Book Review: not a fan.

One of the most compelling and convicting books that I have read this year is not a fan. by Kyle Idleman  It became one of those books whose pages that need to be highlighted, dog-eared and flagged.  The first line in the book is "Are you a follower of Jesus?".  At first blush, and as Pastor Idleman points out, this may be a question you automatically answer without thinking much about it.  But as you delve into the book, you are made to look deep into yourself, question your motives and priorities and really answer the question.  Are you a fan or a follower?  What is your commitment? 

I will admit that this was a challenging book. It was convicting and there were times when I did question myself - but I think that was the point of the book.  The book is very well written, very easy to understand and, at times, humorous (most of that is in the footnotes).  The reader will find themselves being shown, through focusing on certain Bible passages and Pastor Idleman's explanations, the difference between being a fan of Christ and being a follower. 

He doesn't stop at convicting the individual, he also speaks to churches in general.  He says, "The biggest threat to the church today is fans who call themselves Christians but aren't actually interesting in following Christ.  They want to be close enough to Jesus to get all the benefits, but not so close that it requires anything from them."   He also mentions later that in some instances churches have become enablers, my word not his, that don't teach what it really means to be a follower because they don't want to make the congregation uncomfortable.  I stopped at this point to reflect on all the times that my Pastor has apologized during a sermon that did convict and perhaps make us uncomfortable but then followed up with letting us know he wanted us to know the truth and sometimes the truth is hard.  But we're dealing with our eternal life, so shouldn't we want to know the truth, even if it is difficult sometimes?

A follower gives all, they aren't perfect, they are committed.  Even if their friends and families think they are going overboard, they stay focused on Jesus.  As Pastor Idleman puts it "In Revelation 3 Jesus says to the Christians in Laodicea, 'You are neither hot or cold but because you are lukewarm-I'm about to spit you out of my mouth.' Jesus doesn't say, 'Everything in moderation'; he says you can't be my follower if you don't give up everything.  His invitation is an all or nothing invitation."

One of the most encouraging things that I found in the book is this - "when Jesus invites you to follow him, his invitation comes to you right where you are.  He doesn't want you to wait until tomorrow in hopes that you will finally be heading down the right path; he wants you to say yes today and he will lead you out of where you are now."  Thank God for that.

Book Review - Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me by Ian Morgan Cron

If all memoirs were like this book, they may be the only genre I would read.  This book captured my attention with its title.  I kept coming back to it.  Jesus and the CIA, I finally decided I had to know the connection.  Ian Cron’s memoir is a look into the life of a child growing up with an alcoholic father and the impact it has on decisions, emotions and faith.  The famous words of review that have been used time and again – “I laughed, I cried” – well, I laughed, I cried, I prayed.  Moments in the book will speak to you, touch you to the core and make you chuckle.  The memoir is told honestly but at times with humor that makes you wonder at its very presence.  

There were several ideas in the book that I just wanted to write down and stare at, considering them in more detail.  One of them was “Life always comes down to who’s driving.”  It made me think of signs I’ve seen that say “If God is your co-pilot, you’re in the wrong seat.”  Who is driving your life?  One of the others was “Love always stoops.”  God’s love and the love we are meant to develop and show to others is a humble love, a servant’s love.  “Love always stoops.”  I think I’ll remember that one.

This book was a quick read because it was so intriguing and enchanting, pulling you into Ian Cron’s life as if you were there with him.  I have to give a small shoutout to Book Sneeze because if it weren’t for their site, I may never have found this book or decided to read it.  And that would have been regrettable. I highly recommend this book.

