LambertsOnline

Looking for Mr. Right in Michigan on 2/28/12

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Michigan's GOP Presidential Primary is on Tuesday and we're still undecided.

Jonah Goldberg, National Review Online editor-at-large, captures our thoughts almost perfectly in his 2/22/12 column Mr. Right Eludes the GOP.

Goldberg begins his column...

‘If we could just take a little bit from each of them.” I’ve lost track of how many people I have heard say some version of this in the last couple of months. The “each of them” refers to the final four combatants for the Republican nomination.

We were leaning towards Rick Santorum but fear that he doesn't have a strong commitment to the 10th Amendment and to Federalism. Also, Santorum's foreign policy is a little too close to the overly-ambitious foreign policy of George W. Bush.

Mitt Romney will probably be the GOP nominee for President this year but we also have concerns about him. For example, MIRSnews reported on 2/24/12 that Romney will apply tariffs "if necessary" to stop China's "unfair trade practices." Raising tariffs is just another tax increase that will primarily harm American consumers.

We'll let you know on Monday who we've decided to vote for on 2/28/12.

Ash Wednesday 2012

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 04:46:00 +0000

Tonight, we attended the Ash Wednesday Service at Zion Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Detroit. Thank you to Pastor Braden and the members of the congregation who warmly welcomed us. We also had the opportunity to meet the Rev. David P. Stechholz, D. D., Bishop/President of the English District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod.

Be sure to check out Zion Lutheran's media web page at http://www.byhearing.net/blog/.

Ash-Wednesday
by T S Eliot

Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man's gift and that man's scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the aged eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?

Click here to read the entire poem by TS Eliot.

Also, below are some excellent YouTube videos about Lent.

Remembering George Washington in February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:34:00 +0000

As I've mentioned over the past few years, today is not really Presidents Day. It's officially George Washington's Birthday.

A 2/20/12 article in The Christian Science Monitor says...

...look at the US Office of Personnel Management list of 2012 holidays for federal workers. It says nothing about "Presidents' Day". It lists “Washington’s Birthday,” with an explanation. “Though other institutions such as state and local governments and private businesses may use other names, it is our policy to always refer to holidays by the names designated in the law,” says OPM.

from www.notable-quotes.com

Why should President Washington have his own official holiday? You mean, other than his military leadership and his status as our first President?

In George Washington and the Gift of Silence, Stephen M. Klugewicz, former executive director of Collegiate Network, writes...

...It is well-known that in laying aside his sword after the Revolution, he consciously emulated the legendary Cincinnatus, who returned humbly to the life of the farmer after leading his fellow Romans to victory in a war that threatened his country’s very independence. Washington staged for his troops on dozens of occasions Joseph Addison’s play, Cato, which depicted the great Roman hero who defied the tyranny of Caesar. Scholars have noted how the events of the play mirror actual events in Washington’s career, including Cato’s confrontation with his mutinous soldiers, which in some respects, was replayed when Washington refused at Newburgh to lead a military coup against the Continental Congress...

In The Man Who Would Not Be King, David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, writes...

...In an era of brilliant men, Washington was not the deepest thinker. He never wrote a book or even a long essay, unlike George Mason, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams. But Washington made the ideas of the American founding real. He incarnated liberal and republican ideas in his own person, and he gave them effect through the Revolution, the Constitution, his successful presidency, and his departure from office. What’s so great about leaving office? Surely it matters more what a president does in office. But think about other great military commanders and revolutionary leaders before and after Washington - Caesar, Cromwell, Napoleon, Lenin. They all seized the power they had won and held it until death or military defeat...

Transfiguration 2/19/12 and Buxtehude

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 01:36:00 +0000

Another excellent Sermon by Pastor Allen Lunneberg today at Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word.

Here's one of my favorite sections from Pastor's Sermon...

As the Lord’s Supper is said to be for faith “a foretaste of the feast to come,” so the Transfiguration of Our Lord is for faith a glimpse, an earnest of our own resurrection on the last day and the sinless purity God sees in us through the blood of Jesus shed for us.

From bach-cantatas.com

In addition to having a Pastor who clearly proclaims the Gospel, one of the nice bonuses of our new church is that we're hearing all kinds of new music. Today we were exposed to the music of Dieterich Buxtehude. We had never heard him before.

