Hungry Hungry Hippo Habitat

This week the word "micromanagement" seemed inadequate to describe the present situation, so I have coined the new term: 

 

 

Actually, I guess that should be smaller:

 

 

You heard it here first, folks. 

In Matthew 21, Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road towards the city when Jesus became hungry.  Seeing a fig tree, he examined it more closely only to discover that it had produced no fruit.  Jesus then pronounced a curse on the tree, saying, “may you never bear fruit again!”  Matthew records that the tree immediately withered, to the amazement of the disciples who still hadn’t quite figured out that Jesus was really God. 

They asked him in astonishment, “how did the fig tree wither so quickly?”  as though they really didn’t comprehend the fact that the tree had withered only because Jesus had commanded it.  Jesus then replied with this famous and often misunderstood statement:

Matthew 21

21Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Jesus is really teaching two lessons here:  faith, and fruitfulness.

One remarkable thing stands out over the last two millennia since Jesus spoke these words:  nobody has ever been documented as having successfully ordered a mountain to relocate itself into the sea.  In fact, history doesn’t record one instance of a man’s command even budging a mountain by a few inches.  Does this mean that not one single person since the time of Jesus has “had faith” and “not doubted?”  I don’t think this to be the case at all.  Rather, I think Jesus was using hyperbole and metaphor to make a point:  that nothing is too big for God to handle.

I am sure that for centuries many who claim the name of Christ have tried very hard and prayed very hard for a literal mountain to be moved as proof of their faith.  So why has this never happened?   Consider this:  what purpose would be served by God’s kids throwing mountains around like volleyballs?  I’m sure it would be great fun, but how would it advance God’s kingdom?  Would transplanting the Matterhorn into the Mediterranean Sea, or moving Pike’s Peak to Oklahoma serve God in any way?  In most cases, such a display would serve only to bring reverence and honor to the individual rather than to God – something completely contrary to God’s purposes.  So why do we often take these verses at face value rather than looking at the deeper meaning behind Jesus’ words?

When we pray, what are our motives?  Are our prayers requesting God’s intervention to exalt his kingdom, or to exalt our kingdoms?  Are we seeking our own glory and self-interest, or are we seeking to bring glory to God?  Many of our prayers are not answered because we ask with wrong motives (James 4:3).

When we pray for the advancement of God’s kingdom as Jesus instructed us in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10), he will answer our prayers – every time.  He will move every mountain that stands before us.  He will make straight and level paths for our feet (Isaiah 26:7).  He will bring us success, and make us fruitful.  This is the only way we can produce fruit for God’s kingdom.  We must make ourselves available to him for his purposes.  If our prayers are self-seeking, we are not producing fruit for God’s kingdom.  If we produce no fruit, we are as useless to Jesus as that fig tree was.

Lots of activity on the Afghan / Pakistani border this weekend.  The only word from NATO is that we've launched operations against an "HVT" (High Value Target). 

 

Here for more:

 

I especially enjoyed the 5th comment in the list:

 

Al Gore, inventor of the internet and the environment, and First Emperor of the Moon, has been called a "global rock star" by the WAPO.  Yeah, Al Gore is as much of a "rock star" as Milli Vanilli.

I am truly sickened by this.

Paul devotes an entire chapter to this subject in First Corinthians 13.  This famous passage ends with verse 13:

I heard about this on the radio, and it's definitely worth a read:

 

 

So what if Harry really is a horcrux?

 

Consider this passage:

 

 

It explains the curse scar twinging when Voldemort is nearby.  It explains the telepathic/empathic link between Harry and Voldy in Order of the Phoenix.  When Dumbledore told Harry that it seemed that Voldemort had "put a bit of [himself] in [Harry]", he had not yet considered the notion that Voldemort would be using horcruxes (a thought that only began to pan out in Half Blood Prince.)

 

So if Harry is the final horcrux, that means:

 

 

Oh, but he can!

 

(I swear, this phoenix animagus theory of mine comes into play SOMEWHERE.  If not Dumbledore, then why not Harry?)

