Alan Boss - Divine Opinion Movement Nominee

Alan Boss trying to sell his book.

Okay, I'm going to start naming names. Astrophysicist Alan Boss is hereby nominated Divine Opinionator and a member of the Divine Opinion Movement.  I am assuming something risky in this—that the news media quotes people accurately. Here's the news item (my underlines) and [brackets].

NASA announced a major milestone in the quest for life in the universe Monday: The discovery of another planet close enough to the sun it orbits to potentially support life.

Called Kepler-22b, the planet is about 2.4 times the radius of Earth and about 600 light-years away. And it orbits in the "habitable zone," [notice the quotes] the region of space just far enough from a star that liquid water could exist on the planet's surface -- a discovery could have profound implications in the quest for alien life, said Alan Boss, an astrophysicist with Carnegie Melon University.

“This discovery supports the growing belief that we live in a universe crowded with life,” Boss said.  (Read more.)

The parameters that allow human life on Earth are astonishing precise. Vary anyone of several dozen just 0.1 to 1% and life disappears. Dr. Boss's planet is NOT something we can see or measure much of anything except perhaps the gravitational pull, which is perhaps 2.4 times that of Earths.  Traveling at the speed of the Space Shuttle (17,500 mph) to get to Keppler-22b would take over

688 million years. 

And between low earth orbit where the International Space Station orbits, NO LIFE has been discovered ANYWHERE... but Dr. Boss is claiming that something 600 light years away, of which we know nothing, indicates that the universe is "crowed with life."

Why would he do that? Well, he's trying to sell his book by the same name, and get more money for research. The more planets he finds (or thinks he's found, or convinces others that he thinks he's found) the more research grant money he gets. Of the 300+ rocks he thinks he's found in the universe, there are 10x that many asteroids between Jupiter and Mars... and of the ones we've seen through a telescope, they all look like cratered iron ore. 

He thinks his opinion is divine. I can tell you I won't be buying his book.

Divine Opinion Movement

I wish someone with more influence than I would declare an intellectual war on the "Divine Opinion Movement." This is the group that can say idiot things and claim they're rationale. Example:  Along comes the LGBT claiming the Salvation Army is bigoted (therefore don't give to the needy) because of its "selective interpretation of the Bible" (regarding marriage) when it's the LGBT that selectively interprets the Bible and is bigoted toward Christians of good will. I want to ignore these people but wish the news media would ignore them first. 

Then there's a comment by Sagalla1 on my YouTube channel regarding the 8-min short about Alex Jones, the Pentecostal minister who came into the Catholic Church with 55 of his former church members. The comment is this: "Pentacostal (sic) Methodists in the Catholic Church? What's next, Hindus????" 

People like this commenter never cease to amaze me. Sagalla1 is evidently a fan of Charlie Sheen, who froths outrageous thoughts about 9/11 being a conspiracy and then uses his craziness as the reason someone should take him serioius. Huh!? 

This is the real downside of public media and free speech. Anyone can say anything and the world takes notice, like I'm doing now. The problem is, there's so much out there, spurious comments like this one will never stop it. I think the only solution is to reintroduce the study of logic and fallacies back into Jr. High and High School and make them mandatory for 4 years. Then, maybe, in a generation sanity might return to "civilization" ... or maybe we could license journalists and bloggers to pass a logic and fallacy test... let's include government officials and advertisers while we're at it.  There is definitely a downside to "free speech" when the Divine Opinion Movement matters.

 

Introducing Jesus -- Steve Harvey Style

This is nothing new to the Internet, but I recently came across part of a Steve Harvey comedy routine. Although it is hardly comedy, it is entertaining in an important way. It connects emotionally, (See FIRST ENTERTAIN.) Since blog embedded videos do not always work so smoothly, here's the link to a version of the video still allowed by the copyright holder:

http://vimeo.com/6582814

Steve does a masterful job. It's not just about the words, but it's also the presentation. And if you're Catholic you have to love the line about "His mother" in the middle. If you're into personal Christian evangelism, this would be a great thing to memorize, far better than somethings that come under that moniker.  Below is the transcript:

If I had the pleasure of bringing out Christ,
This is just how I would do it.
It ain't got to be the way you would do it.
You may not think it's just right.
But this is how I would do it:
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It is my honor to introduce a Man who needs no introduction.
His credits are too long to list.
He has done the impossible time after time.
He hails out of a manger in Bethlehem Jerusalem by way of Heaven.
His Mother is still head-lining in the Catholic church today.
His Daddy is the Author of a Book that has been on the best-seller list since the beginning of time.
He holds the record for the world's greatest fish fry.
He fed five thousand hungry souls with two fish... five loaves of bread.
He can walk on water, turn water into wine, no special effects, no camera tricks.
He has a headshot on every church fan across the country.
Even before the kings of comedy He was hailed the King of all kings, Ruler of the universe, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, The Bright and The Morning Star.
Some say He's the Rose of Sharon, and some say He's the Prince of Peace.
Get up on your feet. Put your hands together and show your love for the second coming of the one and only...

"Oh, Wow! Oh, Wow! Oh, Wow!"

Being an Apple, Inc. fan, my businesses have always used Macintosh technology, as long as it was around. So, I'm a fan of Steve Jobs. After his death, reading the various accounts of his personal life and relationship with employees and family, she seems a true enigma.  His sister, author Mona Simpson, was by his bedside with other family members when he died, and this is what she reports where her brother's last words:

Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them,” she recalled. “Steve’s final words were, Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.

