Theological Thursday

JESUS IS THERE

"In the midst of difficult and often unending questions about suffering, Jesus is there in the midst of the storm of doubt, in the tumultuous waves of despair, in the gale-force winds of defeat. He is there with the fearful, and the doubtful and those without faith. He illustrates the assurance of God’s care in the storm. His presence with the disciples in the storm tells us more about who he is—neither removed from suffering, nor always preventing suffering—then why we suffer. “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”  Margaret Manning Shull, Slice of Infinity

MIRACLES

"We don't have to explain miracles; all we have to do is accept them."  Ben Carson, Men's Devotional Bible

THE RESURRECTION

"Welcome to the resurrection. God raised Jesus from the dead, which is great news for you. And, in the face of the world's attack on the resurrection, we continue to boldly confess why Jesus' tomb was empty on Easter Sunday. He rose from the dead.

"Do not be afraid to believe in & confess the resurrection; do not fear if the world thinks you are a big on the loony side. If Christ has not been raised, you have no hope. But Christ has been raised, & He has tied His resurrection to yours in the waters of Holy Baptism. His life is yours."  Roy Askins, The Lutheran Witness, April 2020

Corona Virus + Biden + Abortion

"Men demand end to lockdown before wives start any more home improvement projects."  Babylon Bee

CORONAVIRUS

"Many hospitals are getting pushed near, or over, the financial edge. At a time when we feared that hospitals would get overwhelmed by a surge of patients, they have instead been emptied out. At a time when we thought medical personnel would be at a premium, they are instead being idled all over the country . . .

"As with the lockdowns in general, it’s not clear how much of the reduced traffic in the hospitals has been the result of people changing their behavior on their own based on fear of the virus, and how much has been the result of state edicts. But it’s certainly true that the prohibitions on elective surgeries — more than 30 governors had issued some version of them as of late April — were too clumsy and sweeping, and not geographically selective enough.

"Governors in some states are now loosening them up, and it’s time for other governors around the country to follow suit, except in true hot spots. In retrospect, the bans fail the cardinal rule of health care: First, do no harm."  Rich Lowry, National Review Online 4/28

"Never having been required to sacrifice for anything and told we should always expect more and better of everything, we feel our right of entitlement has been unfairly stolen from us. Not knowing what sacrifice looks like we are unable to react to it in a positive way, a way that is more likely to lift us from our current circumstances, or at least sustain us in them. Those previous generations would shake their heads at how we are reacting to current economic challenges."  Cal Thomas, Townhall, 4/28

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

"We do not know whether the accusations that Tara Reade has leveled against Joe Biden are true or false. That is a question of evidence and of inquiry that might be answered as time rolls on. We do know, by contrast, that the double standard that has been exhibited by Biden’s campaign and by the political press in tandem is a national disgrace. Both culturally and legally, due process must be habitually applied to nobody or to everyone. If, upon the most frivolous and protean of pretexts, it is routinely accorded to one faction while being denied to another, it is effectively lost . . . 

"We are of the same view today as we were in 2018, and as we were before that. We believe that sexual assault is a hideous crime and that we should punish only people who are guilty of it. It is monstrous when the perpetrators of evil get away with their acts. But it is also monstrous when the innocent lose their good names. Our preference for due process derives from a desire to avoid either outcome.

"More practically, we believe that our political system itself benefits strongly from the presumption of innocence. If the mere introduction of an accusation is sufficient to prompt a candidate’s withdrawal, the incentives for false charges will grow legion. Joe Biden is a hypocrite and an opportunist, but that is no reason to treat him any differently than we would treat anybody else. If he has truly changed his mind on this most important of questions, we welcome him into the fold. As Biden now argues, Tara Reade’s accusations should be “respectfully heard” and “rigorously vetted.” And, if the evidence does not rise to the level, the man at whom they are aimed should be assumed not guilty. But we will not get to that point with one side throwing a blanket over the story and muttering, “well, this time he’s one of ours.”  The Editors, NRO, 4/28

ABORTION

"I’ve seen women change their mind about abortion almost instantly after learning there is help out there for them, that someone is one their side, not just with baby clothes and diapers, but someone who gets in their mess with them, walks with them, and shows empathy and compassion. They need to be seen, heard, and listened to. Abortion clinics don’t do any of that. Their main goal is to commit as many abortions as physically possible within a certain time frame. There is no real counseling that happens inside abortion clinics. It’s a complete farce that the abortion industry cares about women."  Pamela Whitehead, Townhall, 4/28

