Thy Strong Word Did Cleave the Darkness

All Hallows’ Eve (All Saints’ Eve) is a good time to celebrate and remember the contribution of one of God’s saints, Martin Luther. 487 years ago, he nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg (at least according to tradition).
Here are some quotes from others of his writings, which seem especially appropriate in light of the doctrine by which the Church stands or falls, justification by grace through faith alone.

“The devil caught me by surprise a few times, when I had lost sight of this chief article. He tortured me so badly with passages of Scripture that heaven and earth seemed too small for me. Then human works and laws seemed to be all right, and nothing at all was wrong in the papacy. In short, it seemed that no one had ever erred except this fellow Luther and that my best works, my doctrine, preaching and books must be accursed. Moreover, even the abominable Mohammed almost became a prophet to me, and both Turks and Jews turned to very saints. Therefore, dear brother, do not be proud, or too sure and certain that you know Christ well. You now hear me confessing and professing what the devil was able to do against this man Luther, who, after all, really ought to be a doctor in this art. He has preached, thought, written, spoken, sung, and read so much about this matter and yet must remain a pupil in it and at times is neither pupil nor master. Therefore be advised, and do not shout hurrah. Now you are standing, but see to it that you do not fall.”

[A valid warning for us all, especially those who are called by Luther’s name.]

The Strong Man Submits

Speaking of the Green Bay Packers (see below), here is an interesting quote from defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. His playing time has been reduced, and he is not that pleased with that situation. However, notice how he has responded.

“God tells me to submit to the authorities in my life, and that’s Coach Sherman and Coach ‘Slo,’ ” he said. “Just like in my household. Me and my wife talk about what she wants. Ultimately, I make the final decision, and she supports that decision.”

“I may not know what’s best for me. That’s why they’re the coach and I’m just a player.”

Which is more remarkable: a professional athlete submitting to his coach or a wife submitting to her husband?

It is all up to Brett Favre….again.

It seems like the nation is bracing for Tuesday. Kerry and Bush are still trying to secure votes while a lot of Americans are getting their home ready for an Election Night party.

However, maybe everybody should be paying attention to Sunday’s National Football League game between the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers. Apparently, in presidential election history, if the Redskins win, the incumbant also wins on Tuesday. But if the national capital’s team loses, his opponent wins.

Since I do not believe in any of this stuff, I will, as usual, root for Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers. And if Kerry wins, I will not blame the Green and Gold.

More on Weapons

Here’s more on the missing weapons from Fox news. At the very least, John Kerry should admit that he jumped the gun without having all the information. In fact, no one has all the information. It sounds like desperation to me:
[Imaginary conversation]
Advisor to Kerry: I don’t know how we’re doing, or if we can win this thing.
Kerry to advisor: Hey! I just saw this on CBS! I’ll throw it in my speech!
Advisor: But do we really know this?
Kerry: I don’t care! We need something!

Timotheos

Who’s in League With Whom?

This is very interesting. I wonder if Kerry’s taking cues from bin Laden, or the other way around?

Much more importantly, if you have been fooled by Kerry’s religiosity in the past few weeks, you should read this column by Jeff Jacoby at the Boston Globe.

By the way, I promise a (possibly short) moratorium on Kerry-related posts after Tuesday.

Timotheos

Soon, very soon…

Election Day is coming (as if I had to tell you). Here is another point of view from two professors at Concordia University Wisconsin.

“For many individual Christians, the choice in November seems crystal clear. Yet it is important to acknowledge that Christians are not of one mind politically and, historically, have not been.”

Wicked Good!

Congrats to the Boston Red Sox, they earned it. I just think that St. Louis should have done the gentlemanly thing and won two games so Boston could win it in Boston. As long as they didn’t plan on winning it…

Timotheos

The Value of Ceremony

I spent a good portion of last week in Washington, DC, joining a bunch of 8th graders on their class trip. We visited most of the well-known sites. I think my favorite stop was Arlington National Cemetary.

During that visit, we also spent around an hour at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Some of the students were able to participate in a wreath-laying ceremony. We also watched the soldiers march back and forth in front of the tomb. As you know, this does not stop. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, these soldiers continue on with their duties. And thousands of people come to watch their rituals and ceremonies.

From my observations, the multitude of people watching the soldiers were impressed with the attention to detail and the work of the soldiers. They valued the ceremony.

Now here is a jump: Why will Americans put up with ceremony and ritual in this situation but are turned off by similar ceremony and ritual in the church?

Lewis on Love

Do you love your country? How is your relationship with your best friend? C.S Lewis offers some thoughts on love.

“Every human love, at its height, has a tendency to claim for itself a divine authority. Its voice tends to sound as if it were the will of God Himself. It tells us not to count the cost, it demands of us a total commitment, it attempts to over-ride all other claims and insinuates that any action which is sincerely done ‘for love’s sake’ is thereby lawful and even meritorious.”

Electoral Map

I posted on Real Clear Politics before, and one commenter did not think any polls really mattered, since the electoral college is really what it’s all about. I realize that, and even if the media places too much emphasis on polls, in this last week before the election, you can follow the RCP projected electoral count here and here. Make sure you exercise your civic duty and vote. I will if the state of Washington will ever get my absentee ballot to me. Let’s have some fun next Tuesday night!

Timotheos