My Sinisterhand

If I am not for something, am I necessarily against it? If I am not for guns, am I against guns? Or perhaps the death penalty might be a better point. If I say, “I am not for the death penalty,” is my stance against the death penalty? I believe the answer is yes. However there are clever ways in language that we can use to try to trick ourselves into not being for something and not being against it at the same time. An example would be the words “pro-choice” and “pro-life”. I think it would be correct in saying that if I am “pro-life” then I am not for and stand against abortion. Yet some would say that just because they are “pro-choice” does not mean they are for abortion. I believe this is a flawed logic, perhaps trying to be dialectical even. Still, trying to have choice to choose abortion yet saying that you are not necessarily for abortion is treading very dangerously on moral subjectivism. I do not believe that it can logically be explained correctly to have this stance. Therefore the term “pro-choice” is not correct and is using a form of obfuscation to remove the negative sound of “anti-life”.

-Jason

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?

-Amy Carmichael

Please take the time today to think of those fallen in defense of freedom and liberty. It is our brothers and sisters in arms who have died that have paid the ultimate price for what we have come to know as America, not just the country but also the idea.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8

John Wesley was once asked by a cynic whether God was his crutch. He gently replied, “No, my God is my backbone.”

There is always a point in time, I believe, where each one of us has a choice to make about truth. An infamous man once asked the Author of Truth, “What is truth?” To many times I feel we sacrifice the truth for what is convenient for us. We live relativistically in a world of absolutes. In doing so we try to justify each of our actions and motives against some preconceived idea that we are right and that others are wrong. In fact, what we have done is believed a lie which often times is far more complex than the simple truth. To say that there are no absolutes is a contradiction in itself, because in saying that, an absolute has been stated. An internal contradiction has been created and holds no ground. Living with relative truth means that there are no “wrongs” and there are no “rights”, only what makes sense at the time. All pursuits for “fairness” would cease. Racism, sexism, discrimination, would be meaningless. To put it bluntly, no one would have the right to claim that they are right because there would be no moral basis for what is right.

The moral foundation on which one stands is dependent upon some belief, a belief that that person holds to be true. This foundation is a source of hope and faith that each one of us has for our day to day lives. Lives that we live mostly, in a nonchalant-take-it-for-granted type of life. Relativism is a dead end. There is no hope for anyone in a relativistic society. We would all become sociopaths doing what each one of us claims to be right. In the end chaos would ensue, unless we stood together and determined that we are going to have a foundation of absolute truth.

Is your foundation of truth relative or is it firmly fixed in place as an absolute truth that withstands all time? Is your truth hard to grasp and understand or is it a straight fact plainly evident in the world? Does you truth demand that “right” be “right” and “wrong” be “wrong” regardless of who or what is at stake? Are you capable of bearing the burden of truth and living a life founded on it? Are you prepared to give everything for your truth even your life if it were demanded? Where is your truth found?

“I am the Way, the Truth and the Life…” -Jesus

Mom and Dad got elfed!

We have a new puppy in our family. His is a Boxer named Micah. He is a wonderful dog and is very playful. Hershey and Maggie are getting used to him still. Hershey ignores him most of the time and Maggie plays with him a bit. He will be rather large, approximately 90 pounds. I cannot wait till he is big enough to go running with. He is still a puppy though and does puppy things, i.e. chewing shoes and other things lying around. We have had him for about 2 months now and he is growing fast. He is a joyful addition to our family

I have given much thought to my place here in this life and what it is I hope to accomplish in the expanse of time I have been given. I have seen so much in my life of almost 32 years. My thoughts swarm with ideas and experiences alike. I am captivated by those around me and their lives as well. I am in awe of this planet we live on and how small we are in all of the cosmos. I cannot begin to understand all that there is out beyond our existence without humbly realizing that it was Him who gave us Life. It is always a thrill to discover knew things or ideas. I believe it is even more thrilling to rediscover something or someone as if it were the first time. I find my self rediscovering things all the time and I am thankful for the second chance to experience it all over again.

This Christmas, Maria and I will be together and for this I am extremely grateful. Since I have returned from Iraq in October, we have had an excellent time together. From her year long departure to Nuclear Medicine School and my deployments and other various travels. We are excited about this Christmas with each other and our friends. I am making two turkeys and some good ol’ spiced cider with rum. It will be an excellent festive holiday time.

I hope everyone i doing well in all your endeavors. I am blessed to know you all and cherish our memories. I hope to see some of you sooner or later, hopefully sooner. Merry Christmas!

-Jason

Its fall and the Harvest Moon has past. Soon the Hunter’s Moon will rise. The leaves are turning and the wind is milder. All will sleep soon to be born again next year.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”  - Isaiah 43:1