Did he catch a glimpse of heaven and St. Peter's gate? Did he, in those final moments, confess and believe in Christ's redeeming mercy? Seems like that's possible. We don't know, but we can hope, as the Church does about all that die. 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/10/30/steve-jobs-final-words-revealed-by-biological-sister/#ixzz1cLkP6moK

Marolyn Ford's Miracle of Sight

Marolyn Ford called me this morning. I did not know her before she called. She's a public inspirational speaker, author, singer, and the wife of a Baptist pastor in Memphis. She was looking for outlets for her books and CDs and was curious about our production capability. As we talked for about 20 minutes, mostly about production issues regarding books, she said there were a couple videos about her miracle of sight on YouTube. (It's below, embeded in this post. If it doesn't play well, double click on the image and you can watch it directly on YouTube.) It's so good, I called her back. She said it was produced by a man who works for TBN. The combination of great content, a great inspirational speaker, and a great production, makes this short video exceptional. Watch it and then I have a few more things to say. You can reach Marolyn through her website: http://www.marolynford.com.

Please pass this on.... the video link at least. Too few people have seen this video for its quality and message. Here's the link you can put in
an email: http://youtu.be/JfCDTJq9uGE



Did you notice her words at the end where she says the doctor told her that medically she was sill blind, although she could see perfectly?  That's a definition of a miracle because it involves other dimensions of time and space that we usually do not have access to, except by supernatural providence. I just finished reading Padre Pio: The True Story biography by C. Bernard Ruffin. I recommend this particular "Revised and Expanded Edition" of St. Pio's life because, although it is published by Our Sunday Visitor (a Catholic publisher), Ruffin is a Lutheran cleric.

Pio of Pietrelcina (Wikipedia)

Consequently, while very thorough 185,000 words (448 pages, including 28 pages of footnotes and indexes), it is most notably objective and not triumphant in tone. In other words, even the skeptic would take what is reported here seriously. It even documents the immoral abuses toward Pio by Vatican officials. And what is reported is miraculous. Mostly notable are the miracles reported that have no medical explanation....meaning that medical examinations say the person should NOT be able to see or walk, etc, when in fact, the person is seeing, hearing, or walking. This is what the Vatican looks for when proclaiming a Saint (in part) and is one reason why Padre Pio (1887-1968, proclaimed saint 1999 by John Paul II, who had met Pio) became a saint so quickly after his death. Indeed, Ruffin is so objective that he places two Appendixes in the back that I think should be forwards. One is an explanation of how the Vatican goes about the process of proclaiming a person a saint, and the second is a short biography of Ruffin and how he came to write the book. Read these first.

Well, Marolyn Ford is not Padre Pio. She's not a Catholic, mystical, bi-locating, Capuchin priest from Italy. But the doctors at the Mayo Clinic are mystified how Marolyn can see. A true miracle. Prove of the supernatural dimensions that I believe we will "live" in when we get to heaven. Can't wait.

Empty Ritual or Breath of Life?

This past weekend Pam and I were in St. Louis for a conference. Early Saturday morning we walked from the conference hotel to the St. Louis cathedral that stands next to the St. Louis arch.

It was a weekday Mass attended by only several dozen of those in the downtown area, probably to work on the weekend. Like most weekday Masses it was short and succinct. And like most succinct observances there would be reason for a non-Catholic visitor to marginalize the service as perfunctory and empty ritual, as if those of us there were automatically going through the motions. Such criticism from non-Catholics (and I was guilty of this as a Protestant years ago) seem justified. Many times I have criticized Catholics for going through the motions without the right disposition of heart. The catechism, indeed, says that without the right disposition of heart, the sacraments lose part of their effect. Christian faith, after all, is not only God's work, but man's work, too. We have free will and we must exercise it to find salvation.

Yet, there is a mysteriousness about life that does not all depend on our disposition or our conscious free will. That "mysteriousness" can be referred to as "natural grace." This is not what the Church refers to as "grace," "supernatural grace," or "habitual grace." These latter terms imply a supernatural quality of goodness that comes to an individual from God that leads toward their salvation. What I mean by natural grace is that goodness of creation and our bodies that leads to life. As I participated in Mass that Saturday morning I was struck by how the Mass, like many other rituals in Catholicism, can be so severely misunderstood. (Perhaps because they are so affective and effective as stalwarts of Christianity the evil one finds ways to put questions in the minds of others of their goodness.) Countering that line of criticism, here are the three things that came to mind as I sat in the oldest U.S. cathedral West of the Mississippi.

1. Ritual, to be effective and life-giving, does not have to be a conscious effort. Although, the more conscious effort we put into it, the more effective and life-giving it will become. During Mass, the allegory that was brought to mind was breathing. We do not think about taking a breath. It is an automatic, unconscious mechanism that if it did not occur we would cease to live. The Mass is like the Church breathing. Although I think that to most priests and participants it is neither automatic nor passe (see point 3). But even if it was passe, grace would still flow through the celebration of the Word ("My Word does not return to be void," says God), and through the prayers, and the remembrance of Christ's death and resurrection in communion. That the Mass is celebrated nearly EVERY day of the year, in EVERY parish across the world, results in millions of "breaths" of Christians each day. The average human takes in a breath about 28,000 times a day. There are over 400,000 priests worldwide that celebrate Mass every day  -- some do so alone, most do so in community with other believers. Whether done without thought (hard to do) or with forethought, that is a lot of breaths that keeps the church alive.

St. Louis Cathedral Inside following Mass

2. But it is impossible to participate in any ritual without willful and intentional forethought and purpose. Walking back to the hotel from the St. Louis Cathedral that morning I began to list all the conscious and willful decisions I had made to get to Mass, assuming (falsely) that I had done nothing but sit empty-minded on the pew during the service. First, when Pam said to me (as I laid in bed), "We could make it to the 7:30 AM Mass at the Cathedral," I immediately got out of bed, saying, "Let's do it." Second, I got dressed. Third, we left the hotel and walked, taking hundreds of purposeful steps. Fourth we came into the Cathedral building, climbed the stairs, opened the door, and genuflected toward the tabernacle. Fifth, we sat in reverence and awe and prayed for God to be with us.  In other words, I could not have even gotten to Mass without a long series of macro and micro decisions to get me there. That is hardly an empty effort, regardless of how passe or quick the Mass celebration was. And then, during Mass, even if my mind was wandering (which it wasn't) it would be hard to stand-up, sit-down, kneel, walk to the priest, take communion, etc. et al without consciously being involved. I suppose one reason we stand-up, sit-down, kneel, walk, verbally respond, and bow, so much in Mass is to be sure we're paying attention. It's hard to sleep through a Mass, as my father-in-law sleeps through most Protestant Church sermons.

