It's Justice Sotomayor Now

Great Error

"One of the greatest errors to be dreaded and watched and prayed against is that of excessive caution, under the guise of prudence, in anxiety to avoid giving offense to worldly people who never can be reconciled, by all you can do, to anything in the shape of a revival of religion."

William C. Burns (1815-1868), Scottish minister, missionary to China, writing in The Revival of Religion, page 350.

That Crazy Kim Part 2

Muddy Waters - Long Distance Call - Blues For A Friday

The great Muddy Waters performing his song "Long Distance Call". I think this was Muddy Waters last great band. This was around 1976/77 in Dortmund, Germany for television.

Calvin's Death-Bed Charge to Older and Younger Men

In Douglas Bond's The Betrayal: A Novel on John Calvin (P&R, 2009) he tells how John Calvin wisely charged older and younger men just one month prior to his death (p. 369):

April 27, 1564, Calvin called members of the City Council to his side. Extending an emaciated hand in blessing, his body a living cadaver, he blessed and exhorted them. I render here only a portion thereof. "You older ones be not jealous of the gifts which the younger generation has received, but be glad and praise the Lord who has given them.

"And you younger men, be humble and seek not to achieve greater things than you can do; for youth is seldom void of ambition and tends to despise the opinions of others."

Little Walter-Blues with a Feeling

The Greater Wealth

If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? Luke 16:11

"The 'true riches' obviously have nothing to do with money. To have spiritual power to overcome the awfulness of the post-Christian world -- that is true riches. The church is constantly saying, 'Where's our power? Where's our power?' Jesus' statement here gives us at least part of the answer. We must use money with a view to what counts in eternity. If a child cannot take his father's money, go to the store, purchase what is requested and return home with the change, it does not make sense for the father to increase his allowance. So since . . . the money we handle is not our own, if we do not bring it under the lordship of Christ, we will not be given the greater wealth of spiritual power."

Francis A. Schaeffer, "Ash heap lives," in No Little People, page 266.

That Crazy Kim

From The Weak Minded John Conyers

"I love these members, they get up and say, 'Read the bill.' What good is reading the bill if it's a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"

U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., on expectations that lawmakers would read bills before voting on them.

All Your Love --- John Mayall's Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton

Creflo Dollar

How George Whitefield Studied The Bible

"There he is at five in the morning . . . . on his knees with his English Bible, his Greek New Testament and Henry's Commentary spread out before him. He reads a portion in the English, gains a fuller insight into it as he studies words and tenses in the Greek and then considers Matthew Henry's explanation of it all. Finally, there comes the unique practice that he has developed: that of 'praying over every line and word' of both the English and the Greek till the passage, in its essential message, has veritably become part of his own soul."

Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield, I:82-83.

House Oversight Committee warns White House to stop using intimidation tactics against members of Congress: "This isn't Chicago"

From the House Oversight Committee:

Following reports that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has been orchestrating an effort to intimidate members of Congress and Governors who raise legitimate concerns regarding the effectiveness of the stimulus, House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Ranking Member Darrell Issa (R-CA) sent a letter to Emanuel saying “While this type of scare tactic may work In Chicago, it will not work to intimidate me or other Members of the United States Congress.”

“I and others have dared to bring these facts to the attention of President Obama, the Congress and the American people,” Issa wrote. “You’ve unfortunately reacted by once again resorting to the playbook of the Chicago political machine.”

Last month, Politico reported that Emanuel had “launched a coordinated effort to jam” Senator Kyl and other Administration critics… “fter seeing Kyl and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) again paint the legislation as a failure on Sunday talk shows, White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed that the letters from the Cabinet secretaries be sent to [Governor] Brewer, according to two administration officials.”

Issa noted, “The fact that the letters were coordinated by you to maximize the level of intimidation is supported by the timing, structure, and content of each letter. Not only were the four letters all sent the day following Senator Kyl’s remarks, but they were also remarkably similar in tone and sentence structure.”