Resurgence - Answers to Common Questions About Creation

Answers to Common Questions about Creation

I found this to be quite interesting.  It's a little long, but worth the read.  Two things that I found compelling enough to want to share is Pastor Mark's thoughts on evolution:

What are some of the problems with atheistic evolution?
Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1892) was an English naturalist who founded the modern theory of evolution. He published this proposal in 1859 in the book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life. His lengthy original title is often shortened to The Origin of Species both because of its length and its racist overtones. Evolution seeks to explain the origin of life apart from God. As Christians we are free to accept the seemingly self-evident fact of micro-evolution that species can and do adapt to their environments. However, as Christians we are not free to accept the yet unproven and highly suspect thesis of macro-evolution that one species can evolve into another species entirely.
And, though it reigned as the dominant paradigm for over one hundred years, Darwin's theory of evolution has recently come under intense criticism by both Christian and non-Christian scientists who prefer what has come to be known as "intelligent design." The reasons for the decline of confidence in macro-evolution are many, but the following are some of the most implausible faith-leaps of macro-evolution, which seemingly requires at least as much faith as believing in an eternal God:

• It postulates that the world sprang into existence from nothing for no reason, or that matter is basically eternal and has no origin but cannot explain how or why this occurred.
• It postulates that impersonal matter created personal people.
• It postulates that species evolved over long periods of time from one kind of animal to another yet does not have the transitional forms between species that would demonstrate this has actually occurred.
• It has been unable to replicate evolution after over one hundred years of attempts to do so.

Because of these reasons, as well as the clear conflict with Scripture, Christians should reject macro-evolution as both flawed science and aberrant theology.

And his thoughts on the Bible's teachings. He discusses several interpretations, but this is just one of them:

View #1 - Historic Creationism
In this view, Genesis 1:1 records the making of all of creation by God out of nothing (or ex nihilo) through a merism of "heavens and earth," which means the sky above and land below, or the totality of creation. Since the word used for "beginning" in Genesis 1:1 is reshit in Hebrew, which means an indefinite period of time, it is likely that all of creation was completed over an extended period of time (anywhere from days to billions of years). Then Genesis 1:2 begins the description of God preparing the uninhabitable land for the creation of mankind. The preparation of the uncultivated land for and creation of Adam and Eve occurred in six literal twenty-four hour days. This view leaves open the possibility of both an old earth and six literal days of creation.

The article is definitely worth the full read, but these were the highlights in my view.  

Book Review - The Ambition by Lee Strobel

The Ambition is Lee Strobel's first fiction novel.  Since I am a big fan of his non-fiction books, I was very eager to get read this book and purchased it as soon as it came out.  LOVED this book.  Although I have to admit that I had to stop reading a few times because I was so frustrated with the main character.  Which I guess proves that it was a good book since it elicited such strong feelings.  Very well written, it was a gripping story that I couldn't put down (unless frustration dictated it) about a pastor of a megachurch that thinks about becoming a senator while his church faces proof of God's hand in our lives, corruption runs rampant in the courtroom and an investigative reporter comes across more than he bargained for.  The various plot lines interwove and in the end came together seamlessly.  I shouldn't have been surprised since I've seen Lee Strobel do the same thing with facts and interviews, but the flow of The Ambition was exceptional.  

The only issue that I had was more with the Kindle version than the book itself.  Assuming the problem I had was with the Kindle and wasn't showing up in the actual print book.  Intermittently during the story the word indent, cindent or excindent would show up where another word was supposed to be.  No idea what that was all about.

I would STRONGLY recommend this book.

Book Review - The Story of the Bible by Larry Stone

The Story of The Bible is a wonderful trip through time learning about the origins of the Bible, the intricacies of the translations, the dangers dedicated people put themselves in to share the Word of God.  Taking you through the history of the Book itself you learn how books were picked for inclusion and how far back the some of the books can be traced.  You follow the history of Bible translations to find yourself at the end of the book realizing that the Bible has been translated into more languages than you could imagine, with many more to go.  One of my favorite chapters in the book is the 8^th chapter, The Old Book in the New World.  As a nation, America has lost sight of the fact that it was founded on Biblical principles, many do not even realize it since it’s hard to find that teaching in schools these days.  This chapter is a must read for anyone not familiar with the history of this country.

This book itself is fun to read with the scattered inserts giving you copies of pages to pull out and peruse in their original format.  It is like a treasure hunt within the book.  The illustrations are beautiful and interesting in themselves.  A very nicely done history.

