Someone has to help me out here. In this CNN article it tells of the fears about the rampant proliferation of HIV at the World Cup this year.  Like the tide of AIDS in the 80's and 90's, there is/was a simple solution to the outbreak:  Keep you pants on if you're not having sex with your spouse!  The ONLY way this gets spread sexually is when people have multiple partners.  The easy answer is don't have multiple partners!  Yes there are needles with drug users and the occassional accidental infection through contact with blood, but those are very few.  If everyone committed to one partner the disease would die out in a generation.  Done.  End of story.  But rather than anyone take actual responsibility for themselves, there are more clamors to legalize the most dangerous industry for the spreading of HIV.  That is like the argument to legalize marijuana (while tobacco smoking gets limited more and more-where's the logic?).  Let me ask the parents out there:  If your kid backtalks you and breaks things around the house, do you just say, "Well, for now on, backtalking and breaking things is okay in my house."?  I doubt it!  We don't condone bad behaviour because it is the easy way out!  If, as a society, we keep condoning bad behaviour, (see the last 50 years) we create more problems.  This works on ANY scale.  From your pet at home to nations!  Think of Germany in the 1930's, or Iran, South Korea, and China today...turn a blind eye, or simply change the laws, and you reap what you have allowed to take root in your garden (see Cuba).  Back to the HIV part.  I think we SHOULD do everything we can to help those infected.  But don't condone or promote activities the are going to increase the number of infected!  It is sheer lunacy throwing water on a fire with one hand and gasoline with the other...???!!!  As Christians we know that sin will not stop.  There is no rhym or reason.  Sin is simply disobedience to God.  We don't usually think, "today I am going to be disobedient" we just do.  This bigger issue with governments not acting on this is they take God out of the equation.  Now you have behiour that you know is bad, but you can't acknowledge why it is bad so you think about saying it is no longer bad.  But the behaviour still occurs.  The effect is still caused.  Only when an individual acknowledges their sin and takes responsibility for it and asks God to help him will a real change be caused, and the effect will be miraculous!  Amen.

As noted in TIME's article "Q&A: Dennis Sewell on Charles Darwin's Dark Legacy" Darwin's theories have been used for "sinister ends". The difficulty with that remark is removing Darwin from the legacy of his research. The article recognizes, for the first time in a popular, mainstream, liberal venue that I have ever seen, that there have been many problematic - I would call them bad - consequences of Darwin's legacy. The main point of this article is the dangers of eugenics and genetic manipulation based on the ideas of survival of the fittest and natural selection. Oddly, if we manipulate our genetics, we are trying to take any natural selection out of the picture. I am not sure if evolutionists would herald that or not. A purist would have to be against it if they truly believe that natural selection will always come up with the right answer. What I really found funny about the article was the question: "Are you concerned that your ideas will be trumpeted by the creationist movement?" Where has writer Eben Harrell been? Christians have been saying this for the past 150 years. The "creationist movement" has been around a lot longer than Darwin's ideas, so I am not sure who is in a movement, creationists or evolutionists? If one doesn't want to allow for the problems noted in the article, then we have to reconcile that there are limits or boundaries. Where, then, would they come from? This is the world of ethics. Whether Christian or other we have to grapple with this dilemma. Good resources that discuss this are here and here. The idea that evolution is true and that all "proper" scientists agree is rediculous. There is a large portion of the scientific commuinty that is not convinced. A good example is here. That is just 500 who signed this proclamation. I was amazed that TIME put something published something that cast a light on the doubts out there. Perhaps this is the beginning to some real open debate in the popular media. I'll keep praying.

This referendum says "This bill would expand the rights, responsibilities, and obligations accorded state-registered same-sex and senior domestic partners to be equivalent to those of married spouses, except that a domestic partnership is not a marriage." What this referendum really does is an end run around the definition of marriage and plays with the semantics of the law. In order to do what it says it will add new sections to 201 sections of state code. What will be added to many of them is this: "For the purposes of this chapter, the terms spouse, marriage, marital, husband, wife, widow, widower, next of kin, and family shall be interpreted as applying equally to state registered domestic partnerships or individuals in state registered domestic partnerships as well as to marital relationships and married persons, and references to dissolution of marriage shall apply equally to state registered domestic partnerships that have been terminated, dissolved, or invalidated, to the extent that such interpretation does no conflict with federal law. Where necessary to implement this act, gender-specific terms such as husband and wife used in any statute, rule, or other law shall be construed to be gender neutral, and applicable to individuals in state registered domestic partnerships." It clearly states that the term "marriage" will be equated to "state registered domestic partnerships" which would effectively redefine the term "marriage". We all learned basic math that if A=B, then you can use them interchangeably. You can't say A does not equal B and then say A=B. It is one or the other. In 1998 Washington passed the Defense of Marriage Act. Reject 5688 as the attempt to usurp the voice of the voters that it is!

