I Enjoyed the Questions on this One

You Are 18% New Jersey!

You are not New Jersey, based on this score. You're probably not from this great state. And if that is true, then you are missing out, my friend!

How New Jersey Are You?
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Still Having Fun with Quizzes

What mental disorder do you have? Your Result: ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) You have a very hard time focusing, and you find it difficult to stay on task without your mind wandering. You probably zone in and out of conversations and tend to miss out on directions because you cannot focus
Manic Depressive
Paranoia
GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder)
OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
What mental disorder do you have?

I'm Having Fun with Quizzes

Here's another quiz I found.

It didn't tell me what question(s) I got wrong, but I think I got the Columbus one wrong because I thought it was a trick question. It was a true false that said his ships landed in North America in 1492 and I was thinking that they were wanting me to know that he never physically landed on the continent so I said false. So, don't over-analyze.

You paid attention during 91% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
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My Dad was from IL, Guess that Explains it!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Matt Somebody

I just redid the link to the Driscoll article and while trying to find Driscoll's blog, I came across a different post on The Resurgence.

I liked it so I am linking it.

Driscoll is at it again

In addressing the Ted Haggard situation, Mark Driscoll makes some good points.

And one very bad one.

Here's the bad one. (The team in this case is all pastors.)

"At the risk of being even more widely despised than I currently am, I will lean over the plate and take one for the team on this. It is not uncommon to meet pastors’ wives who really let themselves go; they sometimes feel that because their husband is a pastor, he is therefore trapped into fidelity, which gives them cause for laziness."

Bloomington, We've Got a Problem

Last Thursday our homeschool co-op packed meals for starving (let me repeat that) starving children. Not just hungry children, mind you, but starving children. Children whose parents give them dirt pies (no kidding) to help fill their tummies and stop them from crying.

Then, last Sunday, while at the Mall of America, Mr. D and I passed this. It was literally made of gingerbread.

Draw your own conclusions.

Milton

I was reading some articles in the imprimis archives and came across an interview with Milton Friedman. It caught my eye because he died on November 16 so I thought I'd see what he said in one of his last published interviews.

Some of you may know I was on a "socialized health care is a bad deal" kick a few months ago and, lo and behold, I found that Milton in answering this question made my point much better!

Let me preface this with our health insurance story. TD has been self-employeed for 23 years so TD provides health care for his family. We have a BCBS plan with a $5,250 yearly deductible. We pay almost $8,000 per year for that crappy (by most US standards) policy. This is not an HMO, so in addition, we pay all medical costs until we reach the deductible (which we never do). Also, our last three children were "cash" babies since the medical portion only covered complicated pregnancies.

Remember that Office episode where Dwight was cutting the health insurance? Well, the policy at TD Design has worse coverage. : )

Here is my point. When you are paying for something yourself, you watch the costs. When you are personally buying your own health care, you decide that it is "insurance". Just like when you buy life insurance, you are not planning on dying...it's a worse case senario plan. In other words, when you buy health care insurance, you are banking on staying well, so want coverage that will take care of you in case you get REALLY sick.

But, now, everyone thinks having all their health care paid for is a right that the government should provide. Of course, "the government" is me and you. Tell me why I should be required to buy something for someone else that I do not even buy for myself?

Of course there are situations where people are "caught". That should be the role for the caring Christians, but they have less money to spend helping others because of the out of control spending by Uncle Sam.

End of rant. Here's Milton's answer (LA is the interviewer):

LA: Is there an area here in the United States in which we have not been as aggressive as we should in promoting property rights and free markets?

MF: Yes, in the field of medical care. We have a socialist-communist system of distributing medical care. Instead of letting people hire their own physicians and pay them, no one pays his or her own medical bills. Instead, there's a third party payment system. It is a communist system and it has a communist result. Despite this, we've had numerous miracles in medical science. From the discovery of penicillin, to new surgical techniques, to MRIs and CAT scans, the last 30 or 40 years have been a period of miraculous change in medical science. On the other hand, we've seen costs skyrocket. Nobody is happy: physicians don't like it, patients don't like it. Why? Because none of them are responsible for themselves. You no longer have a situation in which a patient chooses a physician, receives a service, gets charged, and pays for it. There is no direct relation between the patient and the physician. The physician is an employee of an insurance company or an employee of the government. Today, a third party pays the bills. As a result, no one who visits the doctor asks what the charge is going to be—somebody else is going to take care of that. The end result is third party payment and, worst of all, third party treatment.

This Guy Scares Me

When I first saw Mr. Obama, I thought, what a nice guy. What a family guy. What a great communicator. What a great smile. Then, I learned about what he believed. Mr. Obama scares me.

But, you know what is even more frightening? He is speaking at Saddleback Church on December 1st. Go read about it here. But, don't look at the photo. I made the mistake of doing that.

Stranger Than Fiction

Last Saturday evening, Mr. D and I decided to head to the cinema. We chose Stranger Than Fiction and found it rather enjoyable. Although, my pet peeve is that the movie making people always have to have a liberal political agenda and the main couple has to sleep together minus the bonds of marriage. (I remember turning to Beth during "My Great Big Old Fat Greek Wedding" at one point and saying, "Hey, wait a minute, we missed the wedding part!") But, back to Saturday's movie.

It wasn't a Will Farrell comedy (no Elf!), but nevertheless it held our attention, had a clever plot, and gave us a couple laughs. It also made me hungry for milk and cookies.

I thought I would give you my review of the trailers.

