Health Care Bill(s) Explained in Plain English

If you’ll notice from the title of this post, I have the word “bill” pluralized. That’s because there is not one, but FIVE – yes 5 – health care reform bills in circulation that have the potential for which to be voted. The problem is that these bills are 1,000+ pages long containing incomprehensible legal-ese jargon. It is my belief that these bills are drafted in such a way to keep the average American uninformed. Liberty Counsel, a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family, has provided a chart that breaks the down all five bills in a way that is readable and understandable. You can find a link to the bill below this post.

Why is this so important? Read it yourself and find out. Among a host of other things, you’ll find back-door deals, provisions forcing people into coverage (this is a freedom-killer – you can pay unreasonably high fines for “opting out”), forcing employers to pay exorbitant fees for providing other kinds of insurance for their employees, and using your tax dollars to cover abortion on demand. These bills force a national identification card that links you to a nationalized information center (In the thickest Russian accent I can muster: “Show me your papers!”). In addition, these bills come with a price tag numbered in the trillions with NO clear way to control costs. There has been no legislation like this – in terms of cost, moral degradation, and tyranny – in the history of the United States. It must be stopped.

The House wants to vote as fast as possible to eliminate the chance of Americans becoming informed and protesting against the bill. There are rumors floating around the Capitol that the vote may be pushed back until Sunday, so take the time to read this chart. Get informed and get involved. Liberty Counsel has links that will help you take action, whether by providing phone numbers to your Congressmen and women or by scheduling faxes that explain your views to key senators and representatives.

Comprehensive Healthcare Chart

Eugenics, Health Care, Obama, and America

Since it is past time to dust off this blog, I decided to post a video that really moved me regarding the America and its current trajectory. I will not provide commentary on it because I believe that it is sufficient to stand on its own; however, I will respond to any comments or questions you may have.

Beware of two things:

1) It’s a long video – 19mn, 35 sec long.

2) It’s a Glenn Beck video. I say this because I know some of you who follow me on twitter and Facebook despise Beck because he’s too vitriolic. I urge you to watch the video anyway. You’ll find it reasoned and measured; and since you are so open-minded, you shouldn’t have any problem viewing – right? I’ve never seen Beck moved to tears, but he talks about someone very important to him – his daughter.

more about "Eugenics, Health Care, Obama, and Ame…", posted with vodpod

A New Bill of Non-Rights

OK – this is a little tongue in cheek humor for the week. The following “revised” Bill of Rights was taken from Orrin Woodward’s blogsite, in which he credits. GA State Representative Mitchell Kaye. Orrin Woodward accolades includes: author of NY Times Best Seller- Launching a Leadership Revolution, HR World Top 100 Blog, Top 250 Twitter, Speaker, Economics, Christian, Husband, Dad.  

NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

This is probably the best e-mail I’ve seen in a long, long time. The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye from GA. This guy should run for President one day…

“We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt-free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights.”

ARTICLE I:  You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II:  You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone — not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III:  You do not have the right to be free from harm.. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV:  You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes .

ARTICLE V:  You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we’re just not interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI:  You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don’t be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair..

ARTICLE VII:  You do not have the right to the possessions of others.. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don’t be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won’t have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

 ARTICLE VIII:  You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful. (AMEN!)

ARTICLE IX:  You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

 ARTICLE X:  This is an English speaking country. We don’t care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from! (Lastly….)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country’s history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

 

 

 

 

Theology of Running

A lot of people have been asking me about my sudden interest in running.  Well, it just so happens that the Holy Spirit smacked me over the head with 1 Corinthians 9:24-27:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

That last sentence really hit me hard. Could I actually disqualify myself from preaching the gospel by living an undisciplined life? Could being overweight hinder someone from accepting the gospel that I speak? The answer, yes. I am a firm believer in the transformational quality of the gospel. How can I preach and teach it when my own body doesn’t look like I believe it? How can I preach/teach about God’s holiness and not strive to reflect that in my body, mind, and spirit? Well obviously I can’t; hence, the running.