The Heart of Memory by Alison Strobel

I am a big fan of Lee Strobel, so when I heard that his daughter Alison had written a Christian fiction book I decided to read it.  I don't read Christian fiction normally, only Jan Karon.  I have to say, it is one of the best fiction books that I've read.  The story of the life of the heroine and her family, the highs and the devastating lows, was mesmerizing and gripping.  From Savannah's seemingly put together life in her ministry through a heart transplant that changed her so much that she almost lost herself in the process, the story flew across the pages. Add to that the dysfunctional relationship with her daughter and the life her husband kept from everyone and it became a book I could genuinely not put down.  I would highly recommend this book.

Easter

Luke 24:46-48   And he [Jesus] said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day.  It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: 'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.'  You are witnesses of all these things."

"There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent."  That is the Good News!

I have to admit, I don 't understand those who think that the resurrection was some kind of symbolic thing that didn't actually happen.  I can understand those who don't believe it at all, although I don't agree with them, but symbolically rising from the dead?  Don't get it.  There are too many reasons to believe this - 1) no body in the tomb; 2) Jesus appears to women first; 3) The disciples go from hopelessness and disbelief that the man they thought was their savior had died to giving up their lives for him.  Something happened to change their minds.  And what about James who did not believe before Christ died and Paul who actively persecuted Christ's followers until he also came face to face with the Messiah - at which point he became one of the most vocal followers?

There is no question the tomb was empty.  Even the Jewish leaders had to admit to that.  If there had been a body in the tomb we wouldn't be celebrating Easter.  Women were next to nothing in those times, their witness did not count for much in courts, so if Christ's followers were trying to convince people of something that had not happened, using women as Christ's first post-death appearance would have not helped their cause.  And the disciples, who had gone back to their boats - at least the ones who fished - in a state of confusion and despair at the events that had just happened?  They suddenly decide to make up a story about Jesus coming back from the dead and are willing to die for this lie?  I don't think so.  That doesn't make any sense at all.

And then there's Saul (Paul).  In Galatians 1:13, in Paul's own words he says, "You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion - how I violently persecuted God's church.  I did my best to destroy it.  I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors."   And yet, Paul came to believe that he was chosen to spread the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.  What could change a man's mind that dramatically?  According to Paul, it was a direct encounter with Jesus.  And lucky for us he was called upon.

Paul makes two specific statements that are near and dear to my heart in his letters to the churches.  The first is in 1 Corinthians 15:17 "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins."   If Jesus was not physically raised from the dead, there is no reason to have faith and we're wasting our time talking about it.  But that isn't the case because Jesus was raised from the dead.

Paul's other statement is Romans 8:1 "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."  None.  And what a feeling of freedom that is.  Praise God for loving us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his Son.

"It is finished."

By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.  The light from the sun was gone.  And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.  Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!"  And with those words he breathed his last.

When the Roman  officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, "Surely this man was innocent."  And when the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw  what had happened, they went  home in deep sorrow.  Matthew 23:44-49

I decided today to watch The Passion of the Christ.  I have owned the movie for a while, but have not watched it mainly because I didn't want to see what I knew would be a realistic portrayal of a crucifixion.  I've read the history of them and what exactly went into a crucifixion but reading words and viewing an image, no matter how good your imagination, are two different things. And I remembered how just reading about the crucifixion felt.

I definitely felt deep sorrow while watching this, as I do reading about it.  However, I know something that the witnesses to it did not understand at the time.  I know that the resurrection happened.  While I can feel sorrow that Jesus was tortured and died as he did, I can feel joy knowing that he did not let death defeat him.  And because of him, we no longer need an intermediary between us and God.  The curtain tore and we are free to have a direct relationship with the One True God. 

Beyond understanding.  Beyond comprehension.  Amazing love.   Alleluia Alleluia

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"

Matthew 27:46  "At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"

I have read, and unfortunately I cannot remember in which of my books, that in the time of Jesus, people would use the first line of a scripture to mean or reference the entire scripture.  In this particular case, Jesus'  cry references back to the book of Psalm, chapter 22  (Bold added by me)

