I watched the 18 ft. 6 ,000 lb. statue by an Oklahoma Indian legislator, The Guardian," hoisted above our capitol's new dome last Friday before a large gathering of folks out front. The huge crane set it slowly in place for a crew of workers to fasten down (after a second try), while an Indian musician played his reed pipe and then a family of tribal singers offered songs to the beat of their tom tom. Gov.Keating had told us about the dome and statue costing 21 million dollars. He said that the Reynolds (tobacco?) company made the first and final donations. Since Indians taught whites how to use tobacco, I wondered if that warrior/brave would guard against any more of us Oklahomans falling into harmful smoking addiction. We also learned that this state capitol building is the very last to have a dome added. Even the national building in Washington D.C. had none until Abraham Lincoln sought one to symbolize our national unity. (The dome is a sign of authority). Thus our governor stands in tall company, having raised the funds from non-governmental sources by voluntary contributors. "Guardian" faces rightly east, from whence the Lord Jesus will finally return. "The Daily Oklahoman's" Sat. cartoon by Lange, showed John Q. Public looking up at the statue and saying "Keep your eye on the legislature" too. And now we have the only dome cupola holding a native American aloft (though CA has the most now Keating said).
OETA had a Sunday afternoon documentary on "The Great Western Wall" that I'd never even heard about, though I can remember D-Day just after my last year in PV High. It told of the massive line of fortifications and bunkers that Hitler had built along the North Sea to prevent any Allied invasion. I'd often heard of the French Maginaugh line to stop any German advance, yet the Nazi forces just went over and around it to defeat and occupy their neighbor early in WW II. Then on June 6, 1944, the same thing happened to them as an invasion came at Normandy beach. Their line of cannon emplacements ran north past Belgium and the Netherlands, which Hitler thought would take care of the western front while they struck deep into Russia on the east. How wrong he was, thank GOD. The war wasn't' over for nearly a year, but D-Day was the beginning of the end and divine retribution. I can't even discuss it with my wife however, because she hadn't been born yet. I was in the navy at San Diego or Chicago when that blessed event happened here in Garvin county. A couple of months after my enlistment the Axis surrendered and six months after, the Japanese. So I should have joined sooner (ha), though I wasn't even seventeen yet on D-Day.
"Discovery" on TV14 had a report Sunday entitled "Boy or Girl?" that told of the 35,000 intersexuals living today in America. It showed how some babies are not easily identified as male or female and how pediatritians have used genital surgery along with hormones to make them one way or the other. Cultural pressure on the families has created such a demand of the doctors to settle the gender question. Of course the female chromosomes are xx while males have xy. It would seem that could end confusion. But there are some who have both interwoven in their genes. Thus the big question of hermaphrodites is whether to wait until puberty to ask them which they'd prefer to be. Life is a gender quandary for those who never get any help, though they've located each other for support groups. This is causing me to rethink the Genesis text that says "GOD created man in His own image, male and female created He them." We've long realized that both masculine and feminine attributes are in every person. And we've heard so much about gays and lesbians as male and female homosexuals; even trans-sexuals made by surgical alteration. And now intersexuals. This to me calls gender into question as an ultimate characteristic, even though we use it in theology when we speak of GOD in masculine terms. Surely it's only as metaphor. But the Creator is not subject to something "He(?)" made is He? And since Jesus affirmed that in heaven they neither marry nor are given in marriage, then perhaps souls aren't male or female either one. Not that they are just neuter, but are something far more wonderful than gender. Feminist theologians have described the Trinity as Parent-Child-Holy Spirit, which is offensive to me. Yet we males might just pause to consider their point on Father's Day, though I've never like John 3:16 so translated: "For GOD so loved the world that GOD gave GOD's only Child, that whosoever believes in that Child shall never perish but have everlasting life." I'll stick with the King James Version, while also trying to comprehend why some scholars want to delete the male references to divinity. >center> extra column
Here's a parable about the Son that our heavenly Father sent us. In fact my son sent it to me just the other day: God's Great Grace
I wonder how many people will delete this without reading it because of the title?
There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent-up old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time." "But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?" "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take'em to them." The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?" "Huh? Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!" "How much?" The pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty birdcage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story. One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!" "And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!" "How much? He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life." Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. The pastor picked up the cage. He opened the door and he walked from the pulpit. Notes: Isn't it funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Isn't it funny how someone can say, "I believe in God," but still follow Satan (who, by the way, also "believes" in God). Isn't it funny how you can send a thousand jokes through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Isn't it funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. I pray, for everyone who sends this to their entire address book, they will be blessed by God in a way special for them. And send it back to the person who sent it, to let them know that indeed it was sent out to many more. GOD IS GREAT!!!!
Niece and I had also heard Brother Clay Shannon recite this to conclude his message at Joy Baptist last Sunday night. And it was so powerful, I wanted all to read it too.
joseph hazlitt "ANGELFIRE" at