Why Running?

Easy…I did it virtually everyday in the Army. Our physical fitness tests included a timed two mile run. For my age group, I was required to complete two miles in 15:57. My quickest time was 14:10. In addition, it was an XVIII Airborne Corps standard for everyone (male/female, old/young) to run 4 miles in a minimum of 36 minutes. We ran everyday to be ready for the tests and evaluations; but most importantly, we ran everyday to be ready if our nation called upon us to fight. If we were not fit, we would die…period. I chose to run for a few reasons. First, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. If I had the choice, I’d pick something else – like swimming. God laid the strong conviction upon my heart that running – combined with diet – would be His means of getting my body to a health level that would glorify Him. Second, the verse that convicted me has a lot to do with running. I am not training for myself only. I am becoming fit so that I may glorify Him and to be in a better position to spread His fame. Third, it seemed like a natural fit given my history with running. Fourth, I always enjoyed running – even when I was forced to do it in the Army. There’s no greater feeling than clearing out your lungs with fresh air, and enjoying the world around you. Plus, the runner’s high ain’t bad either.

The Tools

1) The open road, er, sidewalk actually. I have always hated treadmills – always felt like a mouse in a wheel.
2) A pair of Brooks Beast running shoes. Buying the right kind of shoes cannot be overemphasized. I have flat arches and have broken my feet a few times. The Beast gives me the proper arch support, while providing some extra cushioning that I need because of my weight. So far, I don’t have problem with aches and pains.

3) Some Holy Spirit-inspired motivation. Discipline is sorely missing from my DNA, so self-motivating can be rough. I have to remind myself of this verse constantly.

The Plan and Progress

A long run (for me, a long run is 4 miles or so) 3 times a week. On the off days, I either run a fast 2 miles or cycle. My ultimate goal is to increase my 4 mile time to the XVIII Airborne Corps standard of 36 minutes. I have a long way to go. This morning I clocked myself at 44 minutes – sickeningly slow. To date, I have lost about 25 pounds. I am currently plateaued, but this is a life change. For me, I am running for the rest of my life. It’s not an event to lose some weight. If that was my goal, I’d stop running as soon as I hit my target.

Well, that’s it…my theology of running. I hope that my story can help you to assess how you can glorify God with your body. When we gave our life to Christ, we were giving it all to Him. He owns it and has full rights to it. I’m not suggesting that running is for everyone – or even for you. Seek the Lord, and He’ll give you specific direction. Most importantly, don’t give up!

Take Up and Read 2009

All right…it has been a while – a long while – since I last posted. (I’m trusting the completed work of Christ for my forgiveness <wink>). Anyway, I have finalized my systematic reading plans. Personally, I work much better with structure – keeps me focused. Below is my systematic reading plans.

It should go without saying that the Bible should remain the predominate reading for the Christian. My reading plan is somewhat unique. Taking the advice from Don Witney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, my reading plan is based upon the major genre (or style sections) of Scripture. Each day, I read an equal amount of chapters from the Law (Genesis through Deuteronomy), Historical (Joshua through 2 Chronicles), Poetry and Wisdom (Job through Song of Solomon), Prophets (Isaiah through Malachi), and the New Testament (this could be broken down further, but I didn’t want to get too bogged down). I’m not concerned about reading the Bible in exactly one year, and this plan allows me to be flexible in amount read or if – hypothetically (ha, ha) – I miss a day. Reading through the different genres also keeps it fresh. If this is a bit too aggressive, combine the Law and Historical or the Historical and Poetry sections. Also, as indicated by the picture, I do prefer the ESV. It is a very accurate, literal translation that is easy to read and possesses some of the majesty that I remember from reading the King James in my youth. My goal is to read at least two chapters from each section daily.

