Harry Truman was a stubborn-as-a-Missouri-mule, life long Democrat.
Can you imagine the all out apoplectic sh*t fit the Lefties of today would have if a POTUS invoked the name of Jesus Christ and extended a Christmas blessing "filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit" during a Presidential address??!
What a pathetic shadow of our former selves we've become.
(This is a re-post from 2009)
"Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." - Matthew 2:11
"We three kings of Orient are, bearing gifts; we've traveled so far..."
Yup. That's the way the song goes, but how do we know there were exactly three kings? Or were they even kings? Scripture never mentions their names or country of origin, but Scripture does indicate that they arrived almost two years after the birth of Jesus to pay homage to this new born King.
Just consider the modern manger scene a 'reader's digest condensed version' of the event.
R.C. Sproul, of Ligonier Ministries, explains:
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (v. 10). - Matthew 2:7–10
Present among the figurines in the nativity crèches found everywhere at Christmastime are usually three regal men bearing gifts. As we know, these kings are supposed to represent the wise men.
Unfortunately, this depiction of the wise men takes liberties with the text. Matthew never tells us how many wise men come to see the Messiah. The tradition of three wise men probably comes from the three different gifts mentioned in Matthew 2:11. Moreover, the first gospel does not say the magi are kings. This idea goes back to the church father Tertullian (around 200 a.d.) and is likely due to his reading of passages like Psalm 68:31 and Isaiah 49:7.
Who, then, are the wise men? Precise identification is difficult, but we do know they are “from the east” of Judea (Matt. 2:1). Persia, Babylon, and Arabia are all possible countries of origin, with Babylon the likeliest option since contact with its large Jewish community would have prompted the magi to come looking for a king in Jerusalem. The Greek term for “magi” (magoi) refers to a group interested in predicting the future via dream interpretation, magic, and other methods, such as astrology, which explains their interest in the star.
Apparently the star at first directs them only to Palestine, and they go to Jerusalem to find the child because the capital city is a logical first place to start searching for a newborn king. Herod calls the wise men to his court in today’s passage and then sends them out to find the baby. We know that his desire to worship the Christ is a lie (vv. 7–8, 16), but the magi are ignorant of Herod’s machinations, and they go forth in search of the child. After seeing Herod, the star leads them to where the child is living (v. 9). This prompts exceedingly great rejoicing (v. 10); seeing the star has confirmed their mission.
The wise men and their mission are highly significant. God promised Israel that their restoration and redemption after exile would be accompanied by an influx of Gentile nations into the covenant community (Isa. 11:10). Though motivated partly by superstition, the wise men are the first Gentiles to seek out Jesus, and they serve to demonstrate that God fulfills all His promises.
Coram Deo
The Father will ensure that His Son will be glorified despite all obstacles (John 12:23). Mary has been forced to give birth to the Messiah in a less than ideal setting (Luke 2:7). Herod, who lives under the Lord’s covenant, is trying to kill Him (Matt. 2:16). Yet God has led foreigners to His promises to bow before His appointed king (vv. 1–12). Will we be like Herod and fail to glorify the Son with our lives, thereby provoking the Father to raise up others in our place?"
No, I'm not much of a Gingrich fan. He's too much of a loose cannon, in a self-absorbed, populist sort of way.
But he does make for good copy, now and again:
"As an American I am not so shocked that Obama was givenZING!
The Nobel Peace Prize without any accomplishments to his
name, because America gave him the White House based on
the same credentials." - Newt Gingrich
"When I was growing up my mother went to work. There was no welfare. If you worked, you made money.Ol' Gene maybe a profligate, immoral slime ball, but he's my kind of profligate, immoral slime ball.
If you didn’t work, you had to figure it out — you’d go and wash dishes.
The new breed of 20-year-olds don’t want to do those jobs.
So people from other countries come over and are thrilled to get the chance to wipe the floors.
Kiss are the only business-savvy band about and I make no apologies for that.
We sell everything from condoms to caskets — we’ll get you coming and we’ll get you going.
We outsell The Beatles and Elvis put together.
People say things like: “Oh, you make so much money. What do you need any more for?”
Well, actually, b*tch, I never asked for your opinion. I’ll let you know when I have enough money."
"Currently, we see our city streets and city parks littered with inarticulate and over-privileged people who know nothing of the hardships of war, yet demand domestic war and class warfare - notions which are actually being fomented and encouraged by Barack Hussein Obama and the Left."Update:
From The Daily Caller:
Experts begin to doubt Obama’s re-electability
"Gallup numbers show the president’s approval at 41 percent, and show him trailing an unnamed “generic Republican” by eight percentage points, National Journal’s Charlie Cook wrote on Oct. 28. “These numbers certainly don’t show Obama’s reelection fortunes as hopeless, but they paint a very challenging situation.”The only poll that truly matters is the one on election day and a wounded prey is the most dangerous of all. Don't let up, citizens.
“Nobody’s gotten elected with these kinds of numbers,” James Carville, the Democratic Party’s snapping turtle, told a radio interviewer Oct. 25. “Everything worries me … I profoundly admit that,” he said on Scott Hennen’s show.
Even Bill Daley, the president’s chief of staff, is hoping for a secular miracle. “I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility that we have a stronger attitude around the economy … just the beginning of a psychological change,” he told Politico on Oct. 28. “That is the biggest thing. What are the factors that [will create] that? Who knows?…. you can just feel this electorate is very volatile.”
New. This Fall. On CBS.
Just kidding. But that is a question John Hinderaker at PowerLine blog asked after reviewing a survey by New York magazine which asked 50 “occupiers” (I call 'em squatters) a series of questions about public issues.
His conclusion? "To be blunt, people this dumb should be ashamed to show their faces in public, let alone try to tell the rest of us how to run the country."
Indeed.
I blame gub'mint schools.