According to Classical Net, Dietrich Buxtehude (c. 1637 - May 9, 1707) was a Danish organist and composer of church, chamber and organ music, and, along with Heinrich Schütz, possibly the most influential composer of his time. Click here to read more about Buxtehude.

Click here for a YouTube Mix for Dieterich Buxtehude. Below is one selection from this YouTube mix.

Lines Crossed: State and the Church

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 04:57:00 +0000

In light of today's hearing "Lines Crossed: Separation of Church and State" in front of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I found the quote below from Martin Luther very enlightening.

Luther said...

Constantly I must pound in and squeeze in and drive in and wedge in this difference between the two kingdoms, even though it is written and said so often that it becomes tedious. The devil never stops cooking and brewing these two kingdoms into each other. In the devil's name the secular leaders always want to be Christ's masters and teach Him how He should run His church and spiritual government. Similarly, the false governments and schismatic spirits always want to be masters, though not in God's name, and to teach people how to organize the secular government. Thus the devil is indeed very busy on both sides, and he has much to do. May God hinder him, amen, if we deserve it!*

The video below features testimony of Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, at today's committee hearing.

*2/19/12 UPDATE: Thanks to my Twitter friend Eric Ekong who found the citation for this Luther quote. Luther, M. (1999). Vol. 13: Luther's works, vol. 13 : Selected Psalms II (J. J. Pelikan, H. C. Oswald & H. T. Lehmann, Ed.). Luther's Works (Ps 101:5). Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House.

Metaxas Speaks Truth to Power on 2/2/12

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 04:37:00 +0000

If you missed the 2/2/12 National Prayer Breakfast speech by Eric Metaxas that I posted last Sunday, I've re-posted at the bottom of this post.

Here's a great quote from Metaxas' speech at the Prayer Breakfast: "It is only the grace of God that can bring left and right together and do the right thing."

Boyce College Associate Professor of Biblical Studies Denny Burk offered the following summary:

Eric Metaxas had President Obama and distinguished guests in stitches as he shared his Christian testimony at the National Prayer Breakfast. He also shared some reflections about—you guessed it—Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He had some serious and prophetic words about the humanity of the unborn. He even spoke about having a biblical view of sexuality. All of this with the President sitting just a few feet away. This was a courageous talk delivered with winsomeness and joy.

Following his 2/2/12 speech, Metaxas was interviewed on Issues, Etc. Click here to listen to the interview.

If you listen to the podcast, you'll hear a reference to an article by Mark Joseph that you can read by clicking here.

New Troy Zoning Board of Appeals Appointments on 2/6/12

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 04:37:00 +0000

Thank you to the Troy City Council for appointing two new alternate members to the City's Zoning Board of Appeals.

Appointed at the 2/6/12 City Council meeting are:

Bruce Bloomingdale
Rusty Kaltsounis

Congratulations gentlemen and welcome aboard!

Troy Zoning Board of Appeals - January 2012 Meeting Video

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:17:00 +0000

Click on the image below to view the video from the 1/17/12 Troy Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

Church and State Collide in February 2012

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:20:00 +0000

Over the past few weeks, we've seen an escalation in conflict between Church and State. On January 20 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that nearly all employers – including religious charities, hospitals and schools – will be required for the first time by law to provide and pay for insurance coverage that includes contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures. While many in the news media have tried to make this into an issue that only affects the Roman Catholic Church, the facts are otherwise.

According to Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison...

We are deeply distressed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) recent decision to require nearly all private health plans, including those offered by religious employers, to cover contraceptives. This will include controversial birth-control products such as “Ella” and the “morning after” pill, even though the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that such drugs can cause the death of a baby developing in the womb. The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) objects to the use of drugs and procedures that are used to take the lives of unborn children, who are persons in the sight of God from the time of conception, and we are opposed to the HHS’ decision mandating the coverage of such contraceptives.

Click here to read the entire statement by Pastor Harrison.

On a related note, found a video of Eric Metaxas below on Frank Turek's website.

As Turek states...

My friend and best-selling “Bonhoeffer” biographer Eric Metaxas brilliantly wove wit and humor through a speech against dead religion at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Calling on the heavenly witnesses of Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer, Metaxas courageously defended life and natural marriage before about 4,000 people and with President Obama and Vice President Biden sitting just a few feet away from him. This entertaining yet powerful and pointed talk is well worth 29 minutes of your time (Eric’s speech starts at about the 35 minute mark. President Obama’s speech follows).

