Missler and me on the mess

From an article titled "Actions Speak Louder Than Words" in the 9/20/06 K-House e-News, a product of the ministry of Chuck & Nancy Missler:

"Don't let yourself be blinded by misleading propaganda and politically-correct generalities. The cause of Islamic terrorism is not the quest for social justice. It is not freedom for a specific group of subjugated people. The goal of Islamic terrorism ultimately is to bring the whole world into subjection to their version of fundamentalist Islam. No amount of appeasement will stop them. They do not want peace unless it comes on their terms."

Welcome to the real world. As Christians we do not war against flesh and blood, Paul tells us. Make no mistake, these are spiritually lost people we see pictured in the media, shouting their condemnations of our faith and our nation, and as Christians we do not war against them. But we had better be getting beyond basic training for battle in the spiritual realm, because the lying spirits that have deceived the Muslim warriors are laughing at the death of every suicide bomber who surrenders his hell-bound soul for the lie.

The Christian battle posture as related in Ephesians 6 is primarily defensive, but that doesn't mean we are to cower in the corner. What has been won by Christ is to be held by His followers until He returns, and what has been won by Christ is the salvation of all who will believe. The front lines, those soldiers of the cross who are actively involved in the fulfilling of the Great Commission, especially those in particularly dangerous or sensitive areas, need our support in daily militant prayer, and more and more as we see the Day approaching.

So don't kid yourself. World conditions will not be getting better any time soon. It's time for a priority check, and perhaps a recommittment..

Name above all names

I see the Pope has now apologized for the hard feelings caused among Muslims by his recent quoting of 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos, who said, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

I find it interesting that the reaction among Muslims to this fresh airing of a 700-year-old opinion (which the Pope said was not his own) has included fire-bombing several churches, killing a nun and burning the Pope in effigy. I have not yet read of any of Mohammed's followers condemning this violence, or even suggesting that Mohammed himself might not approve.

And note that this violence was a reaction, not an answer. I am still waiting for the revealing of what Mohammed brought that was new, good and humane. Anyone? Anyone?

In the meantime I wait, along with all creation, for the revealing of the sons of God (see Romans 8:19). May I encourage you to stand up, and not be shy about calling a spade a spade? I understand that Islam recognizes Jesus as an honorable prophet of God. That "honorable prophet" told his followers they could recognize false prophets by their fruit. What are the fruits of Islam evident in the world today? Is it only to me that these fruits seem to stink more the closer they fall to the tree?

It is my belief that in that blessed day when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, Allah will be just like Dagon... proven false, and found face down in the dust before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I pray that his followers will continue to be drawn by the Holy Spirit of the living God, until they too know Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Choking-on-Windsor

Bless my beautiful daughters, both of them. At this moment I am especially thinking of Sarah the elder, the one who is soon to give me a son-in-law. (In spite of the thoughts that follow here, I am thinking of her fondly :c)

I've never been sold on the western male formal tradition of tightening one's collar and wrapping a bit of decorative fabric about one's throat, so of course I never became skilled at tie-tying. When I got married, my groomsman nobly reached around from behind and secured my just-purchased only tie in a neat knot. That knot remained tied for over 29 years, until today. Because today I began to practice.

Oh, I know, if you've seen me at church or some other formal gathering in the past couple of years, I have indeed sometimes been accessorized with a strip of cloth suspended below my Adam's apple. But let the truth be known: I use clip-ons. Until now.

It seems my blessed elder daughter began her wedding preparations by purchasing a tie for her old man to ensure that he would be attired in keeping with her chosen color theme. No quibbles with the color, it's a very attractive tie. It's just that this particular decorative strip is designed to look best TIED... and to be honest, that leaves me, the recognized master of many knots when it comes to hitching gear to the roof of the family truckster, feeling like Fumblethumbs.

So to the internet I go... hey, look, there are umpteen different possible knots to choose from! None of them are spelled N-O-T, I suppose... no, we have the Double Windsor, the Half Windsor (What? No plain old Single Windsor?), the Four-In-Hand, the Pratt... the Noose... I think I will call whichever one I settle on the "Out-Of-Hand."

So I will untie my old tie (wouldn't want to mess up the new one, ya know) and I will stand in front of the mirror and dutifully practice. A well-tied tie, I'm sure someone told me once, attracts no attention. And I wouldn't want to upstage my darling daughter, now would I?

PS: Until today, my old tie was waiting faithfully in the closet with the suit I got married in. (What do you mean? Of COURSE it still fits! It's only 29 years old!) I'll be walking Sarah down the aisle in a new suit, but I'm secretly hoping the old one will be back in style, and the right color, for the day it's Anna's turn! :c) I mean, it's not like that old tie is worn out, and the fabric seems to have memorized the knot!

Thoughts on my father's passing

Neil Detrich, my dad, died Sept. 4, a week past his 85th birthday. He was a very organized man and, having helped many others finalize the affairs of their loved ones, he had done his best to ease the inevitable confusion for us. He made sure we all knew which documents were where, and what his thoughts were about extreme medical measures that might prolong life but would not prolong its quality. As it turned out, that information was an important guide to us as he lay dying.

The past few days have been busy, almost dizzying, as we go through all the necessary steps that must be taken before we can finally say Dad has been laid to rest. There will be more steps that will be necessary later on, and I'm expecting Dad's thoughts to be an important guide in many of those steps, too.

With a compulsion to share something more than the standard obituary information, I wrote the following to be included in the handout people will receive at Dad's memorial service.

* * * * *

Neil Detrich was a public servant, an advisor, a husband, a father, a grandfather and a friend. He was committed to his community as well as his family, and will be remembered for his loving service to both.

In earlier years he enjoyed travel, bowling, fishing and golf. A hard worker all his life, when he was not in his office he could often be found chopping thistles, cutting cedars or mowing his lawn. As age began to limit his pursuits, his golf game was one of the last of his recreational activities to go, although he would probably say he never really had that much of a game to begin with.

Fond of socializing with his friends, Neil continued to attend the morning coffee hour at the Chapman Senior Center until his death. It is rumored that some of the many stories he told there may have actually been true!

Neil dedicated countless hours to community service, but will be best remembered by many as a man who tried to make it possible for others to succeed. His evenings were regularly interrupted by telephone calls and visitors asking for advice about this matter or that, but there was no complaining… this was his life.

On his last day on this earth Neil Detrich was hard at work, helping out at the Chapman Area Preservation Society and serving his community as a judge for the Labor Day parade. He then relaxed in the shade with a good friend in a golf cart, enjoyed the parade and a glass of lemonade, went back downtown to make sure things were going well, and then went home to rest.

He will be greatly missed.