 

Thus I propose:

 

Harry learns that he is in fact the 7th and last surviving horcrux.  He laments the fact that he must die in order to render Voldemort mortal again, until he finally realizes the genius of becoming a phoenix animagus.  You following me here?

 

As a phoenix, Harry can die (and with his death, destroy the horcrux!) and then be resurrected to engage in the final battle with a now mortal Voldemort.  (I wonder if his scar will be gone when he rises from the flames?)

 

Of course, Rowling's always full of surprises.  But I still like my theory.  If it turns out to be true, remember you heard it here first!

Hilarious.

This started as an article about a Nancy Pelosi documentary trying to make Christians look foolish, but the discussion thread on this page is really excellent.  I confess I haven't read all of the comments (there are a LOT!), but the discussion I've seen so far really hits some interesting points.  Definitely worth a read.

John Kerry continues to embarrass himself and shamefully express his disdain for America.  In a time when this country should be more united than ever, he sows discord and openly criticizes our nation publicly in an international forum.  His language more closely resembles that of Hugo Chavez than that of an elected participant of our government.  If this guy keeps traveling abroad to speak ill of America, I propose that his passport be revoked, senator or not.

 

Mr. Kerry, whether you agree with American policy or not, you should never discuss that with representatives of other nations.  If you think America has dirty laundry that you don't like, you address that in the forum to which you were elected, NOT on the international stage.  Now you owe America another apology.  We're still waiting for the first.  And we're not holding our collective breath.

 

UPDATE:

 

A closer look at the hypocrisy, courtesy of Charles Johnson.

 

UPDATE 2:

 

More, with video.

The Chinese have a dating service for dead people, and if your match isn't dead yet, that can be arranged, too.

Heidi Cullen of the Weather Channel attacks meteorologists who aren't buying the manmade global warming mantra, and gets thoroughly slaughtered in the comments.  Worth a read:

 

 

Chavez is preparing to entrench his Hitlerian regime in Venezuela even deeper through his own version of the Ermächtigungsgesetz.  I wonder if he'll first set fire to the Reichstag Caracas Parliament Building and blame it on the Communists Americans?  Next he'll demand that the League of Nations United Nations stand clear for Venezuela to reclaim the Sudetenland Guyana past the Schomburgk Line to Essequibo River.

 

According to newly discovered documents (also here), the French proposed unification with the UK, including fealty to the throne, in 1956.  Can you imagine?  The same people who murdered their own sovereigns (and still celebrate the fact) were in such dire straits because of the Algerian conflict that they were willing to become subservient to QE2?  The La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, to be replaced by God Save the Queen? 

 

When the PM told them no way, they discussed (slightly more seriously) the proposition of France joining the Commonwealth.  That is equally bizarre, really.  Even that would have meant QE2's portrait on the French Franc and an official recognition of the Church of England rather than the Vatican.  I know France was screwed up back then (well, still), but were things really so bad that they would have consigned all that is French to the hated Brits?  It truly is fascinating, especially since this was not the daydream of some low level functionary, but of the French Prime Minister, Guy Mollet. 

 

Hey Chirac, if you want to make that offer to the US now, I'm sure we could even swing statehood for you and add a star to the flag.  It would still involve you learning English.

A:  Global warming.

The Slate has provided a handy dandy travel tip guide for anyone wanting to break U.S. law and travel to Cuba to protest against the U.S. government facilities at Guantanamo Bay.

 

Shouldn't this be considered sedition?

That comes to:

$50,000,000 per year.

$961,538 per week.

$136,986 per day.

 

Or approximately $25,000 per hour, assuming an 8 hour work day, five days a week, with two weeks off for vacation.  And this guy's my age. 

 

I chose the wrong profession.  I've wasted my life.

 

David, if you ever need a week off, I'll be glad to fill in for you.  You'd never even miss a week's salary.

 

Congratulations, and welcome to America!

 

 UPDATE:

 

This is classic.  Check out this post on the BBC message boards from a British football fan who fears the American "sleeping giant":

 

Go get 'em, boys!

The quantum leaps in technology inspired by the necessity of the second world war were significant.  The special projects underway in the DARPA labs now resemble science fiction.