 ¹ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
      Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
 ² Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
      Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. ³ Yet you are holy,
      enthroned on the praises of Israel.
 ⁴ Our ancestors trusted in you,
      and you rescued them.
 ⁵ They cried out to you and were saved.
      They trusted in you and were never disgraced.
 ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man.
      I am scorned and despised by all!
 ⁷ Everyone who sees me mocks me.
      They sneer and shake their heads, saying,
 ⁸ “Is this the one who relies on the Lord?
      Then let the Lord save him!
   If the Lord loves him so much,
      let the Lord rescue him!”
 ⁹ Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
      and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
 ¹⁰ I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
      You have been my God from the moment I was born.
 ¹¹ Do not stay so far from me,
      for trouble is near,
      and no one else can help me.
 ¹² My enemies surround me like a herd of bulls;
      fierce bulls of Bashan have hemmed me in!
 ¹³ Like lions they open their jaws against me,
      roaring and tearing into their prey.
 ¹⁴ My life is poured out like water,
      and all my bones are out of joint.
   My heart is like wax,
      melting within me.
 ¹⁵ My strength has dried up like sunbaked clay.
      My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.
      You have laid me in the dust and left me for dead.
 ¹⁶ My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
      an evil gang closes in on me.
      They have pierced my hands and feet.
 ¹⁷ I can count all my bones.
      My enemies stare at me and gloat.
 ¹⁸ They divide my garments among themselves
      and throw dice^[a] for my clothing.
 ¹⁹ O Lord, do not stay far away!
      You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
 ²⁰ Save me from the sword;
      spare my precious life from these dogs.
 ²¹ Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
      and from the horns of these wild oxen.
 ²² I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters.^[b]
      I will praise you among your assembled people.
 ²³ Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
      Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
      Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
 ²⁴ For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
      He has not turned his back on them,
      but has listened to their cries for help.
 ²⁵ I will praise you in the great assembly.
      I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you.
 ²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied.
      All who seek the Lord will praise him.
      Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy.
 ²⁷ The whole earth will acknowledge the Lord and return to him.
      All the families of the nations will bow down before him.
 ²⁸ For royal power belongs to the Lord.
      He rules all the nations.
 ²⁹ Let the rich of the earth feast and worship.
      Bow before him, all who are mortal,
      all whose lives will end as dust.
 ³⁰ Our children will also serve him.
      Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.
 ³¹ His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.
      They will hear about everything he has done.

Just something I thought was interesting that I wanted to share.

Good Friday

One of my favorite days in the Christian calendar of events.  I try to take at least part of the day off on Good Friday to be able to read, reflect and honor our Lord who willingly died for us.  Today I have the whole day to consider this event, but a day, even a lifetime, is not enough time to wrap my head around what Christ did for us.  Did he want to die?  I think he was struggling with his humanity at the end.  He knew he had to fulfill the scriptures and was willing to obey his Father at all costs.   

Matthew 26:36-46 shows us Jesus' turmoil and suffering.  38 He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death."  39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible,let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.  Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."  42 "My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done."  Heartbreaking.  Part of me wants him to be released from this obligation when I read this, I don't want to see someone so beloved by me suffer.  But, of course, the other part of me knows that he has to go through with it - for me.  If he didn't all would be lost.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  John 3:16   He died for us before we were born, while we were still sinners, because we were sinners.  And I thank and praise Him for that.

Easter Services

If you are in the Chicago area and are thinking about going to church on Easter, please come out to First Church of God in Oak Lawn, IL.   Watch the video for more info (and to see what you're getting yourself into).  :)

Easter Invitation

A Gumshoe article

Article on 'The Gumshoe'
You can get to the trailer from a link at the end of the article but for those who would like to see the trailer first, you can follow this link:
The Gumshoe trailer

Hebrews 1

Looking back on last year's posts I noticed that I have two regarding Hebrews.  I may re-post those when I get to the correct days, but I have to add to what I've said in the past.   Actually, last year I didn't post anything on this chapter in Hebrews.   I find it interesting that no matter how many times you read the Bible, new things pop out at you.  They may not even be new things, they may be something you've read and re-read but suddenly you take notice of them or their meaning is something that fixes in your heart at a particular point in time.