Mental Health Monday

10 SIGNS IT'S TIME TO GET HELP FOR DEPRESSION * 

* by Therese Borchard, Health Advocate

1. Hopelessness  Comment:  I can relate.
2. Inability to concentrate  Ditto
3. Unexplained aches & pains  Ditto
4. Apathy concerning the things you liked to do  Ditto
5. Alcohol or drug abuse
6. Changes in sleep habits  Ditto
7. Changes in appetite & eating  Ditto
8. Irritability, agitation, & moodiness  Ditto
9. Feelings of worthlessness & guilt  Ditto
10. Thoughts of death, suicide, or self-harm

YOUR FAMILY TREE

"The choices that you make with your family today will determine the quality of life in your family tree for generations to come."  Steve Farrar, Men's Devotional Bible

OFFICE MOTTO MAKEOVERS *

* courtesy of Reader's Digest, April 2020

• "Nothing ruins a Friday more than the understanding that today is Tuesday."
• Feeling stressed out? Make a nice cup of hot tea & then spill it in the lap of whoever's bugging you."
• "The only thing worse than seeing something done wrong is seeing it done slowly."

TRENDING *

courtesy of The Babylon Bee

• "Trump Says to Drink Lots of Water, Media Report He Told Everyone to Drown Themselves"
• "Dad Pretty Proud of B+ He Got on 5th Grader's Math Test"

CORONAVIRUS

I'm getting as tired of restrictions as the next person. I've been working at home for the past month. Lois has been meeting with her Tuesday morning Bible class via Zoom. We received private communion at church last Friday. We've had to postpone indefinitely a trip to visit our son Nathan, daughter-in-law Laura, grandkids Calvin & Claire in the Twin Cities. (We did get to SKYPE with them on Saturday.) Last Friday we went to church & received private communion. Yesterday we participated in worship via Facebook.

Yet I'm also skeptical at the thought of restriction being lifted or lightened. Despite calls to lift restrictions because of the progress we've made, isn't it restrictions that has slowed the rate of cases & cast doubt on earlier projections of disasters?

"Americans are willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Those millions who have lost their jobs are beginning to rightly wonder why. Is it simply to please some Washington experts? Haven’t we already flattened the curve? Our hospitals are mostly empty. Reports on numbers of ventilators ring hollow. The price of this murky, yet undefined victory is astronomical. Especially for those who can’t pay next month’s mortgage."  Gil Gutknecht, Townhall, 4/26

"But when COVID-19 begins to recede into the background and, as we draw nearer to this November’s election, we really start to take stock of all the economic, communal, and psychological devastation that litters the land, those of us who value truth, liberty, and the victims of injustice must be sure to correct the record:  It is Big Government and Big Media actors, and not some virus, that are responsible for it."  Jack Kerwick, Townhall, 4/26

"Surreal” is a word people have been using a lot in the past month or so under the new coronavirus realities. It can be used to touch on the terrifying and the life-endangering as well as the merely inconvenient. For many of us, life is not what it once was. Routines might be out of whack, a family might finally spend time together (whereas before, work kept people apart for long hours), or you couldn’t even be with a dying loved one at the end. And, of course, there is the all-around uncertainty. We need something to latch on to when we don’t really have words that can adequately describe what is going on. There is also the wistful thought that this may just be a bad dream we get to wake up from."  Kathryn Lopez, National Review Online, 4/27

"Asked about allowing religious services outdoors, former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said it could be a good idea if proper social distancing were maintained. “I believe the first things governors will try to restart are some outdoor activities that give us a sense of normalcy. Allowing religious services to take place outdoors with proper social distancing could be a very attractive and appropriate proposal along those lines,” Gottlieb tells National Review in an email. “The target for these activities should be the beginning of May in most parts of the country, given that many regions that have been affected really haven’t started to show significant, sustained declines yet.”

COMMENTS

"Holding religious services outdoors obviously isn’t a perfect solution. There is a lot more space in small towns and suburbia than in large cities, and thunderstorms or extreme heat could cancel services. But, with the proper precautions, it still seems like a better and safer alternative than holding services indoors at greatly diminished capacity."  John McCormack, Ditto

"Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the White House coronavirus task force, on Sunday said Americans would probably need to continue social distancing measures through the summer.

“Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another,” Birx said in an interview on NBC’s Meet the Press. Dr. Birx indicated that social distancing would be strongly recommended even as states gradually lift closures on businesses."  Zachary Evans, Ditto

On the Mountain + Christian Hope

ON THE MOUNTAIN

"In the wilderness there is weakness, but on the mountain there is strength. In the wilderness there is loneliness, but on the mountain there is companionship. In the wilderness there is despair, but on the mountain there is hope."  H. Beecher Hicks, Men's Devotional Bible

THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIAN HOPE

But a deep, permanent shift in history happened on this Easter morning. This is the essence of Christian hope. Cosmic justice fell on the blameless one. He carried every burden known to humanity, and it crushed him into the ground. This was the costly price of Jesus for us, life for life. And then he broke free. The curse we brought on ourselves was broken, as the ancient texts say: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”(1)

Now in the midst of a hurting, shaken world, even though sometimes we don’t have eyes to see, a rainbow of hope remains this Easter morning. Even now, there are tendrils and buds on the dark, jagged lines of the tree branches. Even here in the midst of my grieving country, and yours, the hope of spring, the hope of an everlasting rainbow after the storm, is present through the Risen Savior, who promises to one day wipe away every tear. He joins us on this dark path."  Elizabeth Clark, Slice of Infinity

Surreptitious Saturday

NEW LIFE

"Two disciples filled with sorrow at injustice unknowingly encountered Jesus along the road to Emmaus. Writer Jill Carattini said, "[Jesus] tells them that the suffering and death of the Messiah were not to be understood as a defeat of God's purpose, but as a necessary pathway to new life. And pointedly, profoundly, Jesus suggests that this is the very pattern of God: from death to life. . . . And out of the death of the Messiah himself God brings us to resurrection—first God’s, then our own."  Naomi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING

"If bees made beer, we would be taking better care of ourselves."  Reader's Digest, April, 2020

CORONAVIRUS

"There are plenty of reasons to attack Trump for the virus sweeping our country, but the media are mad at him for not doing something that would have been absurd: shutting down the country when there wasn’t a single Wuhan flu death in the nation and the media had barely mentioned it. 

In fact, the first time most news consumers heard about the latest Chinese coronavirus was when liberals attacked Trump for shutting down travel from China at the end of January."  Ann Coulter, Drudge Report 

"It is not enough for government officials, in reliance on experts, to tell you that they have very good public-health reasons to lock you down, remove your livelihood, deny your children access to education, and blockade your family from the use of outdoor spaces. Again, there is no question that government has a compelling interest in public safety. Nevertheless, before it restricts or denies our fundamental liberties, it has the burden of showing that its proposed restrictions are necessary, that there are no more modest measures that could better balance public safety with our right to live freely."  Andrew McCarthy, National Review Online

"Despite there being no indication that outdoor spaces abet the spread of the disease, parks have been shut down throughout the United States, and the closures are at times enforced with rigor. No less than Tom Brady was chased from a closed Tampa Bay park after he was discovered working out, apparently alone. A father in Colorado was briefly detained by police for the alleged offense of playing T-ball with his 6-year-old daughter on a softball field.

"A sure sign of fanaticism is the inability to make distinctions, in this instance between risky and non-risky activities and between places hard hit and places not. It’s one thing to hold a day-long, 100-person family reunion in a public park, quite another to jog through one. It’s one thing to begin opening up in New York City, where there have been more than 10,000 deaths, and another to begin opening in Montana, where there have been 14."  Rich Lowry, NRO

"While it is good for the president to project engaged leadership, that should never take the form of free-flowing dialogue with his advisers. Those conversations should happen behind closed doors. When the president speaks publicly, he should stick to what he is in a position to convey factually, not hypothetically. Especially when it comes to scientific and medical information, as to which he is quickly out of his depth.

"At the same time, no matter how much the press abhors Trump, no matter how sincerely believed its conviction that he is a dangerous man who will induce people to do dangerous things, reporters worthy of the name do not have license to portray Trump as living down to their worst fears when he has not. If he says dumb things, they should report that he said dumb things. That’s bad enough (and since they’re clearly hoping to hurt him politically, nothing stings like the truth.) The press destroys its own credibility, however, by reporting the president’s ill-advised remarks as if they were culpably, recklessly irresponsible remarks.

