Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Rex Murphy

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglica...
Image via Wikipedia
Rex Murphy:
To be a serious Christian in modern Western culture is to be the favoured easy target of every progressive thinker and every half-witted comedian. It is to have your sensibilities and your deepest beliefs on perpetual call for taunts, mockery and desecration. At a time when all progressives preach full volume for inclusivity and sensitivity, for the utmost care in speech when speaking of others with differing views or hues, Christians, as Christians, are under a constant hail of abuse and disregard. There is nothing too low or too vulgar.



Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Lucid Canadian Comment of the Day: Falling Asleep In A Tent Is Camping, Not Protesting

Skyline of Toronto
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re: Occupy Toronto:


“... falling asleep in a tent in the middle of a park is camping... not protesting.” -- Rachel Young, here.


Meanwhile, overheard at Occupy Toronto: "We're not leaving 'til we put the park back in the condition we found it in!".


OK, I made that one up.


And that's the way the Ball bounces.




Sunday, November 20, 2011

Sunday Psalm: 16 - In your presence is fullness of joy

Psalm 1, Verse 1 and 2 in Biblia Hebraica Stut...
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Psalm 16

A Michtam of David.
 1 Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust.
        
 2 O my soul, you have said to the LORD,
         “You are my Lord,
         My goodness is nothing apart from You.”
 3 As for the saints who are on the earth,
         “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”
        
 4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another god;
         Their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,
         Nor take up their names on my lips.
        
 5 O LORD, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
         You maintain my lot.
 6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
         Yes, I have a good inheritance.
        
 7 I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
         My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
 8 I have set the LORD always before me;
         Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
        
 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
         My flesh also will rest in hope.
 10 For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
         Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
 11 You will show me the path of life;
         In Your presence is fullness of joy;
         At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

New King James Version (NKJV)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.


* * *


I confess: the Lord is my portion, my cup, my inheritance, my counsel, my instructor, my Rock, my Redeemer, my assurance of life beyond the grave.


How sure am I that Jesus is alive? 100.0%.


Have a good day of down-time rest from whatever you do the rest of the week.


Friday, November 18, 2011

Aborting Children Gives Chris Selley A Warm Fuzzy Feeling

A 44-years old gravid female with previous 6 c...
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Chris Selley: "Ms. Tomlins suggests the added effort might make women reconsider. All it makes me consider is the prospect of a woman giving birth solely because she can't scrape together $1,000, even in a desperate situation. This does not give me a warm, fuzzy feeling."

Obliterating unborn humans does, Chris?

Thursday, November 17, 2011

It's Samaritan's Purse Week In Canada

Our kitchen table is full of stuff collected over the last two years for the Samaritan's Purse kids. What a glorious sight!  We got busy last year and didn't get any shoe-boxes done. We're making up for it this year!  My wife is in charge of the operation. I contribute "stuff" as I come across it. My biggest coup this year was getting these little floating rubber ducky things from a pool/patio store in Phoenix. They gave us one every time we visited the store. Don't worry, we bought $1,000 in patio furniture, so they did OK by us.

It's Samaritan's Purse week in Canada, because "Next Week is Collection Week!".

Christmas shoe-boxes for the kids. The words of Jesus never cease to inspire.

Are you filling a Samaritan's Purse shoe-box this year?


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Quote of the Day: "The dispute between atheism and theism is at bottom a philosophical dispute, not a scientific one"

Coat of arms of RosenbergImage via Wikipedia
Continuing our look at Alex Rosenberg’s The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, we come to Rosenberg’s treatment of the question “Where did the big bang come from?”....
"[T]he dispute between atheism and theism is at bottom a philosophical dispute, not a scientific one." -- Edward Feser, in the combox of the above post, here.

Monday, November 14, 2011

A Question For The Occupiers...

Occupy Wall Street: The red statueImage by Kimberlyki via FlickrWhat plans do you have to restore the occupied grounds back to their original conditions?

Wouldn't most corporations -- the ones you despise -- have a plan in place?

What's yours?

* * *

And wouldn't those same corporations you despise expect to pay for taking over a public space, or otherwise compensate the residents who have been deprived of the use of public space?

What's your plan, Stan?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Sunday Psalm: 15 - Who may dwell in God's holy hill?

Man reading Psalms at the Western Wall. Jerusa...Image via Wikipedia

Psalm 15

A Psalm of David.
 1 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
         Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
        
 2 He who walks uprightly,
         And works righteousness,
         And speaks the truth in his heart;
 3 He who does not backbite with his tongue,
         Nor does evil to his neighbor,
         Nor does he take up a reproach against his friend;
 4 In whose eyes a vile person is despised,
         But he honors those who fear the LORD;
         He who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
 5 He who does not put out his money at usury,
         Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
        
         He who does these things shall never be moved.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.