Letter from Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation:

On Sunday, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently underway. I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know [emphasis added].

Letter from Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior:

Some key Republican leaders in Congress have publicly questioned whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working and suggested cancelling all projects that are not currently in progress. I believe they are wrong. The stimulus funds provided through the Recovery Act are a very effective way to create job opportunities throughout the Country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to Arizona, please let me know [emphasis added].

“At what point do you believe your practice of Chicago-style politics violates a public official’s right to speak out in favor of alternative policies,” Issa asks. “The American people have a right to know what role you played in developing the threatening letters to Governor Brewer and whether you intend to continue to engage in these tactics in the future.”

In order to assist the Committee with its investigation of this issue, please provide the following information by close of business on Tuesday, August 11, 2009:

1. Your response to Politico’s report that “White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel directed that the letters from the Cabinet secretaries be sent to [Governor] Brewer, according to two administration officials.”
2. A full and complete explanation of the development of the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer, including but not limited to the role you or any other White House official played in writing the letters or encouraging the writing of the letters.
3. All records and communications between you and Secretary LaHood, Secretary Salazar, Secretary Donovan, and Secretary Vilsack referring or relating to the decision to send the July 13 letters to Governor Brewer.
4. A full and complete explanation of the role of the Democratic National Committee and the White House Office of Political Affairs in authoring, encouraging, facilitating, or directing the four July 13 letters from the cabinet secretaries to Governor Brewer.

You can view a copy of the full letter to Emanuel by clicking here.

Kenny Burrell - Chitlins Con Carne

I just bought Kenny's CD Midnight Blue last week on i tunes. If you like jazz or blues you will like this.

Shop At Crazy Deacon Bob's

Oscar Peterson & Count Basie - Slow Blues

Enjoying The Sweetness

The sweetest joys and delights I have experienced, have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own good estate; but in a direct view of the glorious things of the gospel. When I enjoy this sweetness, it seems to carry me above the thoughts of my own safe estate. It seems at such times a loss that I cannot bear, to take off my eye from the glorious, pleasant object I behold without me, to turn my eye in upon myself, and my own good estate.

Jonathan Edwards

Made It To Knoxville

I have arrived in Knoxville checked into the hotel and am resting up before tonights meeting. Its amazing that the Detroit Tigers are still in first place. They only went 5-5 in their last ten so thank God for Minnesota and Chicago who both went 4-6 in their last ten. I really enjoyed my I-pod on this trip, I listened to some teaching and plently of music. I have a new CD by Oscar Peterson and a new Cd by Kenny Burrell.

Talking Fred Phelps

On The Road

This afternoon I drove to Florence KY and and resting in a motel room. I'm on my way to Knoxville TN for the Masterbuilders International Conference. Its been a long day and I'm waiting for the room to cool off. We had a good service today, I preached on the great sin, which is pride. We are studying Mere Christianity by C S Lewis and we had just studied the chapter on pride.

The Media

No Great Hardship

"To be laughed at is no great hardship to me. I can delight in scoffs and jeers; caricatures, lampoons, and slanders are my glory. But that you should turn from your own mercy, this is my sorrow. Spit on me, but oh, repent! Laugh at me, but oh, believe in my Master! Make my body as the dirt of the streets, if you will, but damn not your own souls! Oh, do not despise your own mercies. Put not away from you the gospel of Christ. . . . I charge you, as I shall face you at the judgment bar of the Lord Jesus in the day of judgment -- I charge you, by your own immortal welfare, lay these things to heart."

C. H. Spurgeon, 10 January 1858

Jimmy Rogers and Big Walter Horton

A Store Of Idolatry

"Man's mind is like a store of idolatry and superstition; so much so that if a man believes his own mind it is certain that he will forsake God and forge some idol in his own brain."

"Let us not cease to do the utmost, that we may incessantly go forward in the way of the Lord; and let us not despair of the smallness of our accomplishments."

"There is no worse screen to block out the Spirit than confidence in our own intelligence."

John Calvin

The Difference between a Hate Crime and Art