The war years

Jazzy explains that James 2:14-26 is speaking about a dead unsaving faith

Free grace theology proponents say that the dead faith James refers to is not a false faith but, while not ideal, it is still a saving faith. A close look at James 2:14 through 2:26 makes it clear that James is speaking of a professed faith, but not a genuine faith. He is distinguishing between a professed faith and an actual possessed faith. A person can make all kinds of claims that are not true. One can claim to have things he does not have or claim to be something he is not. It is not unusual and happens on a daily basis. In James 2:14 we see that James is talking about someone who claims to have faith. James 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? This would be like saying: What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to be a doctor but has no training? Can such a doctor heal people? The answer is obviously no. A claim to be a doctor when a person has no training is a false claim. It is a worthless dead claim. Therefore, James was warning that a true living faith would result in a changed person with a changed agenda that naturally produces deeds and works. These deeds are a result of grace, regeneration and a saving faith and have no merit for justification. Good works are the fruit of a saving faith not the root or cause of salvation. James goes on to say: James 2:17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James is quite simply saying that a person who does not show any signs of the fruit of the spirit does not have a saving faith. He may have a belief or mental assent, but he does not show the signs of someone who has placed their hope and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ. James then compares such mental assent belief with that of demons in verse 19. James gives examples of saving faith being backed up by action in verses 20-25. James closes Chapter two by equating the body without the spirit to faith without deeds. He says both of them are dead. Dead means a false, worthless, not genuine faith that does not save.

James 2:14-26: 14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Jazzy remembers Peaches

Today's photo is in memory of Peaches who was a loyal and faithful companion of D.H.'s friend Shirley.

Saving Faith

When a person walks the walk of faith he is indeed on a path that leads to the mountain top!
‘Saving faith’ is that faith and trust a sinner puts in the atonement of Jesus Christ to pay his sin debt. Scripture tells us, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Saving faith is the instrument or means by which a person gains access to eternal life that the atonement of Jesus Christ secures. This faith is a gift of God and will always be accompanied by repentance and gratitude that will lead to fruit in a persons life (Eph 2:8-10). Scripture is clear that honoring God with lip service, and not from the heart, is not saving faith (Matthew 15:8, James 2:17). Therefore, saving faith results in more than just ‘talking the talk.’ It will lead to ‘walking the walk.’ This walking the walk does not justify one before God, but is the inevitable evidence of a true saving faith. When a person walks the walk, he is indeed on a path that leads to the mountain top, whereas a mere profession of faith, with no fruit, is worthless.

Jazzy asks, was Mr. Black a true Steeler fan?

Mr. Gold N. Black who lives and works in Pittsburgh claims to be a Steeler football fan. He is a salesman whose territory is the city of Pittsburgh. Mr. Black calls on his clients and always brings up the Steelers and how they won the Super Bowl. He is very knowledgeable about the players, coach, and even front office organization. All of his clients are Steeler fans and they really enjoy when Mr. Black calls because of the conversation about Steeler football. What they don’t know about Mr. Black is that while he claims to be a Steeler fan, he does not go to any of their games although he is very successful, and could easily afford it. He also does not watch the games on television. He does not have Steeler shirts, hats, etc. He does watch Sports Center to get the highlights and studies the newspaper to bone up on the statistics. His claim to be a Steeler fan is in fact not genuine and is based solely on a business reason. The external appearance of being a fan is solid and he can talk the talk, but his heart reveals another story which is that he does not walk the walk. Mr. Black is a fraud. Now Mr. Black becomes so successful for his company that they decide to transfer him to Chicago to shore up their lagging sales there. Football season is just starting when he arrives in Chicago and Mr. Black upon making his first call, introduces himself and immediately says, “How about dem Bears.”

Born Again

The butterfly is a new creation just as a
born again Christian is a new creation.
The term “born again Christian” is misleading in that it implies that there are or could be another type of Christian. The truth is that a born again Christian is the only kind of true Christian. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3). Peter mentions being born again in (1 Peter 1:23). Being born again by God’s power is part of the process of becoming a Christian. If a person has not been born again, he is not a Christian and has not been saved. It is possible to claim to be a Christian without being born again, and that certainly happens and is spoken of many times in Scriptures. Scripture also tells us in many places that being born again is not a decision that man makes in and of himself, like joining a club or organization, but rather is a work of God. Paul said in Titus, “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” In the Old Testament, the Prophet Ezekiel said “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Paul said, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God makes spiritually dead people alive by rebirth and renewal. This is being born again and is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. This process of regeneration is the amazing GRACE that comes from God and occurs before a sinner responds with faith and repentance.

Jazzy receives call from Lefty Leaner of Agendaweek Magazine

I hate to put more pressure on Cuffy to apologize for scratching guard dog Chief, but Lefty Leaner of Agendaweek Magazine called and wanted to know if she was going to offer an apology for the incident. Lefty used to work for the local CBS affiliate WLIE-TV and Cuffy and I knew him back then. I woke Cuffy up from her 8th nap of the day to tell her of the developments. She said that before she apologized she was going to check with her lawyer at the Sleaze, Grime, Smut, Crumb & Associates law firm. She said, “Jazzy, I have to check out my legal rights before apologizing because an apology might be taken as a sincere admission of guilt rather than my real motive of damage control.” I advised Cuffy, that even though playing the feline species card had failed, she should take her time because she still had her ‘nine lives card’ for insurance. She was soothed by this thought and immediately started her 9th nap of the day.

