BT Irwin Posts

A blog about looking for the Way of Jesus Christ in 21st century America

Page 26


March for Life

The 44 years since Roe versus Wade prove at least one thing: What we’re doing is not working.

What I write here is not for people on the extremes. Those who are militant and staunch in their stance against, or for, abortion. It is a waste of anything worthwhile to try to do anything with these people.

Funny. As much as they hate each other, they’re essentially the same.

No, I write this for the majority of people in this country who are reasonable and well-meaning.

I believe most pro-choice people are reasonable and well-meaning.

I believe most pro-life people are reasonable and well-meaning.

I truly believe that we want the same thing: We want to save lives. We want a day to come when abortion isn’t even necessary in our country (so its legality is not of much consequence).

And I think we want to get along with each other.

So why can’t we just…get along? Why can’t we...

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01.27.2017: The Mother of Exiles is in exile

‘The New Colossus’ by Emma Lazarus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

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The American Inquisition

The greatest threat is not that we could fall to our enemies.

The greatest threat is that we become like our enemies.

Think.

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What happened to civics?

I was writing a blog post this morning and needed to look up the definition of “civic.”

I look up words all the time by typing them into the search bar. Google gives me the definition–and an entire page of other dictionary sources–and I go about writing.

When I typed “civic” into the search bar today, I had to go halfway down the second page of search results to find the definition I sought. The first page and a half were advertisements for the Honda Civic.

My first brand new car was a Honda Civic. I loved that car and drove it for almost ten years.

What does it say, however, about our society when we think of “civic” as something we buy and sell? Something we consume and discard?

The definition of “civic,” according to Merriam-Webster, is: “…of or relating to a citizen, a city, citizenship, or community affairs.” We say a “civic-minded” person cares about what is happening in...

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Madonna, Miley, Melania, and Nazis

If we’re fair-minded, level-headed people (like we claim), let’s make a pact: We need to ignore “tabloid stuff.”

Madonna’s speech at the WomensMarch was Exhibit ‘A’ for a lot of people making a case against the protest. I agree with them. The celebrities who “made appearances” at the march were gratuitous. It doesn’t help when I’m trying to convince a friend of mine that the march is for women’s dignity and he sends me six photos of Miley Cyrus doing what Miley Cyrus does.

Please ignore celebrities. They don’t represent us. Let’s focus on each other.

Barron Trump is off limits. Any kid is off limits. If you take to the media to make fun of a ten-year old, you deserve to be grounded. You don’t speak for me or most of us who are parents. Besides, Barron Trump is not the point. What his father is doing is the point.

On that matter, the relationship between Donald and Melania Trump is...

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Freedom, love, and strength are for the weary

Yesterday, my wife and I had our 1,328th “discussion” (argument) about “communication” (how we each feel the other is failing at it).

If you’re in a longterm relationship like a marriage, you likely know this exact “discussion” yourself.

My wife looked at me and said: “I’m tired of having this same argument over and over again!”

I looked back at her and said: “So am I!”

Our son came into the room. We both looked at him. We both knew that we would have this discussion again…and again… and again. As many times as it takes to finally get it right.

Why?

Our family is worth trying as many times as it takes.

Love is for the weary.

I’m thinking about training for a half-marathon this year. I trained for one three years ago.

When I started the training program, I hadn’t run more than a mile in almost ten years. I never liked running. I was never good at it. But something made me...

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Peace or dust

We all agree on one thing: We are a nation deeply divided.

I think most of us agree that being divided is bad thing, a harmful thing.

Most of us agree that being united is better.

So we agree on three very big things. We can build on that.

How?

Reconciliation and unity will not come from Washington, D.C. We all know that it’s not possible for the federal government to make us all get along. Besides, we all know that conflict is a big moneymaker for politicians. What incentive do they have to stop sowing conflict?

Reconciliation and unity will not come from the media. We all know that conflict is a big moneymaker for the media. What incentive does the media have to stop reporting conflict?

Reconciliation and unity will not come from the corporations. The bottom line is the bottom line. Vision sees only as far as the next quarterly earnings report. Corporations do whatever...

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Trump Trump

Donald Trump is my President today.

He is not my leader.

Trump rose to power by dividing and conquering and by inciting and promoting anger and fear. He appealed to the worst in us, not the best.

He will remain in power by doing more of the same..and much worse.

Things are going to go wrong for Donald Trump, which means things are going to go wrong for the United States and the free world.

And when they go wrong, Donald Trump and his co-conspirators will look for someone to blame. They will blame blacks. They will blame gays. They will blame liberals. They will blame Muslims. They will blame the poor. They will blame the press. They will blame women. They will blame anyone who stirs up the most paranoia and rage in the public.

They will do more than blame. They will frame. They will slander and smear. They will whip up a mob of angry and frightened “insiders” and tell them the...

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Sail through, or soar over, the storm?

Two random, unrelated thoughts about stormy winds:

Random thought 1:

During the race to invent flying machines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the conventional wisdom was that wind was bad. Aspiring pilots waited for perfect calm to attempt their flights. All of them failed.

The Wright brothers were the butt of many jokes because they believed wind was good for flight. The very reason they tested their first airplane at Kitty Hawk was to take advantage of the constant, stiff winds.

The Wrights believed: The windier the better.

The Wright brothers were right.

Random thought 2:

A song we sing at church has this line:

“When the oceans rise and thunders roar/I will soar with you above the storm.”

No worse lyric was ever written for Christians to sing. It’s blather.

Since when does anyone who wants to follow God “soar…above the storm?”

As I recall from my Bible...

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Presidential power

The power of the one who presides.

The power of the one in the position of authority.

The power of the one in the position to decide, to determine, to direct.

The power of the one in the position to decide, to determine, to direct. In what matters?

What matters…to you?

Do you decide, determine, and direct what matters to you?

Then you must be in the position to do so.

The position of authority over what matters to you.

The power to preside over what matters.

Presidential power.

You have it from God from birth.

Don’t forget.

Don’t forget to use it.

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