3. I was again reminded of the fallacious criticism by non-Catholics (especially evangelicals) that Catholics go through "vain repetitions" in their observance of their faith. That morning I thought, "Should we consider breathing and walking as vain repetitions?"  Catholic critics make the mistake of thinking of "repetitions" as being wrong, when they should concentrate instead on the "vain." Certainly Christ did not fault the widow who badgered the king for his favor. Christ said that if we besiege the thrown of God he will likewise give us what we ask for... even if it's not what we need. But the real fallacy of this protesting criticism is that the criticizer cannot read the individual's mind.  The critic will see and hear me saying a Rosary, and it sounds painfully repetitive. But what is seen and heard is only a small portion of what's occurring in the spiritual realm. What is seen and heard is simply a pacing mechanism that is repeated almost automatically (and that's not all bad) while the mind and spirit contemplate one of the 20 mysteries of Christ. We put ourselves (spiritually and mentally) in a Biblical event and try to imagine what we might learn about one of 20 virtues associated with the mysteries. Likewise during Mass, a skeptic would see me staring forward or downward for most of the Mass and could easily conclude that I was in a canonical state, my mind dulled over and inactive. But just the opposite is true. At least for me. Does the mind wander to non-spiritual things and the business of the day ahead. Sure. But a moment later I have to stand up, and involve all six of my sense in taking communion. That is sure to change a few things.

Yes, the Mass is like breathing. We need to do it everyday.

Immigration: God's Law or Man's Law

I've been told that the immigration policy for our neighbors to the South is different for those from Europe. If you're from Europe and you have a U.S. work permit, you can bring your family. Not true if you're from Mexico. So migrate workers from the South must leave their families behind. This is why Catholic bishops oppose the U.S. Immigration policy. The bishops believe that God's rules about the integrity of the family trump a U.S. Immigration law that keeps them apart.

What is mysterious to me is why conservative pundits become inflamed over "illegal immigrants" regardless of their reason for being here. They often reinforce the term "illegal" as if U.S. law was equivalent to what is morally just. Yet, these same pundits say that "legal" abortion is wrong. They rhetorically uphold the immigration law, but they have no qualms of dismissing the abortion law. In terms of abortion they will rightfully side with God and say abortion is morally wrong, but when it comes to separating families from the South, they uphold man's law and ignore God's.  

It's time we put God above our government's laws and policies. We don't hesitate to do this with many issues, why can't we do it with the immigration policies? I think Rick Perry is right when he defends the in-state college tuition rates for illegal immigrants. The better educated people are, the less they will turn to crime and welfare. I suspect that the portion of the expensive for the education (which the state may bear) is far less than the expense would bear if those same individuals were to turn to crime or welfare fraud.  Perry is also right that those that oppose his rule to help educate those from Mexico have no heart.  

Here's another way to stage the argument. Which would you rather have, an educated illegal immigrant, or an uneducated citizen?  In the long term, the U.S. and the individual will fare far better with an educated populace, legal or otherwise.

As Christians our first obligation is to God, and if the law doesn't contradict God's laws then we can support the law. But to side with U.S. policy or law without consideration of what is universally and morally right, is egregious.

At the same time I'd wish people like those in the photo to the right could read or listen a bit more closely to the debate. I've not heard any pundits or officials voice ANY concern about immigrants who are here legally, especially full citizens, regardless of race.  Why are these people confusing the debate? Their protest only serves to inflame the irrational, create noise, and derail honest and just debate over the moral issues.

Lastly, I wish the bishops and conservatives and others who debate the issue would use more precise terms other than "immigration reform." Reform" can take all sorts of paths and directions. We just don't want reform, we want a justifiably moral reform.

Tax the Rich: The Grand Economic Fallacy

There's a fundamental economic fallacy posited by the Obama administration and certain other politico pundits and many Democrats that is plain idiocy.  It's that taxing the rich solves our economic woes.

There's a discussion going on HERE at LinkedIn that finally makes plain how stupid this is. My contribution, albeit simple by comparison, was this:

That the rich horde money, at least in the United States, is a gross fallacy. I wish someone would do a simple study and list where the rich put their money when they make it. Here's a short list, and please note that everything on this list, benefits the "working" class (as if the rich are not working...another fallacy) and benefits the government when the tax the working class income. (1) the rich build large houses (they hire construction teams and materials. (2) the rich buy material goods (the working class designs, manufactures, transports, sells, delivers, installs, and maintains those goods). (3) the rich invest their extra money in corporate stocks and government bonds (all which allow companies to invent, design, build, sell, distribute goods -- every step of which employes the working class). (4) the rich leave a small portion of their income in bank accounts (which the banks use to pay their employees, and invest in corporate and government bonds, which, likewise go to employ people and get taxed as income. the rich do not horde their money. They spend and invest it. And every dollar that is spent or invested employs and gets taxed. Bingo! You have economy expansion.

Michael D. Greaney, CPA, MBA, (Director, ESOP Admin Svcs, Equity Expansion International, Inc.) post says it even better at the above link.

Please pass this on. We really need to kill this silliness that the rich are somehow evil for knowing how to generate wealth. Oh, that the poor would learn the the same techniques. It has little to do with repression and everything to do with freedom.

