Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and family

Especially for his teenage son.

Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter killed by car in driveway

I wrote this elsewhere and will share it here as well:

At times like this, many people - both those who believe in God and those who don’t - ask, “Why would God let this happen?” We can never fully know the answers to such a question, but what we can fully know is what God has promised us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

God had a reason for this and it will ultimately result in something good. It may be public or private, but it will be something that glorifies Him.

For those of us who love God, tragedies like this are bittersweet. While we certainly grieve the loss of children, we know that they are welcomed into the loving arms of the Lord and we will be reunited forever with them someday.

Another tragedy for the Kennedy family

Yes, in all honesty and true concern, this is a tragedy:

Senator Ted Kennedy has malignant brain tumor

Cancer is awful and I don't wish it on anyone. Senator Kennedy and his family have difficult days ahead and I hope and pray they will find some peace and comfort in them. Heaven knows they've faced more than their fair share of sorrows.

The degeneration of Western society: part 10,392,554

Critics Slam Boston Doctor Who Offers Sex Change Treatment to Kids

Boston’s Children’s Hospital bills itself as the hospital for children — and now it’s also the hospital for children who want a sex change, a procedure some critics are calling “barbaric.”

Dr. Norman Spack, a pediatric specialist at the hospital, has launched a clinic for transgendered kids — boys who feel like girls, girls who want to be boys — and he’s opening his doors to patients as young as 7.

First of all, what the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is wrong with this hospital to allow such a thing?

Second, why hasn't this doctor had his medical license revoked?

Third, why hasn't he been liberally beaten about the head and shoulders?

For cryin' out loud!

Prince Caspian

This is an excellent review of the film.

This is not.

My wife and I went to the film on Saturday. It was entertaining and well-made, but that's it. It wasn't meaningful. I agree with the first review above that reducing Aslan's presence and role in the story did a great disservice to the film. The world of Narnia revolves around Aslan and it is he who is the central character, not the Pevensie children.

Dishonest Democrats pushing gay marriage bill In Minnesota

In a hilarious (and sickening) display of hypocrisy, Christian-hater PZ Myers follows up a series of vicious rants against what he considers to be dishonestly titled "academic freedom" bills across the country (with the latest about one in South Carolina) with whole-hearted support for an obviously dishonestly titled pro-gay marriage bill in Minnesota: the Marriage and Family Protection Act. In reality, the bill's purpose is to establish "gender neutral marriage laws" (i.e. gay marriages) in the state, as can be seen in the long description of the bill.

All Minnesotans who are concerned about the preservation of traditional marriage need to contact their state legislators IMMEDIATELY. If you don't know who yours are, you can find them here:

Minnesota State Legislature District Finder

Expelled's alleged plunge

I've seen a few comments on anti-Expelled blogs (e.g. PZ Myers' blog) and websites in which people are absolutely giddy at how Expelled is supposedly dropping off the charts so quickly. As with the rest of their claims about the film, this one is just as meritless. Expelled's box office decline is hardly noteworthy and the film's rank has, in fact, fared as well as other recent films with larger budgets and distributions. Here's the proof:

The second week out, Expelled dropped 3 spots. Of the other films that had been released at the same time, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 2 spots, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 2 and 88 Minutes dropped 4.

The third week out, Expelled dropped 2, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 3, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 1 and 88 Minutes dropped 2.

This week, Expelled dropped 3, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 2, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 1 and 88 Minutes dropped 6!

So since their opening week, Expelled has dropped 8 spots, the Forbidden Kingdom dropped 7, Forgetting Sarah Marshall dropped 4 and 88 Minutes dropped 12. As I said, Expelled's box office decline is hardly unusual or notable and is not as bad as some people have imagined.

Have I mentioned this before?

The sensible alternative to the garbage that is Wikipedia: Conservapedia. I edit there and have even created a few articles - most notably ones for Brad Stine and Left Behind: Eternal Forces.

Ding, dong, the troll is gone (hopefully)

I'm going to say this guardedly, but I've put a new safeguard in place to keep the porn-posting troll out - hopefully for good. It's an IP address blocker that redirects him to a message he is desperately in need of. I've not seen him show up on my SiteMeter stats since I blocked him, which is good. And if he does show up again somehow, I'll just block whatever IP addresses he appears under until he runs out or gets bored.

Oh, and comment moderation is off. I'll get around to approving and replying to comments made when it was on the last day or so soon.

The surprise, as promised...

BABY PICS!!! YAY!!!




The baby is due sometime around Thanksgiving!

God is good!

If you can't tell, the baby is the grey blotch at the bottom of the roundish black blotch. Head is to the right. From the measurements the technician took, the baby is about 1.5 inches long from head to butt.

Special post coming tomorrow

I will have an exciting surprise post for you tomorrow. Watch for it.

Comment moderation

I'm am currently semi-implementing comment moderation. By that I mean that comment moderation will be turned on when I am not able to be online. So if you are regularly commenting and seeing your posts suddenly not appear immediately, don't panic. I will approve them when I return. This is being done to disenfranchise the troll from Arizona.

National Day of Prayer, 2008

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America trusts in the abiding power of prayer and asks for the wisdom to discern God's will in times of joy and of trial. As we observe this National Day of Prayer, we recognize our dependence on the Almighty, we thank Him for the many blessings He has bestowed upon us, and we put our country's future in His hands.

From our Nation's humble beginnings, prayer has guided our leaders and played a vital role in the life and history of the United States. Americans of many different faiths share the profound conviction that God listens to the voice of His children and pours His grace upon those who seek Him in prayer. By surrendering our lives to our loving Father, we learn to serve His eternal purposes, and we are strengthened, refreshed, and ready for all that may come.

On this National Day of Prayer, we ask God's continued blessings on our country. This year's theme, "Prayer! America's Strength and Shield," is taken from Psalm 28:7, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped." On this day, we pray for the safety of our brave men and women in uniform, for their families, and for the comfort and recovery of those who have been wounded.

The Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our Nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing each year a "National Day of Prayer."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2008, as a National Day of Prayer. I ask the citizens of our Nation

to give thanks, each according to his or her own faith, for the freedoms and blessings we have received and for God's continued guidance, comfort, and protection. I invite all Americans to join in observing this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-second.

GEORGE W. BUSH

About that troll

This is pretty funny in its patheticness. My recent troll (who is originally from the Atheism Sucks! blog and impersonated another blogger there, too) is rather enamored by his own childish posts. First off, he hails from Tucson, Arizona. His two IP addresses track back to there. One probably is his residential IP and the other might be his work IP. (I'll say it again - SiteMeter provides a shocking, almost disturbing amount of data.) And I know they are the same because the first few abusive comments came from the former and the most recent came from the latter.

He's visited S&B seven times (at least!) since yesterday. The last 2-4 visits appear to be him checking out his handiwork. I'm sure he's giggling like an idiot to himself. I wonder how much he'll be giggling when his IP providers and apparent employer ask him about his online behavior.

UPDATE: Now he's claiming to be hopping from wifi signal to wifi signal. The IP that he appears under proves otherwise, however. It has not changed from his first visit (other than when he apparently posted from work).

Ever miss your first car?

My first car was a hand-me-down (from my sister) mid-80s red Ford Escort. It was a rusty rattle-trap with a hatchback that needed to be propped open with a long piece of wood. I once drove with a strong headwind and the car never got above 50 even with the pedal to the floor. It had no A/C and the heater/defroster barely worked in the winter. I have a nice 2003 Blazer now, but man, I sometimes miss that old Escort.