Pacific Northwest Reformation Conference

If I could convince one or two people by this post to come to the conference this weekend at the Lynden United Reformed Church, I would be a very happy man.

The conference theme "Chrst-centered Christianity in an age of spiritual chaos" promises to be extremely applicable. Never more than now were there so many false gospels that need to be dethroned from the church as a whole.

See the church website for details.

Just remember, its FREE! No excuse to not come. If you are on the fence and even semi-local, jump right in and come! Your faith and zeal for the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ will thank you -- and I'm sure you will enjoy yourself.

Friday, October 9, 2009
7 p.m. -- Dr. W. Robert Godfrey Christ at the Center of the Church

Saturday, October 10, 2009

9 a.m. -- Dr. W Robert Godfrey on Christ at the Center of Worship
10:30 a.m. -- Rev. Christopher J Gordon on Christ at the Center of Preaching
1:00 p.m. -- Dr. W Robert Godfrey on Christ at the Center of Salvation

Upside down

Via Powerline blog:

"We thought we'd never see the day when the President of France shows more resolve than America's Commander in Chief for confronting one of the gravest challenges to global security. But here we are."

Canada toys with deserter protections

This is always an interesting topic — the Canadian sentiment toward American deserters. It's near and dear to me, since I have a cousin who left the U.S. to avoid Vietnam service. He's done pretty well for himself in B.C. Every time I hear someone mention the town in which he settled, I ask if they know so-and-so. You'd be surprised how many answer yes.

So Canadians are still in this same mood of providing sanctuary to those who desert...

The bill, introduced by the Liberal Party's Gerard Kennedy, would allow other countries' military deserters to stay in Canada if their refusal to serve is based on sincere moral, political or religious objections.

Parliament has already voted twice to support war resisters, but those were non-binding motions.

Most war resisters in Canada are U.S. military personnel who have refused to participate in the Iraq War on the grounds that it's illegal and immoral.

There are thought to be about 200 American military deserters who have come to Canada to avoid service in Iraq.

Except it's more. After all, military service is now voluntary. Why would you want to give someone a chance to escape what they truly committed themselves to doing? It's pathetic.

Draft-dodgers? Not anymore. Just cowards.

Glenn Beck's roots

It's an interesting fact that many locals have long known, but cared little about. Apparently the mayor of Mount Vernon cares, though, and is giving the political commentator the key to the city because he's a local who made it big. I remember when The Cascade Radio Group was promoting the new lineup on KGMI, they mentioned the fact that Beck was a local... I believe he actually graduated from high school in Bellingham as well. But don't expect Dan Pike to be handing out keys any time soon!

The mayor of Mount Vernon has made it official. Mayor Bud Norris says he will give the key to his city to conservative talk show host Glenn Beck on September 26.

Norris says Beck will deliver a short talk that night and become the first person to receive a key to the city in the six years Norris has been mayor.

Protesters from the Skagit County Young Democrats walked outside city hall Tuesday with protest signs, one reading "Change the locks!"

What did Jesus say? A prophet is not without honor except among his own? I guess we we'll see. Whether you agree with him or not, Beck does have talent.

Required viewing

This is a half-hour of your life you will not regret investing if you haven't heard this speech. Not much changes. Just the numbers.

Greed: political or economic

Is it nothing to you

"Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?
Look and see
if there is any sorrow like my sorrow,
which was brought upon me,
which the LORD inflicted
on the day of his fierce anger."

Lamentations 1:12

Such a passionate appeal from the prophet to look on the suffering servant and to take heed -- no matter who you are!

If you have walked past Him all your life, take heed and see this grace which is given. The call to repent is universal and compels us all to place our faith in the suffering servant who fulfilled all love in our place.

Do you already profess Christ with your lips? Take heed that you do so in your heart. Let nothing supersede that precious and glorious grace in your life. Not intellectual or philosophical musings. Not doctrinal argument or dissension. Not your "good" name. Look around you at your fellow believers and ask yourself if you are willing to be of no reputation among those whose good opinion you value. Are you willing to be the least of these your brethren for the sake of Christ? Are you willing to be despised in the world for His sake. If not, you are an idolator. If you value even your church membership, as precious as it is to your growth and nourishment in the spirit, above the grace of Christ, you have despised his grace.

He was willing to be despised by His eternal Father and die for your sake.

Can you truly leave all for His sake? Or is it nothing to you?

Where's the cattle prod?

This has been floating around for a couple months now. It's a batch of letters you may find interesting. They are authentic from what I can find. It all started when GM sent a letter to their suppliers and and employees, telling them to support the all-but-bankrupt company by calling congress and asking for money:

Dear Employees & Suppliers,

Congress and the current Administration will soon determine whether to provide immediate support to the domestic auto industry to help it through one of the most difficult economic times in our nation's history. Your elected officials must hear from all of us now on why this support is critical to our continuing the progress we began prior to the global financial crisis...................... As an employee or supplier, you have a lot at stake and continue to be one of our most effective and passionate voices. I know GM can count on you to have your voice heard.

Thank you for your urgent action and ongoing support.

Troy Clarke
President General Motors North America

Mr. Knox, a supplier, responded thus:

Response from:
Gregory Knox, Pres.
Knox Machinery Company
Franklin, Ohio

Gentlemen:

In response to your request to contact legislators and ask for a bailout for the Big Three automakers please consider the following, and please pass my thoughts on to Troy Clark, President of General Motors North America.

