"Remembering a Dear Friend and Servant"
Around ten years ago a young fellow at work, who was also finishing up his degree at that famous "party school", the University of Colorado, came to me after turning his life over to the Lord. He wanted someone to mentor him, so he asked if we could meet weekly and talk about a variety of spiritual topics. We picked out subjects that interested him, and I gave him assignments to read each week, which included prayer, fasting, Bible study, missions, witnessing, godly behaviour,etc.
Sometime during that year of studying together he wanted me to meet a classmate of his at CU, who was a football player. So I had breakfast with Tennyson McCarty, a tight end, who wasn't moving too quickly in the cast set around his leg and foot. Coach Bill McCartney, founder of Promise Keepers, had been a great influence in Tennyson's life, and this young man was thrilled that God loved him and wanted to use him to serve others. Interestingly, Tennyson had written out some thoughts about his life and said that he wanted to write a book about all that had happened to him. I advised him at that time to wait, because so much more could be said later on in the future. He was barely 21 years old at the time.
It was a special treat when my friend at work got married to a lovely gal, serving with a high school campus ministry. Tennyson stood by Brian at the wedding as his best man. Already 8-9 years or so ago, Tennyson began serving with a university campus ministry, and was going to many schools sharing of his love of Jesus. His experience as a college football player helped to get him access to locker rooms and dorm situations, but his love for Christ was what radiated brilliantly.
Then, a few years later, Tennyson decided to add "magic and illusion" to his repertoire, gaining even more access to college venues. He and his buddy Jim Monroe challenged collegians to ask "what is real?" They always pointed to Jesus Christ as the true and only answer for the deep issues that face questioning hearts. My wife and I were glad to support him financially & in prayer all these years, and he would call & say that he was praying for us and our family situation.
In just the last 6 weeks, these fellows with Maze Ministries visited:
--Tulane U. and Southeastern Louisiana State
--Morehead State in Kentucky
--Boise State University
--Baylor U in Texas
--University of Texas, San Antonio
--and Purdue Univ. in Indiana
Thousands of college students came to these events, and hundreds accepted Christ as their Saviour. More campuses were scheduled for this fall in several other states. www.mazeimpact.com
Sadly, though, Tennyson's body was found up in the foothills in a river above Boulder County, CO last Friday. A young pastor friend noted that Tennyson was always giving & ministering to others, and sometimes he had nothing left for himself.
Please join me in praying for his family (survived by his father and brothers) and co-workers. And do remember to "encourage one another" in the Lord, and all those who do the work of ministering to others.
May God strengthen & lift you up,
Torrey Brinkley
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Youth Ministry Work Trips
What Did You Do This Summer?
from Torrey H. Brinkley
Students are soon back in school for the fall semester. Many went on vacations, some went to camps, others tried sports activities, and a few were able to work at summer jobs.
Would you be surprised to hear that no less than 26,000 youth participated in summer 2007 work camp projects in the USA and abroad organized by Group Workcamps Foundation, based in Loveland, Colorado?
Junior and Senior High students went to serve in 37 different states or foreign countries doing projects such as interior & exterior painting, building or repairing porches or wheelchair ramps, constructing or fixing stairs/steps, and winterizing homes. Some went to assist the elderly, tutored needy students, served at food banks, or helped at children's day camps.
One of the young fellows in our local men's Bible study went along on one of the Group Work trips this summer, as he photographed the teens at work in West Virginia. Matt Wade noted that the 400+ youth were able to complete repairs on 71 homes during one week, plus sharing their Christian faith with many isolated and/or elderly residents in one poor community of the US. There are nightly inspirational chapel services for the youth, who come from a variety of churches around the country. The tech people put together a nightly audio-visual presentation each night that highlighted the work experiences of the teens that very same day.
This labor of love (in serving others) reflects an American phenomenon that has characterized our society for generations: volunteerism. Perhaps this comes from our Christian forefathers who taught, believed and practiced verses such as Colossians 3:23:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from from the Lord as a reward."
Interestingly, the impetus for serving others in need started back in 1976 when the Big Thompson (River) flood just outside of Loveland, Colorado devastated small towns with many homes caught in the onrushing floodwaters. There now have been over 1000 work camps since that time, where each group of young people serves from 20 to 80 homes/sites. Group Publishing reports that total participants have been 266, 350 persons in these last 30 years.
Each church that brings their teens to serve also has their own sponsors/parents/youth pastors to guide & minister to the needs of the youth during the work week. Some churches have chosen to participate in this ministry for over 20 years now, and one cook that served in West Virginia this summer has helped prepare meals for over 33 camps!
When one considers the selfishness and indifference of the stereotypical teen, how refreshing it is to see youth and their sponsors choose to give back to some of the poorest communities of America in such a noble and selfless manner! Each church should at least contemplate a visit to www.GroupWorkcamps.com. Take a look at the photos of all their efforts, and see if your church teens would like to sign up for next summer's projects (start planning now!).
This is the same spirit of Christian compassion that has helped re-build the US Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck back in 2005, as hundreds of churches have sent steady streams of workers with hammers & saws. Remember that Jesus was a carpenter by trade, not a philosopher in a rocking chair.
from Torrey H. Brinkley
Students are soon back in school for the fall semester. Many went on vacations, some went to camps, others tried sports activities, and a few were able to work at summer jobs.