"The president should not have spoken about theoretical virus treatments. But he obviously was not urging people to apply half-baked theories, or to seek any medical treatments without a doctor’s approval. He was opining on potential treatments he had been told that medical experts were testing, and speculated they should be testing, to determine their effectiveness."  Andrew McCarthy, NRO

"It is a great tribute to our Constitution that these checks and balances are working to create the friction necessary for Americans to take notice of the deeper issues at stake here. But we must take note and demand much better from our public officials. Federal and state executives would be wise to take a step back and consider the long-term implications of the actions they are taking. They must preserve and respect the constitutional structure that guards our liberty."  Penny Nance, Townhall

ELECTION 2020

"Biden will attempt to position himself as the “normal” candidate vis-à-vis Trump, the decent and reasonable man in the race. The truth is that he is a crank. He is a vicious, lying partisan of the first order, a moral and political coward not above lying about the circumstances of the death of his first wife and daughter when he thinks it will suit him politically. Biden’s claims about a canceled election are pure fiction."  Kevin Williamson, NRO

The Media + Social Distancing + Religious Freedom + Homeschooling

THE MEDIA

"The media's liberal slant is likely a major factor contributing to the decline of newspaper circulation and broadcast news ratings. It is all so predictable that people don't need to waste their time (or money) reading and watching."  Cal Thomas, Townhall, 4/23

STEWARDSHIP

"If you believe that God created the Earth (which I do) and you believe that humans were entrusted to take care of God's creation (which I also believe), then the question of how we should interact with the environment becomes a question of stewardship. How do we best take care of the Earth, which was given to us by God?"  Jackie Cushman, Townhall, 4/23

SOCIAL DISTANCING

"Surfers and bikers are the least of our worries. Yet, there is a segment of American opinion that takes it as its responsibility to scold and shame anyone who dares go out and get a little fresh air."  Rich Lowry, National Review Online, 4/24

URBAN PROGRESSIVES

"Meanwhile, it is not hard to find examples of urban progressives looking at rural America with a combination of contempt, disdain, pity, smug superiority . . . heck, it’s not hard to find urban progressives who see suburbanites as somehow inferior and worthy of scorn, never mind residents of small-town America."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 4/24

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

"During a White House conference call with more than 500 faith leaders on Thursday, Attorney General William Barr assured the participating priests, rabbis, and ministers that the administration is on guard against overzealous state governments intent on “singling out” religious groups with punitive coronavirus lockdown measures.

"(Attorney General) Barr, who spoke for roughly ten minutes, told the religious leaders that, while “Draconian measures” were initially necessary to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, the administration is now working to ensure that those measures are not extended unnecessarily, and will be particularly aggressive in combating efforts to apply them disproportionally to religious organizations."  Jack Crowe, NRO, 4/24

HOMESCHOOLING

"Some parents choose homeschooling because they feel that their children will be discriminated against in the public schools, denied disability accommodations, or bullied.38 Some choose homeschooling because they want their children to have the flexibility to pursue demanding commitments in dance, sports, or theater, or because they live in remote areas with no nearby schools, falling into a category characterized as “practical” or “convenience” homeschooling. Some choose homeschooling, as did the original progressive wing, because of the flaws they see in traditional education, such as an overemphasis on rote learning and testing. Some believe that they can provide their children a superior education because of the limitations of their local schools or because of the parents’ advanced qualifications, ability to engage superior tutors, or access to online learning opportunities."  Daniel Buck, Townhall, 4/24

The Promise + The Most Important Lesson + Pastors

THE PROMISE
Though creation groans with contamination and disease, though we presently hear the raucous cries of a world fearfully aware of its need for healing and newness, even here, in this present darkness we have the promise of a God at work in the dark. The darkness of Holy Saturday was the firstfruit (literally, promise to come) of the light of Easter. Over all of creation, even in the midst of a pandemic, God speaks the abrupt, creative promise of one who has set in motion the restoration of all things.