Politicians and Management of the Big 3 are both infected with the same entitlement mentality that has spread like cancerous germs in UAW halls for the last countless decades, and whose plague is now sweeping this nation, awaiting our new "messiah", Pres-elect Obama, to wave his magic wand and make all our problems go away, while at the same time allowing our once great nation to keep "living the dream"... Believe me folks, The dream is over!

This dream where we can ignore the consumer for years while management myopically focuses on its personal rewards packages at the same time that our factories have been filled with the worlds most overpaid, arrogant, ignorant and laziest entitlement minded "laborers" without paying the price for these atrocities... this dream where you still think the masses will line up to buy our products for ever and ever.

Don't even think about telling me I'm wrong. Don't accuse me of not knowing of what I speak. I have called on Ford, GM, Chrysler, TRW, Delphi, Kelsey Hayes, American Axle and countless other automotive OEM's throughout the Midwest during the past 30 years and what I've seen over those years in these union shops can only be described as disgusting.

Troy Clarke, President of General Motors North America, states: "There is widespread sentiment throughout this country, and our government, and especially via the news media, that the current crisis is completely the result of bad management which it certainly is not."

You're right Mr. Clarke, it's not JUST management... how about the electricians who walk around the plants like lords in feudal times, making people wait on them for countless hours while they drag a**... so they can come in on the weekend and make double and triple time... for a job they easily could have done within their normal 40 hour work week.

How about the line workers who threaten newbies with all kinds of scare tactics... for putting out too many parts on a shift... and for being too productive (We certainly must not expose those lazy bums who have been getting overpaid for decades for their horrific underproduction, must we?!?)

Do you folks really not know about this stuff?!? How about this great sentiment abridged from Mr. Clarke's sad plea: "over the last few years .... we have closed the quality and efficiency gaps with our competitors."

What the h*** has Detroit been doing for the last 40 years?!? Did we really JUST wake up to the gaps in quality and efficiency between us and them? The K car vs. the Accord? The Pinto vs. the Civic?!? Do I need to go on? What a joke!

We are living through the inevitable outcome of the actions of the United States auto industry for decades. It's time to pay for your sins, Detroit.

I attended an economic summit last week where brilliant economist, Alan Beaulieu, from the Institute of Trend Research , surprised the crowd when he said he would not have given the banks a penny of "bailout money". "Yes, he said, this would cause short term problems," but despite what people like politicians and corporate magnates would have us believe, the sun would in fact rise the next day... and the following very important thing would happen... where there had been greedy and sloppy banks, new efficient ones would pop up... that is how a free market system works... it does work... if we would only let it work..."

But for some nondescript reason we are now deciding that the rest of the world is right and that capitalism doesn't work - that we need the government to step in and "save us"... Save us my a**, H*** - we're nationalizing.... and unfortunately too many of our once fine nation's citizens don't even have a clue that this is what is really happening... But, they sure can tell you the stats on their favorite sports teams... yeah - THAT'S really important, isn't it...

Does it ever occur to ANYONE that the "competition" has been producing vehicles, EXTREMELY PROFITABLY, for decades in this country?... How can that be??? Let's see... Fuel efficient... Listening to customers... Investing in the proper tooling and automation for the long haul... Not being too complacent or arrogant to listen to Dr. W. Edwards Deming four decades ago when he taught that by adopting appropriate principles of management, organizations could increase quality and simultaneously reduce costs. Ever increased productivity through quality and intelligent planning.... Treating vendors like strategic partners, rather than like "the enemy"... Efficient front and back offices... Non union environment...

Again, I could go on and on, but I really wouldn't be telling anyone anything they really don't already know down deep in their hearts.

I have six children, so I am not unfamiliar with the concept of wanting someone to bail you out of a mess that you have gotten yourself into - my children do this on a weekly, if not daily basis, as I did when I was their age. I do for them what my parents did for me (one of their greatest gifts, by the way) - I make them stand on their own two feet and accept the consequences of their actions and work through it.

Radical concept, huh... Am I there for them in the wings? Of course - but only until such time as they need to be fully on their own as adults..

I don't want to oversimplify a complex situation, but there certainly are unmistakable parallels here between the proper role of parenting and government. Detroit and the United States need to pay for their sins.

Bad news people - it's coming whether we like it or not. The newly elected Messiah really doesn't have a magic wand big enough to "make it all go away." I laughed as I heard Obama "reeling it back in" almost immediately after the final vote count was tallied..."we really might not do it in a year... or in four..." Where the Hell was that kind of talk when he was RUNNING for office.

Stop trying to put off the inevitable folks ... That house in Florida really isn't worth $750,000... People who jump across a border really don't deserve free health care benefits... That job driving that forklift for the Big 3 really isn't worth $85,000 a year... We really shouldn't allow Wal-Mart to stock their shelves with products acquired from a country that unfairly manipulates their currency and has the most atrocious human rights infractions on the face of the globe...

That couple whose combined income is less than $50,000 really shouldn't be living in that $485,000 home... Let the market correct itself folks - it will. Yes it will be painful, but it's gonna' be painful either way, and the bright side of my proposal is that on the other side of it all, is a nation that appreciates what it has... and doesn't live beyond its means... and gets back to basics... and redevelops the patriotic work ethic that made it the greatest nation in the history of the world... and probably turns back to God.

Sorry - don't cut my head off, I'm just the messenger sharing with you the "bad news". I hope you take it to heart.

Gregory J. Knox, President
Knox Machinery, Inc.
Franklin, Ohio 45005