Here is how the correspondence went:

Request:

Dear Mr. President,

Today my mother declared my bedroom a disaster area. I would like to request federal funds to hire a crew to clean up my room.

Presidential response:

Dear Andy:

I’m sorry to be so late in answering your letter but as you know I’ve been in China and found your letter here upon my return.

Your application for disaster relief has been duly noted but I must point out one technical problem; the authority declaring the disaster is supposed to make the request. In this case your mother.

However, setting that aside, I’ll have to point out the larger problem of available funds. This has been a year of disasters, 539 hurricanes as of May 4th and several more since, numerous floods, forest fires, drought in Texas and a number of earthquakes. What I’m getting at is that funds are dangerously low.

May I make a suggestion? This administration, believing that government has done many things that could better be done by volunteers at the local level, has sponsored a Private Sector Initiative program, calling upon people to practice voluntarism in the solving of a number of local problems.

Your situation appears to be a natural. I’m sure your mother was fully justified in proclaiming your room a disaster. Therefore you are in an excellent position to launch another volunteer program to go along with the more than 3,000 already underway in our nation—congratulations.

Give my best regards to your mother.

Sincerely, Ronald Reagan

The times, they are a changin’. In an age where frivolity is norm, I wonder what the Presidential response would be today.

Ok, my first thought was of a pile of rubble and the infamous Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbs) peeing on it. But I chose a more appropriate image as you see.

And they demolished the pillar of Baal, and demolished the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. (2 Kings 10:27)

28) Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel.

God is very serious about that first commandment.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

After listening to Dr. Albert Mohler’s “The Briefing” this morning, I considered his commentary on some of the factors he believed shaped the product of the “WTWTA”. In 1963 the world was truly embroiled in communism vs. anti-communism, the United States was in a face-off with the USSR, Cuba, and headed into another war. Riots were beginning to become commonplace, and the society was indeed restless. I remember as a child, the monsters I knew of were temporary and went away when the lights were turned on or the movie ended. All monsters were killed in the end. Hollywood didn’t think of “milking the product” with sequels until later.  But as an adult writing children’s illustrated fiction, one had to consider, as did Sendack, the world view of children in that day and age. Could their monsters really be subdued and brought to a place where they could be ruled by an outsider such as Max eventually did. The reality of becoming homesick was something almost every child can relate to. Even a misbehaving child. I would consider this; with everything that goes on in a child’s mind and life they still need the encouragement of knowing there is still grace and warmth to be found at home. There are indeed some stories that live on and endure from generation to generation. I would certainly believe this to be said of “WTWTA”

I understand that Sendack lived a gay lifestyle (he had a male “partner” for over fifty years of his life) which he never openly admitted to his parents. I would consider this lifestyle to be very dangerous. Especially since it goes against what the holy scripture teach. One would have to wonder what his monsters or “Wild Things” were, and what his world view was. More to this point, as Dr. Mohler points out in his “Briefing” commentary, there is a huge need for great children’s literature from a Christian worldview in this modern age. As parents, we definitely need to be reading the bible to them, and encouraging them to learn to do so themselves. We also need to encourage them to read the classics. There is also need to find or influence the writing of some books that not only explain there are wild and scary things out there that children fear. But rightly tell a story in such a way as to help them deal with the reality of fear. But with that reality they need to be affirmed that there is warmth, comfort, and love at home.

With the the future of the “codex” (from “The Gutenberg Bible” to “Tuesday”s With Morrie”) seemingly defunct due to digital media, the two men discuss Darnton’s book and the future of the traditional book. I really recommend this podcast to anyone who has a love for books and the future of books.

The Fate of the Book in the Digital Age: A Conversation with Robert Darnton

Soli Deo Gloria!

Technology should ultimately be an enhancement, not a replacement, for gathering in person for worship, discussion, debate and service to others.

You can have a digital Bible in the palm of your hand or connect with others in prayer any time anywhere.

Contrary to the propaganda of the techno-evangelists, the Internet cannot bring people together, bodily, to make them a communion of saints. It can deliver data, even crucial information about God’s Worrd, but it cannot deliver Christ with all of his benefits.

Would Jesus Have A Facebook Page?

And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.

Someone please inform Indigo Montoya that the he may have killed the wrong six-fingered man.

Pastor Mike lays out two imperatives from this text: (I know they originally came from the Apostle Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit)

1) Work as if Jesus was your boss.

 Work with sincerity and respect.

2) Treat your employee as if he was Jesus.

Respect and honor.

How are treating those who serve us?

We all can relate as a boss in how we treat our server at a restaurant.

Whether you are a janitor scrubbing toilets or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, there is no difference with God.

Mike also asked each of us to pray and consider a few practical ways we could change the way we work to display Christ.

Here are a few I came up with:

Perform my job as if it has a direct reflection on Christ and his accomplishments.

Love and respect all of my co-workers regardless of how they treat me.

Serve my boss as I should be serving Christ.

Below is the link to the sermon. I hope you glean as much from it as I did.

Displaying Christ from 9 to 5.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Links to the album provided via the image and the link below.

Great Gypsy Soul (Deluxe Edition) – Tommy Bolin and Friends

As I listened to Kokomo Krusade story by Dr. Boice, and as he expounded on the Romans 11, Dr. Boice mentions and emphatically recommends a commentary of Romans by Robert Haldane. This is a recommendation I could not help but research. What I found is, this Romans commentary comes highly recommended in Reformation circles. Almost as thrilling as finding this gem of a commentary is the history behind how Robert Haldane came to write his commentary. The story, along with some other tid bits about Robert Haldane  can be found here, including some encouraging info concerning the sovereignty of God through his life.

Below, I have provided a few links. The first two are links to the Haldane Romans Commentary. The first one also has a bit of the story from Dr. Boice, and the second is the commentary by itself. The last link is also the link to the story of the last known Reformation revival in Geneva Switzerland. Enjoy!

Robert Haldane by James M. Boice

Romans Commentary by Robert Haldane – PDF format

Up From the Ashes: Robert Haldane and the Revival in Geneva

Actual commentary at Amazon.com

S D G!!