A Choleric in a Phlegmatic World

My relatives claim they don't understand me. I'm mostly choleric in temperament. They say I get upset without warning or cause. I claim there's plenty of warning and cause if they'd stop ogling their navels and take some Christian responsibility for the state of a culture and world busting at the seams. My conclusion is that all of the men and some of the women in my extended family are phlegmatic or sanguine, and so I'm expected to be like them. A phlegmatic temperament (calm and unemotional) is the "Christian ideal" in many sectarian environments. Infact, 100 years ago, a choleric or melancholic temperament would be considered evil.

I wasn't made to be calm and unemotional when everyday I am made aware of families and individuals who are being destroyed due to substance and physical abuse, suicide, murder, poverty, and the greed and power-thirst of political leaders that repress and imprison their people. As Christians we're called to be salt and light to a hurting world, and every morning we have to ask ourselves "What does that mean I should do today? How should I live and conduct my life so to change a hurting world? How do I make use of my gifts and skills to change what is bad for good?"

There are many answers to those questions as there are individuals in the world. But what frustrates and saddens me is the laze-faire, calm and unemotional attitude that so called Christians exhibit when they get together for social gatherings. There are many such events in my life. In my immediate extended family there are six families with 20 some individuals. If you count birthdays, anniversaries, and special events, there is an event every week of the year that is cause (for some) for celebration I am often invited (because I'm married to phlegmatic-sanguine woman that everyone loves) to these family gatherings. All of the individuals claim to be Christian and are active in their churches (all Protestant except Pam and me.) And what is the conversation like at one of these gatherings? Here's the top subjects:

a. The beautiful cakes and fancy dishes the women (and one man) made.

b. How cute the kids smiles and antics are.

c. What life was like back in up-state New York in 1920.

d. The weather.

e. Pictures and video of the last time everyone got together.

f. The beautiful matching outfits some of the kids are wearing.

g. How to assembly and play with the new toys the kids just got.

h. What happened on the last trip to the beach or pool.

i. The next party.

There is no discussion about spiritual, social, or political issues that might change the world for the better. (Well there is one man who wants to do away with the Federal Reserve and use gold to buy groceries.) The only prayer I've ever heard at one of these events is the polite prayer before the meal. The only Scripture is the brief pause before opening the plethora of Christmas presents that occupy the net 10 hours of time. (Okay, there is the children's Christmas pageant staged with costumes that also occurs on or near Christmas, but with no current social reference.) But none of these things flow over into the current state of affairs of our world, or what anyone is doing outside the care and well-being of their immediate family... aside from asking for money for a annual, guilt-assuaging mission trip.

Where are the on-gong projects and passion for the things of God OUTSIDE our families celebratory care and well-being? Privately, within these families there are the prayers, and there is the instruction about many things Christian, but where and how does that bleed over into our gatherings as Christians. Should we not be:

a. Holding prayer vigils for the hurting families and people we know?

b. Engaging in discussions about the state of our efforts, projects, and sacrifice of resources for evangelizing a world who needs the truth?

c. Sharing what life was like during revivals in our country's history?

d. As a group making and packing up food to take to an unfortunate family?

e. Discussing the current social and political state of affairs and brainstorming solutions of how we as Christians should act and live to change things?

f. Getting together to make clothes and quilts for families that have no family to give them such things?

g. Take truck loads of the toys laying around our house to those kids who have none?

h. Using a trip to the beach or resort to plan an intervention to change the social, political culture?

i. Discussing the best and worse ways to evangelize people who don't want to or have not heard the Gospel message or the benefit of being a Christian?

j. Training ourselves and kids in group activities to be cultural influencers for Christian values, or to improve our skills other than to sit around and eat cake?

k. Discussing significant books, essays, speeches and action to be taken to make a difference?
l. Invite missionaries and evangelists, or social activists into our gathers to talk to us about their work and to recruit us in their sacrificial efforts?

m. Take field trips with the whole family to cultural events (not to sports events but to art exhibits et al) where our minds and souls can be up-lifted to higher values and achievement?

n. Invite family members who have accomplished something noteworthy to share with the group their preparation, work, and results, to inspire us to do similar things?

Now, perhaps some of these things happen when I'm not around. More than one person in my family has told me they don't want to discuss spiritual matters with me... because they're Protestant and I'm Catholic and my assertive personality gets in the way of what they believe. (They are their own infallible source of truth. Ironic isn't it?)   One Thanksgiving after dinner as we were all sitting around a living room, I entered a discussion about how the near-adult daughter of one family needed to search around, and in the words of my daughter, for "a church to attend that matched her beliefs." It was pure moral relativism, and no one else saw the moral ineptitude that was on display or being passed on to the next generation. It stirred my emotions that the values the discussion was promoting within Christian ranks was atheistic in origin.

I have long held that it is the fallacies of Protestantism that have allowed grave sins like contraception, abortion and euthanasia to be so prevalent in our legal system. We are way down the slippery slope. 100 years ago no Christian Church (protestant or otherwise) would have allowed contraception. Today they all do, except the only church that hasn't changed it's definition of truth or how its determined.  If Protestants weren't so inclined to following their own beliefs the moral state of our society would be much different. When I see that thinking spread in my own family, out of the mouths of my daughter and son, I need to speak up, and not softly so as to be politely be told "well, dad, we don't believe that... (so shut up)".   On our recent Northern Michigan sail trip we were sailing up the St. Mary's River on our way to Sault Saint Marie and on our right was the prominent St. Joseph's Island. When I pointed out to our Protestant adult children on board that the Catholic missionaries in the 1500's had named most of these land masses and cities, I was met with a sudden, dead silence. I had breached the peace by citing fact.

I was brought up in a family with preachers and missionaries who frequented our house. The discussions at the time (albeit we were Protestant) were always about the state of the Church, Evangelism, or Missions in the far flung parts of the world.