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON
"The most important lesson I've learned in my life is that God is so gracious that He accepts me, my failures, my personality quirks, my shortcomings & all."  Tom Landry, Men's Devotional Bible

PASTORS
"Even with an increase of multipoint parishes in both rural & urban settings, we will still need more pastors. What can you do? First, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send workers. The Lord commands us so to pray & shall hear our prayers. Second, treat your pastor like the gift he is--a man with 'Good News' feet & a Gospel mouth. Being a pastor is tough. He needs all the love & support he can get. Third, encourage young men to visit our seminaries & to consider a life dedicated to preaching Christ's Gospel, caring for Christ's holy people & seeking those who shall yet come to faith in Christ. 'Faith comes from hearing, & hearing through the word of Christ.'"  Matthew Harrison, The Lutheran Witness, February 2020

Whatever Wednesday

THE MEDIA

"The real tragedy is that good journalism is essential for a free society. Unfortunately, our current media options offer a terrible product -- and the public knows it.  A recent Gallup survey showed that 84% of Americans believe the news media have a critical or very important role to play in a democracy. But while the demand is there; the supply is lacking. Gallup found only 41% of Americans actually trust the media and just 33% of Americans viewed journalists as honest and ethical."  Adam Guillette, Townhall, 4/20

"Even more telling, the media, which controls American public opinion more than any other institution, including the presidency and Congress -- but not churches and synagogues, which is why they loathe evangelicals, traditional Catholics, faithful Mormons and Orthodox Jews -- would not be as fixated on closing down the country if it were killing far more people in some Southern, Midwestern, Mountain or Western states than in New York City."  Dennis Prager, Townhall, 4/21

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . FLORIDA

"I believe I have seen the most populist move ever — ever. It was executed by Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, who, in this pandemic, has declared professional wrestling an “essential service.”  Jay Nordlinger, National Review Online, 4/21

RE-OPENING THE ECONOMY

"In reality, the economy is going to reopen only when most people either feel safe enough to emerge from isolation or calculate that the risk of emerging is worthwhile. Arbitrary deadlines mean little. I suspect that the best way to temper anger surrounding the lockdowns would be for local leaders to stop acting like a bunch of petty authoritarians when the vast majority of citizens are already voluntarily doing what the government is asking to protect themselves."  David Harsanyi, NRO, 4/21

RE-OPEN AMERICA

"In short, we need to safely reopen America. We need to allow people to return to work so they have a purpose. We need to give people the ability to pay their rent, buy groceries, and to ensure that their needs are met. Because as we have witnessed for the past month or so, the federal government is simply incapable of providing a lifeline to the American economy for much longer, if it even could in the first place."  Chris Talgo, Townhall, 4/22

THE CRISIS IS A NEW WEAPON

"Precisely this attitude -- that every crisis is a new weapon in the war for more expansive government, and in favor of a complete rethinking of the constitutional bargain -- will lead more and more Americans to view shutdown orders with skepticism. It is one thing to lock down populations on a bipartisan basis with clear goals -- goals like preventing coronavirus patients from swamping the health care system. Most Americans will go along with that, and most Americans are willing to grant policymakers the benefit of the doubt.

"But when politicians begin to reveal ulterior motives for such shutdowns, Americans begin to ask questions. When politicians simultaneously take measures that obviously do nothing to combat the coronavirus -- measures like locking public parks where people are social distancing, or banning Americans from buying gardening supplies but ensuring access to abortion remains fully available -- Americans begin to wonder whether their politicians are trustworthy. And when politicians meet such questions with hysterical accusations that the questioners simply don't care about human life, Americans grow even more suspicious.

"Crises require trust in authority. But authorities must earn our trust with well-founded, sensible policy. They must be transparent about what they are doing and why they are doing it. When authorities instead suggest openly that their agenda isn't solely curbing the coronavirus but remaking America along the lines of their own political priors, they lose our trust. And they should."  Ben Shapiro, Townhall, 4/22

AUTHORITIES

"Ten states have no stay-at-home orders!" complains Don Lemon On CNN. "Some governors are still refusing to take action!" Fox News' host Steve Hilton agreed. "Shut things down! Everywhere. That includes Utah, Wyoming..."

"But wait a second. People in Utah and Wyoming already socially distanced just by living there. Why must Utah and Wyoming have the same stay-at-home rules as New York? I find it creepy how eager some people are for authorities to boss us around."  John Stossel, Townhall, 4/22

Mental Health Monday

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"It is by gratitude & worship that the richness of true human freedom within God's limits is enjoyed, & become the basis for our own . human creativity in love."  David Atkinson, Men's Devotional Bible

TRENDING

"Streets of heaven now paved with toilet paper."  Babylon Bee

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . FLORIDA

"Officials dumbfounded by packed FL beaches"  Drudge Report

CRIMINAL MINDS

"Pig leads police on 45-minute chase"  Ditto

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* courtesy of Reader's Digest, April 2020
"After my beloved dog Lucky passed away, my daughter tried to explain to her four-year-old son what happened in terms he might understand. 'Remember that baby bird we found on the sidewalk the other day?' she asked. As truth sank in, Ian grew alarmed. "Lucky fell out of a tree?'"

