Amendment 48 - Colorado

“Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution defining the term “person” to include any human being from the moment of fertilization as “person” is used in those provisions of the Colorado constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of law?”

I support this amendment.

I know there is a split in support among prolifers. Some think it isn't the right time. Some think a rabid court will get a hold of it, strike it down and then it will be harder later to try for the same thing.

I think the amendment is good. It is righteous to try to bring protection for the preborn. It's hard to know what the courts will do. That path takes many years. By the time it would reach the Supreme Court who knows who will be there. If we wait to pass the personhood amendment, we still won't know what the courts will do then.

So let's work to pass it now and ask for God's mercy. If we get knocked down then we can dust ourselves off and figure out what to do next.

Thanks to Kristi Burton and her family for the initial work on this amendment and for getting it on the ballot.

For more info:
Colorado for Equal Rights

Philip

Sarah Palin’s Qualifications

Here is a letter my wife Wendy sent to our newspaper. I thought she made some great points.

I have listened to the ridiculous flap about Sarah Palin’s supposed lack of foreign policy experience. I have seen the stern, condescending looks on the faces of Katie Couric and Charlie Gibson as they attempt to put this little gal in her place.

I got to thinking the other night about the presidents who have been in office since I have been old enough to vote. Interestingly enough as I looked into to the political careers of those five presidents from Carter to the current President Bush, I discovered that four of those five presidents held no other federal political position prior to being president. All four of them were only lowly governors of their respective states. President Carter was a state senator and President Clinton was the attorney general of his state. None of this looks like they were more prepared in foreign policy than Governor Palin. Reagan’s state bordered Mexico as did Bush’s. The other two Presidents governed states that didn’t border foreign countries. All four of these men went straight into the presidency with foreign policy resumes just like Governor Palin’s. She, on the other hand, is seeking the vice presidency. You can be sure that she will take full advantage of her new position. Being the quick study that she is, and serving with McCain, who has extensive expertise in this area, will quickly give her the necessary acumen she will use.

I guess when mainstream media is determined to sink an intelligent conservative woman it might work to set up a straw man and shoot it down. Katie Couric must feel really smart when she asks a stupid question like “Why didn’t you have a passport until last year?” That idiotic question should’ve insulted her own intelligence. Good grief, I think most Americans can see past such a smoke screen.

I think we can all see what they’re truly afraid of. They know that with Sarah Palin’s obvious leadership abilities, intelligence and her willingness to rock the established system, a McCain administration would likely be followed by a Palin administration.

Wendy Faustin

Providence

Thoughts from: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction.

But to deviate from the truth for the sake of some prospect of hope of our own can never be wise, however slight that deviation may be. It is not our judgement of the situation which can show us what is wise, but only the truth of the Word of God. Here alone lies the promise of God's faithfulness and help. It will always be true that the wisest course for the disciple is always to abide solely by the Word of God in all simplicity.

Dietrich Bonheoffer

It’s hard to add to that. The message to me is complete reliance on God and making sure I know His Word so I can follow it and thereby, Him. That said, I know that knowledge isn’t enough. I have plenty of that yet still have a hard time putting it into practice.

I am amazed how many times well-meaning people (Christians) are pursuing a course of action that they would never take if they understood what God wants them to do. They have a desire to follow God but due to a lack of study of the Word of God, they end up missing it by a mile.

So, sometimes we have knowledge and miss it and sometimes we miss it because we don’t know it. My conclusion is that I need the grace and power of God and I need to be diligent in Bible study.

Most of all, once I know it I need to do it. If I want God’s provision, blessing and help, my life must be lived by the Word of God and the power of God.

Philip

Louw & Nida Greek-English Lexicon

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains. This book is commonly known as Louw & Nida.

I have been using this lexicon for a few weeks now. It has taken a little getting used to. Now that I am more familiar with how it is set up, I have found it to be a great addition to my handheld library.

Instead of alphabetical arrangement, the words are arranged by semantic domain. Basically, this means the categories of words according to meaning and emphasis within a particular culture.

For example, under the domain Attitudes and Emotions is the sub domain Love, Affection, Compassion. In this section there are 25 words represented. As we look through them, we see the exactness of the Greek language. We also see why it is sometimes hard to make a literal translation from Greek to English. It's hard to take a Greek word and find a comparable English word. But that's off the subject.

What Louw & Nida does so well is to show the subtle differences between words. We get a better understanding of why a particular word was used and what the author was trying to get across. Looking at the words in their domains gives a different understanding than just looking up various definitions. We get a glimpse of how the native culture understood the expressions we are reading.

In English, we would say love God, love people, love other believers, love your husband, love your children, and love your relatives. In Greek, there are specific words for each of these concepts. There are also words for different types of love. There is a word for a deep yearning longing affection. Another for having deep compassion for someone. And another to show that you have opened your heart towards someone. On the other hand, how about a word that shows you have closed your heart to someone? It is used in an idiom that literally means to have restricted bowels. How about a sermon on constipated Christians?

I am thankful that Olive Tree has made this lexicon available in a handheld format. It’s not for everyone as it requires a decent grasp of New Testament Greek but for those with the language skills it will shine much light.

Philip