Maybe it's because I'm too choleric and verbal about my faith in a phlegmatic world. I am easily saddened at the passivity and negligence paid to spiritual matters in our family gatherings, especially when everyone claims to be Christian. I suspect it's a deep prejudice of all things Catholics. I am still stung as I recall not too long ago when my father-in-law and children accused me, behind my back, that I had brainwashed my wife, Pam, into being Catholic. They have never apologized for coercing my wife into a pastor's study and trying to prevent her from becoming Catholic, while I was out of town on business. They call Pam a saint, but they totally ignore the truth she holds silently within her. That saddens me. Truth cannot be bottled up without serious negative consequences not just in our family, but in those parts of society that my family will grow up to affect and effect. Am I wrong to feel responsible? Some would say yes, and the solution is to ignore it. But I see no logic in ignoring what is morally wrong, inept, and dangerous to culture. While should anyone tolerate what is wrong. They don't tolerate what they see is wrong in me.  I am reminded of the Old Testament Priest Eli's punishment at the hand of God for not disciplining his adult sons. Eli as a high priest, and his sons where priests as well, active in the synagogue and teachings things by example that were morally wrong. Eli said nothing. But God had the final word. (1 Samuel 2:27-36).

Our lives are short. There is much work to be done. Who will do it? Who can sleep long with so much hurt around us, and who can spend their days making fancy deserts, and wrapping birthday presents, and playing at the beach when the world is busting at the seam?

The Blues According to the Gospel - AL JACQUEZ

Al Jacquez Meet one of the acclaimed voices and song writers of Americana Blues and Soul. I guarantee you've never heard anything like this on any Gospel radio station, but you should have. Al has been singing these gospel tunes in some of the smokiest blues and soul clubs from NY to LA. Finally, after years with several bands and labels, and encouragement from guys like me, he's stacked his best on a CD that's only available here and at his live concerts. This album is not even on iTunes. THE BLUES ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL.

Please lick on the link and go this Al's webpage at Nineveh's Crossing and listen to the mp3 samples and read his bio. Then come back here and let us know what you think in the com box.

And please tell your friends. We have to  help this guy sell CDs and make a living, and write some more of this great music. You can sing to it, dance, and cry to them. Remember that name, Al Jacquez. But his CD today. Spread the Word.

1. New Testament Shuffle
   
   


2. Comin' Home
   
   


3. Rubin Stacy
   
   


4. Train is Comin' Closer
   
   


5. How Did I Get Here?
   
   


6. Desperate Measures
   
   


7. Spreadin' the News
   
   


8. Six Days o' Sinnin'
   
   

Images in Catholicism....Idolatry?

Dr. Henry Ede Eze's new book IMAGES IN CATHOLICISM...IDOLATRY? Discourse on the First Commandment with Biblical Citations is now for sale at Nineveh's Crossing.

The book confronts the misunderstanding among some Protestants and other non-Catholics who are still caught up in the iconoclast heresy of the 8th and 9th centuries. You can read more about the book and the table of contents via the above link, or click on the book's image at right.

Well written, easy to read, and concise, the book comes complete with full Biblical citations at the end of each chapter. This will be a valuable addition to any Christian library.

Clicking the image will NOT make you an idolator. Promise. But it may make you more informed about the images used throughout Christianity and their God give purpose.

Attention So Called "Atheists"

As I've posted before, I find "atheism" an irrational concept, especially since those that wear it's badge  claim  they do so because of "reason."

A few days ago on my Moral Premise blog I wrote about Jessica Hagy's INDEXED project, where she uses index cards to symbolize mathematical concepts with Venn Diagrams and Graphs. Occasionally she produces a Venn diagram or graph that touches eloquently on the conflict of values that we use in creating stories, which is what the Moral Premise book is all about. One of her examples is here:

If you search through Ms. Hagy's work on INDEXED, you'll find some diagrams that suggest her religious faith in God or His benevolence has passed through a serious trial and has not been properly explained or redeemed. She's confused about some things. Mathematics is a wonderful discipline, but it still does not answer (as science does not) the "why" of the human condition.   As I posted in the footnote to my other posting:

I call all atheists "wannabes" because logically they have no rational basis for declaring there is no God. To do so, they would have to be omniscient... an attribute assigned to the essence that knows all things perfectly without error or contradiction. You can't claim something does not exist when your knowledge of the universe and reality is microscopically small. I'll accept agnostic, but not declarations. Every human discipline offers only a spec of knowledge of what is potentially possible. Science and theology are no exceptions to this. Some of what was known as universal truth by science 100 years ago, today is bunk... and the thousands of Protestant Christian faiths that all disagree with each other suggests a similar uneasiness. I'm Catholic for a host of reasons, not the least of which the Church does not claim to have all the answers. It has always embraced mystery as a tenet. That there is mystery in the universe/reality,  is what makes stories, in part, work. We are bounded by time and space. Stories working through our imagination allows us to see reality from a perspective that transcends space and time. 

 I wrote that on May 20, and sent the link to Ms. Hagy. Today, May 25, she posted this:

Bless her seeking soul.

12 Reasons Why the Wedding of William and Catherine is a Metaphor of Gratuitous Virtue

A HUGE AUDIENCE INDICATES TRUTH

My statistical and informal research over the years has shown a strong correlation between the size of mass audiences and the truth of the program's embed moral premise. While most of what I do involves motion picture analysis (c.f. MoralPremise.com) the same findings apply to live television events, news programs, and any other kind of mass communication.

The N.Y. Times estimated that 2.5 BILLION  people worldwide tuned-in to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William Arthur Philip Louis and commoner Catherine Middleton. Nielsen said that only 23.7 million Americans got up early to watch. Counting those of us who watched the Internet videos of the event (CNN has a good HD Five Part Video series), that number will be higher. If you'll allow me the correlation to make a point, the 2.5 billion viewers relates to a one-day box office total of $7.5 billion, at only $3/ticket. (The U.S. average theater ticket is closer to $8 each.) Let me repeat: That's the equivalent of $7.5 Billion at the box office "in one day." Hollywood and the NFL have met their match. 