Would you be surprised to hear that no less than 26,000 youth participated in summer 2007 work camp projects in the USA and abroad organized by Group Workcamps Foundation, based in Loveland, Colorado?
Junior and Senior High students went to serve in 37 different states or foreign countries doing projects such as interior & exterior painting, building or repairing porches or wheelchair ramps, constructing or fixing stairs/steps, and winterizing homes. Some went to assist the elderly, tutored needy students, served at food banks, or helped at children's day camps.
One of the young fellows in our local men's Bible study went along on one of the Group Work trips this summer, as he photographed the teens at work in West Virginia. Matt Wade noted that the 400+ youth were able to complete repairs on 71 homes during one week, plus sharing their Christian faith with many isolated and/or elderly residents in one poor community of the US. There are nightly inspirational chapel services for the youth, who come from a variety of churches around the country. The tech people put together a nightly audio-visual presentation each night that highlighted the work experiences of the teens that very same day.
This labor of love (in serving others) reflects an American phenomenon that has characterized our society for generations: volunteerism. Perhaps this comes from our Christian forefathers who taught, believed and practiced verses such as Colossians 3:23:
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from from the Lord as a reward."
Interestingly, the impetus for serving others in need started back in 1976 when the Big Thompson (River) flood just outside of Loveland, Colorado devastated small towns with many homes caught in the onrushing floodwaters. There now have been over 1000 work camps since that time, where each group of young people serves from 20 to 80 homes/sites. Group Publishing reports that total participants have been 266, 350 persons in these last 30 years.
Each church that brings their teens to serve also has their own sponsors/parents/youth pastors to guide & minister to the needs of the youth during the work week. Some churches have chosen to participate in this ministry for over 20 years now, and one cook that served in West Virginia this summer has helped prepare meals for over 33 camps!
When one considers the selfishness and indifference of the stereotypical teen, how refreshing it is to see youth and their sponsors choose to give back to some of the poorest communities of America in such a noble and selfless manner! Each church should at least contemplate a visit to www.GroupWorkcamps.com. Take a look at the photos of all their efforts, and see if your church teens would like to sign up for next summer's projects (start planning now!).
This is the same spirit of Christian compassion that has helped re-build the US Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck back in 2005, as hundreds of churches have sent steady streams of workers with hammers & saws. Remember that Jesus was a carpenter by trade, not a philosopher in a rocking chair.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Developing Christian Character
"Men of Character, and How to Be One."
a study prepared by Torrey H. Brinkley
1) What is Character?
A dictionary definition of the word gives us the following sense: The combined moral or ethical structure of a person; moral or ethical strength; integrity; fortitude. Reputation, as a description of a person's attributes, traits or abilities.
Do you have your own definition of character?
2) How Does God View Character?
One could say that our character is that part of us which God desires to mold to be in conformity to His will. Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Life" notes on p. 173:
"God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually & become like Christ. God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12) , the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), Paul's great chapter on love (I Corinthians 13), and Peter's list of the characteristics of an effective & productive life (2 Peter 1:5-8).
*** If you have a copy of Warren's book handy, it would be good to review the ways God helps grow our character for:
.....Day 24 " Transformed by Truth"
.....Day 25 "Transformed by Trouble"
.....Day 26 "Growing Through Temptation"
3) How Is Our Character Formed?
One could say that our character is measured by the way we act when no one else is around; for that is how God sees us (and deals with us).
J.I. Packer in his famous devotional book "Knowing God" states that:
"God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough & perplexing, so that we may learn thankfully to lean on Him.. Therefore He takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in Himself.....to 'wait on the Lord. It is striking to see how much of the Bible deals with men of God making mistakes, and God chastening them for it." (pp. 227-8).
4) How Does God Measure our Character?
Some Christians think that God measures our Christian charcter & committment to Christ by examining our checkbook and our datebook. While that does show a lot about a person, especially "an organized human", God looks more for real character. As Tom Hovestol, a Longmont pastor, states in his 1997 book "Extreme Righteousness" (p. 177)
"Time and money are neither the only nor the truest tests of the heart. Justice, mercy and faithfulness are."
5) What Lessons Can We learn about Character from Noah? Read the story of Noah in Genesis 5:29 to 9:29.
---What did God say about Noah's character, one man living in a wicked world?
(Gen. 6:8-9)
---Note Noah's age right before starting to build the ark (Gen. 5:32) and the age when the rains finally started (Gen. 7:6). Could you do a 100-yr. building project? How long did Noah live after the flood (Gen. 9:28)?
--See God's trust of Noah, in making covenants with him (Gen. 6:18; 8:15-22; 9: 1-17). How might that have built character in Noah's life?
--What can we learn about "character" in observing Noah's disgraceful time and the behaviour of his sons in Gen. 9:18-27? (Relate this to Packer's comment above.) What can we do to preserve godly character when living among "family"?
a study prepared by Torrey H. Brinkley
1) What is Character?
A dictionary definition of the word gives us the following sense: The combined moral or ethical structure of a person; moral or ethical strength; integrity; fortitude. Reputation, as a description of a person's attributes, traits or abilities.
