Today, November 4, 2008, American political history was made. A man who represents what was once hated in America is now the 44th President of the United States. As Reverend Jeremiah Wright said from his pulpit, "America's chickens have come home to roost." The euphoria that is now consuming the followers of Obama will soon enough fade when the reality of his bankrupt and God-hating philosophies gain full expression within the leadership of a dying nation. History will repeat itself soon enough. May God have mercy on us all.

FIREPROOF, is both inspiring and entertaining. It is one thing to go to a movie to offer support to well-meaning film makers, but it another matter to be entertained. Produced and written by the Baptist church in Georgia, this production exceeds its previous cinematic effort in Facing the Giants. Alex Kendrick, who wrote and starred in Facing the Giants, wrote Fireproof and played a small cameo role. Kirk Cameron starred in this one, and did an outstanding job. There were few awkward wooden moments in their newest effort, and I suspect that the financial success of its predecessor bankrolled a first class effort for Fireproof, which included getting acting talent who gave performances that made you believe their characters. There were also well-done action sequences that heightened the intensity of the story. If I had any criticism, it would be the presence of a lot of chubby firemen, but their characters served as well-written and acted comic relief. Kudos, however, are due Alex Kendrick and his film editor. His writing was outstanding, and the film editing was first rate. Lastly, and most importantly, the Gospel was clearly and unashamedly presented.

I could go on critiquing various elements of FIREPROOF, but the bottom line is this: go see this movie while it is in the theatre. It is worthy of your entertainment dollar.

The Beginner Bibliophile

No one assigns this title on a whim. It must be earned. From such humble, innocent beginnings, visions and fantasies of a huge personal library are born. Who knew back then?

Spending billions to be a servant?

In my previous post, I honored the life of Uncle Bob Barr. His was a life given to serving. Today, I mourn the loss of that ethic in the public life in America. The lessons of history are not just ignored, but scorned. News services are now touting that the 2008 presidential election expenses will top a billion dollars. That's right. Billion with a "b". There is no way that anyone can convince me that a person, or group of people, are willing to spend that kind of other people's money to serve their constituents.

On the local level--in Corpus Christi, Texas--most candidates run for City Council, not to serve their community, but to reach their first stepping stone to higher office. I won't speak for anyone else, but the idea of getting down on all fours so that some political aspirant can use my back to climb to higher office is, well, an anathema.

There is another side to that coin, and that is American voter beliefs. And what are some of those current convictions?

1. There are no moral absolutes (convictions), just political opinions.

2. Government owes me. I am entitled to whatever anyone else has that I can't get or earn on my own.

3. Only lawyers, celebrity athletes, and retired military are qualified to run for public office.

4. If you can't explain your position of (name the issue) in 30 seconds of less, then I will not listen to you, nor vote for you.

5. If it is on TV then it must be true.

6. Being a citizen of the United States of America carries with that title no responsibility.

7. What Matt Damon, Pamela Sue Anderson, Lindsay Lohan, Susan Sarandon, and George Clooney have to say is actually relevant and authoritative?

8. Facts just muddy the waters.

9. Worried statements from distant elected officials (or officials who want to be elected) actually reduce the devastating force of hurricanes.

10. Having health insurance is fundamental to good health. (See #8)

11. If the government doesn't educate my child, he/she will be stupid. (See #8)

12. A college education will guarantee wisdom and success. (See # 8)

13. Although it does not advocate murdering those who disagree, but in fact promotes love for your neighbor, Christianity is a danger to society.

14. Abraham Lincoln found slavery to be abhorrent. (See #8)

15. Abortion is simply a woman's right to choose.

16. 40 million abortions has no connection with the insolvency of Social Security even though it needs current wage earners paying into the system.

17. The difference between abortion and murder is geography.

18. Murder, rape, prostitution, fraud, theft, adultery, and pedophilia are tolerated, if not accepted practices for elected officials who are Democrat liberals. A simple apology will wipe the slate clean.

19. Capital punishment does not deter violent crime. (They are right, but that's not the point for this level of punishment. The point is that the perpetrator does not repeat.)

20. Congress is full of lying, cheating, self-serving, power-mongers, but my guy/gal is not one of them.

Freedom prospers and prevails where the individual is self-governing. This is not an original thought. Our Founding Fathers believed and said this. With those self-controls in place, America did not need a professional ruling elite, as is practiced today. The citizen legislator was the norm, not the exception. This is part of what makes Sarah Palin's candidacy so compelling. She is "one of us". We need elected officials who lead by serving the people and defending the law. May God have mercy on us.

