I just have two words to post tonight: Bob Dole.

While there are many people complaining about the Supreme Court, some of us in Kansas are complaining about the Kansas Supreme Court. They're forcing the state to spend money on schools which we do not have. This annoys me to no end. What right does the Supreme Court of Kansas have to set legislative priorities? It doesn't. I don't remember if the Kansas Supreme Court has to stand for a vote of whether they are to continue in office, but if so, I will vote against every single one of these people. Their actions show me that they are not fit to be jurists, plain and simple.

Dennis Raider, BTK, just plead guilty to all 10 counts of murder he was charged with.

The first quote came out of the mouth of Rick Warren, a well-known "conservative." The second quote is from John Shelby Spoooooong, Retired Bishop of Newark and well-known liberal. Both believe the church must change. Rick Warren is a liberal, a 19th Century liberal, but a liberal. Spong and company have taken the whole change thing to its extreme. So whenever someone speaks about conforming to this world, you now know that they are liberals, even if they claim to be conservatives.

Meet the Bible-believing liberals. While they believe that the culture needs to return to its historic traditions, they think the church needs to abandon hers. While maintaining that the Flag should be proudly displayed, they fear that a cross at church might offend seekers. While they believe men and women have defined roles in marriage and family, they don't see why a woman can't replace a man in the pulpit. While outraged that our schools cater to the lowest-common denominator, they think our churches need to be geared to the unchurched. They believe that public policy should be based on objective facts, but preaching should be based on felt needs. They want "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, but omit the Apostles' Creed from the Sunday service. They want the Ten Commandments in the public square, but are unconcerned when those commandments are replaced with "principles for living" from the pulpit. To the Bible-Believing liberal, ceremonies of a Presidential inauguration are meaningful and inspiring, but the Sunday morning liturgy is boring. For the Bible-believing liberal, the differences between political parties are serious, but the differences between Christian denominations are petty. While they insist on a strict literal interpretation of the US Constitution, they play fast and lose with the Bible and its theology, even while maintaining its inerrancy and inspiration. These are the Bible-believing liberals.

Issues Etc. Journal, v. 4 no. 2, pp 5-6

A little later on this afternoon, me and a couple of the other ESL teachers are taking our students out here for a little fun and sun. It will be nice to not have to be "El Maestro" and just be a goofy guy who happens to speak just a smattering of Espanol. That's not to say I'm not bringing a Spanish-English dictionary, because I am. And my book of verbs. Just in case.

I'll let everyone in on the post below a little later tonight, after I am back from here. Have I mentioned I found some awesome mud cracks preserved in the rocks in that area?

Let's play "Who am I quoting?"

When a thing grows weak and out of date, it is obviously soon going to disappear. That's also true of churches. If a church cannot change, it will eventually die.

Clearly change in both liturgy and structure is inevitable, and this change will probably be radical, if not total. ... the forms the Church assumed in the past inevitably must die.

One is a conservative, one is a liberal. Can you tell who said what?

I thought of a couple more books I should add to this list of silliness.

Dave Barry's Guide to Guys. Every woman should read this to determine whether she married a man or if she has a guy on her hands.

Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs. Perhaps the greatest book on bad music out there. It makes me wanna "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" He makes me wanna "SCREEEEAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!"

Black Hawk Down. The story about one of the most under appreciated battles our armies fought in modern times.

A Good Walk Spoiled. Anyone who plays golf understands the title of this book.

So I have been tagged by Pensy and given very specific instructions as to what I am supposed to post about. I am supposed to post about books highschoolers should read. I am Random Daniel. I am not some run of the mill blogger who will just be put on a leash through my nosering, so I am making up my own list of important books everyone should read.

Carbonate Depositional Environments. This was the text for my carbonate sedimentology class. A page turner for all people.

Carbonate Sequence Stratigraphy. You have to know why these sediments matter when they turn into limestones and dolomites. You also have to know why these depositional patterns might be prolific oil producers.

North American Stratigraphic Code. How the Goat Seep Formation (and yes, that is a real formation name) can be names that.

Carbonate Petrography. How to recognize carbonate facies under a microscope.

Sandstone Depositional Environments. You sometimes have to get your hands dirty and actually touch sand and other siliciclastics. This book tells you how they get deposited so you can avoid them (unless they have oil or gas).

The Geology of Stratigraphic Sequences. This is a critical look at sequence stratigraphy and its usefulness.

Riders of the Purple Sage. Quite possibly the best Western ever. It has Mormons, guns, and mountains. What else could a man want?

Shane. The Western as Literature. This is the only western considered worthy of a critical edition.

The Haunted Mesa. Navajo beliefs make up this extremely interesting novel. Not a western in the truest sense, it still makes good reading.

On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther's Heidelberg Disputation, 1518. You didn't think I wouldn't put a theology book down, did you.

OK, I tag Chris Halverson (I'm willing to let the ELCA have a little bit of fun), Full Throttle & an Empty Gas Tank, and The Terrible Swede. The only rule is that you have to post books. How many and about what is up to you. I don't even care if you've even read the books.

Have fun.