Do you have your own definition of character?
2) How Does God View Character?
One could say that our character is that part of us which God desires to mold to be in conformity to His will. Rick Warren in "The Purpose Driven Life" notes on p. 173:
"God's ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually & become like Christ. God wants you to develop the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus (Matthew 5:1-12) , the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), Paul's great chapter on love (I Corinthians 13), and Peter's list of the characteristics of an effective & productive life (2 Peter 1:5-8).
*** If you have a copy of Warren's book handy, it would be good to review the ways God helps grow our character for:
.....Day 24 " Transformed by Truth"
.....Day 25 "Transformed by Trouble"
.....Day 26 "Growing Through Temptation"
3) How Is Our Character Formed?
One could say that our character is measured by the way we act when no one else is around; for that is how God sees us (and deals with us).
J.I. Packer in his famous devotional book "Knowing God" states that:
"God wants us to feel that our way through life is rough & perplexing, so that we may learn thankfully to lean on Him.. Therefore He takes steps to drive us out of self-confidence to trust in Himself.....to 'wait on the Lord. It is striking to see how much of the Bible deals with men of God making mistakes, and God chastening them for it." (pp. 227-8).
4) How Does God Measure our Character?
Some Christians think that God measures our Christian charcter & committment to Christ by examining our checkbook and our datebook. While that does show a lot about a person, especially "an organized human", God looks more for real character. As Tom Hovestol, a Longmont pastor, states in his 1997 book "Extreme Righteousness" (p. 177)
"Time and money are neither the only nor the truest tests of the heart. Justice, mercy and faithfulness are."
5) What Lessons Can We learn about Character from Noah? Read the story of Noah in Genesis 5:29 to 9:29.
---What did God say about Noah's character, one man living in a wicked world?
(Gen. 6:8-9)
---Note Noah's age right before starting to build the ark (Gen. 5:32) and the age when the rains finally started (Gen. 7:6). Could you do a 100-yr. building project? How long did Noah live after the flood (Gen. 9:28)?
--See God's trust of Noah, in making covenants with him (Gen. 6:18; 8:15-22; 9: 1-17). How might that have built character in Noah's life?
--What can we learn about "character" in observing Noah's disgraceful time and the behaviour of his sons in Gen. 9:18-27? (Relate this to Packer's comment above.) What can we do to preserve godly character when living among "family"?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Shooting Stars In The Night Sky
Making Your Mark in the Sky
by Torrey H. Brinkley
Have you ever seen a shooting star, and wondered where it comes from, or what composes such a celestial object? How come the shower of meteors burn up so suddenly? This week was one of the weeks to catch another glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Showers across the US skies. In certain localities it is possible to see up to 75 meteors per hour on a dark August night.
These meteors are named for the constellation of Persius, and the shower comes from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which visits our solar system every 130 years. Our earth passes through the dust of the comet, and they leave behind trails that are thousands of miles long, composed of very small particles of ice & dust. The particles burn up in our atmosphere, as their average speed is 160,000 mph (a speeding bullet goes 2240 mph).
When one thinks of space junk that the various nations have launched up in orbit, and which eventually come crashing down to earth, we recall hearing of car-sized parts of satellites, that could cause serious damage upon impact. How big do you think meteor shower pieces are? Surprsingly, we are told that they are typically smaller than a grain of sand. What we generally see as a bright flash of light in the sky is actually the "air" that is compressed and heated to 3000 degrees F by the meteor particle at supersonic speeds.
It takes a lot of patience, waiting, and undistracted gazing to actually see the shooting stars, whether one is alone or in a group, simply because the night sky is so big and vast, and full of other interesting stars, constellations and even airplanes & satellites. This waiting gives rise to some questions and life aplications:
a) A meteor is actually very small & insignificant in size relative to other objects, but look at the brilliant light that it gives off.
---We, too, may seem to be just one insignificant creature among billions on the planet, but our lives are singularly important to God, and hopefully, to others as well.
b) You have to turn off all the bright lights in your yard, house and neighborhood to effectively see stars & meteors in the night sky, but then the objects all glisten in the heavens.
---In our personal lives, we sometimes need to turn off all the distractions (radio, TV, electronic games, sports, investments, possessions,etc.) to fully appreciate important lessons about: truth, value, integrity, purpose, destiny, love & devotion.
c) A very brilliant meteor racing across the entire sky might last just a second or two, so don't miss it.
---God's working in one's life may also be swift and obscure to to "happy pagans". But the Word of God cautions us to always be alert, to pay attention and to be vigilant. (I Thess. 5:6)
d) A meteor shower only comes during a very few days of the summer, so one must plan one's calendar accordingly, or you'll miss it.
---Deep meaningful interaction with others or encounters with the Lord require planning, prayer & committment.
e) One grain of sand will rarely ever get noticed, but if it flies high in the night sky at blazing speed, it can attract lots of attention.
---One small action, word or deed can be very significant, when hooked up to God's eternal purposes.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ....For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." --I Corinthians 10: 31, 33 (the Apostle Paul)
by Torrey H. Brinkley
Have you ever seen a shooting star, and wondered where it comes from, or what composes such a celestial object? How come the shower of meteors burn up so suddenly? This week was one of the weeks to catch another glimpse of the Perseid Meteor Showers across the US skies. In certain localities it is possible to see up to 75 meteors per hour on a dark August night.