According to Nielsen Wire: "Broadcast of Super Bowl XLV on FOX had an average audience of 111 million viewers, surpassing last year’s Super Bowl, and thereby breaking the record, yet again, for the most watched television program of all time in the U.S."

AVATAR (2009) is the recent king of box office has a $2 billion worldwide box office grip as the highest grossing film of all time (but measured over many months). At a $3 per ticket price that's 667 million seats, 27% of the one day wedding estimate.

Comparing these numbers directly is unfair. But hopefully my point is obvious. With such a large -- no, make the HUGE audience there had to have been something phenomenally morally true regarding it. Only something true, good, and beautiful attracts number like that.


Thus, the various pundits who mocked Kate and William's Royal Wedding as a waste of time and money on egos and national pride are frankly focusing way too much on the hair sprouting from their noses. Yeah, rating jealously is no doubt part of the problem. For as smart as the pundits claim to be, especially conservative "Christian" pundits like Bill O'Reilly  and Glenn Beck, they totally miss the massive positive moral kick the Christian wedding demonstrated to the plethora of cultures and societies around the world.  This was Christian P.R. unmatched by even Billy Graham and John Paul II.

DISCLAIMER

Many will dismiss the wedding and the pomp because they are distracted by what they see are morally objectionable factors: (a) William and Catherine were living together (and supposedly fornicating) before the wedding; (b) Elton John and his gay partner were invited and sitting in the Abbey in clear shot of a television camera; (c) Westminister Abbey, now, is not a church structure but a chapel used for the Royals; thus it's not a Christian community; (d) The Archbishop of Canterbury (Roland Williams), the Anglican bishop that has refused to discipline homosexual priests and bishops under this purview, presided; and (e) The whole affair was Anglican, i.e. The Church of England under the head of the Queen, not the Pope or someone like the Pope, but a monarch, who is still practicing the political rebellion of Henry VIII. 


BUT...

...all of that does not negate the manner of presentation, the words that were spoken, or the purpose of the entire event. The audience was not present or watching on television to celebrate fornication, homosexuality, Anglicanism, or even the Queen's headship of the Church of England. The audience was there to celebrate a Christian Wedding. That a Christian Wedding occurred in the midst of such disclaimers, and that most of the people watching were not-Christian but from a multitude of other religious beliefs, was astounding.

No, the media didn't cover the wedding because it was Christian. They covered it because of the pomp and the personages involved.  The reason people watched, however, is because they subliminally understand that a Christian Marriage is the most truthful reflection of how we are designed to live together as a human community. The presentation of William and Catherine's wedding properly presents the glory and glamor of Christian Marriage -- especially among cultures and societies (America included) that otherwise dismisses Christianity or marriage. 



THE REASONS

The reasons the wedding was so popular was that it properly communicated (metaphorically and literally) the goodness, the beauty, the truth, the pomp, and the glory of Christian Marriage. Here are my reasons why that is true.

1. THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

The "Lord Jesus Christ" was invoked many times in word, symbol, and visuals. 


2. THE TRINITY WAS PRESENT

"God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost" was invoked many times in prayers, in blessings, invocations, gestures, and hymns.


3.  IT WAS CHRISTIAN

The entire service was Christian in context, location, pattern, words, vestments, gestures, and by title of those that led the service. It wasn't the Queen that pronounced them man and wife, nor a justice of the peace, but the Archbishop of Canterbury.  And importantly the service began with these words:

Dearly Beloved; we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony -- which is an honorable estate, instituted by God Himself, signifying to us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and His church....

Look at the picture above. It's a metaphor for Christ and his Church in all its glory. And the world looks on.

4. CHRISTIAN MARRIAGE WAS...

...defined, pronounced, blessed and invoked. How many pastors would love to have Elton John and his gay partner sit through a sermon on the true meaning and definition of Christian Marriage? Well, I doubt that any could do it under normal circumstances. But it happened during William and Catherine's wedding.

5. THE HIERARCHY OF THE FATHER WAS HONORED

Catherine was walked down the aisle by her father who stood by her side during the entire ceremony until the couple was wed.



6. ALL THINGS WITH DIGNITY, ORDER, CIVILITY, LOVE

Everything about the event, its preparation, its execution, the behavior of the crowds, the police, and especially the attendants, relatives, bridesmaid, footmen, honor guards, butlers, et al was a perfect role model of dignified, patient, and courteous behavior. The British set the benchmark for the rest of us about the importance of good manners. 


7. CELEBRATION OF CHILDREN AND FERTILITY

The large number of ring-bearers and flower girls celebrated the importance of children in a marriage. And the photo (below) is hopefully a omen that the marriage will be fertile. Especially noteworthy is the prayer in the middle of the service for the couple's fertility and off-spring. That may be a hold-over for kings needing heirs. But it has significant meaning in any Christian marriage.

 (Is that Henry VIII in the background with his face obscured by the chandelier? These official pictures were taken in the throne room.)

8. A METAPHOR FOR CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH

Matthew 25 speaks of the anticipation and preparation that is necessary for the glorious return of Christ to claim his spotless bride. The emphasis is on the preparation of the virgins and the bride to be ready and beautiful for the ceremony of being wed with Christ. I'm not extending the metaphor literally to William and  Catherine, but certainly the anticipation and the preparations for their wedding metaphors how Christians need to anticipate and prepare for the Church's wedding with Christ.  And the results will be even more glorious than William and Catherine's wedding -- if that's possible.