CORONAVIRUS

"By all means, let’s open up the economy as soon as we can, but it will require more careful thought than the most fervent critics of the shutdowns have demonstrated during the peak of this pandemic."  Rich Lowry, National Review Online

ROAD TRIP UPDATE

On TUE 4/14, we received word that our Alaska cruise in July has been cancelled. We can cancel or rebook for next summer. After visiting with Carmen *, we are deciding to rebook. We're supposed to receive a 125% credit, whatever that means. Although we're disappointed, we keep in mind that many, many others have been inconvenienced in more drastic ways.
* David & Carmen are Lois' brother & my first cousin. We had planned this trip to celebrate their 40th & our 45th anniversaries.

LAMENT & REJOICING

The Christian story does not merely tell of the life to come, of resurrection and restoration, certainty and comfort; Christ is not an escape raft for the hard realities of this world. On the contrary, the gospel must figure into what we think about our humanity in the midst of it all. In the cross-shaped path of Jesus, we are given a way to share with God what it means to be human here and now, in lament and in rejoicing, through suffering and tragedy, when vulnerability and helplessness lay us low, and we are reminded of our own finitude on a global and personal scale. Here, lamentation is often befitting, but its counterpart is not out of reach. For quite thankfully, Jesus is not only familiar with the tragic sense of human weakness, he also willingly embraced affliction that he could carry us through our own, incorporating us into his own story and the steadfast love of God forever.  Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

CORONAVIRUS

"Two days before Easter, Louisville, Ky., mayor Greg Fischer attempted to unilaterally ban drive-in church services for the most holy day in Christianity. It’s one thing if people are purposely and openly undermining public health. The constitutional right to assemble peacefully and protest or practice your religion, however, is not inoperable in presence of a viral pandemic."  David Harsanyi, National Review Online, 4/15

"All across the country, teachers and school administrators are trying to put together a way to teach kids without everyone gathering in a school — from Des Moines to San Diego to Oregon to Oklahoma to Texas. In my neck of the woods in Fairfax County, Va., distance learning begins in earnest today. For all the teachers out there who are trying their best and who have been consistently reaching out to students since school buildings were closed, thank you. Our nation’s children will feel better seeing you through a screen, but your presence in their lives can never really be replaced."  Jim Geraghty, NRO, 4/15

"Whatever the reason, it is simply untenable to lock Americans down for months more. Calls to do so ignore not only the catastrophic human suffering inflicted on millions -- employees who no longer have jobs, children who can no longer attend school, entrepreneurs who have seen their life's dreams and savings destroyed at the behest of the government -- but the reality of economics, which is that government cannot interminably pay everyone to stay at home. Furthermore, long-term lockdowns do not even prevent the virus from eventual second-wave spreading; when we emerge from our homes, we will pass the virus to one another again."  Ben Shapiro, Townhall, 4/15

"By contrast, today the media are absolutely ghoulish in their hope for hydroxychloroquine to fail. The drug is approved for malaria patients, so it’s “safe”; it’s simply not approved specifically to treat the Chinese virus. 

"The reason for the media’s hostility to hydroxychloroquine is obvious: Trump expressed enthusiasm for the treatment, so liberals are required to take the opposite position."  Ann Coulter, National 
Review Online 4/16

"Some argue that withholding our funding of the WHO — $400 million a year — will hinder its international relief efforts. This is a legitimate concern, but the WHO’s missteps themselves hindered the fight against the pandemic at a critical stage. In any event, U.S. funding of pandemic relief does not depend on any single multilateral bureaucracy. In fact, the U.S. has already spent more than $500 million on foreign aid to combat the pandemic — roughly 25 percent of the WHO’s annual budget — on top of existing contributions to multilateral and nongovernmental organizations. During the 60-day hold on funds to the WHO, the White House says it will redirect resources to public-health programs untainted by Chinese influence. While the White House conducts its investigation, the WHO will retain the bulk of its considerable resources. In the meantime, it will deservedly face more international scrutiny for its apparent complicity in China’s coverup of the coronavirus.

