The following are the 28 Principles from the Thousand Year Leap
"1st Principle - The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.
2 - A free people cannot survive under a republican constitution unless they remain virtuous and morally strong.
3 - The most promising method of securing a virtuous and morally stable people is to elect virtuous leaders.
4 - Without religion the government of a free people cannot be maintained.
5 - All things were created by God, therefore upon Him all mankind are equally dependant and to Him they are equally responsible.
6 - All men are created equal.
7 - The proper role of government is to protect equal rights, not provide equal things.
8 - Men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.
9 - To protect man's rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
10 - The God-given right to govern is vested in the sovereign authority of the whole people.
11 - The majority of the people may alter or abolish a government which has become tyrannical.
12 - The United States of America shall be a Republic.
13 - A constitution should be structured to permanently protect the people from the human frailties of their rulers.
14 - Life and liberty are secure only so long as the right to property is secure.
15 - The highest level of prosperity occurs when there is a free-market economy and a minimum of government regulations.
16 - The government should be separated into three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
17 - A system of checks and balances should be adopted to prevent the abuse of power.
18 - The unalienable rights of the people are most likely to be preserved if the principles of government are set forth in a written constitution.
19 - Only limited and carefully defined powers should be delegated to government, all others being retained in the people.
20 - Efficiency and dispatch require government to operate according to the will of the majority, but constitutional provisions must be made to protect the rights of the minority.
21 - Strong local self-government is the keystone to preserving human freedom.
22 - A free people should be governed by law and not by the whims of men.
23 - A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education.
24 - A free people will not survive unless they stay strong.
25 - Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliances with none.
26 - The core unit which determines the strength of any society is the family; therefore, the government should foster and protect its integrity.
27 - The burden of debt is as destructive to freedom as subjugation by conquest.
28 - The United States has a manifest destiny to be an example and a blessing to the entire human race."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Let Go
In the movie, "Facing the Giants," there is a song called Completely. The very first line of this song says, "The Secret of life is letting go."
I've been thinking alot about that phrase the last few days.
It has come to my attention yet again that there are many things in life that we must let go of. The things that we must let go of vary from person to person. We have to let go of things, old friends, old relationships. We have to let go of the past. We can never fully embrace today until we let go of yesterday. When we cling to yesterday we are only hurting our capacity to live for today and build for tomorrow. Often, our refusal to let go of something can cripple us. We become so consumed with something that neglect our responsibilities in the present. We must remember that wherever we go, we have relational responsibilities, work related responsibilities, and ultimately each of us has a responsibility to be intimately walking with God. Often though, other things get in the way. We refuse to let go of something, and it in turn hinders, damages, or even destroys our relationship with God. The more that I have thought about this the more vital I realize that letting go really is!
After I had thought about this a little bit more, I sort of summarized with 2 things.
First, letting go of something typically means letting go of something lesser to embrace something bigger and better and newer. It's hard for us to let go of things because we like things the way they are, we don't like change. We don't like change because it brings an unknown element. If I let go of "WHATEVER" it may never get replaced with something better. This fear, while very understandable, is very unfounded. God always provides us with more than enough, and if He asks us to let go of something, who are we to say no?
Second, at it's core, the refusal to let go is steeped in pride. Whenever we say we refuse to let go of something God wants us to, we are saying that we know better. Not letting go of our desires is selfish, it is pride.
So often I pursue things completely because I want to. Often, my thoughts and actions are motivated only because of what I WANT, not what God says or desires.
We must let go of our own desires and live as God wants us to live.
Romans says, "Be not conformed to the pattern of this world."
The pattern of our culture is self-centerdness and selfishness. As Christians, we must not be conformed to this pattern. We must life selflessly and humbly. We must, if we have any chance of showing this world that we are any different.
"Narrow is the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Anybody can kick it wide left or wide right, but that's not gonna get you home. The ball has got to go through the middle. You must choose the narrow way."
I've been thinking alot about that phrase the last few days.
It has come to my attention yet again that there are many things in life that we must let go of. The things that we must let go of vary from person to person. We have to let go of things, old friends, old relationships. We have to let go of the past. We can never fully embrace today until we let go of yesterday. When we cling to yesterday we are only hurting our capacity to live for today and build for tomorrow. Often, our refusal to let go of something can cripple us. We become so consumed with something that neglect our responsibilities in the present. We must remember that wherever we go, we have relational responsibilities, work related responsibilities, and ultimately each of us has a responsibility to be intimately walking with God. Often though, other things get in the way. We refuse to let go of something, and it in turn hinders, damages, or even destroys our relationship with God. The more that I have thought about this the more vital I realize that letting go really is!
After I had thought about this a little bit more, I sort of summarized with 2 things.
First, letting go of something typically means letting go of something lesser to embrace something bigger and better and newer. It's hard for us to let go of things because we like things the way they are, we don't like change. We don't like change because it brings an unknown element. If I let go of "WHATEVER" it may never get replaced with something better. This fear, while very understandable, is very unfounded. God always provides us with more than enough, and if He asks us to let go of something, who are we to say no?
Second, at it's core, the refusal to let go is steeped in pride. Whenever we say we refuse to let go of something God wants us to, we are saying that we know better. Not letting go of our desires is selfish, it is pride.
So often I pursue things completely because I want to. Often, my thoughts and actions are motivated only because of what I WANT, not what God says or desires.
We must let go of our own desires and live as God wants us to live.
Romans says, "Be not conformed to the pattern of this world."
The pattern of our culture is self-centerdness and selfishness. As Christians, we must not be conformed to this pattern. We must life selflessly and humbly. We must, if we have any chance of showing this world that we are any different.
"Narrow is the road that leads to life, and few find it.