Michigan's Relentless Positive Action

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:14:00 +0000

"Relentless Positive Action (or “RPA” as we call it) is more than just a phrase -- it’s our forward looking way of turning ideas and actions into real and measurable results."
- Michigan Governor Rick Snyder

Michigan Chamber Official Robert LaBrant's 2012 Retirement

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:13:00 +0000

Last night, I drove up to Lansing to attend the retirement reception for long-time Michigan Chamber of Commerce executive Bob LaBrant. As I mentioned in a 12/2010 blog post, Bob helped me land my very first job after college at the Michigan Chamber.

At last night's reception, I found an interesting interview of Bob that was featured on page 8 of the Winter 2011 issue of the Michigan Forward Quarterly. You can also read the interview by clicking on the image below.

Photo via Dome Magazine

Click here to read a profile of Bob that appeared in the 12/16/2007 Dome Magazine.

As I stated in my 12/2010 blog post, thank you Bob and best of luck in your future endeavors!

Rugged Individualism vs. Conservatism

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:20:00 +0000

From Russell Kirk...

The conservative believes that the individual is foolish, although the species is wise; therefore, unlike the confident intellectual, he declines to undertake the reconstruction of society and human nature upon the scanty capital of his private stock of reason. The conservative believes that the world is not perfectible, and that we fallen human creatures, here below, are not made for happiness, and will not find happiness––at least, not if we deliberately pursue it; therefore, unlike the ideologue, he is not under the impression that any single fixed system of political concepts can bring justice and peace and liberty to all men at all times, if uniformly applied.

h/t Winston Elliott III

The Creed From "First Things"

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:20:00 +0000

First Things presents its first video, The Creed: What Christians Profess, and Why It Ought to Matter. Click here for more information and be sure to view the video below.

I Scored 11 on "How Thick is Your Bubble?"

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:28:00 +0000

The Wall Street Journal features an essay by Charles Murray previewing his new book, Coming Apart: The State of White America, 1960-2010. Click here and here for more information.

Buy a copy of "Coming Apart." Learn more about the new American divide. And uncover more content from Charles Murray and the American Enterprise Institute.

I took the online quiz and scored "11." I've "had a lot of exposure to the rest of America." See the graphic below. I guess I'll have to read Murray's essay to find out what this means.

How Thick Is Your Bubble?

Guest

Score » 11 out of 20 (55% )
Result

On a scale from 0 to 20 points, where 20 signifies full engagement with mainstream American culture and 0 signifies deep cultural isolation within the new upper class bubble, you scored between 9 and 12.

In other words, even if you're part of the new upper class, you've had a lot of exposure to the rest of America.

Quiz School

Take this quiz & get your score

How Thick Is Your Bubble? » Online Exam maker

Siberian Lutheran Documentary 2012

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:34:00 +0000

Because our son was born in Russia, we have a keen interest in what goes on there. Thank you Father Hollywood for posting this video on your blog.

The Battle for Life in 2012 and 2013

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Click here for more information on Turn the Tide 2012. Also, just discovered that there will be a January 2013 LCMS Life Conference in Washington, DC.

"God’s Call to Repentance" at Incarnate Word

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:01:00 +0000

Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word
Text: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Date: Epiphany III + 1/22/12

Below are a few excerpts from today's sermon by Pastor Allen Lunneberg.

You recall the drama of Jonah’s willing if desperate sacrifice to be thrown overboard into the sea ostensibly to placate the judgment of “the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). It was obvious that Jonah felt the guilt and sorrow for his disobedience. But sorrow is not yet repentance without faith.
Though, you will agree, Jonah deserved God’s judgment and punishment of death, the Lord delivered him through a spectacular miracle. You will agree also, then, that we deserve God’s judgment and death because of our sin and disobedience. Yet the Lord has delivered us through a spectacular miracle, the vicarious death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, and our Savior, the Son of God three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, so we have been swallowed up, that is, “buried with Christ by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).
And now we also know that God calls those who know repentance and faith, who have experienced the judgment and mercy of God themselves, to arise and go at His calling to call others, all others to the same gift of life in Christ Jesus our Lord; life both by His creation in this world and life in the world to come. With Jonah, with Simon and Andrew, with James and John, and with all who have been caught in the saving net of God’s grace, let’s go fishing.