Hebrews 1:14 is what stuck out in my mind with this year's reading.  "Therefore, angels are only servants-spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."  We are the people who will inherit salvation if we turn to God.  Angels are sent to care for us.  Guardian angels have been on my mind lately, I'm not sure why.  The question of whether they are really part of our world.  This is my answer.  They are, they are sent to care for us. I have to admit that reading the passage alone isn't what drew my attention to the meaning.  I'm using Joyce Meyer's amplified Bible and one of her notes made me go back and re-read the verse.  She says, "What a comfort to know that God provides angels to  minister to and help us."  What?  Wait... let's go back.."Therefore, angels are only servants - spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation."

One more thing I have to admit, and you can believe it or not as you so choose.  I believe it, because I was there, but I have to admit that part of me sometimes forgets this event.  When I mentioned to my daughter that I had been thinking about guardian angels lately and whether they were around, she said, "Well, Mom, you saw one remember?"   How is it that my own memory is working against my understanding of His Word?  

I had told her a while ago that when I was her age, somewhere between 8 and 10, I woke up one night - yes, I am sure I was awake before you even ask the question.  I'm sure because I thought, no one is going to believe I'm awake, I don't and I need to make sure I am.   I opened my eyes and at the foot of my bed was a figure shining white, glowing brightly - so I did what any 8-10 year old would do in that situation and threw the covers over my head.   When I managed to uncover my head - after moments of heart pounding fear - the figure was no longer there.   

I've gone through all the possibilities of what that could have been in my mind, but there really aren't too many.  The possibility that anyone who hears the story usually offers is the "it must have been your mom" argument.  The problem with this - and any un-supernatural explanation - is the glowing brightness.  In addition to that my mom was wearing a forest green robe to bed at the time so no brightness would have been coming off of her anyway.

Angels - they're out there. :)  And I'm glad they are.

The Jesus Inquest by Charles Foster

This book provides a case for and against the resurrection of Christ.  I have to admit, I found this book somewhat difficult to read.  Not because I didn’t understand what the author was saying, but because it often annoyed me and made me think that he did not particularly think his audience was that intelligent.  At least when he was X.  This book took on a slight schizophrenic feel since the author was both X (against) and Y (for).  At first I thought that would be an interesting way to treat the arguments, but after reading the book for a while, I found myself reading out of order.  Since each chapter has subsections in it, I found myself skipping from X’s thoughts on one section to Y’s on the same section and then back to X’s.

There were some arguments made by X that I could see immediately were poor arguments.  While I have studied a bit, I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination and was surprised to notice this.  Interestingly enough, the author in his preface diminishes the work of Lee Strobel, but it was through, in part, to reading Lee Strobel’s work that I was able to pick out Mr. Foster’s X poorer arguments, arguments which were proven to be poor when Mr. Foster’s Y arguments were made.  I will probably keep this book as a reference tool now that I have it, but I think there are probably better books out there for those who are looking.  I would check out Lee Strobel.

I think it's time everyone come to their senses

Emanuel rips Chico in first negative ad
Sorry, but anyone who believes this sales tax issue of Rahm's is a good idea has not thought this through.

1) He says that his sales tax "decrease" should save the average family $200/year.  That's $.55/day.  I understand $200 is money... if someone handed it to me all at once I'd be happy, but I don't think that's even something we're going to notice.  However, that $200/year is going to cost the city $45 Million dollars.  I don't know if anyone's heard, but the city is pretty much cash strapped.  I'm not sure there's a cost/benefit there.

2) As I've said before, Emanuel can't tell us what is going to be considered a "luxury" item because it will be in the hands of the Illinois legislature.  I'm sure that fine establishment will have only our best interests at heart.  Really.  There is no way of knowing how much more we'll be paying when these new taxes hit.  None.  No one knows.  What are the chances it's going to be more than the $200 we're supposedly saving?  My guess is pretty good.  

But then it's a guess.  If Rahm can do it, why can't I?

Charlie Foxtrot by Raymond Starmann

Charlie Foxtrot by Raymond Starmann
This is one of Ray's first books and is another terrific read.  Charlie Foxtrot is a full novel, not a short story and is available on both Kindle and print. 

My review of the book:
This is a great read. Extremely funny and entertaining, it also has its poignant moments that warm your heart. I've read this book twice and it was just as good, if not better, the second time around. I would also love to see this book get picked up by a publisher and get widespread attention.