David is the author of this psalm. He was a "man's man" -- a warrior, tribal leader, king. He was also a worshipper and seeker after God. He counted God's presence as the greatest blessing on earth. 


Centuries later Christ came as the "son of David" and gave us an interpretive key to the Old Testament Scriptures: they speak of Him. Who is the man of Psalm 15 who ascends God's holy hill and abides in his temple? Who is this righteous man? To ask this question is to answer it. It is Christ. Christ ascended the hill of God and abides in his temple. 


Those who would do the same must do it through him. Whether you be Jew or Muslim or Hindu onew-age, or nothing-much-of-all hear his whisper: "I am the way... no man comes to the Father but by me".

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Here's The 1% The 99% Should Be Going After

"I followed the law," he said. Using the system as it was available to him "was only the prudent thing to do."

Ah, yes. Similar to the "I was only following orders" excuse.

h/t Mark Steyn

The Mark Steyn Word of the Day™

Mark Steyn speaks at CPAC 2008 as Pamela Gella...Image via WikipediaOK, Mark Steyn is not Bill Buckley, but he is, er, Mark Steyn. So in honour of the fact that Mark Steyn is not Bill Buckley but is indeed Mark Steyn, the Ball Bounces is inaugurating the Mark Steyn Word of the Day™.  You too can learn to think, write, and even (gasp) speak like Mark Steyn!

tchotchke

Used here.

Mark Steyn. Well worth reading.™

Friday, November 11, 2011

Pardon Me While I Throw Up...

Category:U.S. State Population Maps Category:C...Image via Wikipedia
California Mayor Snubs Veterans to Attend Occupy Rally.

Ah, yes. Because Occupiers represent all that's brightest and best in our society. Is that it?

Do they even have a viable plan to pay for the damage they are causing to public spaces?

Darwinism Defined...

Charles Darwin, photographed by Julia Margaret...Image via WikipediaThe term darwinism has both scientific and metaphysical dimensions. Metaphysically, it assumes materialism is true and then posits a theory consistent with this assumption. The problem arises when, because of this assumption, arguments are made to the effect that because materialism is true, we know darwinism is surely true and the only truth possible. Because it is true, we know it happened, and when inconvenient facts contradict it (like the demonstrably feeble creative power of undirected random mutation, the improbability of the butterfly, or the exquisite intelligence-laden complexity of the cell), it is because we don't know enough yet. In other words, a belief in Darwin of the gaps.

At any rate, here is cute definition of darwinian evolution designed by Tom Gilson over at Thinking Christian. You may design a clever response.
"Naturalistic Evolution (def.): the marvelous (presumed) capacity of nature to create the appearance of design, and to produce beings who have the ability to design and to detect design; but which itself has no ability to design, or if it does have that ability, it is forever undetectable."
The last bit is presumably a nod towards theistic darwinian evolutionists. Well done, Tom.

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Sunday Psalm: 14 - Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!

Cover of "The King of Kings - Criterion C...Cover via Amazon

Psalm 14

New King James Version (NKJV)


Psalm 14
–To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
 1 The fool has said in his heart,
         “There is no God.”
         They are corrupt,
         They have done abominable works,
         There is none who does good.
       
 2 The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
         To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
 3 They have all turned aside,
         They have together become corrupt;
         There is none who does good,
         No, not one.
       
 4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge,
         Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
         And do not call on the LORD?
 5 There they are in great fear,
         For God is with the generation of the righteous.
 6 You shame the counsel of the poor,
         But the LORD is his refuge.
       
 7 Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
         When the LORD brings back the captivity of His people,
         Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

* * *

"Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!"

That cry-of-the-heart prayer of David was answered in the coming of Christ -- the "salvation of Israel". Zion's King. The suffering servant of Isaiah. The Son of Man of Daniel. "The Word" of John's gospel. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords of Revelation. This is the day [of salvation] the Lord has made. This is your day of salvation. Embrace it. Take hold of it. Relish it. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!


source: biblegateway.com

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Intelligent Design: The Beauty and Design of Butterflies - Today Toronto GTA - Free, With Refreshments!

William Blake's etching/watercolour "Anci...Image via Wikipedia
"Intelligent Design: The Beauty and Design of Butterflies     Nov. 5 (Saturday)  2:30 to 8:00 p.m.   Agenda and more information To see how science provides convincing evidence for the compatibility of a Creator God who is potentially reflected in the design found in nature.   Keynote Speaker: Paul A. Nelson. We will have a DVD showing of a beautiful new science documentary.   
The day is free (with refreshments)."
Free with refreshments? How good is that?!



Richmond Hill Christian Community Church
9670 Bayview Avenue,
Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada L4C 9X9
Tel: (905) 884-3399 Fax: (905) 884-9465



The Ball Bounces shall be attending and reporting.

"... nothing intellectually compelling or challenging.. bald assertions coupled to superstition... woefully pathetic"