Anybody can kick it wide left or wide right, but that's not gonna get you home. The ball has got to go through the middle. You must choose the narrow way."
Saturday, August 22, 2009
How He Loves
How He Loves sung by David Crowder
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
God has been showing me alot recently about love.
The way that God really loves His children is so incredible and beyond our full comprehension. There is much that I cannot comprehend about this love, and there is much I still have to learn about it.
He is truly jealous for our hearts...and grace really is an endless ocean.
We've been given so much, much more than we can even imagine.
Who are we to live for any other than Jesus?
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking.
So Heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don’t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way…
He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves us,
Whoa! how He loves.
God has been showing me alot recently about love.
The way that God really loves His children is so incredible and beyond our full comprehension. There is much that I cannot comprehend about this love, and there is much I still have to learn about it.
He is truly jealous for our hearts...and grace really is an endless ocean.
We've been given so much, much more than we can even imagine.
Who are we to live for any other than Jesus?
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Just Do Something
From the book, "Just Do Something."
"Our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as "looking for God's will," as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.
As a result, we are full of passivity and empty on follow-through. We're tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something."
"Our search for the will of God has become an accomplice in the postponement of growing up, a convenient out for the young (or old) Christian floating through life without direction or purpose. Too many of us have passed off our instability, inconsistency, and endless self-exploration as "looking for God's will," as if not making up our minds and meandering through life were marks of spiritual sensitivity.
As a result, we are full of passivity and empty on follow-through. We're tinkering around with everyone and everything. Instead, when it comes to our future, we should take some responsibility, make a decision, and just do something."
Sunday, August 2, 2009
The Shack - Relationships Based On Expectancy
I am currently reading through "The Shack," and while I definitely do not agree with everything in it, I came across a deep section of the book today.
This paragraph is from page 207. This is a chapter that is talking about verbs. This section talks about expectancy in relationships.
“Let’s use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship. Mack, if you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship. When we see each other or are apart, there is an expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking. That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is alive and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by NO ONE ELSE. But what happens if I change that expectancy to an expectation – spoken or unspoken? Suddenly, law has entered into our relationship. You are now expected to perform in a way that meets my expectations. Our living friendship rapidly deteriorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements. It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or the responsibilities of a good friend.”
“Or,” noted Mack, “the responsibilities of a husband, or a father, or an employee, or whatever. I get the picture. I would much rather live in expectancy.”
This passage immediately hit me really hard, and I began to read it again and again. There is so much in this paragraph. What first stuck out to me was this..
So often we have relationships, and they suddently turn into a relationship based on expectation. We HAVE to do something...we have to fit ourselves into a certain mold. It becomes an obligation, and this is when we cease to be ourselves. I must say that this is not real relationship, this is not real intimacy with another person. We must do everything that we can to guard against our relationsihps becoming all about expectations and rather have them be about expectancy. If we don't, our relationships become dead.
The second part I thought about was much later in the day. Often, we treat our relationhship with God like this. We treat our relationship with God as a duty, as something we have to do. It becomes a responsibility. We do things for God simply because it's something we're supposed to do because we say we're Christians. It becomes a "dead thing, with rules and requirements."
God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be like that. He wants us to delight in Him, He wants us to do things simply because we love Him and we desire Him above all else. Our relationship with God should be alive and it should be vibrant. It should be a verb, not a noun. God longs for us to have this type of a relationship with Him, we are to seek Him and desire Him above all else. It shouldn't be a "dead thing, with rules and requirements." It is simply about me and God, alive, living, breathing, and dynamic. A verb, not a noun.
This paragraph is from page 207. This is a chapter that is talking about verbs. This section talks about expectancy in relationships.
“Let’s use the example of friendship and how removing the element of life from a noun can drastically alter a relationship. Mack, if you and I are friends, there is an expectancy that exists within our relationship. When we see each other or are apart, there is an expectancy of being together, of laughing and talking. That expectancy has no concrete definition; it is alive and dynamic and everything that emerges from our being together is a unique gift shared by NO ONE ELSE. But what happens if I change that expectancy to an expectation – spoken or unspoken? Suddenly, law has entered into our relationship. You are now expected to perform in a way that meets my expectations. Our living friendship rapidly deteriorates into a dead thing with rules and requirements. It is no longer about you and me, but about what friends are supposed to do, or the responsibilities of a good friend.”
“Or,” noted Mack, “the responsibilities of a husband, or a father, or an employee, or whatever. I get the picture. I would much rather live in expectancy.”
This passage immediately hit me really hard, and I began to read it again and again. There is so much in this paragraph. What first stuck out to me was this..
So often we have relationships, and they suddently turn into a relationship based on expectation. We HAVE to do something...we have to fit ourselves into a certain mold. It becomes an obligation, and this is when we cease to be ourselves. I must say that this is not real relationship, this is not real intimacy with another person. We must do everything that we can to guard against our relationsihps becoming all about expectations and rather have them be about expectancy. If we don't, our relationships become dead.
The second part I thought about was much later in the day. Often, we treat our relationhship with God like this. We treat our relationship with God as a duty, as something we have to do. It becomes a responsibility. We do things for God simply because it's something we're supposed to do because we say we're Christians. It becomes a "dead thing, with rules and requirements."
God doesn't want our relationship with Him to be like that. He wants us to delight in Him, He wants us to do things simply because we love Him and we desire Him above all else. Our relationship with God should be alive and it should be vibrant. It should be a verb, not a noun. God longs for us to have this type of a relationship with Him, we are to seek Him and desire Him above all else. It shouldn't be a "dead thing, with rules and requirements." It is simply about me and God, alive, living, breathing, and dynamic. A verb, not a noun.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
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