Book description:
CHARLIE FOXTROT - a novel about the Cold War, the Gulf War and the stupidity of war. CHARLIE FOXTROT is the story of First Lieutenant Bryce Bennett, an army intelligence officer assigned to the 74th Cavalry Squadron in West Germany, during the final days of the Cold War. Bennett is the straight man, who through the looking glass, must interact with characters so bizarre, that only the army could manufacture them. Bennett feels that he is living in a camouflaged insane asylum. He must survive patrols across the East German border and sub-zero field exercises. He is forced to participate in absurd army intelligence investigations and is an eyewitness to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Just when Bennett thought he was going home, his unit is accidentally deployed to the Persian Gulf War. While there, things seem to spin completely out of control...

The Cole Madison Trilogy

The Cole Madison Trilogy by Raymond Starmann
If you like mystery and adventure, you will like Cole Madison, the American PI in Germany.  The three stories that make up the trilogy are:

Double Tap - Madison is on the trail of a murderer who knocked-off a wealthy, philandering banker, Arno von Ringbach. Madison gets knocked around a bit as well. With enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, this fast-paced story will make you want to read more of Cole's adventures.

Lest We Forget - In the second story, Madison is driving home one night, when he sees flames billowing in the distance above his home town, Buedingen, Germany. Arriving on the scene, he learns a friend of his, Hannelore Feldman, an aging Holocaust survivor died in the blaze that also levelled her place of business, the Cafe Buedingen. Madison suspects arson. He follows a trail of blood, guts and horror as he battles Neo-Nazi thugs and stays one step ahead of his best friend, KRIPO(Criminal Police), Inspector Kurt Ginther. Multiple suspects and red herrings appear and disappear as Madison adds up the evidence and learns the cold, hard truth behind the macabre crime.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow - Cole follows a trail that leads him to kidnappers, heroin dealers and the stolen art world. Multiple twists and turns, and Cole really gets put through the ringer as well.

All three stories are well written, exciting and an entertaining read.  I personally hope to see more Cole Madison stories in the future.  All are available on Kindle right now, separately and as a trilogy.  If you don't have a Kindle, the trilogy should be out in print soon.  In fact, if you would like to read the stories in print form, please leave a comment so I can  let the author know the interest level.

Happy reading!

Chicago Tribune Endorsement

Chicago Tribune Endorsement

You may wonder why I'd post the Chicago Tribune's endorsement since they endorsed Rahm Emanuel, and I am backing Gery Chico.  I wanted to point out some things from their article that they are using as reasons why they did not endorse Chico who, if you read the article, you can see was clearly their second choice.

"But it was the other major player in this crowded field, Gery Chico, who made this decision difficult. It's rare to have two competing candidates who could do this job so well. Chico, too, has a record of effectiveness in government, particularly during his tenure as head of the Chicago Public Schools board during the first, groundbreaking wave of education reform.

Chico, though, is largely a product of Chicago government. He has built a successful career in law and public service via his hard-earned clout at City Hall. We do not see Chico as the candidate likeliest to disrupt a status quo of which he is such an integral part. That is the realpolitik reason why public employees unions have been gravitating toward Chico." 

1) Chico has built a successful career in law and public service via his hard earned clout at City Hall.  - Okay, don't you normally build on what you have to help your career?  He has clients in his law firm that come from his days at City Hall.  If you need a lawyer, wouldn't you turn to someone you knew and trusted?  I don't understand why this is an issue.  This isn't the "Chicago way", that's business.  You build your career and company on networking.

2) I cannot speak for the police or fire departments, but the way I heard it, the fire department endorsed Chico because Emanuel gave them the very clear impression that he just didn't give a fig about them.  Who on earth is going to endorse someone who doesn't care.  The police and fire departments have not been treated well under the Daley administration, why would they want more of the same?   I would like to remind everyone that the police and firemen in this city, and all cities, put their lives on the line EVERY day for the citizens in their cities.  If you have a problem with them, think about what would happen if you needed them and they just didn't show up.

