

One life is not enough
So we shall gain eternity
To pray and praise
On our knees, yes on our knees
Worshipping the ancient of days.

One life is all we’re given
To receive the life beyond
One life to be forgiven
To take on His precious bonds.
One life to live within the light
To be redeemed and be made right
To be declared righteous and just
All this life is a gift in which we trust.

Anthony Foster
December 14, 2009

Our Christmas Traditions

We started recounting them this weekend and came up with these- there are probably more, but this is a good representation...

Warm My Soul

I would warm my soul by the fire of your glory
I would warm my soul in your light
I would draw e’re close to the fostering fire
And steel myself 'gainst the wintery night.

As I bask in the warmth of your most holy fire
To remain in this place I will yearn
Till my soul’s consumed with the warmth of its glow
And with the light of your glory I burn.

By Your Spirit my embers are stirred
By your Spirit my heart has heard
And the stone cold ash is set ablaze
As here in your fire I stand amazed.
By a flame that burns but does not destroy
The branches are consumed by pure joy

I would warm my soul by the fire of compassion
I would warm my soul in your light
I would feel the fire in my bones growing stronger
As I stand in the fire and I fight.

I would see the spark that you place in me
Be stirred to a bonfire so bright
That its heat will burn all the dross of my life
As I warm my soul in your light.

I would warm my soul by the fire of compassion
I would warm my soul in your light
I would feel the fire in my bones growing stronger
As I stand by the fire in the night.

Anthony Foster
December 13, 2009

Benedictus

Oh dayspring from on high
Oh star that lights the sky
Visit us and visit now
As humbly in our hearts we bow.
Arise in us and shine.

To them that in the darkness sit
Here in the shadow of death’s pit
A light has shown to guide our feet
Into the way of peace.
That by your light is lit.

Child of heaven now we sing
Of your altar and your offering
Your sacrifice the perfect gift
And so to you our eyes we lift
You who know our suffering

Oh heaven’s precious gift is given
Through tender mercy we’re forgiven
To dwell within his glorious light
Redeemed and reconciled, made right
Christ has accomplished our release
And so we know his perfect peace

Oh amazing incomparable worth
Beyond all value on the earth
Oh rising sun of righteousness
We lift our voices to confess
Oh Jesus we celebrate your birth.

We had thought about going to hear this

Program Information:
Michael Sandel Renowned Harvard professor and author of Justice: What We Owe One Another as Citizens - and How We Can Think About It Together

Justice, or Moral Reasoning 22, a course in moral and political philosophy taught by Harvard Professor of Government, Michael Sandel, draws more than 1,200 students each year. One of the most visited pages on the Harvard website (link) carries a video in which Sandel addresses a rapt audience on dilemmas dreamt up by philosophers in order to get people to reflect on their beliefs about the relationship between action and intention.

His new book, Justice, offers readers the same exhilarating journey that captivates his students- the challenge of thinking our way through the hard moral challenges we confront as citizens, inviting readers of all political persuasions to consider familiar controversies in fresh and illuminating ways.

Interviewer: John S. Carroll
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former editor of the Los Angeles Times, the Baltimore Sun, and the Lexington Herald-Leader.

BUT by the time the "convenience fees" (that is an oxymoron, for sure) were added it was going to run over 50 bucks- and at 6PM one would have to fight downtown rush hour to attend. I think we'll check out any lectures online. It would take longer to get there than the interview lasts. I think living in the boonies will have to change in the future.

Here's a 27 minute one.

And another.It's 43 minutes. Here are the Reith Lectures.

Wise Words from Thomas Sowell

This is one of Earnie's favorite writers; she reads him on a regular basis. Here's a smattering of wisdom on a variety of subjects- immensely quotable.

For instance: "“Many colleges claim that they develop ‘leaders.’ All too often, that means turning out graduates who cannot feel fulfilled unless they are telling other people what to do. There are already too many people like that, and they are a menace to everyone else's freedom.”"

Whacked Out Spirituality

Here's something I encountered on our trip to see the Christmas decorations on the first day of Advent, where we begin to prepare to celebrate the nativity of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We celebrate that year 'round, but especially this time of year.

So here's a little duck dressed up as a Christmas tree with the message- "BELIEVE." He's surrounded by a flock, brace, flush, paddling or raft(whatever you choose to use) of duckie-clones.

This is scary it's so cute, but I'm not at all sure I know what I am supposed to BELIEVE in here. Is it that somewhere there are ducks that dress like this? Or perhaps this is some sort of alien lifeform come to save us from a deficiency of cuteness?

I suppose it is more likely a new derivative form of pagan theology. First, there was the myth of justification by death, where all you have to do to go to heaven is to die. Now this one says the destiny of your eternal, immortal soul depends upon whether you BELIEVE- something, anything, even if it is that ducks and trees can produce such offspring. Whatever it is as long as you sincerely BELIEVE, it will be OK. But then there's nothing new with that, is there?

We also saw an inflatable nativity scene blowing in the wind and I'd swear it looked like Mary had a beard and was dressed in red. Maybe it was my imagination, after seeing so many Santa's, or maybe Mary has a hormonal imbalance. Will have to return to check that one out in the daylight.