Spiritual Death

Just as physically dead men in a grave yard cannot come out of the grave on their own, spiritually dead men cannot respond to God on their own.
Due to the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, Scripture reveals that all human beings are born tainted and corrupted with sin…. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalms 51:5). This doctrine of original sin reveals that men are born physically alive but spiritually dead with a sinful nature that cannot please God or submit to God’s law….the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8 ). Sinful men cannot please God. They are not spiritually sick but are spiritually dead, with no hope in and of themselves. Just as physically dead men in a grave yard cannot come out of the grave on their own, spiritually dead men cannot respond to God on their own. It takes GOD to quicken or revive sinful man from spiritual death. This is God’s amazing Grace, and is explained clearly by Paul…. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God accomplishes this rebirth of making a person alive with Christ. Jesus told Nicodemus…. I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. (John 3:3). Just as men are not the cause of their own physical birth, they are not the cause of their spiritual birth!

Jazzy admonishes Cuffy for accusing guard dog Chief of species profiling

Cuffy said, “Jazzy, I am really mad at guard dog Chief for grabbing me as I came back in the house today. I think it was nothing less than species profiling and discrimination against the feline species. I know he has the responsibility for protecting our house from intruders, but he should have recognized me and shouldn’t have grabbed me inappropriately. Therefore, I scratched him and now I am in trouble with WH and DH.” I, your humble and royal Jazzy Cat, replied, “Cuffy, you are an arrogant fool with an inflated self-esteem. Old guard dog Chief is about half blind and you failed to adhere to the proper procedure for entering the house. You did not give the old dog a chance to check your i.d. For all he knew you could have been a suicide bomber.” I then called Cuffy over closer and with malice slapped her upside the head. My meaning was clear….. Have a little respect for those that are risking their lives to protect us elite cats. I would also add that this is good advice for members of Congress.

Jazzy talks about global cooling scare from thirty years ago

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy I am really worried about global warming since Time Magazine ran the cover story about it and said that we should be worried, really worried about it. What do you think?” I, the magnificent and discerning Jazzycat, replied to Cuffy, “Cuffy, Time magazine is doing nothing more than spreading liberal propaganda and dogma. This global warming issue is a great opportunity for liberals to blame America and capitalism for a problem and then offer government control and socialism as the solution. George Will had a good article the other day where he exposed the fact that about 30 years ago these same people were predicting global cooling. The following is part of that article (For entire article go to jewishworldreview):

Science magazine (Dec. 10, 1976) warned of "extensive Northern Hemisphere glaciation." Science Digest (February 1973) reported that "the world's climatologists are agreed" that we must "prepare for the next ice age." The Christian Science Monitor ("Warning: Earth's Climate is Changing Faster Than Even Experts Expect," Aug. 27, 1974) reported that glaciers "have begun to advance," "growing seasons in England and Scandinavia are getting shorter" and "the North Atlantic is cooling down about as fast as an ocean can cool." Newsweek agreed ("The Cooling World," April 28, 1975) that meteorologists "are almost unanimous" that catastrophic famines might result from the global cooling that the New York Times (Sept. 14, 1975) said "may mark the return to another ice age." The Times (May 21, 1975) also said "a major cooling of the climate is widely considered inevitable" now that it is "well established" that the Northern Hemisphere's climate "has been getting cooler since about 1950."

If Al Gore and the rest of these liberal nut cases did not have the ability to destroy the economy of the United States with this absurd foolishness, it would be funny. George Will certainly did a fine job of pointing this out. Also see Jazzycat posts of Nov. 6 and 7 where WH has first hand encounter with this propaganda. The above photo was taken in June 2005 by WH.”

Grace continued…. Does grace save sinners or just make salvation possible

The troubling thing about the theology of Arminianism is that some men have an extremely better opportunity than others of choosing salvation through Jesus Christ. If this system is correct, and men must by their own free will make the crucial decision to accept Jesus Christ, then there are many factors that either increase or decrease the likelyhood that they will choose Jesus as their savior. A man that lives to 80 has more time and thus an advantage over one who dies at 17. Billy Graham’s children have a much greater chance than Ben Laden or Saddam Hussein’s children. Children from Christian families have a better chance than children born to devout members of false religions and cults. Many factors totally out of person’s control would make salvation almost impossible for some and very likely for others. Arminianism is an unbelievably unfair system when such factors are considered.

Under the theology of Calvinism, no one has an advantage as none will choose salvation apart from the Holy Spirit drawing and regenerating them. The only people who come to salvation are those who respond willingly to the grace and mercy that is given them by Almighty God. Without a doubt the Bible speaks of several people that came to Jesus this way. The Apostle Paul was a very dramatic case of God’s application of grace. Paul did not use his free will and respond to an offer, but was reborn by the dramatic power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is an example of what grace looks like. God does it all. Jesus saves sinners. There is no boasting by the sinner in thinking that he made the crucial decision (Eph. 2:8-9).

Arminianism theology says that God only makes salvation possible, and the sinner must make a free will decision for Christ. This leaves open the possibility that Christianity could completely die out, or never have gotten started in the first place. This is not Biblical and God’s sovereignty and control of his creation is evident throughout the Bible. The Kingdom of God will not fade from this earth.

