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It is assumed liberals own art.  I disagree with the highest protest possible.  Who is more artistic?  The painter of the gentle country scene with the rustic farm buildings, or the artisan who's toil and labor provided the beauty expressed in the painting? Who was the better artist?  Van Gogh, or the simple gardener?  We loved the first shots of the earth from space, and that ladies and gentlemen is the triumph of conservative poetry and art.

The conservative poet might just as easily fix a tractor as inspire the heart.  They are the true poets of the people.  Their poetry is the life of reality, not fiction, nor fantasy, hyperbole, or what if.  Their beat is the rhythm of industry, of progress, of real beats measured in real time.

The conservative poet before concern for the endangered species worked with state and federal governments to set aside vast tracts of land for wildlife with a self-imposed tax at their bequest, called the duck stamp.  Duck hunters since the 1930's have puirchased and given to state and federal governments wet lands that if put together would equal the size of Mass.  They made the fire breaks of the forest and trails to aid in fighting forest fires.  They put the wind breaks on the prairies and with the greatest foresight provided innumerable acres of lakes.  They have been the true watchmen of not only the land, but of wildlife.  The wild turkey, was once almost extinct, now they are so plentiful, they threaten other species of wildlife, and the effort was put forth by a small minority with their own money.  When I was 14 you could not shoot a Canadian Honker.  Now they are a menace.  A beautifu menace.  There are more snow geese on the planet now than when Columbus discovered America.  They have not only a fall seasopn, but a spring season, and the limit is 20, because of over-population.  American forestry plants more trees than are harvested each year.

The poetry of the conservative might be a blueprint for a home, a theorum for better food production, or a better way to reach natural resources.  Or it just might be Francis Scott Key who during the bombardment was inspired to write; "OH SAY CAN YOU SEE."  The commander of the fort requested the largest flag that could be found.  It had to made, and it had the desired effect.  The bombardment to that point in history was  the greatest that had ever been made.  Work is love made visible, and this art, this poetry should be a commuinication of the life we lead, not only in the of what is said, but content.  Words communicate ideas, art highlights it with emotion, and if your ethics are in line, it will be a health conversation.

No matter the vocation of the conservative poet, he or she understands the need for a vibrant economic outcome.  He or she understands that economy is the engine of a civil society, and without a robust economy, every intent to do well is but a fairy tale.

The idea of a conservative poet is not a political aspiration, nor leaning, but an ideal of a person towards himself, and the community in which he or she lives.  It reached its height in the days of the pioneers, when individualism was bound to the sense of neighbor.  In trials the neighbors worked together, in peace the growth of the individual flourished.

Well, this year’s election day is over and I, for one, am glad about that. Even though it was not an election as significant as the 2010 mid-terms or the 2012 “Big One”, it is still pretty remarkable to see the process for change in this country. It certainly is far to be preferred over what we seen in some other places in this world in recent times! Locally, we had some hotly contested races which in part meant that our phone rang about every 10 minutes with pollsters, political names, research organizations that were all interested in what we think, who we support and various other topics. With all of this behind us now, we can begin to focus on the First in The Nation Iowa Caucuses.

The date for the caucus this year is January 3, 2012. Apparently the Iowa Republican Party was pretty confident that Iowa voters were not going to be distracted by any of our state’s college football teams having to participate in a BCS Bowl. But that is a topic for a different essay. Whenever the Republican candidates can get away from the every other day televised debate schedule, many of them are taking the time to stump across Iowa making promises about what they will do if and when. I have to say I much prefer stopping into the local coffee shop and meeting someone in the running to be the “leader of the free world” as opposed to seeing them criticize each other and the “Current Occupant” on television. At the very least I still end up with a good cup of coffee!

All of this reminds me of something I read years ago. It was a book written by a man who spent several years at the top levels in the administration of a U.S. President. In the book he made a remarkable confession; how for years he had worked with everything he had within himself to do the things in government that he believed would make people’s lives better. Yet, for all that time and all that effort, he could not point to one person whose life had actually changed for the better as a result of those policies.

How thankful I am to our heavenly Father for His sending Jesus Christ to do in us and for us what no man can do for and by himself. From the standpoint of the Word of God, the real change for the better that is available now is the new birth and the transformation that comes by the renewing of the mind. A change for the best in the future comes with the return of Christ for the Church when we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.

As Christians with the ministry of reconciliation, we have the joy to serve something to people that will really make a difference in their lives when we preach Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

When my 19 year old daughter explains to people what her religious beliefs are, she tells them that she is FREE!!!  I love this explanation because it is absolutely true and to the point!  We are free from sin.  We are free from judgment.  We are free from guilt.  We are free from death.  We are free from the Law.  We are free from..... fill in the blank! 

Gal 5:1  Stand in your liberation!  If you are a Jew who was bound to the Law, you are liberated from it! 

 Rom 6:18a  If you were in bondage to sin, you are liberated from it!  Sin hath no more dominion over you!  (Rom 6 & 7.)

 Rom 8:28-39  No accusations accepted here!  No condemnation .  It is prohibited.  It is not a part of the package.  The Christ has justified us from our sins and also our identification with Adam in sin.

 2 Cor 5:19  God does not deal with us according to our iniquities.  Why should you?

Is it just too good to be true?

1 Cor 15:3  Christ died for our sins

 Gal 1:3-4  Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins

 Col 1:14  We have our redemption, the forgiveness of sins

 Heb 1:3  Jesus purged us of sins

 Heb 2:17  He made payment for the sins of the people

 Heb 7:25  You are saved to the uttermost!

 Heb 9:26-28  Put away sin by the sacrifice of himself

 Heb 10:12-14  You are perfected forever!  You can’t get any better than you already are!  It’s as good as it gets!  Live it with joy!  Remember who you really are!

