Read this letter and never forget

I couldn't resist. This is too compelling. This was taken from the blog "Letters of Note" which can be found using a cursory Google search. It is the copy of a letter sent to...well, I'll just cut and paste the entire article.

Two week break

SAT's went great! Thanks to everyone who prayed for me. But I have a lot of work heading into the Maryland NCFCA speech and debate qualifier. 25 Apol speeches to write, 1 BN to write and memorize, 1 debate case to memorize and rewrite, another debate case to research, neg briefs and strategy sessions, and of course, schoolwork to catch up on and work ahead for.

So I'll be taking a two-week hiatus and I'll write a tournament recap in a couple weeks.

But...I'll still try to put up the Morning After. The message today was really impactful.

Book Review: Doctor in the House

Doctor in the House: A Physician-Turned-Congressman Offers His Prescription for Scrapping Obamacare -- and Saving America's Medical System by Michael Burgess
This is a cool book about a TX doctor who decided to become a politician, not for the money, but out of a sense of civic duty. Michael Burgess provides a short autobiography and then a detailed critique of Obamacare from a doctor's perspective. Frankly, I'm surprised more people haven't consulted the doctors about all of this. After all, they will be affected the most.

Blog Update

So we're very close to 3000 hits which is pretty good. But this week, I'm going to be skipping Thursday-Saturday because of the SAT on the 28th. Please pray for me as I prepare and for me on Saturday morning.

Thanks!
Daniel

Conversing on Controversy: Replacement Theology

NOTE: This is the fourth article in my weekly series. To see the others, click the conversing on controversy tag. This would have originally been published on Thursday, but I did a Tebow special.

So...this week we're discussing RC Sproul Jr.'s explanation of replacement theology. Although he doesn't use the term, he admits that people could describe him that way.

What is Replacement Theology?

Tim Tebow: A Modern-Day Eric Liddell

NOTE: I still plan to run the CoC series but I'm delaying it till tomorrow and using today to talk about Tebow, and give you some articles that really impacted me. So don't worry, we'll discuss replacement theology tomorrow.


We all know who Eric Liddell is. He's the flying Scotsman. The man who wouldn't run on Sunday. Who didn't put his country first when it came to putting his God first. The one immortalized in Chariots of Fire. The guy who was a missionary to China and died serving God.

Movie Review: Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker is a great movie, possibly the best movie so far, about the Iraq war. I don't know if it's in the list of classic war movies (see Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Full Metal Jacket), but it is the best recent war movie. Hurt Locker follows a sergeant who has chosen to be on the bomb squad. His duty is to disable roadside bombs, suicide bomber jackets, human cavity bombs, etc. He doesn't really know why he enjoys his duty but he does, even though it creates so much stress and depression for him. He could die at any time. His colleagues die in explosions or get injured by friendly fire. But at the end, he realizes that the one thing he cares about in life is his job. And so, he reenlists for another year. For him, the war is a adrenaline drug. It keeps him going.

5 Reasons why Barack Obama will be our president till 2016

I'm offering 5 bold reasons why Obama is going to win reelection. If you disagree or agree, let me know why in the comments!
1. Obama the Campaigner is 10 times better than Obama the President.
I do not mean to insult Obama's time in office. But let's face it: he's an incredible campaigner. We've never seen a political machine of his size. His fund-raising capabilities are unsurpassed. He has vast grass-roots support and unity within the minority communities. He is a charismatic speaker and campaigner. He doesn't make gaffes. He looks presidential. His campaign staff is filled with smart, capable people who know how to win.
So far, we haven't seen any scandals, any ethical issues, any major problems that have stuck to Obama himself. Notice what Republicans say: "the Obama administration". This implies guilt by association. But it also admits that it has been hard to attack Obama directly. Now, I will admit that Obamacare was controversial and Solyndra or the EPA policies have been unpopular. But overall, he's not guilty of large-scale corruption, ineptness, or indecisiveness.
And I predict right now: He's going to rejuvenate his supporters with a stellar campaign once it gets going. The crowds will appear and he'll gain steam as soon as the Republicans pick a nominee. Why?

The Morning After: Open Theology

The guest pastor gave an incredible message about experiencing God's love, but it's one of those messages I'd rather just post an mp3 of so you guys can really appreciate it. My notes won't do it justice. So...I'm going to compensate by giving you my rebuttal of Open Theology (my Apol notes). What do you guys think? I was able to sweep firsts in a room with this one.

Friday Links: "Inaugural Edition"

So I'm going to rename this series "Friday Links". It'll just be a collection of links that I'm reading:

So...first...two blogs that I recommend you guys read:

CoC: Calvinism vs. Arminianism

NOTE: This is the third article in my weekly series. To see the others, click the conversing on controversy tag.


So...I don't feel qualified to really discuss this topic so I'm going to refer you all to an AMAZING explanation of it:

Movie Reviews (2 for 1!): Ocean's Twelve & North by Northwest

Okay so I grouped these both together because they were equally awful. I honestly have no clue why North by Northwest is an "American classic". If it truly represents the epitome of American cinema, that's pretty sad. Cary Grant may be a good actor but this is truly a silly role.