This point bears another. Look at the picture above of Catherine and her beautiful dress. Please note that the attention in most of the pictures of the wedding, including the television coverage, like the picture above, is on the BRIDE. Yes, the Royal power is with the future King, William. She's but a commoner. But it's the spotless, beauty of the bride that we all yearn to see and celebrate. That is the proper metaphor for Christ and Us, His church, His bride. We strive as a people to be as beautiful in our relationship to Christ, as Catherine is in the photo above.  



9. THE QUEEN OF HEAVEN WAS HONORED

Cleaning the Westminster Icon Prior to the Wedding

For Catholics Mary is the queen of heaven. Yes, Mary was first a commoner like Catherine. But like Catherine, Mary is honored for her beauty and she is brought into the 'Royal' family. She is the perfect human creation of her Son. It is because of her Son that we pay attention to her... much as it's because of William that we pay attention to Catherine, the future Queen. Thus, Mary, through Christ, is made Queen of heaven.

Our Lady of Czestochowa

Early in the ceremony I caught glimpses of two icon paintings attached to rear pillars of the Abbey. They face the rear as people enter. The one on the right appears to be an icon of St. Joseph. The one on the left is unmistakeably a representation of the famous Polish icon Our Lady Czestochowa (The Black Madonna). 
[As it turns out I have been informed that the two icons by the Russian painter Sergei Federov, are of the Virgin 'Hodegitria' ('She who points the Way'), and Christ 'Pantocrator' (the All-Ruling Lord'). The resemblance to Czestochowa may be only because all such icons look similar to me.]

Not much attention was paid to this painting, usually in the background, UNTIL, at the end of the service the orchestra played and the congregation sang the British National Anthem, GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.  The words are supposed to be about the Queen of England, or King as it may be from time to time. But the words also apply to the Queen of Heaven, Mary, metaphorically and literally, all three verses do this. And the television director understood that. Watch the broadcast videos. At the moment they begin to sing the words GOD SAVE OUR GRACIOUS QUEEN...  the camera, on a tall crane, at the back of the Abbey adroitly and very purposely moves in close on Our Lady of Czestochowa until the icon nearly fills the screen. Only at the end of the song does another camera zoom in on Queen Elizabeth, who properly is the only one in the room not singing. But the emphasis on Mary must of been exciting for the Polish Cathoilcs that were watching. 


10. AUTHORITY DULY NOTED

In Catholic thinking, as it should be in all Christian thinking, there is something important called authority. Protestants largely ignore this aspect of the Gospel. But indeed there is a hierarchy in heaven and it's reflected here on Earth as well. Christ and the writers of the Epistles remind us to honor and pray for those in authority over us, and to obey their bidding as long as it is morally licit, even to the point of carrying a cloak an extra mile. The day's events surrounding William and Kate's wedding reeked of authority, from the Queen to the footmen, from the cross bearers to the Archbishop, from the men and boy's singers and orchestra to their conductors, from the crowds of people to the unarmed police who held them at bay and marched them forward in peace. Because of this respect for authority the day was an orderly, happy, beautiful occasion.  On this wedding day, the world watched and saw the goodness, the truth, and the beauty that can come when people respect and obey proper authority with dignity. Take note, world. (And in writing that I'm including world leaders who are not proper or respectful of their citizens.)


11. SPLENDOR, POMP, BEAUTY, HONOR

The wedding of William and Catherine demonstrated to the world the splendidness of marriage and civilization when things are done properly, with honor, dignity, and in order, for the right reasons in the pursuit of what is good, true, and beautiful. Indeed, I think, the whole world should take a lesson from the British in this. 




[I can't help but note, in the juxtaposition of history, of the difference between the palace that the Royals LIVE in, and the so called "mansion" that OBL DIED in. Compare the pictures some time, which should tell the world that there's a vast difference between Western Christian civilization and the anarchy of the Mid-Easter Islamic radicalism. It's not a matter of oppression. It's a matter of respecting and following natural law. Imagine the size of the the pride or deception that ignores the obvious and embraces the lie.]

12. GRATUITOUS VIRTUE — A GOOD THING

The wedding of William and Catherine revealed that there is a gratuitousness that is good —Christian family values. It was on full display Friday, April 29, 2011. Indeed!

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Christian Priorities - Scandal

This is not unique to Catholicism, bu it still bugs me. The Sunday before the Superbowl these two easels with their signs showed up in the lobby of our parish.
This comparison of the attention given to spiritual matters, vs. leisure matters within the Church, by Church leaders, is repulsive. It is a great example of why pagans don't take Christianity seriously. The biggest reason for not becoming Catholic, is not what the faith teaches, but simply the priorities demonstrated by other Catholics. This is also true of Christians in so many other denominations.  While there are many examples of pure evil and hatred toward the things of God and Christ, a good deal of the spite is self-induced. These signs remained in the lobby of our parish for two weeks. They stood only feet apart. Yet the difference in their presentation was miles apart and created a scandal.

Being in the media business I know that presentation matters. The presentation (per se) becomes a unavoidable metaphor. The presentation is the non-verbal that communicates the intended value and attitude of the presenter.  These posters clearly indicate to all that see them that football and parties are much more important to this congregation than studying about the faith through the Life in the Spirit Seminars.

In Memory of Lauren Myers

A VALIANT, BRAVE, AND GRACEFUL SOUL

Lauren Myers (1948-2011) 

 Many of you will remember LAUREN MYERS, the Episcopalian Bible instructor who graced the table with Alex Jones, Steve Ray and others for our recording of 
A DINNER WITH ALEX JONES as part of the NO PRICE TOO HIGH DVD and television special that has been seen on EWTN, CatholicTV, The Miracle Channel, and other networks, many times over the past years. Lauren left for heaven yesterday, with her family at her side, after an 11 year battle with cancer.

We asked Lauren to participate in our dinner recording because of the gracious and intelligent bridge she represented between Catholicism and Protestantism. Her stage presence was always confident and pleasant. And who can forget her wonderful British brogue that always raised the bar for the rest of us pretending to be diplomats. She was our role model.  Here are a few words from her husband and my friend, Garrett.