 Heb 12:1-2  Live your freedom from sin.  Don’t let yourself be weighted down by it.  Look unto Jesus, who is the Christ and what he has accomplished for you in liberating you from your sin and Adam’s.  We are free at last!

 HIS PILGRIMAGE

Give me my scallop-shell of quiet,

My staff of faith to walk upon,

My scrip of joy, immortal diet,

My bottle of salvation,

My gown of glory, hope's true gage;

And thus I'll take my pilgrimage.

Blood must be my body's balmer;

No other balm will there be given;

Wilst my soul, like quiet palmer,

Travelleth towards the land of heaven;

Over the silver mountains,

Where spring the nectar fountains:

There I will kiss the bowels of bliss;

And drink mine everlasting fill

Upon every milken hill.

My soul will be a-dry before;

But, after, it will thirst no more,

Then by that happy blissful day,

More peaceful pilgrims I shall see,

They have cast off their rags of clay,

And walk apparelled fresh like me.

I'll take them first

To quench their thirst

And taste of nectar suckets,

At those clear well

Where sweetness dwells,

Drawn up by Saints in crystal buckets.

And when our bottles and all we

Are filled with immortality,

Then the blessed path we'll travel,

Strowed with rubies thick as gravel;

Ceilings of diamonds, saphire floors,

High walls of coral and pearly bowers,

From thence to heavens bribeless hall,

Where no corrupted voices brawl;

No conscience molten into gold,

No forged accuser bought or sold,

No cause deferred, no vain-spent journey,

For there Christ is the king's Attorney,

Who pleads for all without degrees,

For he hath angels, but no fees.

And when the grand twelve-million jury

Of our sins with direful fury,

Against our souls black verdict give,

Christ pleads his death, and then we live.

Be thou my speaker, taintless pleader,

Unblotted lawyer, true proceeder!

Thou givest salvation even for alms;

Not with a bribed lawyers palms.

And this is my plea.

To him that made the heaven, earth, and sea,

That since my flesh must die so soon,

And want a head to dine at noon,

Just at the stroke, when my veins start and spread,

Set on my soul an everlasting head!

Then I am ready, like a palmer fit,

To tread those blest paths which before I srit.

Of death and judgment, heaven and hell,

Who oft doth think, must needs die well

Joe,

How are you doing?  Are you still roofing? If so I have a job you may be interested in. Thanks and you may contact me at pdean8@cox .net

Thx Philip Dean

          On a number of occasions, our current U.S. president, Barack Obama, in his push for “social justice” has declared, “It’s like the Bible says, ‘I am my brother’s keeper.’” Really?

          I can read in the Bible that as believers we are to be kind and compassionate and forgiving one toward another, esteeming others better than ourselves. We are to weep with them that weep and rejoice with them that rejoice. The Apostle Paul commended certain churches for giving unto his necessity. Jesus spoke of feeding the poor and giving drink to the thirsty (though I hardly think he had a gargantuan government program in mind to do so). We are to pray for one another and take care to not offend the weak. There are many things we are told to do in our relations with one another, but where does this “brothers keeper” phraseology come from and what does it mean?

Galatians tells us to bear one another’s burdens.

Galatians 6: 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

But the record goes on to say that every man shall bear his own burden.

Galatians 6:4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

5 For every man shall bear his own burden.

          [The answer to this apparent conflict lies partly in the fact that there are two different Greek words translated “burden" in these verses. The burden of verse 5 is one that can be borne. The Greek word is used of the lading of a ship. The Greek word for “burden" in verse 2 is related to a word that means depth, or the deep. The mind picture is of a burden that would cause a ship to sink into the deep.]

          We are each to bear our own burden, but if something comes up that we can’t handle, then other believers should help. “Brother’s keeper,” however, would seem to indicate involvement beyond this.

          What does “brother’s keeper” mean? A zookeeper cares for the inhabitants of the zoo. He provides for all their needs, bringing them food and water and providing a suitable habitat. He also regulates their activities. He keeps them from harming one another or the zoo visitors. He also determines when the males and females are to be brought together for breeding. He controls nearly every aspect of their lives. If this is along the lines of what our president has in mind by “brother’s keeper,” I would like to opt out. I don’t want anyone else to be my keeper, and I don’t want the responsibility of being anyone else’s keeper. Still, if that’s what the Bible says, I’ll do it; but does it?

          The term, “brother’s keeper” appears only once in the Bible. It is in Cain’s sarcastic response to God when God confronted him regarding the whereabouts of his brother (whom Cain had just killed).

Genesis 4:8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

          If President Obama had known the context of the only occurrence in the Bible of “brother’s keeper”, he surely would not have used the term in his speeches. And the record is NOT an admonition to be “my brother’s keeper”. That any one given individual would not know the context of the only occurrence in the Bible of “brother’s keeper” is understandable, even if that person happens to be the president of The United States of America. Claiming, however that the Bible tells each of us to be his brother’s keeper is an unconscionable and ignorant attempt to use the Scriptures to promote one’s own agenda.

          Perhaps even more deplorable was the response (or lack of it) from his listeners. He had plenty of speechwriters, advisers, and aids who would not have wanted the president to appear ignorant. They would surely have corrected him after the first time he made the statement had they known any better themselves. Apparently, none did. There were perhaps those in the news media who caught the error but did not want to mention it and present the president in a negative light. There were plenty of others in the media, however, (primarily in talk radio) who would have relished the opportunity had they known any better themselves. Apparently, none did. How many hundreds or thousands of people didn’t know any better or did and let it slide? Unfortunately, this says something about the times in which we live here in the USA.