OK – this may throw some people. Why would I want to read John Calvin’s Institues of the Christian Religion? For one, this year marks the 500 year anniversary of his birth. Sentimental, I know. Second, John Calvin is perhaps one of the greatest theologians that God has graced the church. Perfect, hardly. But he was certainly influential to the Protestant Reformation. It was originally written to the king of France in an attempt to quell persecution by Catholics who claimed that the  Protestants were heretics. It encompasses an entire body of theology (though I don’t agree with 100% of it -  i.e, the infant baptism section) that is written in a clear, convincing, pastoral tone. Third, Princeton Theological Seminary has laid the challenge to read through the Institutes this year. Side note: if PTS lived out the Institues, they wouldn’t be as theologically liberal as they are now. Full text is available on a weekly basis and according to the reading plan they devised. This is due to copyright issues. They also have the reading available as audio and on podcasting subcriptions through iTunes. So far, we’re only a few pages into the first real section, so there’s plenty of time to join in. Check out the site HERE.

Christian Reflections on the Leadership Challenge is the first book on the required reading list for LNet. LNet, or Leadership Network, is a peer-learning, leadership training course offerred to pastors in the Treasure Coast Baptist Association.Once this book is complete, we will be required to read others.

In addition to these books, I have one more course at Liberty University. Whew! As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. How will I accomplish this? For one, less TV! Its amazing the amount of time that mindless TV consumes. I’m confident that the Holy Spirit will use this plan to bear fruit for God’s Kingdom.

Do you have a systematic reading plan for 2009? Need some direction? Leave me a comment.

Starbucks and the Church

Over the next couple of posts, I would like to begin a conversation on how followers of Christ relate to a world that is increasingly unconnected with the church.  Without going too deep, the following video will set the stage for several posts dealing with relevance and culture – both within and without the church. Watch the video, and let the comments begin.

Tough Sayings of Jesus

This is the current study for our 30-something home group that meets on Monday night. Actually, we’re about half-way done, but I wanted everyone to check the introductory video. If anyone wants to come out, shoot me an email or facebook message (briangiaquinto) and I’ll get you directions. Each week stands alone, so you won’t be missing anything if you come in the middle of the study. Enjoy…

A Late Halloween Fright

Hello – Can you say, Police State?

One Voice in a Noisy World

Noise. It’s everywhere. All around us, there are competing voices that vie for our attention. No, I’m not going schizophrenic, nor do I hear voices in my head (most of the time, lol). These voices – endlessly – tell us how to vote, what to buy, where to go and what causes are worthy of our participation. There are just as many Christian voices, many of which seem even louder – what’s the best model of church strategy, evangelism program, how to pray, which program guarantees success, blah, blah, blah. I will admit that many are voicing important concerns, but how can we make proper decisions when all of the voices are speaking at one time? The problem is that, because we are passionate for our faith to fill all of life and culture, we’re trying to listen to all of them. Yet, we know talk is cheap. As a GenX’er, I am always cynical about people. I usually go under the assumption that people are not being completely honest with me. It can drive you crazy. This is where I draw comfort from Deuteronomy 6:4:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. (ESV)

The first part of what is commonly referred to as the Shema, this passage is the launching point of our understanding about God and our relationship with Him. With all the competing voices, the Bible calls us to listen to the “One” God, the One Voice. Well, what about Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Don’t you believe in the Trinity? Of course I do. Consider:

I and the Father are one.” The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. . .The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:30 & 33 ESV)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13 ESV)

Not only does Jesus remind us that He is God, He also says that the Holy Spirit works in concert with Jesus and the Father (read the rest of the chapter). My purpose is not to get into a theological discussion about the Trinity, but to remind us that in spite of the many voices, there is only One to which our ears should be tuned. Isn’t it amazing how in a noisy room the human ear can focus on one person? If we didn’t have ability to block out the other voices, we would not be able to engage in a conversation with anyone. This is no different, spiritually. We must train our ears to listen for the One voice of God in the middle of a noisy world. The wisdom that God gives will enable the true followers of Christ to fill any circumstance with their faith.

Feel free to comment. . .