I think our volunteer force has proven that as long as true patriotism abounds, you will have members of the military who are convicted to liberty and freedom. It has worked for 233 years to the benefit of much of the world. A free force that cares about freedom for all is a just force.

For those who may have missed the memo: from the COMDT...

D. MILITARY FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR: OSC PAUL AGLIANO, COAST GUARD
TRAINING CENTER PETALUMA, CA. AS A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER FOR
TRACEN PETALUMA, OSC AGLIANO PERFORMED SUPERBLY IN EVERY AREA OF
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. NOT ONLY HAS HE RESPONDED TO STRUCTURAL AND
WILD LAND FIRES, MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENTS, AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL
CALLS, HE HAS TAKEN ON A WIDE VARIETY OF DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE
DUTIES SUCH AS UPDATING STATE OF CALIFORNIA FIRE TRAINING
CERTIFICATION RECORDS, DEVELOPING A NEW FIRE STATION WATCH STANDER
SCHEDULE, DEVELOPING A FIRE DEPARTMENT WEB PAGE AND UPDATING THE
DEPARTMENTS COMPUTER-BASED TRAINING COURSES. MANY OF THE HOURS
SPENT PERFORMING THESE FIRE DEPARTMENT TASKS WERE ON HIS OWN TIME
AND IN ADDITION TO HIS REGULAR MILITARY AND FIRE DEPARTMENT DUTY
HOURS.

Way to go Paul!

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Day 11

"God wants to be my best friend."

References: Ps. 25:14, Rom. 5:11, Eph. 4:6

Constantly meditating on God has always been difficult for me. Sometimes I feel like I am there and then my mind wanders off into the weeds somewhere. Our world seems designed for distraction. We want to be entertained constantly. This is really just the need to occupy our mind. I just need to stop the expectation from being some empty entertainment and put it back on things with substance. When I get into a really engaging book, I find my levels of satisfaction are much higher than with video stimulous. I mean, books can still please my brain more and for longer than any movie or TV show, Sure, there are some fantastic things I see and love to watch, but across the board the more engaged my mind is the more I like it. This what always praying means. God knows that the more our minds are tuned in and focused on Him the more satisfying it will be for both of us! The trickle down theory works here, as it does with all God's lessons. If I focus and give others, especially my family, my whole attention when we interact it means much more to all of us! Amen to that!

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Day 10

"The heart of worship is surrender."

References: Rom. 6:13, Rom. 12:1

Three reasons we have trouble surrendering to God: fear, pride, confusion. Fear comes from not trusting him. Pride, original sin, is our desire to control. Confusion often lies in misunderstanding or ignorance. Surrender, like submission, is not about losing yourself but about being freed to truly live. We are designed to worship so if we don't worship God, we will worship something else, and that usually turns out to be some self-serving thing.

For myself I struggle with trusting him as much as I should. That, of course, goes with me wanting to control my life. It doesn't help that everywhere you turn someone says is trying to tell you how to take charge of some aspect of your life. So what do I worship? I hope I can honestly say it is the Lord, but I fear it wavers and is often other things. Sometimes my family, sometimes some thing I really want or like. Lord Jesus, help me learn true surrender to you. Those times when I do I can feel the peace of complete freedom to live without the struggle to control.

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Day 9

References: Ps. 119:135, Hos. 6:6,

"God smiles when I trust him."

Noah's 5 examples of worship that made God smile:
1) He loved & followed God's will.
2) He trusted God.
3) He obeyed God.
4) He praised & thanked God continually.
5) He used his abilities.