These meteors are named for the constellation of Persius, and the shower comes from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which visits our solar system every 130 years. Our earth passes through the dust of the comet, and they leave behind trails that are thousands of miles long, composed of very small particles of ice & dust. The particles burn up in our atmosphere, as their average speed is 160,000 mph (a speeding bullet goes 2240 mph).
When one thinks of space junk that the various nations have launched up in orbit, and which eventually come crashing down to earth, we recall hearing of car-sized parts of satellites, that could cause serious damage upon impact. How big do you think meteor shower pieces are? Surprsingly, we are told that they are typically smaller than a grain of sand. What we generally see as a bright flash of light in the sky is actually the "air" that is compressed and heated to 3000 degrees F by the meteor particle at supersonic speeds.
It takes a lot of patience, waiting, and undistracted gazing to actually see the shooting stars, whether one is alone or in a group, simply because the night sky is so big and vast, and full of other interesting stars, constellations and even airplanes & satellites. This waiting gives rise to some questions and life aplications:
a) A meteor is actually very small & insignificant in size relative to other objects, but look at the brilliant light that it gives off.
---We, too, may seem to be just one insignificant creature among billions on the planet, but our lives are singularly important to God, and hopefully, to others as well.
b) You have to turn off all the bright lights in your yard, house and neighborhood to effectively see stars & meteors in the night sky, but then the objects all glisten in the heavens.
---In our personal lives, we sometimes need to turn off all the distractions (radio, TV, electronic games, sports, investments, possessions,etc.) to fully appreciate important lessons about: truth, value, integrity, purpose, destiny, love & devotion.
c) A very brilliant meteor racing across the entire sky might last just a second or two, so don't miss it.
---God's working in one's life may also be swift and obscure to to "happy pagans". But the Word of God cautions us to always be alert, to pay attention and to be vigilant. (I Thess. 5:6)
d) A meteor shower only comes during a very few days of the summer, so one must plan one's calendar accordingly, or you'll miss it.
---Deep meaningful interaction with others or encounters with the Lord require planning, prayer & committment.
e) One grain of sand will rarely ever get noticed, but if it flies high in the night sky at blazing speed, it can attract lots of attention.
---One small action, word or deed can be very significant, when hooked up to God's eternal purposes.
"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ....For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." --I Corinthians 10: 31, 33 (the Apostle Paul)
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Do We Treasure Our Hamilton?
Hamilton's Got All the Money
by Torrey Hamilton Brinkley
It has been fun recently to ask various (young) tellers at the local bank to name the person shown on the ten dollar bill. Many of them think that it would be a former president of the United States. Often they do not have a clue who the portrait features. A very few know that Alexander Hamilton was actually the first Treasurer of the United States of America.
Since he was a distant relative, it seems incumbant to share a few facts on the life of this man, who was very instrumental in the formation of our country, both in the approval of our Constitution and in the organization of our first Treasury Department (that is to say, levying & collecting taxes and seeing to the disbursement of funds for general needs).
Not every founding father of our country was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Alexander was born in 1755 in Nevis Island in the West Indies to a Scottish merchant and a married woman separated from her husband at the time. When Alex was ten years old, his father abandoned the family, and the young lad had to work for a trading firm on the island of St. Croix.
At age 17 his employers sent Hamilton off to study in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and finally studied at Kings College (now Columbia University). By the age of 21 Hamilton was named captain of a New York artillery company in the Revolutionary War, serving directly under General George Washington.
At the age of 25 Alexander married Elizabeth Schuyler, the daughter of a wealthy New York family, and they together had 8 children. In 1782 Hamilton began practicing law in New York and then helped push the U.S. into forming a Constitutional Convention to strengthen the infant Federal Government (1787 in Philadelphia).
Along with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton debated all the pros and cons of a strong federal government, having a constitution with checks & balances, separation of powers and having the financial means necessary to make such a new country work in a voluntary manner (a Republic was a new idea in the then known world) in a book we can read today called The Federalist.
Thus in 1787, Hamilton noted:
"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."
Observation: Look how many countries today are still forced to act & believe due to cruel and/or powerful dictatorial leaders.
When considering the interplay of ideas in a multi-level government: executive, legislative & judicial, Hamilton noted:
"We are not always sure that those who advocate the truth are influenced by purer principles than their antagonists. Ambition, avarice, personal animosity, party opposition, and many other motives not more laudable than these, are apt to operate as well upon those who support as those who oppose the right side of a question."
Question: Have you noticed all the questioning of personal motives in the political debates of the day, here in 2007, as attacks come from the left, right & middle?
Even as freedom loving countries around the world today are under attack by militant religious zealots scattered in many places, intent on forcing their worldview on others, note Hamilton's warning from 220 years ago:
"For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution."
Two years after the adoption of the Constitution (1789), Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, under President George Washington. Thomas Jefferson opposed this idea of having a national bank to handle the government's finances, but the Supreme Court upheld the notion. Hamilton, as well wanted the US government to encourage manufacturing in our country. But Jefferson and Madison opposed this idea, too, thinking that farming was more important.