First of all, the new Diane Keaton movie. Forget it.

Dreamgirls...Eddie Murphy, Beyonce, and Jamie Foxx...you can skip that one, too.

Apocolypto...the new Mel Gibson....too bloody for MamaD.

The Will Smith movie about the homeless dad and kid...too sad for MamaD.

So, what was just right for MamaD...this. Can't wait to see it at Christmas.

Flattery Wows, I Mean Fawlty Towers

What's your favorite episode?

Separated at Birth

In keeping with the recent post Chris had on Schumer and Ratigan, I think the similarities between Steve Martin and the new Defense Secretary Gates are remarkable.

Beta?

What is beta?

I thought it was a nasty fish that could only live by itself because it ate all the other fish.

But, it turns out, that blogger is wanting me to be a beta blogger. Should I sign up? Will I lose all my other brilliant posts if I do? Anyone gone beta? It says I need a google account. What is that?

I do love to google, though!

I have also been thinking that I need to change my blog color. Pink is just not me these days. Maybe green, or beige, or "something more tonal"..."oh, I know, Audrey, I know"...so now I've lapsed into Fawlty Towers dialogue.

Okay, back to the blog.

I have learned how to link, add photos, add you tube videos, and added a counter. Progress for this old dog.

I really should get rid of the clunky penguin counter that Tim helped me add the other day. We were in a hurry so I picked something quick and cute, but not so subtle as it turns out. Also, every time I refresh the number goes up, so I look really popular.

Well, enough random thoughts for today.

Truty/Unity

An excerpt from the John Piper sermon I linked to a few posts ago:

"I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.

In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.

Loving People and Loving Truth

I hope you are feeling uncomfortable with that description. A good impulse inside of you would be saying right now: “Do we have to choose? Can’t it be both? Can’t you love truth and love people?” In fact, it would be an even more biblical impulse if you found yourself thinking, “I don’t even think you can love people if you don’t love truth. How can you do what is ultimately good for people if you don’t have any strong convictions about what is ultimately good?”

And yet there is no escaping the reality that people and churches and denominations and schools and even whole periods in history lean one way or the other. I think the period of history we live in is not an easy time to be a lover of truth. The most common criticism, if you stand for an important truth and imply by that stand that others should believe it, is that you are arrogant, which is the opposite of being loving (1 Corinthians 13:4), and therefore you are undermining relationships.

For many thoughtful people today the only path to peaceful relationships in a pluralistic world is the path of no truth that deserves assent from everyone. It seems on the face of it to make sense. If no one claims that what he believes deserves assent from anyone else, then we can live together in peace. Right? So peaceful pluralism and diminished truth claims go hand in hand.

But it doesn’t work like that. When there is no truth that deserves assent from everybody, the only arbiter in our competing desires is power. Where truth doesn’t define what’s right, might makes right. And where might makes right, weak people pay with their lives. When the universal claim of truth disappears, what you get is not peaceful pluralism or loving relationships; what you get is concentration camps and gulags."

Elections

Free health care for everyone.

Abortions for all.

College education for everyone.

Guaranteed minimum wage.

Negotiate with people who want to destroy America.

Way to go America.

Now some questions:

Who is going to pay for the health care?
Who says there are some people that shouldn't be allowed to be born?
Who is going to pay for the college education for everyone?
Shouldn't the employer determine the wages and the employee decide if they want to accept them?
Why do you think someone who wants to destroy America would possibly honor negotiations?

One more thing, why did Amy K. get away with hiding the theft of Kennedy's campaign ad? Anyone remember Watergate?

I seem to remember having this same sinking feeling when Wellstone won, so life goes on!

Faith Hill is a PISSED!

Oops!

I Needed This

Terry came home for lunch today and told me I had to listen to this.

Good advice.

Don't just read the notes...listen.

Only vote tomorrow if...

...you are going to vote for the "good guys".

That's right, if you are going to vote for the "bad guys" please stay home tomorrow!

Who are the good guys?

Read this to find out (hopefully the link took you to the "Election Realities" post)!

Totally Changing the Subject

Go here, not for laughs, though.

Read Ted and Gayle Haggard's statements to their church.

As was mentioned at Grace yesterday, all the safeguards in the world (traveling companions, open doors, plurality of leaders) can be gotten around by a heart that has gone wrong.

I think the letters from the Haggard's are impressive.

May God help them and their family.

Those Donuts are Not for You

Click here for another laugh.

The Church You Know

Mike T. mentioned this site on his blog. "Aaron the groom" must have found his brilliant t-shirt there, but this was the first thing I clicked on. If I were a smarter person I wouldn't have to do a link, but, alas, you will need to click here.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then...

...comes a baby in a baby carriage!

Best wishes to the newlyweds, Aaron and Lexi. Lovely wedding. Beautiful bride, handsome groom.

Congratulations to the new parents, Ryan and Amy. Can't wait to see little John Ryan. I was looking over at Mike and Diana occasionally during the ceremony to see if they were receiving a text message.

H B 2 Beth

It's non-stop birthday celebration week at our house.

Last Friday Tim.

Today Beth.

Love you guys,
MOM

Maybe Next Year

Halloween has come and gone for 2006, but it's never too late to plan next year's costume. I suggest you go here and order early. My personal favorite is the Megachurch Youth Pastor complete with Message Bible. Although the thought of turning the family into a rampaging deacon board sounds interesting. What's your favorite?

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words

John Piper is Bad - the video

I thought he was really good. Turns out, John Piper is bad.