3) Chico has the experience to help our schools.  I do not know Rahm's background but I have not read anything about how he has already fixed the same problems we are dealing with right now.  However, Gery has.  So why should we vote for someone who might get the job done as opposed to someone who we know can get the job done?

The Trib's endorsement seems to be built an suppositions that Emanuel will do a better job, that's fine.  They're entitled to their opinion.  I just think their wrong.  They say themselves that "It's rare to have two competing candidates who could do this job so well."  Chico is the right one.

What is the Rahm Tax

What is the Rahm Tax?

A few good points in this article:

"His idea is to try to reduce the sales tax, and make up for it by creating new taxes on services - but only those used by the wealthy. "If you can afford an elective cosmetic procedure like Botox, if you can afford to take a charter plane flight into Chicago, you shouldn't be able to do that on the backs of working families," said Chicago For Rahm communications director LaBolt.


This seems eminently reasonable. The question is, which services will ultimately get taxed? Only the ones that won't affect "working families," LaBolt insisted. But different working families use different services. Is there a comprehensive, specific list of the things Emanuel would like to see taxed?

At this point, the spokesman was decidedly more curt, pointing to a press release. "We released the policy to the press two weeks ago, but you all didn't pay any attention to it until Gery Chico announced he was against it," he said."

Yes, that would be because Gery Chico explained that it's not just a "decrease on sales tax" which is all it was being hyped as.

"LaBolt would only say that it will "require negotiation with Springfield" - state lawmakers would have to pass a new tax - and that Emanuel has drawn his "line in the sand" at not harming "working families."

It's this ambiguity that Chico finds misleading. "Voters who are heading to the polls in just three weeks have no idea what services Emanuel would tax if he were elected as mayor," the campaign said in a press release today."

I have to wonder why Emanuel thinks that he can draw a line in the sand for the state lawmakers.  And sorry, I trust the state gov't less than.... yeah, well, nevermind, don't really trust any of them at the moment.

"But the problem goes further than uncertainty about nitpicky details. If, as LaBolt suggests, the tax only affects a very limited set services for the wealthy, then it's hard to imagine that it will generate the tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars required to offset the sales tax decrease. After all, how many dog-walking, limo-riding plane-charterers are there in the state of Illinois?"

The tax issue that Emanuel is hinging his campaign on is smoke and mirrors.  I hope that people figure it out before heading to the polls.

The Gumshoe - Coming soon

There are 57 days left to raise money for the Pilot. Just noticed that a $10 donation will get your name in the credits. There are more perks the more you contribute, but I thought it was cool that you could get your name in the credits for $10.

Follow the link above.

Conversation with Rahm

Rahm Emanuel was at my train station today.  I have to admit, when I saw him from across the street, I actually walked around the station to avoid walking past him.  I didn't really want to shake his hand.  However, once I got around the station I realized I was passing up an opportunity to give him a chance to explain the sales tax issue - maybe I've been wrong,  maybe he really does have a plan he can explain without vague references...maybe we're going to have a sunny day with temperatures in the 60s today too.

When I turned around to go back he was trying to get my attention to shake my hand so I told him I had a question for him regarding the tax issue.  He was fine with that and started going into his single mother..yada yada yada...luxury planes.  So I interjected with, yes but what about everything in between?  What else is going to be affected?  He mentioned working with the legislature but then started the speech again.  So I asked him again what about everything in between?  (I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone that owns a plane.)  He said it would have to go to the legislature.  I confirmed that the idea would have to go to the state legislature and he said, yes, that's why I say that we will have to work on it.

I'm sorry, I don't think our state legislature is really going to help our cause here.  I would rather have a mayoral campaign based on something that the future mayor can do on his own, perhaps needing to work within the confines of the city government to get things done.  I'm not opposed to the mayor working with the state but don't hinge your campaign on it.  Because in my eyes, that means nothing.

His final comment was "You asked for someone who would tell you the truth."  I was trying too hard not to giggle at this point, so I could not say anything except thank you.  Really?  I live in Chicago, Illinois.  The last thing that I'm expecting is a politician to tell me the truth.  And in any case, I don't think I'm going to get the truth from Rahm Emanuel.

The Gumshoe - Check it Out!