These differences of opinion served to cause Hamilton to form one political party, the Federalist Party, favoring a strong federal government. Jefferson and Madison, on the other hand, started the Democratic-Republican Party, which wanted a weaker national government.
By the time of the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson was named President, thanks, in part, to Hamilton supporting Jefferson over another candidate, Aaron Burr. Burr served 4 years as Vice President, and then ran for Governor of New York. Hamilton distrusted Burr's character and worked to cause his defeat. That prompted the infamous duel, in which Aaron Burr (former V.P) shot & killed Alexander Hamilton (former Treasurer), on July 11, 1804.
May we note Hamilton's concluding remarks to the Constitutional delegates in 1787, and be challenged to carry on the vision of such brave men:
"I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man. The result of the deliberations of all collective bodies must necessarily be a compound, as well of the errors and prejudices, as of the good sense and wisdom, of the individuals of whom they are composed. The compacts, which are to embrace 13 distinct States in a common bond of amity & union, must as necessarily be a compromise of as many dissimilar interests & inclinations. How can perfection spring from such materials?"
Note: We are not perfect. But, as Christians believe, we are forgiven. And, as well, we are to forgive others.
by Torrey Hamilton Brinkley
It has been fun recently to ask various (young) tellers at the local bank to name the person shown on the ten dollar bill. Many of them think that it would be a former president of the United States. Often they do not have a clue who the portrait features. A very few know that Alexander Hamilton was actually the first Treasurer of the United States of America.
Since he was a distant relative, it seems incumbant to share a few facts on the life of this man, who was very instrumental in the formation of our country, both in the approval of our Constitution and in the organization of our first Treasury Department (that is to say, levying & collecting taxes and seeing to the disbursement of funds for general needs).
Not every founding father of our country was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Alexander was born in 1755 in Nevis Island in the West Indies to a Scottish merchant and a married woman separated from her husband at the time. When Alex was ten years old, his father abandoned the family, and the young lad had to work for a trading firm on the island of St. Croix.
At age 17 his employers sent Hamilton off to study in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, and finally studied at Kings College (now Columbia University). By the age of 21 Hamilton was named captain of a New York artillery company in the Revolutionary War, serving directly under General George Washington.
At the age of 25 Alexander married Elizabeth Schuyler, the daughter of a wealthy New York family, and they together had 8 children. In 1782 Hamilton began practicing law in New York and then helped push the U.S. into forming a Constitutional Convention to strengthen the infant Federal Government (1787 in Philadelphia).
Along with James Madison and John Jay, Hamilton debated all the pros and cons of a strong federal government, having a constitution with checks & balances, separation of powers and having the financial means necessary to make such a new country work in a voluntary manner (a Republic was a new idea in the then known world) in a book we can read today called The Federalist.
Thus in 1787, Hamilton noted:
"It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force."
Observation: Look how many countries today are still forced to act & believe due to cruel and/or powerful dictatorial leaders.
When considering the interplay of ideas in a multi-level government: executive, legislative & judicial, Hamilton noted:
"We are not always sure that those who advocate the truth are influenced by purer principles than their antagonists. Ambition, avarice, personal animosity, party opposition, and many other motives not more laudable than these, are apt to operate as well upon those who support as those who oppose the right side of a question."
Question: Have you noticed all the questioning of personal motives in the political debates of the day, here in 2007, as attacks come from the left, right & middle?
Even as freedom loving countries around the world today are under attack by militant religious zealots scattered in many places, intent on forcing their worldview on others, note Hamilton's warning from 220 years ago:
"For in politics, as in religion, it is equally absurd to aim at making proselytes by fire and sword. Heresies in either can rarely be cured by persecution."
Two years after the adoption of the Constitution (1789), Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, under President George Washington. Thomas Jefferson opposed this idea of having a national bank to handle the government's finances, but the Supreme Court upheld the notion. Hamilton, as well wanted the US government to encourage manufacturing in our country. But Jefferson and Madison opposed this idea, too, thinking that farming was more important.
These differences of opinion served to cause Hamilton to form one political party, the Federalist Party, favoring a strong federal government. Jefferson and Madison, on the other hand, started the Democratic-Republican Party, which wanted a weaker national government.
By the time of the 1800 election, Thomas Jefferson was named President, thanks, in part, to Hamilton supporting Jefferson over another candidate, Aaron Burr. Burr served 4 years as Vice President, and then ran for Governor of New York. Hamilton distrusted Burr's character and worked to cause his defeat. That prompted the infamous duel, in which Aaron Burr (former V.P) shot & killed Alexander Hamilton (former Treasurer), on July 11, 1804.
May we note Hamilton's concluding remarks to the Constitutional delegates in 1787, and be challenged to carry on the vision of such brave men:
"I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man. The result of the deliberations of all collective bodies must necessarily be a compound, as well of the errors and prejudices, as of the good sense and wisdom, of the individuals of whom they are composed. The compacts, which are to embrace 13 distinct States in a common bond of amity & union, must as necessarily be a compromise of as many dissimilar interests & inclinations. How can perfection spring from such materials?"