I like the point made that "Every parent knows that delayed obedience is disobedience." Also, "obedience unlocks understanding." So how can I trust him more? That is a complex question! I can think of a lot of easy answers, but that is the cerebral part, the knowing part. It's the doing part that is more difficult. Lord, help me with the doing! I want my life to be praising to you!

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Maybe it's the unbelievable percentages they get, or maybe it's the constant commercials telling you you have the right to sue anyone who may have breathed your air, or maybe it is just the fact that too many of our politicians were law majors/lawyers before sqirming into their current jobs, but I am a bit skeptical about those who practice law. I can't say I have any inherent grudge or dislike for anyone specifically, but it isjust a general distrust toward the breed. Also, I know that, like all occupations, a few rotten apples spoil the bunch. Problem is, there are so many spoiled apples that the ever-increasing bunch looks pretty bad. Today's story about the Connecticut firefighter decision from the Supreme Court was a shining light in the legal darkness.

If you have read the original reports months ago you will appreciate that some common sense finally won the day! Albeit a 5-4 win. So 44% of our Supreme Court justices disagree with allowing those who apply for a job, and show superior knowledge and skill, to get the job because not enough minorities either applied or scored at the necessary level to be included in the promotions. Now, if my house was burning down, and someone inside may still need saved, I want the best qualified and I am not going to care about someone's skin color or ethnic background, or gender, or whatever. Same goes with about any job I can think of right now! (Just look at the health care situation! But that's another story.) What really caught my eye was what one congressman said: "Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said Sotomayor should not be criticized for the unsigned appeals court decision, which he asserted she did not write. "Judge Sotomayor and the lower court panel did what judges are supposed to do, they followed precedent," said the Vermont Democrat who will preside over Sotomayor's confirmation hearings next month.
Leahy also called the high court decision "cramped" and wrong."
First, Mr. Senator, leave the court decisions to the judges who are charged with upholding and interpreting the law just as they are supposed to leave the making of the laws to Congress. Second, I think his statement picks up on one of the biggest problems of the court today. That is precedent. Precedent is NOT law. It is merely how someone ruled on a law previously. If they did a good job, then by following their precedent, you may see consistent justice done. If they didn't, following precedent is stupid! Yes, just plain stupid. Think of it like this. You come to a fork in the road. You take the right path thinking it looks more promissing. You take one step. You take another step. A hundred steps down the path you realize this one isn't taking you where you need to go. Now, because the precedent for taking a step down this path is set, should you just keep going the wrong way? Of course not! This same rediculous habit of our courts basing so much of the law on precedent is a major cause of loss to our American heritage and way of life! If the one judge rules one way on a point of law and the next rules completely differently, then maybe the law should be amended to make it clear. You see, the Ten Commandmants were simple and evident to all. "Thou shalt not steal." No ambiguity there. All of our laws should be so straightforward!
So, congratulations to the firefighters who had to deal with this rediculous injustice of racial profiling (Do you think the council and those 4 dissenting justices are guilty of hate-based thought?). Let's get over the application of race and gender to everything. What happened to judging a person by the "content of their character"? Yep, Dr. King had it right!

I was out bicycling and stopped into a shop to get a snack to take home to the family. I leaned my bike against the wall outside the window so I could see it. Well, I couldn't see the back of it. I had one of those grocery panniers on my rack and when I came out it was gone. Why would someone even want to take it? Sure it is a bag with handles, but it was dirty, had hooks on the back for mounting on the bike, and was not specifically flashy. Oddly, I was not really angry when I saw it was missing, I was dissappointed. I was truly dissappointed that someone would take the bag because it had to be simply for no other reason than to steal something. What is the reason? It is an act of someone who does not care for others. I don't care what you might say, if you intentionally take or destroy something that belongs to someone else it proves you a selfish, uncaring bloke. It seems to be the times in which we live. If I left my car running and the door unlocked and ran inside, am I asking to have it stolen? I bet eight out of ten people on the street, if asked that question, would say yes. It's probably nine of ten, but I am, as my wife keeps telling me, too optimistic of others. But the real answer is no. If it is not yours, it doesn't matter what the owner does, there is no expectation of theft. Insurance companies operate under the premise that if you "made it easy" for them then it was partly your fault. That is the really sad delusional idea that are destroying interpersonal trust in our society. I hear that all the time, "he brought it on himself." Ultimately, whoever does the action is responsible. I like to use the woman who gets raped analogy. I don't care if she was walking down a back alley naked, no one has a right to touch her without her consent! Period! The "she was asking for it" defense in personal attack cases should be an automatic guilty plea for the idiot who utters it. Same goes for a candy bar in the grocery store or my bike bag. I hope whoever has it gets some good use out of it.