10

"The more the World Health Organization capitulates to Chinese soft power, the less effective — and the less deserving of our support — it will be. The White House is right to bring serious pressure to bear to try to check this trend."  The editors, NRO, 4/16

“The First Amendment and federal statutory law prohibit discrimination against religious institutions and religious believers,” Barr wrote. “Thus, government may not impose special restrictions on religious activity that do not also apply to similar nonreligious activity.”

"He went on to state that if the government permits movie theaters, restaurants, or concert halls to remain open without restrictions, it may not close or impose restrictions on houses of worship. “Religious institutions must not be singled out for special burdens . . . "  Alexandra DeSanctis, NRO, 4/16

"By all means, let’s open up the economy as soon as we can, but it will require more careful thought than the most fervent critics of the shutdowns have demonstrated during the peak of this pandemic."  Rich Lowry, NRO, 4/17

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

"Do not think that Democrats are just seizing the moment. Be one-hundred percent confident they are taking notes. Can you imagine what it would be like with Democrats entirely in charge? They must never get complete control of Washington. Otherwise, America will change in such a way, and we would never recognize it again."  John Dempsey, Townhall, 4/15 

"Standing in line with your neighbors to vote in your local school or church is a civic ritual that ranks with fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s part of the pageant of patriotism. But this year, we’ll need to make other arrangements. We cannot risk a crisis of political legitimacy on top of everything else we’re saddled with. The slogan for November should be: Mail it in!"  Mona Charen, NRO, 4/16

"You want to know why Americans don't trust (the media)? Because you're arrogant. You're condescending. You're corrupt. You're hypocritical. You're shockingly ignorant. You're pawns in a much bigger game, and your refusal to hold ALL powerful people to account is malfeasance that puts the country at risk. And not just from coronavirus.

"Do you want to earn back the public's trust? Stop playing political favorites. Stop trying to shape the news instead of report the news. Stop seeing everything through the lens of your personal politics. Do your job."  Laura Hollis, Townhall, 4/16

"Last September, CNN reported it was told by a senior Obama-Biden administration official that it appeared Biden's capacity was in obvious decline, a statement that is easily confirmed by anyone who observes his rambling comments.

"Robert Gates, who served as secretary of Defense in the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said of Biden in his 2014 book "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War": "I think he has been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades . . . 

"There's plenty more criticism of Biden and his record, which Republicans are certainly storing up for a slew of campaign ads and the upcoming presidential debates, including Biden's flip-flopping on issues he once claimed to hold as convictions.

"Most of the former Democratic presidential candidates would have been better and stronger than Biden, but once again the Establishment has had its way and should Biden be defeated and Democrats lose congressional seats, they will have only themselves to blame."  Cal Thomas, Townhall, 4/16

Trending + Free for All + Coronavirus

TRENDING

• "Passenger accidentally ejects himself from fight jet."  Drudge Report, 4/14
• "Public school teacher: 'Homeschooling is making kids more stupider."  Babylon Bee, 4/14
• "Roman authorities investigating Jesus for violating stay-in-tomb order." Ditto
• "Biden: 'I am the only candidate who can beat Ronald Reagan.'" Ditto

FREE FOR ALL

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the Russian investigation as launched and conducted by James Comey’s FBI deserves to rank as one of the agency’s great blunders — at best.

"President Donald Trump famously calls the investigation a hoax, a label he uses liberally, but in this instance it may literally be true . . . In a better world, James Comey would apologize to the country for this travesty, providing a kind of bookend to the entire episode. That’s not going to happen, though, and the Justice Department will have to continue to provide a public accounting of how it got this so desperately wrong." Rich Lowry, National Review Online, 4/14

CORONAVIRUS

"It makes sense for places like Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland to ban large, avoidable gatherings. But it is an astonishing abuse of power to issue stay-at-home orders, enforced by criminal law, empowering police to harass and fine individuals for nothing more than taking a walk . . . 