Note: We are not perfect. But, as Christians believe, we are forgiven. And, as well, we are to forgive others.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Someone's Watching Your Behavior
If Christians Behaved Like Muslims
by Torrey H. Brinkley
The recent set of terrorist threats and activities in Scotland & England have brought to the front again a potential threat from radical Muslims, who seemingly have designs set on killing & maiming westerners, just some of those who do not share their religious and political ideals.
The enemies of Bible-believing Christians in the West are many & varied, and often the liberal media accuse Evangelicals of being fanatical, extremist, and even dangerous. But, in fact, if Christ-followers did behave like Islamic extremists:
1) We would require all Christians to stop all work, school and recreation to pray to our Lord five times a day, and demand time/place for such from our employers, educators and recreation directors.
2) We would demand our rights to worship, teach, display our religious symbols, and enforce our morality, no matter what schools, governments, or opinionated liberal voices cried.
3) We not only would ask our people to witness and worship our God, but we'd call for the destruction & overthrow of all who disagreed with our message.
4) We would not only put Bibles in hotel rooms, but we'd force everyone in our country to believe and adhere to such ideals, or be jailed and/or executed.
5) We would keep all our women at home to raise children & clean house, while not allowing them in the workplace, to teach schools, be politicians, appear in popular media, or travel alone on public transportation.
6) We would call for the assasination of anyone who made fun of the Lord Jesus, or offended our view of Christianity.
7) We would establish secretive training schools (and, if necessary, to train in violent measures) for the young, never allowing them to know of other lifestyles or ideologies.
8) If Christians behaved as Muslims, we'd not just argue biblically that homosexuality is a sin against God, and that abortion offends God by taking a precious life, and that lewd open sexuality is a vulgar misrepresentation of God's image in man. No, we'd stone them all in public, flog them in the town square, or dismember their bodies mercilessly.
9) We wouldn't go and preach freedom & democracy around the world, we'd take our biggest bombs and blow our opposition off the map!
However, we are directed to be a different kind of people:
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
-- Ephesians 5:1 (Paul, who had stoned Christians to death, but who now writes, as a religious prisoner in jail)
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with insult, but with blessing. (You) must turn from evil and do good; (you) must seek peace & pursue it."
-- I Peter 3:8,9, 11 (Peter, who before the Cross, took his sword and cut off the high priest's servant's ear.)
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
--2 Corinthians 10:3-4. (Paul & Timothy, after traveling by land & sea, to share the good news about Jesus throughout the known world, to all the major cultural, philosophical & commerical centers)
What did the early followers of Christ preach & teach? They noted that Jesus is unique in claiming, not to be just a prophet of God. He actually claimed to be God, yet allowed Himself to be sacrificed for humankind's wickedness. Therefore, we know how God acts in human encounters:
....He speaks the truth in love, challenges all unrighteousness, heals the sick, raises the dead, feeds the hungry, calls all to a divine committment, and brings a godly peace & calm thru humble obedience & selflessness.
by Torrey H. Brinkley
The recent set of terrorist threats and activities in Scotland & England have brought to the front again a potential threat from radical Muslims, who seemingly have designs set on killing & maiming westerners, just some of those who do not share their religious and political ideals.
The enemies of Bible-believing Christians in the West are many & varied, and often the liberal media accuse Evangelicals of being fanatical, extremist, and even dangerous. But, in fact, if Christ-followers did behave like Islamic extremists:
1) We would require all Christians to stop all work, school and recreation to pray to our Lord five times a day, and demand time/place for such from our employers, educators and recreation directors.
2) We would demand our rights to worship, teach, display our religious symbols, and enforce our morality, no matter what schools, governments, or opinionated liberal voices cried.
3) We not only would ask our people to witness and worship our God, but we'd call for the destruction & overthrow of all who disagreed with our message.
4) We would not only put Bibles in hotel rooms, but we'd force everyone in our country to believe and adhere to such ideals, or be jailed and/or executed.
5) We would keep all our women at home to raise children & clean house, while not allowing them in the workplace, to teach schools, be politicians, appear in popular media, or travel alone on public transportation.
6) We would call for the assasination of anyone who made fun of the Lord Jesus, or offended our view of Christianity.
7) We would establish secretive training schools (and, if necessary, to train in violent measures) for the young, never allowing them to know of other lifestyles or ideologies.
8) If Christians behaved as Muslims, we'd not just argue biblically that homosexuality is a sin against God, and that abortion offends God by taking a precious life, and that lewd open sexuality is a vulgar misrepresentation of God's image in man. No, we'd stone them all in public, flog them in the town square, or dismember their bodies mercilessly.
9) We wouldn't go and preach freedom & democracy around the world, we'd take our biggest bombs and blow our opposition off the map!
However, we are directed to be a different kind of people:
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
-- Ephesians 5:1 (Paul, who had stoned Christians to death, but who now writes, as a religious prisoner in jail)
"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with insult, but with blessing. (You) must turn from evil and do good; (you) must seek peace & pursue it."
-- I Peter 3:8,9, 11 (Peter, who before the Cross, took his sword and cut off the high priest's servant's ear.)