Grace

God’s grace overflows to many through Jesus Christ!
God’s amazing grace is the unmerited favor that he pours out on his creatures. Man has no way to make restitution to God because of his sin; therefore, God grants this Grace solely because of his mercy. It literally overflows through Jesus Christ as Romans 5:15 above tells us. Eternal life is a free gift from God that is not earned or deserved. Paul put it as follows…. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) Here he also makes the point that the faith that receives this gift of salvation is also a gift of God. But, God is also just and for him to remain true to justice, the sin that all human beings commit must be paid for. For those that receive eternal life through God’s grace, that debt was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary. When Jesus was dying on the cross he said, “It is finished!” In the original text the word used was TETELESTAI, a commercial term which means, ‘the debt is paid.’ Jesus lived a sinless life and owed no debt; therefore, the debt that he paid was the debt that is owed by sinners that receive this Grace.

Jazzy and Cuffy corner illegal intruder mouse

Cuffy and I really had a busy night on mouse patrol last night as we cornered one and played chase and slaped the mouse around for about an hour last night before WH and DH woke up. Actually our activity caused them to wake up. The mouse kept getting away and since DH wanted WH to capture the mouse unharmed for release it became more difficult to make a live capture. Finally WH caught the mouse in some paper towel and released it in the woods in the back of our house. Well at least we did our job of providing homeland security and I guess maybe WH will get a gold star or an atta-boy from those nuts at PETA. This episode absolutely wore Cuffy and I out so we decided to nap most of the day. We will be on guard again tonight for illegal intruders. Guard dog Chief is our border patrol and he is getting old and his department is under funded, so we may have more action tonight.

Jazzy explains undocumented cats

Cuffy asked me, “Jazzy, I have heard a lot about undocumented workers lately and I was wondering, what would happen if an undocumented cat came into our house?” I responded with all my wisdom, “Cuffy, if an undocumented cat slipped past ole guard dog Chief while he was sleeping and came into our house, he would be an intruder. He would be in our home illegally and would have no standing or rights to anything in our home. We would throw a hissy fit and I am sure that WH and DH would soon realize the illegal cat was a constant source of agitation to us the legal cats. There are many dangers we would face from allowing illegal cats to come in without having them vaccinated and checked out by a Vet. Now I know WH and DH would show great compassion for an illegal cat by feeding it and trying to find it a proper home, but the bottom line would be that the illegal cat would be removed to preserve the domestic tranquility, and peace of our household.”

Jazzy explains this photo of prayer and thanksgiving

Today’s photo is of a prayer by a group of men that have just finished a summer league soft ball game. What a great example of giving thanks to God for the wonderful gifts that he has bestowed upon this group of men. The list of things to thank and praise God for is too long to mention just in the blessings these men receive in playing a soft ball game. Praise God for all the prosperity and freedom that we have to enjoy a simple game of soft ball. Some of these men are even fortunate enough to have a feline to come home to.

Jazzy and Cuffy approve resolution against Iran

Cuffy approaced Jazzy and said, “Jazzy, I read where the United Nations took the first of a series of steps that could lead to sanctions against Iran if they do not halt their nuclear program. Since we are feline activists…. and want to make the world a better place…. and just give peace a chance …. etc., etc; I think we ought to pass a feline resolution demanding that Iran stop their nuclear program. I bet we could get Ferdinand the conservative cat to join us in signing our resolution. What do you think of this idea?” I, Jazzy Cat, being by far the brightest feline in our household am always amazed at Cuffy when she stays awake from her naps long enough to have an idea. So, I replied, “Cuffy, I think we should go ahead with that resolution since it sure would send a message to Iran that felines everywhere are displeased with their actions. The good news is that our resolution will be just as effective as to whatever the U.N. finally does, it will be much sooner, and will be worded stronger. The bad news is that it will be just as worthless as the rehetoric of the U.N.”

Jazzy suggests responsibility and accountability for protecting government property

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy I noticed where the New Orleans School District has decided to attempt to sell it’s flooded, unsalvageable yellow school buses on e-Bay. What do you think about that?” I, your cool and unflappable Jazzycat, replied, “Cuffy It is amazing to think they would want to do something like this to highlight the fact that they allowed these 259 school buses to be flooded. What a shame it is for taxpayer money to literally be thrown away at all levels of government because there is no accountability for government property. Instead of having a system in place where government employees have an incentive to save money, property, and spend less than their budget allows, the incentive is to spend all of your budgeted funds so you can request an increase in the following year. If some government employees in New Orleans got bonus for protecting school property, then they would still have 259 school buses they no longer have. The cost of those buses would certainly be over ten million dollars maybe more.”

Jazzy shows photo of roosters apparently used for cockfighting

Cuffy and I gave our staff a day off for one of their photography trips. For the second time in a year they saw roosters in cages along their route. The picture above was taken last year in North Mississippi and shows a large number of roosters that apparently are used for cockfighting. I believe Louisiana and New Mexico are the only two states left where cockfighting is legal. However, the kind of people that enjoy this kind of barbaric activitiy probably would not have a big problem in doing it illegally.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Look to Heaven and ask....