The Gumshoe - Screenplay by Ray Starmann and Sean King
Fun premise for a series of Private Eye stories:

"Los Angeles, 1947; NICK MCGRAW, 35, a self-employed, hard-boiled private eye is on the verge of cracking the biggest case of his life, the murder of film actress, Veronica Davis. In the middle of the night, during a violent storm, McGraw is called to his office to speak with reporters who were tipped-off about the case. Unbeknownst to McGraw, the U.S. military is running a top-secret intra-dimensional time warp program from the top floor of his office building. The program is a continuation of Tesla’s defunct 1943 Philadelphia Experiment -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Exper.... After dismissing the reporters from his office, McGraw steps into the elevator as the storm rages outside. Lightning hits a series of strategically placed antennas on the roof; causing the elevator to act as a dimensional super-conductor. McGraw emerges from the elevator and stumbles out to an unfamiliar Wilshire Boulevard and the year…2011."

Check out the trailer!  Donations are being accepted but just trying to get word of mouth out there for these writers.  They wrote and produced Generation Gap for the Hallmark Channel, a wonderful heart warming story about a boy learning how to be a man from his grandfather, Ed Asner.  I hope to see much more out of them, they are very talented.

More Short Stories by Ray Starmann

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow Review

Lest We Forget Review

Two new Cole Madison stories by Ray Starmann, both very good.  If you click on the links and are interested in the books, which are currently only out on Kindle, the link to the book itself is on the right hand side.

Review of Double Tap a short story by Ray Starmann

Review of Double Tap by Ray Starmann

Ray is a friend of mine who is an author, screenwriter and producer.  He co-wrote Generation Gap which starred Ed Asner and was shown on the Hallmark channel.    He has also written a few books and is embarking on a series of stories featuring an American Private Eye working in Germany.

Ray served as an army intelligence officer for over five years on active duty. He was serving in Germany when the Wall fell and has an intimate knowledge of Germany that comes through in his books. 

Right now Double Tap is only available on Kindle, but hopefully in the near future it and other Cole Madison stories will be available in print as well.

The Fig Tree

There is quite a bit going on in Mark 11.  Jesus enters Jerusalem on the colt, he shows his unhappiness at what has been done to the Temple by clearing it of those using it as a marketplace and he countered the challenge of  the leading priests and teachers at the time by asking them where John's authority came from, heaven or human?  Very action packed and yet I have to admit, the part of Mark 11 I seem to get hung up on is the fig tree.  

Jesus was hungry, saw the fig tree full of leaves and went over to find figs.  Not finding any, he cursed he tree.  That has always seemed a little on the harsh side to me.  When I read this passage in the NLT, it say "but there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit."  So why would Jesus even think the tree may have fruit on it?  This is one of those things that never quite made sense to me.  So this time I wanted to figure it out.  It was one of those "there has to be more to it than that" topics.

Apparently, on a fig tree, if there are leaves, there is supposed to be fruit.  Early in the season  there  is still fruit but it is not quite fig although still edible.  If there is no fruit at all at this time, there will be none.  This fig tree in Mark 11, had no fruit at all.  Jesus used this tree as a parable. There are a few different takes on this event, but the one that I found that speaks to me is from Joyce Meyers.  "if our lives revolve around the church but we have no fruit, we are not living our faith."   Something to think about.  What kind of fig tree do you want to be?  A productive one or a poser.   I guess what it really boils down to is that unlike the fig tree, we need to walk the talk.  Which sometimes is easier said than done, but definitely worth striving for.

Quote taken from "The Everyday Life Bible" commentary by Joyce Meyers.

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Let's try this again

Last year at this time my church, The First Church of God, was doing a 5x5x5 bible reading plan that went all the way through the New Testament in one year spending 5 minutes a day 5 days a week.  I had started blogging about the readings and my impressions, but I failed to keep up with it.   My small group is going to be doing it this year as our study guide, so I'm going to take another crack at it.  I made it through Mark and part of Acts.  If you want to go back to them, you can click here: January 2010 posts.

I'm hoping I do better this year.  I did complete the reading, just found it hard to post consistently.  I am somewhat sporadic with my blogging so I need to make an effort.