"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
--2 Corinthians 10:3-4. (Paul & Timothy, after traveling by land & sea, to share the good news about Jesus throughout the known world, to all the major cultural, philosophical & commerical centers)
What did the early followers of Christ preach & teach? They noted that Jesus is unique in claiming, not to be just a prophet of God. He actually claimed to be God, yet allowed Himself to be sacrificed for humankind's wickedness. Therefore, we know how God acts in human encounters:
....He speaks the truth in love, challenges all unrighteousness, heals the sick, raises the dead, feeds the hungry, calls all to a divine committment, and brings a godly peace & calm thru humble obedience & selflessness.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
35 Miles Per Gallon Will Change Everything
WHO MAKES 35 MPG VEHICLES?
Our US government has just announced that vehicles sold in our country will have to meet 35 miles per gallon requirements within 15 years or so. The current crop of vehicles are lucky to average 25 mpg, with a host of people opting to buy large trucks & SUVs that barely get 15 mpg in city traffic, loaded with people and/ or purchases.
Some sports cars and heavy 7-passenger SUVs are guzzling gasoline at the rate of 11 miles per gallon. At today's current high gas prices, the owners of gas guzzlers must fork over $90 just to drive 275 miles, with many of the higher-performance models requiring premium fuel. Ouch!
Some questions come to mind when considering what our government has mandated:
1) Who can expect to meet these high standards?
Observation: Currently there are just a handful of Asian imports that can do this well, like Toyota Yaris & Prius, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit & Civic Hybrid, Kia Spectra and Chevy Aveo (from the Daewoo folk in Korea).
None of the 90 SUV offerings in the USA right now will make it.
The top 2 selling trucks & the two best selling cars in the USA don't hit anywhere near that (Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Camry, & Chevy Malibu).
2) Can US manufacturers suddenly become economy car experts after 47 years of failed attempts?
Answer: Don't bet the family farm on it. You don't see many 1960 Ford Falcons, Chevy Corvairs, AMC Ramblers or Plymouth Valiants on the street today. Hardly any of the small economy cars produced by our US companies assembled up thru 1997 are still driveable today, and are even less desirable as used cars. Chevy Vegas, Ford Pintos and Dodge Omnis made such enemies of American consumers that the foreign car revolution took over in most big population centers.
3) Are our legislators deliberately sabotaging our own domestic auto industry in favor of foreign competitors?
You decide: If our government refuses to seal our borders & enforce existing laws against unwanted "human" intruders, why would we assume that they care about the US companies that have helped build up our economy for the last 100 years, including using our production plants to save our country during times of World Wars?
Many states (typically southern, but not always) have given sweetheart deals to foreign automobile manufacturers to set up assembly plants in the USA (in on-union areas) starting in 1980 (with the Honda Accord plant in Ohio).
One friend in the automotive business for over 20 years worries that the anticipated arrival of Chinese automobiles on our shores will be a bad omen, as the new products assembled there just are not good at all.
4) Will our streets soon become flooded with tiny, unsafe, unreliable cars from Third World countries?
Wondering out loud: We sure hope that vehicles like Smart cars are not going to be the norm on our roads. There is absolutely no front crash protection of 5-6 feet ahead of the driver, nor the 4-5 feet of steel structure behind the rear seat drivers in the tiny microcars that are made & sold in Asia and Europe.
When one ventures out on our roadways, have you noticed that every 5th vehicle seems to be a 18-wheel semi truck (80,000 pounds), every 4th vehicle is a large SUV (up to 6000 lbs), and every 3rd vehicle on our roads is a large pickup truck (5000 lbs unloaded), all whizzing along at 55 to 75 mph? If collisions today of normal cars against these massive vehicles are dangerous, what would happen if microcars tangle with such mountains of motorized metal?
5) Is there knowledge of, or a desire for, higher US gasoline prices and/or taxes on gasoline, so that fuel-efficient vehicles will seem all the more attractive?
Not sure: Let us hope that our government does not decide to collect taxes at the gasoline pump like the Europeans and Asians have done for decades. Who will enjoy paying $6.50 a gallon, like they do in northern Europe or Japan today? To be sure, none of us will see a rollback to 17c a gallon like Venezuelans or Kuwaitis pay today.
6) Might the used-car market suddenly become a more lucrative business operation, if tiny, low-profit vehicles will be the only future offerings for shoppers
Dreaming creatively: Look at how many folk today are idolizing the Muscle Cars of the 1960s, with some of the rarest models selling for over $1 million at auction (when they had a new sticker price of just $4500). Scores of mechanical and body shops are restoring and polishing up vehicles that were fun to drive and enjoyable visually.
There are many sporty cars on the market today, as well, which may become very high demand by the years that the new CAFE standards go into effect:
Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Cadillac XL-R, Dodge Viper, BMW M3, M5, M6 & Z4, Audi S4,S^,S8, Mercedes SL & AMG models, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Infiniti V-8s, Lexus V-8s, Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, etc.
Scores of 10-year old sporty cars (made in the 1990s), that are now out of production, may eventually become lovingly restored as well, for those who enjoy driving, as opposed to being forced to constrict themselves into future, tiny, bean cans by CAFE bureaucrats:
Toyota Supra & Celica, Ford Probe, Mazda RX-7 and MX-6, Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird & Fiero, Cadillac Allante, Buick Riviera, Nissan 240-SX, Acura NSX and Integra GS-R, Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Dodge Stealth, Lexus SC300, Mercedes SL350/560, VW Corrado, BMW Z8, Z3, M5, M6.