A Servant Goes Home:

This afternoon at 1:00 pm, God called his servant, Bob Barr, home. He had a lot of titles-son, Husband, Dad, Grandad, Teacher, Professor, Pastor, Chaplain and Jack-of-All-Trades. He was known by my wife as Uncle Bob. Shown here in this picture, taken in the summer of 1987, he flashed the smile that I knew, as he sat with the love of his life, but called Aunt Dolly by us.

Although Bob Barr had a lot of titles in his resume', he had one constant attitude that was threaded throughout his life. He was a servant. He served God by serving his family, the Church, his students, the hurting and suffering, and a friend in need. In the end, because of his debilitating illness, his dear wife served him during their final years together.

For those of us who knew him, Uncle Bob's final years were a painful twist. This vibrant, engaging, and gifted man, who always was doing for others, contracted a brain disease that rendered him helpless. In purely human terms it could be defined as a cruel irony, but to define Bob Barr's life in strictly human terms would be a cruel disservice to his memory and spiritual legacy. He was a servant of the Most High God. There is no greater calling than that.

There is another reason that one should not dismiss Bob Barr's final years in strictly human terms. That reason is named Dolly Barr. An accomplished person in her own right, Aunt Dolly exampled covenantal faithfulness and love in what were some times impossibly, miserable circumstances. We live in a throw-it-away culture, but thanks be to God, she did not throw away her love and committment to the man she promised to love. I honor her for that.

Bob Barr was not famous, but those who loved him didn't care. His was a life well-lived, because it was lived for God by the grace of God.

for to live is Christ, but to die is gain. . . . . . .

3-0

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Happy Birthday!!!

I have mixed emotions regarding Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice-President. To say that my support for John McCain was lukewarm would be pure hyperbole. I was beginning to warm to him after his unhesitating and unequivocable response to Rick Warren's question about the moment that life begins. McCain's choice of Governor Palin for his running mate has given rise to here-to-fore absent enthusiasm for the republican's campaign for the Presidency.

I love the things that Sarah Palin espouses and lives, but here lies the hesitancy: I really feel sorry for her family, especially the younger children. If McCain and Palin win, the world for those children will be uprooted and moved to Washington DC. Those who plant their lives in the great Northwest can more readily appreciate this than me, that all the beauty and grandeur of the wild expanses of Alaska will be exchanged for the overdeveloped concrete jungle of our Nation's capital. The harsh climate of Alaska compells neighbor to watch out for neighbor. In Washington DC, the insatiable hunger for power and influence causes neighbor to turn against neighbor whenever it is politically and personally expedient.

The attention being showered on Sarah and Todd Palin's 17 year old daughter is outrageous. Washington liberals and their media syncophants are not offended by Bristol Palin's sin. (Let's call it what it is.) They are just hoping that the revelation of this child's pregnancy will tarnish her mother's reputation in the eyes of the conservative electorate.

Like her parents stated after the news was made public, Bristol Palin must now grow up more quickly as she assumes the role of wife and mother. This is 100% correct. But at least she will be able to do so in Alaska.

I barely remember, and much less knew my Grandmother Alice Marks. In the picture above, she is holding my younger brother, Teddy, and surrounded (starting clockwise on her right) by my sister Mary Marie, cousin Randy, older brother Mark, me (on the far right), and my cousin Martha Lynn. My parents have a framed, handwritten note of hers, originally sent to her future husband, Luther Marks. In the letter, she spoke of her affections for her beloved, but also wrote about praying for their future children. Her concern was that they would be in and of the Faith. Two of her sons entered the ministry--my dad being one of those--and her only daughter, Martha, married a preacher/pastor. Grandmother Alice died of cancer, before any of these ministries came to full fruition, but God granted her long enough life to see some of her grandchildren who were faithfully raised in the Church. I believe that God answered the prayers of a young Alice McCauley, who now has great grandchildren who share her passion for Jesus Christ.

From Mother to Son

From 1980 to 2008

From Big Doll to Pooh Bear

From Enid, Oklahoma, to Corvallis, Oregon

From happiness to happiness.

From Daddy to Papa: LOVE YOU BOTH!!

Little General

Named after the only Commoner, Oliver Cromwell, to have sat on the throne of England, my new grandson, at three months is learning to command attention. Cromwell Rutherford (his middle name honors Samuel Rutherford, noted Scottish Presbyterian) is now in full recovery and beginning to enjoy his young life, and we are enjoying it with him. In that spirit, I post this picture. It simply makes me laugh. Thanks, Jennifer, for sending it to me.