The Scheister now has an update on the tragic Ablaze(TM) event.

The newest edition of the Scheister is now up. Bad satire made funnier by playing on steriotypes.

The newspaper an old friend of mine had me publish on the long blog needs to be resurrected. It's been almost 10 months since it issued a report of extremely accurate reporting.* The problem has been a lack of material. OK, it's not a lack of material but a lack of motivation on my friend's part and distractions that have occurred recently. However, he will have another extremely hard-hitting report of recent LCMS events.

* If you believe this, I have a wall in China I want to sell you.

Congratulations to my friends Dan and Sarah on their marriage today. I wish the two of you nothing but the best.

I had a mini-keg of Warsteiner last night. It about killed me. I was sober by the time I was home, but I still managed to wake up with a headache that didn't go away until I took some ibuprofen after the wedding. Headaches suck.

I am so happy bell choir will finally be over for the summer tomorrow. It's grating me greatly.

You all are wondering how I lost all the weight I lost. I'm not going to say it was easy and that I wanted to quit at times, but I found a few things I learned along the way very helpful. This is just some random thoughts about some of the things that worked for me. I cannot guarantee they will work for you, but they might give you some idea of where to start. Let's face it, Weight Watchers and all the other fad diets can work for a bit, but losing weight does involve lifestyle changes, and you have to be committed to these if you want to make it.

First, I advise you to start slowly. Don't go out there thinking that you will just do everything and think you'll have any chance of staying on your diet. You didn't get where you are at once, so you have to change slowly.

Secondly, if you join a health club (like the Y), see if you can meet with a personal trainer. You can talk to them and adjust your workout according to whatever your fitness level is and safely add to your workout. Face it: you will have to exercise.

Thirdly, that fast food has to go. You cannot expect to lose weight when you are shoving Big Macs and Chalupas down your piehole. Cut out the fast food and you'll be surprised.

Fourth, quit drinking anything loaded with sugar. Go to either diet sodas or diet juices. This even included beer. I drank scotch while dieting.

Fifth, no more potatoes and white bread. Yes, I know they taste so good. Yes, I know you cannot believe you can live without it. Yes, you might as well pour a big bag of sugar down your throat. My goal was to eliminate sugar, and starch isn't the right way to do it.

Sixth, greens, nuts, fruits, vegies, and fish are your friends.

Finally, remember the basic rule: you will lose weight if you burn more calories than you take in. In the end, it is that simple. Exercise boosts your metabolism so you burn more calories. You all are probably going duhhh. Exercise and eat right, you'll be OK.

As many of you know, I have lost a lot of weight the past seven, eight, nine months. I've worked really hard to get to where I am. I spent many a day wishing I wasn't alive with my arms, legs, chest, and back all in excruciating pain. You get to the point very quickly when the stiffness and pain go away. There comes a point where you begin craving exercise. It is a strange place to be where you want to go to the gym because you feel so good when you go. When I had to quit because I was sick, I missed working out. Just now I am getting back up to speed. In essence, the pain was worth it. I get tweaks every now and then, like my recent back injury. You just take it easy and try to work the tweaks out. I'm feeling much better. My back still hurts a little, but it's still worth it. I'll take it easy on my back tomorrow.

My back sucks. I was at the Y yesterday doing the lat pulldown and I tweaked my back really good. Now it hurts and I have to take drugs. Hmmm, Drugs/ At least it's muscle pain.

Which member of the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad are you? Bill (Snake Charmer) You are the leader of the Squad, but watch your back.

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What military aircraft are you? F-15 Eagle You are an F-15. Your record in combat is spotless; you've never been defeated. You possess good looks, but are not flashy about it. You prefer to let your reputation do the talking. You are fast, agile, and loud, but reaching the end of your stardom.

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I was just going to get to the thing I was going to post tonight, but then I was distracted. I can't help but be distracted by a new Bach piece being discovered. Thanks to Bunnie for the link. It figures Sir John Eliot Gardiner is getting the first crack at recording it. It seems like it would have either been him or Philippe Herreweghe would get the first crack at any piece since they seem to be on the cutting edge of Bach performances. Those also means those who dished out the money for Bach 2000 will soon have to dish out a little more money for one more recording. Update the BVW numbers.

But there is one thing that I have never from my youth been able to understand. I have never been able to understand where people got the idea that democracy was in some way opposed to tradition. It is obvious to me that tradition is democracy extended through time. It is trusting to a consensus of common human voices rather than some isolated and arbitrary record. The man who quotes some German historian against the tradition of the Catholic Church, for instance, is strictly appealing to aristocracy. He is appealing to the superiority of one expert against the awful authority of the mob. It is quite easy to see why a legend is treated, and ought to be treated, more respectfully than a book of history. The legend is generally made by the majority of people in the village, who are sane. The book is generally written by the one man in the village who is mad. Those who urge against the tradition that men in the past were ignorant may go and urge it at the Carlton Club, along with the statement that voters in the slums are ignorant. It will not do for us. If we attach great importance to the opinion of ordinary men in great unanimity when we are dealing with daily matters, there is no reason why we should disregard it when we are dealing with history of fable. Tradition may be defined as an extension of the franchise. Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death. Democracy tells us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our groom; tradition asks us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our father. I, at any rate, cannot separate the two ideals of democracy and tradition; it seems evident to me that they are the same idea. We will have the dead at our councils. The ancient Greeks voted by stones; these shall vote by tombstones. It is all quite regular and official, for most tombstones, like most ballot papers, are marked by a cross. - GK Chesterton, Orthodoxy, pp. 44-45