Click here to read and/or listen to the entire sermon.

Religion and Jesus

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:34:00 +0000

By now, you may have seen Jefferson Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video.

Listed below are a few links that describe the video and what's wrong with it.

Jefferson Bethke's YouTube Hit a Misleading Picture of Jesus, Religion?
Following Up on the Jesus/Religion Video
Can You Come to Jesus Without Church?

If you'd prefer to view YouTube video responses to Jefferson Bethke’s video, then look below.

Pam Stenzel Returns to Troy on 1/22/12

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:10:00 +0000

Received an email from Troy Youth Assistance today that Pam Stenzel, whose programs they have presented in the past, will appear in person and present two faith-based programs at Kensington Church in Troy on Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Alex and I attended her presentation last year at Troy Athens and it was very informative.

See the information below on her presentation to be held on Sunday.

Pam Stenzel

(of Enlighten Communications and Sex has a Price Tag)

Kensington Community Church

1825 East Square Lake Rd, Troy, MI 48085

Sunday, January 22nd

5:00 pm — Take a Look in the Mirror (for mothers and daughters ages 11 and up)
Pam’s Take a Look in the Mirror message encourages girls to make sure their “look” demands respect, and is not distorted by styles of today. Pam helps girls look beyond physical beauty and discusses attitude, dress and mannerisms that will be consistent with the outward impression girls really want to give others. Crucial topics such as eating disorders, clothing styles and appearance are reviewed.

6:45 pm — Sex Still has a Price Tag (for anyone 8th grade and up)
In Sex Still has a Price Tag, world renowned abstinence educator, Pam Stenzel, combines her personal story and extensive pregnancy counseling experience in a hard hitting look at the consequences of sexual activity outside of a monogamous, lifetime relationship. In a captivating and inspiring talk, Pam tackles the tough issues of sex with candor, insight and humor while challenging young people to embrace the benefits of abstinence. This 7:00 pm presentation will be introduced by a special Kensington drama performance.

This free, community-wide event is open to all teens and parents in the area.

"Note to Parents: Pam doesn't mince words or water down the truth. Her speaking style is blunt, and viewers should be prepared. For more information about Pam’s Troy visit, please contact the local event coordinator at (248) 506-8433."

Troy Transit Center Moves Forward 1/17/2012

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:33:00 +0000

As reported by local news media, on 1/17/12 the Troy City Council voted 4 to 3 to approve a $6.27 million transit center proposal. Thank you Councilmen Dane Slater and Wade Fleming for your efforts to achieve this compromise.

I've embedded a couple of videos below from local news coverage.

Troy Transit Center Gets a Green Light: MyFoxDETROIT.com

Here are some links below of the other news coverage of the City Council's decision on the Transit Center.

Troy Patch

The Oakland Press

Mlive.com

Chicago Tribune

The Detroit News

The Detroit Free Press

Troy Times

Michigan U.S. Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:53:00 +0000

You may recall a 12/3/11 blog posting about a new documentary film examining the life of former Michigan U.S. Senator Arthur H. Vandenberg. I'm still waiting for Detroit Public TV to schedule this documentary.

In the interim, below is a WGVU Newsmakers program on Vandenburg and the documentary. It features Gleaves Whitney (Director of the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies) and Hank Meijer (author of an upcoming biography of Senator Vandenberg).

"Speak, Lord, Your Servant Listens" at Incarnate Word

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word
Text: 1 Samuel 3:1-10
Date: Epiphany II + 1/15/12

Below are a few excerpts from today's sermon by Pastor Allen Lunneberg.