Big Brother

George Orwell has cornered the market on that phrase to the degree that it has been impugned since he published his book 1984. I, however, don't have that in mind when I consider my older brother, Mark. He was a great big brother while we were growing up. When the picture was taken of us together, I was 4, and he was 5. We had our disagreements and sibling rivalries, but when it was important, and when it counted, he was a defender, a protector, and a friend. Those traits have never left him. He has served our country unselfishly, faithfully, and without reservation. I admire and love him for that. So, without reservation, I'm proud that Mark is my big brother.

Ronald Reagan Quotes:

Back in the 80's, my younger brother, Teddy, ran as a Republican for the state legislature of Virginia. During the campaign, he and other candidates had a chance to meet Ronald Reagan. Most just waited in line at the White House to pose with the President, but Teddy took the opportunity to actually talk with him. This took Reagan by surprise. Expecting another frozen stare/smiley pose with an admirer, the President happily responded to my brother's question. This picture captures that moment.

I loved Ronald Reagan. He was by no means perfect, but he was a leader that this country no longer has. May God have mercy on us, and give us men like him. . . .and better. Here are those quotes:

"Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win. They lose"

* * *

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help."

* * *

"Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong."

* * *

"I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."

* * *

"The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."

* * *

"Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."

* * *

"The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."

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"It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."

* * *

"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."

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"Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book."

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"No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

* * *

"If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

* * *

Mr. Deeds was a Republican. . . . .sort of
Watch Mr. Deeds Goes to Town sometime. Gary Cooper's character, Longfellow Deeds, is supposed to be an uncomplicated, folksy guy who has simple tastes that include a distinct distaste for the extravagant. He's willing to help a neighbor in need without fanfare or the melodramatic, AND out of his own means! He is a man of principles and ideals until the media ridicules and criticizes him. With that he retreats into his own little self-imposed cone of isolation, choosing, for a time, to wallow in destructive and debilitating self-pity. He is satisfied to be crushed and defeated, until he is confronted with the epiphany that his stand involves others who are counting on him. He discovers that he has a constituency that is dependent on him speaking for them. At that point, he rises in quiet strength with a little indignation, and not only saves himself, but rescues those he was trying to help.

I submit that the Republican Party, beginning with George W. Bush, have been silent when the constituency that put them in power begs for representation. The national media has been allowed to emasculate them into saying nothing, and Republicans, led by our President, believe that this is honorable. Our Chief Executive can claim that he is the President of all the people, and my response is simple: do the math. Ask yourself, "How many peope voted for me versus how many voted against me?"

An important ingredient of the American Revolution was the revolt against taxation without representation. Irate--some might even say brave--colonists dumped tea into the Boston Harbor. There is no such bravery today, and even less understanding of the historical significance of the Boston Tea Party. The ship of state is sinking, and Republicans can only
kiss the ring of the those that hate them.

Honesty
The late Stephen Ambrose, famed author and historian, noted in his book, Citizen Soldier, that those soldiers who talked the loudest in predicting their bravery in battle, tended to be those that broke first when confronted with the stresses and horrors of combat. I would submit that those individuals who clamor the loudest for honesty in all of their personal relationships, tend to be those most offended when that honesty is turned their direction. I have never met anyone--family, friend, customer, business associate, Christian, or non-Christian--who truly wants unbridled, bold-faced truth delivered to their door. And that includes me.

We often arrive at these noble sentiments in a quiet moment--when we can get them--but when the nitty-gritty of everyday living is in full swing, the last thing that anyone I've ever known wants is the absolute truth, no matter how gently delivered.

I've had it delivered to me in about every form you might imagine. It has been delivered by the power of the parents' paddle. It has been thundered at me from the pulpit. It's been delivered sweetly to be by a loving wife from her pillow. I've received it laced with profanity from a teacher. It's been delivered quietly and privately from a loyal friend. The message of the cross delivers it daily. The power of a right cross pounded the message home when I was an idiot youth. In all honestly, I have never found any of those moments of truth to be remotely enjoyable. Anyone who says otherwise is either a masochist or lying.

That being said, in the world of reflection and retrospect, I hold those times in the highest regard for the simple reason that I've become a better person, and thus more Christ-like through those painful exchanges. As a I get older, and become more comfortable in my own skin--to borrow a wornout cliche--I've become more accepting of the truth as it applies to me. I did not say as I apply it, but as the Bible applies it. I also did not say that I now find it enjoyable--in the human sense. I do, however, believe it to be enriching, and so, I find myself seeking it out, as one would seek out a remedy for physical ills.