This promise of Jesus, from the Sermon on the Mount, is one of the most comforting in the entire Bible. When applied to spiritual matters and not worldly concerns, it is nothing less than a guarantee of finding a road map with the route marked to the destination of eternal life. This does not mean a works salvation through the law will be found, but rather by prayerfully and sincerely seeking God in his Word, HE promises that HE will be found…. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”(Proverbs 8:17) and “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13). This, of course, means that the gifts of faith and repentance will be given. In America, we have the following resources readily available to seek God: Bibles, study Bibles, religious television programs, video tapes, radio, audio tapes, internet resources, computer Bibles with study resources, and many churches. Additionally, we have the freedom to seek God without fear. For 21st century Americans to plead on judgment day, “Lord, I if I had only known,” will be a hopeless, pitiful attempt to excuse our own failure.

Jazzy tired from watching staff work

I am just bushed from lounging in my window and watching WH work in the yard. It was really tiring watching him do all that mowing and trimming and stuff. Today, I think I will just post a photo showing how beautiful I am in case anyone has forgotten.

Jazzy acknowledges the Miss. State baseball team

ttCuffy asked Jazzy Cat, “Jazzy, What do you think of the Miss. State baseball team being #1 in the nation and still being undefeated after 17 games?” I your huge feline baseball fan, Jazzycat, replied, “Cuffy, make that 18-0 as the Bulldogs defeated LSU 11-1 tonight in Baton Rouge. I must admit that I had mixed emotions since LSU honors the tiger as their mascot. But the MSU team is known as the bulldogs, so I guess ole guard dog chief is happy.”

Jazzy exposes ungrateful peace kooks

I just read on the Drudge Report about the peace kooks who were rescued from the terrorists in Iraq today. Coalition forces that put their lives on the line in the operation rescued them. These people immediately showed their lack of gratitude by blaming their abduction as hostages on their rescuers. Here is a direct quote, “We believe that the illegal occupation of Iraq by Multinational Forces is the root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end.” In feline psychology, we call that biting the hand that feeds you and it will get a cat thrown out on the street in a New York minute. These goof balls don’t have a clue.

Jazzy sees through those unscrupulous Clintons

Cuffy said to Jazzy, “Jazzy, the latest poll numbers are in on your blog and once again your popularity has declined because you are so outspoken. Why don’t you take a moderate stance and try to have everybody like you? Take Hillary Clinton for example, she used to be on the board of directors at Wal-Mart and as late as two years ago spoke at a Wal-Mart function and bragged on the company. But now that Wal-Mart has fallen out of favor with liberal advocacy groups and democats, she has returned a campaign contribution citing concerns over company policy. She is playing it smart and that is what you ought to do.” I replied to Cuffy, “Cuffy, I am not going to compromise principles or abandon my friends just to please a greater number of people. Being an unprincipled phony like Hillary Clinton, may help my poll numbers, but it would not help my ability to sleep at night. I am amazed that more people do not see through those transparent unscrupulous Clintons.”

Jazzy explains who has the power of the press to Cuffy

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy, why do you always post a beautiful photo of yourself on this blog, but when you put my picture on it is of me sleeping or doing something stupid? It just isn’t fair and I resent it. Today is a perfect example of you putting a flattering photo of yourself on this blog.” I replied to my disgruntled sister, “While it is true that I am beautiful, smart and talented, I try to be humble and modest. Cuffy, if you will look at the title of this blog is should clear to you. Just like Dan Ratherlie put his imprint on the T. V. show 60 Minutes, I put my paw print on this blog. So, go sniff a little catnip and shut up.”

Jazzy tells about the Barnyard Opry

The above photo was taken March 18, 2006 at the Barnyard Opry near Brandon, Mississippi. Rodney and Barbara Joyner started the Barnyard Opry out of their love for country music. They fixed an old barn up to accommodate the increasing number of people who started coming to enjoy the music. They now pack in as many as 200 people the first and third Saturday of each month. It is really a unique story about people doing something they love from the ground up and providing a lot people some good entertainment and fellowship. Rodney closed the program with a good message about the wonderful amazing free gift of eternal life that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. I would like to offer Cuffy and my services to Mr. Joyner if he ever needs a couple of barnyard cats to take care of mice eradication.

Sunday Bible lesson

God speaks to men through the Holy Bible:

The Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God. It is the divine revelation of the creator of the universe…. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Jesus validated the authority of the Old Testament in many passages…. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished (Matthew 5:18). Everything necessary for man’s faith and practice is either explicitly clear or by logical deduction may be ascertained from The Holy Bible. The Bible is the only source for determining the counsel of God concerning faith and practice, and nothing is to be added whether by new revelation or by Church tradition or dogma…. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned (Gal. 1:8-9)! Scripture alone is to decide all disagreements or controversies within the Church ….And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe (1 Thess. 2:13). More than one false religion has been started by men who have adopted other books, which they claim to be of equal or greater authority than the Bible. This has even happened in the United States in our short history. To believe and affirm the truth contained in The Holy Bible does not leave any room for acknowledging any other way to approach God. To do so is to deny the clear teaching of the Holy Bible (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).