"The question of how many lives would be lost if we didn’t shut down economy is a vital one, but it is not the only one. There is an array of factors that goes into these decisions. One of them should be preserving our laws and our freedom in times of crisis."  David Harsani, NRO, 4/14

"New evidence reveals that China lied, and thousands of people died because of it. We learned that the government destroyed lab work, and silenced whistleblowers who were trying to get the word out to the rest of the world about the deadly virus that was likely to end up on their own door steps."  Courtney O'Brien, Townhall, 4/14

"And Nebraska, one of the few U.S. states that has not locked down -- to the intense anger of the state's Democrats at its Republican governor -- has a death rate of less than 1 per 100,000 (according to the Washington Post's daily listing of U.S. coronavirus deaths)." Dennis Prager, Townhall, 4/14 

"New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced public schools will be closed for the rest of the academic year due to the coronavirus. More mayors and governors will likely make similar announcements, if they have not already done so.

"Rather than look upon this as a negative, I suspect some parents are enjoying new relationships with their children that full-time work and day care did not allow. This new bonding experience could lead some to continue the practice of educating their children at home once this crisis has passed and public schools reopen.

"Some parents might find learning at home to be beneficial beyond additional bonding with their children. Concerns about what is taught in public schools - from sex education, to incomplete or even biased views of American history, as well as their failure to uphold moral and spiritual principles (and in some cases undermining them) have made home schooling attractive to growing numbers of parents."  Cal Thomas, Townhall, 4/14

God's Desire...Disruption...Prayer for the President

GOD'S DESIRE
"Scripture repeatedly presents God's desire to be personally & intimately involved with His children. He wants to provide the warmth, affection, discipline & accountability that characterizes a parent's loving relationship."  Bill Hybels, Men's Devotional Bible

DISRUPTION

"Perhaps the greatest example of disruption for the disciples played itself out in the events of the crucifixion. Entering Jerusalem filled with messianic hope on Palm Sunday, the disciples believed Jesus to be the earthly King of Israel fulfilling what had been promised to David long ago. Imagine their horror, then, when surrounded in that dark garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was captured like a common criminal. All their messianic hopes collapsed. Instead of royal exaltation, Jesus was lifted up onto a cross of untold suffering and agony. Plans to sit on Jesus’s left and right as rulers in his kingdom were scattered and interrupted, just as quickly as the disciples fled away that terrible night.

"But the disruption of the Cross would not be the last word. Rather, it is the disruption of the resurrection that interrupted all that was known about the natural course of life and death, the ideas about the messiah, and the reality of God’s kingdom. The disruption of the resurrection affirmed Jesus as God’s messiah and transformed a group of scattered, fearful, disciples into the heralds of God’s new direction. Peter, the denier, became Peter, the proclaimer. Preaching the first sermon after Pentecost, Peter persuaded those listening that “God raised Jesus up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for him to be held in its power….Therefore, let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Jesus both Lord and messiah.”(2)

"God, the Disrupter interrupted their plans, their ideas, and their entire lives. As a result of this cosmic disruption, everything changed. Rather than scattering in fear, those early Christians gathered together sharing their resources, giving to those in need, and using their possessions for the benefit of one another.(3) In the same way, God desires the resurrection of Jesus to disrupt our lives, to interrupt our current way of living in order to send us off in a new direction. God intends the disruption . . .  to make a difference in us—a difference so disrupting that it alters and changes the way we think, the way we envision the landscape around us, and the way we live in this world. Author Debbie Blue sums up resurrection disruption by saying, “Resurrection is a little unnerving, unsettling, because it basically goes against what we know, contradicts everything we take to be absolute about the nature of history and the reality in which we live. It’s a toppling of the earthly order, overthrowing familiarity. It doesn’t play according to the rules we accept as necessary. If the dead can come back to life…what does that mean about all the other realities, rules that order our lives, that we take for granted? [Resurrection]…is not everything you already know…it’s a whole different landscape.”(4) The disruption of the resurrection alters everything, every vista, every horizon." Margaret Manning Shull, Slice of Infinity

A PRAYER FOR THE PRESIDENT *

"Almighty God, Ruler of the nations, regard with favor Your servant, the President of the United States. Grant him health of body & mind; make him strong to bear the burdens of his high office. Give him wisdom & understanding, hat under his elaadership ournation may be directed in the ways of righteousness & peace.

"Teach me & all Christian citizens to realize that rule & authority in our country come from You & that our President is Your minister in the administration of his office. Keep us mindful of our obligation to support our President with fervent prayer & ready obedience to the laws of our country.

"Bless our President, I pray You, & make him a blessing to our people, to the g lory of Your holy name. For Jesus' sake. Amen"
* From My Prayer Book