Day 8

"I was planned for God's pleasure."

References: Ps. 149:3, Ps. 147:11, 1 Cor. 10:31

Worship is an inherent part of us. We all want to connect with God. A lot of us find substitutes, but it the same drive. "Anything that brings pleasure to God is an act of worship." Rick goes on to say, " Worship is a lifestyle."
Another point about worship is that it is not for our benefit. It is for God's benefit. Whatever you do, do it as if for Jesus, then it is an act of worship!
For myself, I find my primary purpose in almost everything I do is to please my family. Even when they don't realize it or understand it. To this end I so often feel like a failure. I think the feeling is because I am not fulfulling my true purpose: to do it for God. Sometimes I will find myself talking to God while I am doing some menial task. These crazy little actions, I later find, were the best part of my day!

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Day 7

"It's all about him."

References: Rom. 11:36, Prov. 16:4, John 13:34-35, and many more!

It started with, "It's not about you." Now it comes around back to God. It seems fitting to acknowledge our Creator Father on this Father's Day. Everything is created for God's glory. By fulfilling my purpose I can bring glory to God. That is what it is all about. So easily said... It should be easily done, also, except our love of self keeps getting in the way. That whole original sin thing again! My goal is to strive, every day, to see how I can bring glory to God in whatever I do.

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Day 6

References: Ps. 119:19, Job 8:9, 2 Cor. 4:18, Heb. 11:13,16

"The world ia not my home.". As a friend of mine so often put it: "We are TAD to earth.". Temporarily Assigned Duty. This is the proving ground. Listen to some Larry Norman and you'll get the message. Rick Warren thinks God allows our discomfort and dissatisfaction in order to remind us that we are not home. We are travellers merely visiting. As such we should care for this temporary home as we would a friend's who let us stay here. Also we should not settle in too comfortably because we will be moving on. I retead this one today. All the trappings of "gotta have" and "gotta do" are strong! It is difficult constantly resisting. Beware a sort of "Stockholm syndrome" to this life!

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Day 5

I am behind on logging already! "Life is a test and a trust."

References: Luke 16:10, 1 Cor. 10:13, Luke 12:48

As I read this section I thought of myself as a parent. My children demonstrating their level of maturity and reliability in all they do. It is easy to think of it like that with God. Every decision we make will demonstrate to him our level of maturity. Every decision will demonstrate if we can be trusted. Trust is a difficult one to grasp because it is so important. Trust is like a card house. It takes time and patience and real work to put it up, but it is demolished easily. The testing I see every day. And I do not pass them all! But the trust... Building trust that has been lost is never easy. I can think of people whom I trusted and then have proven untrustworthy. It hurts. I imagine that in the same way I have hurt God. One of my most ardent goals is to earn His trust!

Day 4

References: 1John 2:17, Phil. 3:7, Ps. 33:11

"There is more to life than just here and now."
We were made for eternity. It seems as if everyone wants to believe in an afterlife. Whether it is heaven, hell, reincarnation, or some iteration of one of these we are hardwired to look toward something more.
Like he says if there is nothing more, then why plan for the future? I truly do look forward to when all my earthly concerns are not even a memory. First, however, I will enjoy the blessings God gives me in this life. If you are getting ready for a game, presentation, or whatever the big show for you may be, it is imperative to practice. This life is our dress rehearsal; our preseason game. It's exciting to think that all of the beauty, all of the wonder of this life is barely the prelude!

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Day 3

Today's is about what drives me. That is a good question. Ideally the desire to simply do God's will would be the best answer. Can I really say that?
References: Is. 26:3, Prov. 13:7. What drives me? Guilt? Resentment and anger? Fear? Materialism? Need for approval from others? I know that making my family happy is a very large part of what drives me. I very much want to know the purpose of my life. Amy Grant sang, "we're just here to learn to love Him. We'll be home in just a little while."
What drives me? This will take some time to ponder...