Jazzy exposes Cuffy’s nap addiction

My sister Cuffy has this bad habit of opening all kinds drawers in the house and getting in them for one of her numerous daily naps. She has a huge problem with her nap addiction. Today’s photo is of her making herself at home, for a little shut-eye, in WH’s sock drawer after she had opened it on her own. One time a drawer got closed that she was in, and it took WH about an hour to find her. That cat is more trouble than she is worth. It is a good thing that I, your talented Jazzy Cat, am available to fill the gap so to speak.

Jazzy gives unofficial test results

W.H. was so inspired by my brilliant observation yesterday that he tested my point about the decline of public education in America. He found out the following from an 11th grade student:
1. California borders the Atlantic Ocean.
2. Mississippi has three United States senators (wrong answer even for # congressmen)
3. The Supreme Court has 13 justices
4. The moon is further from earth than mars
5. Dick Cheney is the Vice President
6. Alaska is the largest state in land area
7. Recently learned that we do not have 52 states
8. He/she feels really good about their book knowledge

All is not lost as he/she got two of these extremely difficult questions right and there is no problem with the ole self-esteem. Makes a cat wonder if they still use those huge maps of the world with that big ole blue Pacific Ocean covering most of the map and coming right up to the west coast. W.H. says he must have passed by those maps a thousand times in his elementary years alone and marveled at how big that ole Pacific Ocean was as it came right up to America’s western shore. How do you get to the 11th grade and miss that?

Jazzy explains public education problem

I your humble and pro-education minded Jazzy Cat have been researching and meditating about the decline of public education in America. It is also a fact that home schooling is growing rapidly due to dissatisfaction with public education. Home-schooled students make significantly higher scores on their ACT than do public educated students. It seems that the promotion of politically correct agendas have become entrenched in public education. Multi-cultural training, sensitivity training, conflict resolution, self-esteem building, gay friendly classes, black history celebration, and one agenda after another has replaced much of the math, science, English, history, etc. that used to be taught. I heard Dr. Thomas Sowell ask the following question about all the things that have been added: What has been cut out to add these things? Either something has to be cut back or hours have to be added, and since hours have not been added, the answer is self-evident. The Colorado goof-ball teacher is just one example of the agenda based propaganda that is being taught in public schools.

Jazzy explains today’s photo and more on goof-ball Colorado teacher.

W.H. took this photo of Cuffy and me this morning as I was enjoying a view of a beautiful spring morning in Mississippi, and Cuffy was lying on her back getting one of her many daily naps. I would like to make one final point on that ungrateful goofball Colorado teacher before we move on to more interesting topics. He should at least have gotten his facts straight if he was going to compare President Bush to Hitler. In his analysis of the President’s state of the union address, he made up statements that he said Bush gave in that address that President Bush did not say in any shape, form, or fashion. In short the statements he attributed to President Bush were never made, which means the teacher fabricated them out of his own deranged leftist imagination. The state of the union address is available on the Internet so there was ample opportunity to check facts, if facts had any importance in his teaching. The guy is a disgrace as a teacher and a citizen of this country. Freedom of speech does not mean that teachers in public schools have the right to intentionally falsify events for the purpose of propaganda of any kind.

Jazzy explains the growing popularity of home schooling

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy, why do you think there are so many people in America home schooling their children?” I, your superbly educated Jazzy Cat, replied, “Cuffy, the incident where that radical leftist anti-American high school teacher in Colorado said those outrageous thinks about his own country, people, and our economic system is just the latest in a long list of reasons why traditional Americans no longer trust the public school system in this country. The following is a list of three quotes this teacher (I use the term loosely) made to his class.”

1. Where in this definition does it say anything about capitalism is an economic system that will provide everybody in the world with the basic needs that they need? Is that part of the system? Do you see how this economic system is at odds with humanity, at odds with caring and compassion, it's at odds with human rights?
2. When Al-Qaeda attacked America on September 11th, in their view they're not attacking innocent people, okay? The CIA has an office in the World Trade Center. Pentagon is a military target. The White House was a military target. Congress is a military target.
3. To many Americans, that flag is no different than the Nazi flag or the Confederate flag it. It represents people that came and stole their land, lied, brought disease, rape, pillage, destruction, et cetera.

“These comments speak for themselves. It is bad enough for a goof-ball like Ward Churchhill to make such comments, but when a high school teacher makes them it is beyond unacceptable.”

Jazzy exposes truth of what it takes to climb Handies Peak

The photo today is was taken by W.H. from the top of Handies Peak in Colorado near Lake City. The summit was a little over 14,000 feet and there are none in Colorado that are over 15,000 feet. W.H. prepared for that hike by wearing a pair of hiking boots with a steel plate in the sole, layered clothing, a backpack, thermal hat, and other emergency equipment. He was really feeling elated and like a real mountain climber, when about ½ up, a guy in shorts, t-shirt, jogging shoes with no socks, and dog jogged past him like he was standing still. Long before W.H. reached the top the same guy came jogging by again on the way down. It is good for humans to taste humble pie from time to time. You can only imagine how easy that would have been for Cuffy and me.

Sunday Bible lesson…. Total Depravity

Total depravity, or what would better be called radical corruption, is the condition that humans are born into due to original sin. This does not mean that humans are as bad as they could possibly be. The meaning of this doctrine is that human corruption due to the sinful nature is so great that the ability to choose God was lost when humanity fell in the garden of Eden. Man did not lose his freedom of the will at the fall, but the will became so enslaved by the sinful nature that the ability to choose God was lost. The Bible refers to this condition as spiritual death and Photo Mediation # 4 Spiritual Death gives more explanation.