The movie simply has no believability. Cary Grant wears the same impeccable suit the entire time he's chased by assassins, the police, and the CIA. His dialogue is stilted. The plot-line takes FOREVER to develop and tries too hard to be funny. The story is implausible and unbelievable. Let me give you a couple examples:

How to Fix American Carmakers

For years, we have been hearing the laments about the fall of the auto industry. The bankruptcy of GM and Chrysler had corresponded with the unemployment in the northern midwest. Detroit is one of the poorest cities in America. To remedy this, the government has practically taken over GM. Chrysler is releasing ads about "buying American" and "made in Detroit". American engineering has begun to be improved. However, the auto trade deficit continues to increase. The top brands in America are Japanese and Korean. The world´s largest auto manufacturer is Japanese. What are the reasons? 

The Morning After: First Things First

Sorry this is late: I've been busy and didn't get a chance to post till now.
So this week, we talked about the famous Matthew 6:33 verse: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.


There are three things that our pastor challenged us to seek God first in:

My Week: Getting back to school...

So this was a more quiet week. We got a new electric keyboard!! I'm having fun trying out different jams and sounds. Maybe I'll record one of my covers some day and post it. :) It depends if you guys want to hear it :P.

Operation Sandwich

So today, I organized a community service project with my honor society to make and pack 600 sandwiches and take them downtown to the shelter! Here's how we did it:

CoC: The Civil War and Slavery

NOTE: This is the second article in my weekly series. To see the first, click the conversing on controversy tag. This article is a reprint of a research paper that I wrote last year. I can't find my final draft so this is my second one. 
This topic is, ahem, very controversial in my neck of the woods so I want to emphasize that I don't mean to offend anyone and that I personally am not a fanatic about either side. However, after studying the time, I'd like to set the record straight based on how I see it. Some statements that may seem a little strong are meant to spark debate. Just as in a debate people take extreme positions, I'm trying to remain consistent here with a basic thesis. In reality, my views are not so black-and-white about the subject.

The Civil War must qualify as one of the most divisive topics in American history. Historians do not quibble over what happened in most cases, but rather the motivation. On this point, scholars divide sharply. No modern consensus exists upon the cause of the war. Many in the South still call it the War of Northern Aggression and justify the South both morally and legally. Due to the books written by Southern apologists, U.S. textbooks now fudge the subject and no longer say that slavery caused the war. These scholars now portray Lincoln as a calculating, racist politician who trampled on the rights of the states. More confusion exists about the war now than existed in its own time. By looking at the historical facts however, it becomes possible to clear things up and set the record straight. After careful historical review, it becomes clear that the North, led by Lincoln, walked the narrow line between idealist goals like abolition of slavery and practical concerns like preservation of the Union, while the South supported neither.

I got a lot of response....

So...basically I got so much response to my Belief of Conservatism op-ed that I'm going to have a follow-up this coming Tuesday! Stay tuned...

Movie Review: Shawshank Redemption

This is a movie about hope. About a man who refused to be bowed down by his circumstances. By the unfairness of life. By the institution. The Shawshank Redemption is a movie about Andy Dufresne. Andy is a well-off banker who is withdrawn and quiet. His wife finally fesses up to cheating on him and openly drives to her lover's house. Andy follows them there, drunk and contemplating murder. He loads his revolver, steps out of the car...and then? According to the prosecutor, Andy is a criminal. A man who committed cold-blooded murder. Witness the facts: Two dead victims, riddled with 12 bullets, a broken bottle nearby with fingerprints on it, revolver bullets, and tire tracks that match Andy's. It doesn't help that after leaving the place, Andy throws the gun in the ocean. He claims he thought better of his actions and simply drove home, but the judge doesn't listen. A double life sentence. In the Shawshank prison. The movie chronicles Andy's life in prison, as told from "Red's" perspective.

The Fundamental Belief of Conservatism

A friend once asked me, "What's the difference between a conservative and liberal?" Aren't they just stereotypes? Arbitrary labels? I didn't have a clear response but after thinking about it, now I do. Thus, this post.

The key difference is that at the heart of it, liberals are fundamentally pessimistic while conservatives are fundamentally optimistic.

Bear with me...

The Morning After: Holy Dissatisfaction

What I learned from Sunday's sermon:

1 Samuel 14

 ¹ One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

So what struck me about this passage was Jonathan's complete trust in God. He didn't care about the circumstances. He's the only guy in the entire army with a weapon. Can you imagine? An entire country without weapons. To give some background, the Philistines are occupying Israel and none of the Israelites have iron weapons. In essence, they are utterly defenseless. Jonathan was showing incredible courage to go up in broad daylight to the Philistine outpost. He's the prince of Israel! The heir! Imagine how excited the Philistines would be! Here's one guy with one of the only two weapons in Israel and he's the prince to boot!

My Week: My Winter Break

So...for Christmas, we all sat around, sang songs (us kids played piano, Dad played guitar), ate a great breakfast (Mom made blueberry muffins) and watched some holiday basketball. Interestingly, we don't have any holiday traditions. No lights or Christmas tree. No yule log or *gasp* presents. Instead, my parents buy us stuff when we need it year-round. The presents tradition is hokey. Maybe I'll write a post eventually about that.

Because of all the great sales, we usually get some great 'presents' anyway. This year though, my laptop pretty much died. So...I got