It is more, though, than a superficial remedy for an ailment, whether it be physical, psychological, or emotional. It is a spiritual encouragement--as in proof--that God loves me. In the book of Hebrews, it declares that God disciplines those whom He loves. The pain is temporary, but the benefits are eternal.

So, when someone loudly requires that I be honest with them, I think that they are being patently dishonest because such demands reveal a total lack of introspection (i.e., ego-centric), and a profound ignorance or a moment of forgetfulness of Christian behavior as defined by the Bible (this is understandable if they are not a Christian). A truthful person would ask, not demand, and would be more specific in their asking. A truly honest person does not care what it might cost them to hear and act on the truth.

I have never severed a personal relationship when the truth has been served to me. (I never knew the guy who punched me out, so he doesn't count). For the most part, I don't end relationships with those who can't accept the truth. I have, however, severed relationships with those who know the truth, yet have tried to turn it into a lie.

I, and three other guys tried to save a dying man today. Louis Martinez, one of my customers, suffered an apparent heart attack in the men's bathroom in the building where I work. It was difficult just getting to him, since he had his full weight leaning against the only door that opened inward. We had to get to him, so we could move him to the open hallway to render first aid. At first, there were only three of us rotating, doing CPR. One of us did chest compressions. The next guy did mouth to mouth, and the third guy held Louis' neck and head in a position to maximize flow of air through his windpipe. We were unable to get a pulse, and that was his condition when the medics took him rushed him to the emergency room. Through a series of circumstances, we estimated that Louis had been unconscious for at least 20 minutes.

I was just getting to know Louis. I knew that he sang in a mariachi group. He was a caring man who understood his friends faults without articulating them to all within earshot, yet remained loyal, regardless of them. I suspect that Louis deserves to be remembered for his life, and not for how and where he died. He was 58 years old. He was a good man.

Get Smart, the movie has some laugh out loud funny moments, but it is loaded with double entendre's interspersed with scenes that lack subtlety. The simulated male homosexual sex scene is one that comes to mind. The full lip lock between Steve Carell's and Dwayne Johnson's characters is another. Steve Carell is one of the funniest guys in the movies today, and Anne Hathaway is one of the most beautiful, but physically comedic actresses to grace the screen, but this movie is not family fare. As a fan of the television series back in the '60's, I had great hopes that I could totally relax and be entertained. I found myself squirming in my seat, hoping that the previous sex joke would be the last. I loved Alan Arkin's character and his typical dry performance. Dwayne Johnson turned in a credible performance that added to the story. In the end, however, Hollywood managed to distract and detract from a winning combination. That it did well at the box office on the opening weekend doesn't change my opinion. I simply have difficulty recommending it to my friends.

What can I say, but that she forgave me officially on December 27, 1975.

It's amazing how two separate and distant lives actually come together. Sue and I were both in the 7th grade at the same time. I was in Beaver, Pennsylvania at the time, and Sue, born in Beaver, Oklahoma, was in El Reno, Oklahoma. We were both sophomores at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. We first met at a college supper, hosted by the First Baptist Church in Norman. I was getting up for seconds, when I bumped into Sue who was trying to find a seat to eat her firsts (and only). Her food ended up down her front. She managed to forgive me.

Stay tuned.

This picture taken on November 7, 1954, shows me at 11 months being held by my grandfather, Luther Whitfield Marks. My grandfather was an honorable man in the notoriously dishonest business of oilfield landmen. He acquired a lot of land, giving much of it to the the municipality of Edmond, Oklahoma, which expressed no gratitude in return. He was defrauded of other assets by an unscrupulous partner, who showed no remorse. He was generous to his family and to his community. He cherished both, and considered both as an enduring legacy of love and honor. He did not die a rich man, by current cultural standards, but left his wealth to the world throught his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and generations to come. I have no special reason for honoring him this day. I just came across this picture, and was reminded of what kind of man he was. I'm proud to be called his grandson.

Normally, I can do without George Clooney, but there are two movies in which he has starred that I thoroughly enjoyed the roles he has played. The first one is O Brother, Where Art Thou, and the second one is the just released Leatherheads. In Leatherheads, he plays an aging football player in the fledgling pro football league, starring opposite Renee Zellweger, a cynical, wise-cracking Chicago newspaper reporter. I loved this movie. Set in the mid-1920's, it is well-acted, well-directed (by George Clooney), has great characters, is funny, and has a great story. I loved it. Did I already say that? Who cares. Go see it. It is sprinkled with profanities, but not distractingly so. I just wish that Hollywood came up with more movies like this. . .stay for the credits. You won't be disappointed.