Jazzy exposes the high fashion hiking boots

I have posted a photo today of WH’s sister’s hiking boots after she took her first hike near Telluride, Col. After about a 1000 feet elevation gain she noticed some pain sensations on the bottom of her feet as the path was rough and rocky. Cardboard, paper and everything was used to try to keep her feet from being chewed to a bloody pulp on the way down. The boots she had bought were very pretty and fashionable, but they blew out like an old dry rotted tire. We felines come equipped with our own God given pads on the bottom of our feet to avoid such disasters and I might add embarrassment as her husband and WH still ride her pretty good about her high fashion hiking boots.

Photo of Jazzy Cat and Cuffy in bed and some thoughts

The above photo is of Cuffy and me taking a well-deserved nap on our bed. We each have about 10 or 15 places where we like to nap. They all are so comfortable that we hate to give any of them up. Today WH bought us a new scratching post with perch that we can lounge on and monitor the outside and be sure that ole guard dog Chief is doing his job. Life is good when your 401-K is in order.

Jazzy explains to Cuffy how to handle staff

Cuffy said, “Jazzy Cat, last night in the middle of the night, while I was sound asleep, DH startled me as she was turning over and I gently grabbed her by the hand with my mouth. Well, the next thing I know she slapped me and ran me out of the bed. How come you always seem to have our staff eating out of your hand, but when I try to exert control, I get slapped out of bed?” I replied with as much compassion as I could muster, “Cuffy, Cuffy, Cuffy, to properly exercise control over human staff, you must manipulate their heart strings through resourceful cunning. Have you not learned anything from watching me play them like a world class violin player plays his fiddle?”

How does God save sinners?

A Christian blogger asked me for my explanation of some key Biblical doctrines and how they are inter-related. The following is my understanding:

Nearly All Christians agree on the following points:
1. God will save many but not all people that have and will live to eternal life.
2. God is sovereign and powerful enough to save 100% if he so desired.
3. Faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ is the method for saving sinners.

One view of how man comes to faith in Jesus Christ is that man, though a fallen sinner, has the ability to choose God with a will that is free. In this view Jesus Christ died a sacrificial death to make salvation a possibility for everyone but a certainty for no one. This view limits the power of the atonement since it would be possible that no one would be saved and Christ would have died in vain. This view ultimately depends on human decision. The circumstances of birth and length of life give advantages to some over others in this view.

The reformed view holds that man is spiritually dead due to the fall of Adam and has no ability to choose Jesus Christ in and of himself. In this view Jesus Christ died a sacrificial death to save many that God, through the Holy Spirit, regenerates and enables to freely come to faith in Christ. This view gives the atonement perfect power, but limits the scope to those that God predestines to graciously make alive from their spiritual death through rebirth. Those God saves will persevere through the power of God’s grace and will not be lost. This whole salvation process is through God’s grace from first to last, and does not depend on the effort of man or his decision. Unconditional election is by grace. The atonement is by grace and the preservation of the saints is by grace.

The following Photo Meditations give more explanation and supporting Bible verses: 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 33.

Jazzy explains the finicky mystic

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy Cat, I cannot believe that you are such a finicky eater. Why do you insist on turning your nose up to perfectly good food that our staff supplies for us? If that is not enough insult to them, you pretend to cover it up using our litter box maneuver.” I replied to my dull sister Cuffy, “Cuffy, to enjoy the lifestyle that we have become accustom to requires that we nourish our mystic. If you want to be taken for granted, just accept everything that is dished out and pretty soon you will be just like ole guard dog Chief. Being finicky is part of feline personality that provides our staff pleasure. I could enjoy any shaved smoked turkey for my snack. I could even enjoy unshaved smoke turkey and perhaps even plain ole turkey. However, when I insist on Oscar Mayer shaved smoked turkey, I send a very necessary message to staff. This message is pay close attention to details in providing our requirements. It develops discipline, respect and service.”

Bible lesson continued with eternal security

Today’s Bible lesson is on the doctrine of Eternal Security also known as once saved always saved. This is a very logical doctrine in reformed theology because it fits the entire system and makes it whole. Those, whom God regenerates with the power of the Holy Spirit, will come willingly to faith in Christ, and through his power will persevere to the end. It is logical, that if God saves sinners through his power and initiative, they will remain saved. There are many Scripture passages that verify this and Photo Meditation #33 Eternal Security gives more explanation on this doctrine.

Sunday Bible lesson on being born again

I have been wondering lately about the different theologies that hold that sinners come to faith in Christ through their own free will and then are regenerated by the Holy Spirit. Free grace theology and Arminian theology hold to this view. My questions would be as follows: If a sinner comes to true faith by his own free will, why does he need to be regenerated? If he has been saved and secured in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, why does he need the further work of regeneration? What further benefit is conferred upon a saved sinner after salvation has been secured? This does not make sense. The Biblical and logical position is that regeneration from God occurs before sinners come to faith in Jesus Christ. See Photo Meditation #5 Born Again for more explanation on the doctrine of regeneration.