OSC by his own reply to my blog undermines his own argument as to what he is trying to get at. By telling me to engage in all the conversation in theology that I want with other friends, then telling me blogs are not conversations, are you starting to see what I see? My comments line is my way of conversing with you all. It's not like if I say something stupid that I can get away with it. I have said many stupid things on this blog and end up being called out because of it. No, it isn't a conversation in the conventional sense of the word, but it is a conversation that can have many more participants than a traditional conversation might and, because of the internet, it is worldwide. I'm not spouting off here, saying I am right, and pretending I am a pastor. I'm a layman, throwing out ideas about different aspect of our theology and politics and seeing if any of them stick.

I do believe that Chaz is right when he says "Old Missouri" is Jesus First(NI!). Most people will just go along with whatever these people push without much thought. The Daystar(NI!) crowd is destined for the LCMC it seems. There isn't much difference between the "Radical Waltherians" and the WELS/ELS bunch except the willingness to go along with the WELS/ELS way. There is still some refining and thinking I need to do about this topic, but I'm too busy reading Hammer of God.

By the way, I need to say Hammer of God rocks.

It is cool to be on tabletalk and blogging at the same time.

I wrote a down and dirty analysis of what I think might happen when the LCMS splits (I don't think it is an if anymore, but when.) So, here is a slightly more coherent post on what I thought might happen.

First, the Confessional side. I believe there will be three groups coming from the confessional churches. The first is what I call the "Radical Waltherians." This would include anyone who spends too much time on Lutherquest or Reclaiming Walther. Basically, these people will hang their hat on the authority of Voters Meetings. Secondly, there will be the middle-high church catholics. These people believe in the liturgy and that chanting isn't a bad thing. They tend to have a higher view of the pastoral office, and probably spend their days reading Gottesdienst and telling anyone they meet that the liturgy isn't an adiaphoron. The third group is the WELS/ELS migraters. They already made up their minds that they are heading to greener pastures and they only need a good excuse to push them there.

The Non-confessional side will also break into three. While they are better organized and vote as a block in most things, there are enough differences between these three groups to cause ruptures and fissures once the confessionals leave. The first is the Jesus First(NI!) crowd. This group of wannabe American Evangelicals will continue to be Ablaze and set fire to the purpose driven(TM) world until they reform themselves into oblivion. They will split from their Daystar(NI!) political allies because this group, while not being confessional, is conservative and can't stomach the thought of allegorizing Genesis 1-13. Daystar (NI!) are all the liberals that weren't honest enough to leave after the walkout or they colloquialized their way into the LCMS and have decided to infect our synod. They will find Daystar turning against them like vultures on carrion. They will find refuge with the ELCA "confessionals" and begin ordaining women. The third group is the RIM (Renewal in Missouri) group who are Pentecostals running around in Lutheran clothing. They will probably find refuge with one of the more independent church groups who actually buy into that nonsense.

So, this is my analysis. It might be completely off, but it might also be right on. Who knows. We'll just have to wait until it happens, and that could be a while.

This is just plain awesome. It's the Lutheran equivalent of LEGO Porn.

If you were not at Tabletalk tonight, you missed my all-encompasing analysis of what will happen to the LCMS. You should really jump in anytime.

Being a Royals fan can be real drudgery at times. You're a fan of a franchise whose payroll is smaller than some MLB player's salaries (A-Rod). That being said, I get a perverse pleasure out of a group of young, inexperienced nobodies winning not one, not two, but three games against the New York Yankees and their $200+ payroll. It's times like this that make me glad to be a Royals fan.

I've thought about laymen and blogs and the only thing I can say is if we are violating the BoC by teaching, none of us should be reading The Spirituality of the Cross. Is it wrong for Christians to discuss doctrine to others? If so, I've broken that many times, with beer in my hand no less. Before the Terrible Swede was so terrible (in his BE days), we would go grab dinner at a local beer joint that had over 100 beers and we'd talk about doctrine and whatever else was on our minds at the time. Was it wrong for us to discuss doctrine?

Finally, Elle is coming to see me soon. Yay!

If you haven't crashed Tabletalk yet, you are missing out on some interesting conversations. The past two weeks, Pr Paul McCain of Cyberbretheren fame and also the CEO of Concordia Publishing house has dropped by and we asked all sorts of questions about CPH and the products they are putting out. Even without that, the fact you can meet many of the Lutheran bloggers you read every day and see our warped senses of humor. You missed our running commentary of the clown service. You're missing the Monty Python jokes. You're missing random "Papal" bulls being issued. Basically, you're missing a lot of fun. Drop by. I promise, you won't regret it (too much).