After a valiant, brave and graceful eleven year battle with cancer, Lauren slipped away painlessly this morning with daughter Kate, son Nick, daughter-in-law Ashley, our priest and friend Steve Kelly, our dog Scooter and me by her side. Lauren was a remarkable woman.

I was so fortunate to spend 28 years with her,  raise a terrific family together and create so many friendships and memories. Lauren got to meet and spend time with our first grandson Matthew these last few weeks before she passed on, which was a great joy and blessing for her.

Lauren faced her long cancer battle as she faced everything, with grace, courage, intellect and complete faith in the Lord. She was always more concerned about other people's welfare and comfort than her own regardless of her suffering.

We will have a viewing for Lauren on Friday the 25th and a glorious funeral to celebrate Lauren's life on Saturday.  The viewing will be from 3 to 8 PM at AH Peters funeral home at Vernier and Mack Ave in Grosse Pointe, MI. There will be an obituary for Lauren on the funeral home site at: http://ahpeters.com/

The funeral will be at St. John's Episcopal Church in Detroit  on Saturday, 26 March at 11 AM. St. John's is near Comerica Park at Woodward and the Fisher expressway. There is free parking in the parking lot behind the church.  

Sometime in the coming weeks, I'll be going to England to hold a memorial service for Lauren with her family and friends there. 

We have been aware of and fully appreciate our friends' and families' prayers and support for Lauren, myself and our family through these difficult times.

Thank you. Garrett Myers

Garrett has remarked from time-to-time how people have told him they saw Lauren on TV. Yesterday he remarked about how she is somehow memorialized in the program.  She was at her best that night...even though we didn't finished shooting until after midnight.


Unaware that she was passing at that very hour I was entering her name in Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) as a member of the television cast of the program. I don't think that was coincidental.

Pray for us Lauren. We'll miss you... but we'll see you "later," God willing. 

Stanley D. Williams, Ph.D.
Nineveh's Crossing 

Here's the Obituary:

Lauren Gillian Myers, March 23, 2011 age 62

Lauren, wife of Garrett Myers, the only child of Colonel Anthony G.T. and Patricia Shave, died at home surrounded by her loving family, having courageously survived eleven years with breast cancer.

Lauren was a British citizen and lived in England, Germany, Malaysia and France before moving to the United States with her husband Garrett in 1982. Earlier, she worked in London as managing director of a London-based international public relations firm and then at the military electronic firm Racal Decca.

Lauren was a dedicated mother, devoted Christian, wonderful cook and consummate artist—sewing, drawing, crocheting, knitting, singing and writing. She was also passionately committed to her chosen charities.

As an involved parishioner at Christ Church Grosse Pointe and Saint John's Episcopal Church in Detroit, she completed the Bible Study Fellowship program twice, taught classes and served as an Alpha Program leader. She was a member of the Daughters of the King Fellowship and Episcopal Church Women.

Extended family and friends will fondly remember Lauren for her remarkable love and compassion, intellect, grace and poise. She is survived by her husband of twenty-eight years, Garrett, children Kate, Nick (Ashley), stepchildren Jeff (Kim), and Andy (Christine), and her grandchildren Matthew, Adam, Aaron and Alex. Lauren is also survived by her parents Anthony and Patricia Shave of Surrey, England.

Visitation will take place at A.H. Peters Funeral Home in Grosse Pointe Woods on Friday, 25 March 2011 from 3:00-8:00. A funeral mass will be held at St. John's Episcopal Church on Woodward and the Fisher Expressway on Saturday 26 March 2011 at 11:00 AM.

In Lauren's memory, donations can be made to Local Motion Green in Grosse Pointe (http://www.localmotiongreen.org/) to support their mission of making information available on avoiding cancer causing substances and/or St. John's Episcopal Church.

THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE - finally

Grassroots Films THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE Now Available at Nineveh's Crossing 90min. DVD documentary + extras. We've waited years for this to be released... and now we can sell it. I had a small part in it's creation, having traveled to St. Francis house for a couple days, watching an early edit, doing some (Moral Premise) story consulting with Joe, Charles, and Mike (and they took my advice....good story arc, guys, it works), and providing the footage of India that you'll see in the film.  The Human Experience will provide generations with something to talk about... the meaning of life and suffering. This is a great DVD to buy for people, or show to people, who  have experienced suffering or tragedy in their lives. Joe and Charles, Mike and the other guys have made their mark on the world with their break-through FISHERS OF MEN (we still sell a lot of those DVD's as well), And now this, a feature length adventure, has truly established them as cultural influencers.  High Praise for their foresight, dedication, perseverance, and proclamation of truth. Keep it up, fellas. BTW: I still remember fondly the meals I shared with you guys on the picnic tables next to the St. Francis ballpark. Glad to see the picnic tables and the "ballpark" in the film, as well. Com'on Jeff, let him pitch.  (Stan Williams) Click Any Image or HERE for    More Info, to ORDER, and Trailer  In a world fraught with hostility and violence, an altruistic group of young men endeavor to understand the true essence of the human spirit by visiting forgotten souls such as homeless New Yorkers, Peruvian orphans and isolated Ghanaian lepers. By spotlighting heart warming stories from around the world, this uplifting documentary shows viewers that every single person, no matter his or her lot in life, is beautiful. Incorporates insightful commentary from: Anna Halpine, Dr. William Hurlbut, Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Dr. Alveda King, Rev. Richard Neuhaus. Through word of mouth, The Human Experience has been viewed by more than 100,000 people at over 250 screenings in 115 cities worldwide. With standing ovations as the norm and sold out shows at select Harkin's Theatres, the film has won over 30 film festival awards and accolades. Click Any Image or HERE for     More Info, to ORDER, and Trailer