Jazzy explains feline behavior with un-American behavior

Cuffy was upset as she asked Jazzy, “Jazzy Cat, we have been outside and rolled in the dirt for the last two beautiful days and both times we had to go straight to the shower for a bath when we came inside. Do you think there is any connection?” I replied, “Cuffy, well duh, I think so. However, we cannot be intimidated into changing our behavior to suit cleanliness freaks. Our instincts tell us that we must roll around in dirt so as to deceive our prey by disguising our scent. It allows us to sneak up on them undetected sort of like far left liberals when they cover-up their un-American activities with lies, distortions and propaganda. Examples would be Al Gore’s speech in Saudi Arabia, Cindy Sheehan, Ward Churchill, and the exposed high school teacher in Colorado just to name a few. I hate to admit it Cuffy, but we all get really dirty in our attempt to deceive. Thankfully, the bath that our staff gives us washes us clean. The dirt these kook liberals get on them is not removed quite as easily, and the odor is disgusting.”

Jazzy comments on Colorado student that exposes his radical teacher

Cuffy said, “Jazzy Cat, what do you think about the high school student in Colorado that tape recorded the classroom lecture by his geography teacher in which he ranted about Bush, America, and capitalism being evil?” I, Jazzy Cat, being a proud member of a capitalistic household replied, “Cuffy, the cat is out of the bag (pardon the pun) on the attempted manipulation and brain washing that is going on in schools across America. Maybe if schools taught more of the three r’s, instead of attempting to indoctrinate with left wing and PC propaganda, our students would be better prepared for the challenges they will face. See Feb. 24th Jazzy Cat post for an example. I would like to commend this student and his parents for exposing the ignorance and fraud that this teacher was engaged in. Thank God that we felines have such magnificent instincts that we do not need education at all.”

Jazzy discusses Supreme Court Justice sleeping during session

Cuffy said, “Jazzy, I read where Supreme Court Justice Ruth Gader Ginsburg fell asleep during a Supreme Court session in which testimony was being given. It is very encouraging to see human beings make progress in adapting feline attributes. What do you think.” I, your alert and sober, Jazzy Cat, responded, “Cuffy, It is a good think she is not a conservative or a Republican appointee, because the MSM would have been up in arms. Dan Ratherlie would have expressed sincere righteous indignation and been applauded for his insightful journalism. Since she was appointed by Clinton and supported by the likes of Senator Needmo Integrity, she will get a free pass from the MSM. Can you imagine what would happen if Bush, Cheney or even a cabinet member fell asleep in an official meeting. They would be demanding resignations, hearings, and the left wing kook blogs would have a hate fest. We felines have no problem with anyone taking a little cat nap and only wish that Ms Ginsburg could sleep through all of the votes.”

Jazzy explains the basic errors in free grace theology

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy, what is this free grace theology you have been reading about on the internet?” I, your reformed Jazzy Cat, replied, “Cuffy, as near as I can determine the free grace theology is basically antinomianism theology that is sometimes referred to as the carnal Christian concept. It is a belief that faith does not result in a changed life that seeks to obey Jesus and follow him as Lord. It is unbiblical and the subject is covered in Photo Meditation #25. Simply click on the Photo Meditation link directly below. I believe the basic cause of this kind of thinking is a failure to understand two Biblical principles. First, there is a failure to understand the depravity of man and the extent of original sin. This leads to the second reason, which is a failure to understand the resulting change a person experiences when he is born again (Photo Med. #5) or regenerated by the Holy Spirit. In short, there is a failure to understand the depth of the fall and also the dramatic spiritual change of the rebirth.

Jazzy gives servant staff day off for photography trip

Cuffy and I have been fighting quite a bit lately and I believe our staff, WH and DH, has shown signs of disgust with us. Therefore, I decided to give them a day off from their servant duties. They gladly accepted and went on a little day trip for the purpose of working on a photography project. This really worked well for everyone concerned, as we were able to catch up on our sleep. Insomnia is not a feline problem, and with no disturbances other than guard dog Chief howling at sirens, we had a restful day. Our staff came back excited with their photos. So all is quite well as I have been meditating on my defense of reformed theology with the free grace theology people. I wish I could send in Dr. R.C. Sproul as a replacement for me in this debate.As ole Butch Cassidy said in that movie, who are those guys…. man they come at you with all they got. I admire that in them though.

Jazzy explains the external call of God

I have recently found some very dedicated Christian bloggers who differ in Christian doctrine from this blog. I would like to make a point in interpreting Scripture or anything else for that matter. It is easy for all of us to look at a Bible verse and read meaning into it that is not there. There are many passages such as the well-known John 3:16 verse that give the external call of God (See Photo Meditations 13 and 14 for more on the external and internal call). This verse is often used to refute the reformed doctrine of election. In reality, John 3:16 says nothing about man’s ability to respond to this call. If you said for example: Texaco so appreciates it’s customers world wide that everyone who comes in for gasoline in the next two hours will get a free gallon. Does this mean that 100% of the people with vehicles on the planet has the ability to respond to the offer? (Obviously not) One rule of Biblical interpretation is to let Scripture interpret Scripture. Logic alone is enough to see that the John 3:16 text does not speak to ability. However, for further verification we can look at the many passages where Jesus speaks of having ears to hear and eyes to see and how some have calloused hearts and cannot hear. John 3:16 is a sincere external call that God makes to everyone but it does not speak to the ability to respond.