What will you drive?
---Torrey H. Brinkley
Mead, Colorado
Our US government has just announced that vehicles sold in our country will have to meet 35 miles per gallon requirements within 15 years or so. The current crop of vehicles are lucky to average 25 mpg, with a host of people opting to buy large trucks & SUVs that barely get 15 mpg in city traffic, loaded with people and/ or purchases.
Some sports cars and heavy 7-passenger SUVs are guzzling gasoline at the rate of 11 miles per gallon. At today's current high gas prices, the owners of gas guzzlers must fork over $90 just to drive 275 miles, with many of the higher-performance models requiring premium fuel. Ouch!
Some questions come to mind when considering what our government has mandated:
1) Who can expect to meet these high standards?
Observation: Currently there are just a handful of Asian imports that can do this well, like Toyota Yaris & Prius, Nissan Versa, Honda Fit & Civic Hybrid, Kia Spectra and Chevy Aveo (from the Daewoo folk in Korea).
None of the 90 SUV offerings in the USA right now will make it.
The top 2 selling trucks & the two best selling cars in the USA don't hit anywhere near that (Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Camry, & Chevy Malibu).
2) Can US manufacturers suddenly become economy car experts after 47 years of failed attempts?
Answer: Don't bet the family farm on it. You don't see many 1960 Ford Falcons, Chevy Corvairs, AMC Ramblers or Plymouth Valiants on the street today. Hardly any of the small economy cars produced by our US companies assembled up thru 1997 are still driveable today, and are even less desirable as used cars. Chevy Vegas, Ford Pintos and Dodge Omnis made such enemies of American consumers that the foreign car revolution took over in most big population centers.
3) Are our legislators deliberately sabotaging our own domestic auto industry in favor of foreign competitors?
You decide: If our government refuses to seal our borders & enforce existing laws against unwanted "human" intruders, why would we assume that they care about the US companies that have helped build up our economy for the last 100 years, including using our production plants to save our country during times of World Wars?
Many states (typically southern, but not always) have given sweetheart deals to foreign automobile manufacturers to set up assembly plants in the USA (in on-union areas) starting in 1980 (with the Honda Accord plant in Ohio).
One friend in the automotive business for over 20 years worries that the anticipated arrival of Chinese automobiles on our shores will be a bad omen, as the new products assembled there just are not good at all.
4) Will our streets soon become flooded with tiny, unsafe, unreliable cars from Third World countries?
Wondering out loud: We sure hope that vehicles like Smart cars are not going to be the norm on our roads. There is absolutely no front crash protection of 5-6 feet ahead of the driver, nor the 4-5 feet of steel structure behind the rear seat drivers in the tiny microcars that are made & sold in Asia and Europe.
When one ventures out on our roadways, have you noticed that every 5th vehicle seems to be a 18-wheel semi truck (80,000 pounds), every 4th vehicle is a large SUV (up to 6000 lbs), and every 3rd vehicle on our roads is a large pickup truck (5000 lbs unloaded), all whizzing along at 55 to 75 mph? If collisions today of normal cars against these massive vehicles are dangerous, what would happen if microcars tangle with such mountains of motorized metal?
5) Is there knowledge of, or a desire for, higher US gasoline prices and/or taxes on gasoline, so that fuel-efficient vehicles will seem all the more attractive?
Not sure: Let us hope that our government does not decide to collect taxes at the gasoline pump like the Europeans and Asians have done for decades. Who will enjoy paying $6.50 a gallon, like they do in northern Europe or Japan today? To be sure, none of us will see a rollback to 17c a gallon like Venezuelans or Kuwaitis pay today.
6) Might the used-car market suddenly become a more lucrative business operation, if tiny, low-profit vehicles will be the only future offerings for shoppers
Dreaming creatively: Look at how many folk today are idolizing the Muscle Cars of the 1960s, with some of the rarest models selling for over $1 million at auction (when they had a new sticker price of just $4500). Scores of mechanical and body shops are restoring and polishing up vehicles that were fun to drive and enjoyable visually.
There are many sporty cars on the market today, as well, which may become very high demand by the years that the new CAFE standards go into effect:
Ford Mustang, Chevy Corvette, Cadillac XL-R, Dodge Viper, BMW M3, M5, M6 & Z4, Audi S4,S^,S8, Mercedes SL & AMG models, Nissan 350Z, Mazda RX-8, Infiniti V-8s, Lexus V-8s, Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, etc.
Scores of 10-year old sporty cars (made in the 1990s), that are now out of production, may eventually become lovingly restored as well, for those who enjoy driving, as opposed to being forced to constrict themselves into future, tiny, bean cans by CAFE bureaucrats:
Toyota Supra & Celica, Ford Probe, Mazda RX-7 and MX-6, Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Firebird & Fiero, Cadillac Allante, Buick Riviera, Nissan 240-SX, Acura NSX and Integra GS-R, Honda Prelude, Mitsubishi 3000 GT, Dodge Stealth, Lexus SC300, Mercedes SL350/560, VW Corrado, BMW Z8, Z3, M5, M6.
What will you drive?
---Torrey H. Brinkley
Mead, Colorado
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