God called Abram out of his unbelief and idolatry to become the father of faith for the whole world. The Bible simply says, “the Lord said to Abram.”
In addition, we’re all familiar with the miracle of how God called Moses directly “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Ex 3:2). Through the Word God called Joshua. After the time of the judges God called young Samuel, of which we heard and is our text for today. And who can forget the spectacular call of Isaiah in the holy temple shaken to its foundations and filled with smoke and the song of angels?
Today we have no word, no promise that God calls or speaks to anyone directly or immediately. We do have the Word and promise that God calls and speaks to people through the Word, the prophetic and apostolic Word of the Bible and through its reading, study and preaching, and “doing” through the sacraments.
It is the faith created by the Holy Spirit “when and where He wills in those who hear the Gospel” that draws you to hear, understand and perceive the reality of God’s call and care to and for you. It is a wonderful thing to be convinced by faith in God’s Word of the truth that is in Christ Jesus, and that this truth and faith has been handed down to us through our “fathers of faith” in the Church who have gone before us.

Click here to read and/or listen to the entire sermon.

Romney, the Economy and Government

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 04:53:00 +0000

Found an excellent article by Manhattan Institute fellow Josh Barro on Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Barro asks what policy implications arise from the economic shifts of the last few decades, driven (in small part) by private equity? To paraphrase Barro, Romney is right to insist that it is the job of business leaders to make profits for shareholders. "But while the human effects of these economic shifts are not properly the concern of business executives, they are the concern of government officials, and Romney wants to be president."

Governor Romney should take a look at this quote below from one of my favorite economists, Wilhelm Roepke...

...the market economy is not everything. It must find its place in a higher order of things which is not ruled by supply and demand, free prices, and competition. It must be firmly contained in an all-embracing order of society in which the imperfections and harshness of economic freedom are corrected by law and in which man is not denied conditions of life appropriate to his nature.*

*A Humane Economy: The Social Framework of the Free Market (Chicago: Henry Regnery, 1960), page 91.

God's Two Kinds of Government

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:23:00 +0000

From Martin Luther's 1526 treatise Whether Soldiers, Too, Can Be Saved:

For God has established two kinds of government among men. The one is spiritual; it has no sword, but it has the word, by means of which men are to become good and righteous, so that with this righteousness they may attain eternal life. He administers this righteousness through the word, which he has committed to the preachers. The other kind is worldly government, which works through the sword so that those who do not want to be good and righteous to eternal life may be forced to become good and righteous in the eyes of the world (coram mundi). He administers this righteousness through the sword. And although God will not reward this kind of righteousness with eternal life, nonetheless, he still wishes peace to be maintained among men and rewards them with temporal blessings.

From Martin Luther, Luther’s Works (ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehman; 55 vols; Philadelphia and St. Louis: Fortress and Concordia, 1955–1986), An Open Letter On the Harsh Book Against the Peasants, 46:99-100. See also D. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe (Schriften) (72 vols.; Weimar: H. Böhlau, 1883–1993), 19:629.

Don't Forget the Importance of Skilled Trades Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (David Lambert) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:44:00 +0000

On 12/2/11, I posted excerpts from The Death of the Fringe Suburb by Christopher B. Leinberger.

I also made the following comment...

In our rush to support the knowledge economy, I hope we don't forget those who may not be working in that particular sector. Remember, you can't have a knowledge economy without skilled tradespeople like electricians, plumbers, and carpenters.

Recently, I read the article Wanted: Blue-Collar Workers written by Joel Kotkin. Kotkin is Distinguished Presidential Fellow at Chapman University in Orange County, California.

Kotkin opens his article stating...

To many, America’s industrial heartland may look like a place mired in the economic past - a place that, outcompeted by manufacturing countries around the world, has too little work to offer its residents. But things look very different to Karen Wright, the CEO of Ariel Corporation in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Wright’s biggest problem isn’t a lack of work; it’s a lack of skilled workers.

Here are some of Kotkin's key points:

Even as overall manufacturing employment has dropped, employment in high-skill manufacturing professions has soared 37 percent since the early 1980s, according to a New York Federal Reserve study.
Today’s factory worker is less Joe Six-Pack and more Renaissance man.
The shortage of industrial skills points to a wide gap between the American education system and the demands of the world economy.
These days, the returns on higher education, particularly on higher education gained outside the elite schools, are declining, as they have been for about a decade.
Two-year colleges will be crucial to the effort to train skilled workers.
This may not be the postindustrial future envisioned by Ivy League economists and Information Age enthusiasts. But it could spell better times for a country in sore need of jobs.

Can Troy, Oakland County and Southeast Michigan capitalize on this opportunity? Not only for our economic future but to help those mired in long-term under-employment or unemployment?