Jazzy explains de facto Calvinism

Non-Calvinistic or Arminian Christian theology holds that human free will has the ability to choose salvation. While the Holy Spirit draws a person to salvation, human beings must freely choose Jesus Christ and salvation. What is the ingredient of free will that makes the decision to choose faith in Christ? Is it intelligence, discernment, genetics, a gentle spirit, the heart, the environment, or perhaps a combination of many factors? If a human makes this free choice, then there must be reasons that cause him to make the choice. For the sake of this discussion lets call this reason SP. Human A chooses to have faith in Christ because his SP leads him to have faith in Christ. Human A’s twin Human B does not believe though he has been exposed to everything as Human A. His SP does not lead him to Christ. What is SP and where did it come from?

While we can’t explain what it is exactly, we can trace it to the source. Was it a believing parent or great grandparent that provided the SP for Human A? Where does the road lead for the ingredients that provided the SP? Acts 17:24-28 and many other Scripture verses provide us with the answer. Whatever SP is the road for where it comes from winds back to God. The free will, that allows a person to choose Christ, can be traced back to God; therefore, the SP that is required comes from God. Unless it can be shown that a person can choose his parents, his intelligence, and all the things that Paul speaks of in Acts 17, then free-will salvation comes from God just as surely as pure Calvinism comes from God. Let us give the SP we mentioned a name and call it sovereignty and providence. These are the reasons a person chooses Christ and we can label this thinking de facto Calvinism.

Therefore, we have pure Calvinism which holds that regeneration by the Holy Spirit quickens a spiritually dead person and allows him to freely come to faith in Christ and we have de facto Calvinism in which human free will (which comes exclusively from God) chooses Christ through faith which brings regeneration. In both cases unconditional election is at work. Pure Calvinism is more logical and Biblical, but either way salvation comes from God.

Jazzy Cat’s thinking on the universe and evolution

Cuffy asked me, “Jazzy Cat, how do you think the universe started and what do you think of evolution?” I said, “Cuffy, while I am a smart feline, I am going to rely quite a bit on what I have learned from Dr. R.C. Sproul of Ligonier Ministries (http://www.ligonier.org/). It is really interesting to hear Dr. Sproul speak of his debate via correspondence he had with the late Dr. Carl Sagen. Here goes.
1. If there ever were a time when there was nothing, there would be nothing now.
2. Since there is something now, there has always been something.

3. This something must have the power of being in and of itself and not require anything ‘to be’.

4. The choices are either matter/energy or a necessary intelligent supreme being.

5. It is inconceivable that unintelligent, powerless matter/energy has this power of being.

6. It seems to me that logic screams for a necessary intelligent being with awesome power to be the entity that has always been and has the power to be in and of himself.

7. This Supreme Being created the universe.

Just as there is a lot of political propaganda involved in the human causation of global warming debate, I believe there is a lot of anti-religious influence in the evolution debate. Quite simply, atheists are eager to prove that a supreme being does not exist. In both global warming and evolution, I believe that objectivity and conclusions from data are suspect. I have not studied evolution theory very much. However, I find it hard to believe that a very complicated organ that is necessary for an animal to live has to evolve for millions of years to become functional. What would make a fantastically designed organ keep evolving to that perfection while it was worthless. Can you imagine an airplane flying while it is evolving wings?"

Jazzy tells about a child left behind

I heard W.H. telling D.H. how he likes to ask young high school students very basic questions on various subjects. He asks them questions like who is the Vice President of the United States and what ocean borders California, etc. He asked this one blond high school senior working as a waitress if she knew what a filibuster was. She thought a minute and said she didn’t, but that she thought it was located in the stomach area.

Jazzy bonds while watching Andy Griffith reruns

Cuffy asked, “Jazzy why to you cuddle up with DH while she and WH watch an Andy Griffith DVD rerun every night? I, your warm and purring Jazzy, replied, “Cuffy, it all has to do with bonding. Bonding is an art form and for us to have the capable staff that we do, it takes constant attention to develop the relationship that we want with our servants. We really do have a good situation here and we do need some political capital in case that intruder mouse shows up again.”

Jazzy compares Katrina response to socialized health care

I am one tired cat as my sleep time has been cut to about 19 hours a day. Therefore, today’s post, which is already late, will also be brief. I would like everyone who suffers from liberalism disorder to consider the following: The government’s handling of the Katrina disaster is a snapshot of how the Clinton nationalized health care plan would have worked. If you didn’t like that government response, then you wouldn’t like socialized health care or anything else.

Cuffy and Jazzy support guard dog Chief and his mission

Cuffy asked Jazzy, “Jazzy, I sure feel sorry for guard dog Chief having to live outside in this cold weather. We sure are blessed to have him out there on patrol protecting us in these difficult conditions. Why don’t we let him know how much we appreciate it by showing our support in word and deed?” I, your warm and safe Jazzy Cat, replied, “That is a great idea Cuffy. Unlike the Follywood kooks who undercut our troops in Iraq by giving encouragement to the enemy, we could show WH, DH, and guard dog Chief that we not only support him, but we also support his mission of giving a first warning of intruders. That way any would be intruder would know that they would be facing a united front. While we felines are a pampered group just like those Follywood kooks, we don’t have to be anti-American and engage in treasonous acts like they do.”