So where have all the Christians gone?

Good question. In some ways, a double whammy -- the number of Christians as a percentage of the U.S. population is dropping, and the number of Christians that affiliate themselves with a denomination (such as Lutheran, Baptist, or Methodist) or with an existing institution (a non-denominational church).

Here's the article -- http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2009/09/25/bruce-feiler-christians-americans-gone/

Personally, a Christian is a Christian, pure and simple. But I do find (generally) that those Christians that aren't "lone wolf" believers -- those believers that find a group of like-minded people to strengthen and nourish their faith and fellowship tend to be stronger in their faith.

And of course, I like this passage from Ecclesiastes 4 (emphasis mine)...

I turned my head and saw yet another wisp of smoke on its way to nothingness: a solitary person, completely alone—no children, no family, no friends—yet working obsessively late into the night, compulsively greedy for more and more, never bothering to ask, "Why am I working like a dog, never having any fun? And who cares?" More smoke. A bad business.

It's better to have a partner than go it alone.
Share the work, share the wealth.
And if one falls down, the other helps,
But if there's no one to help, tough!

Two in a bed warm each other.
Alone, you shiver all night.

By yourself you're unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped.

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

(The Message paraphrase)

The devil LOVES the divide and conquer strategy. One on one, he's got us outmatched and outgunned. Together, along with Christ, the game's done, and we're the one with the W. What do you think?

"Labor" Day -- Losing something?

"Labor Day reverence is lost, say historians"
[Click here for the article in the San Diego Union-Tribune]

There's a good article in today's San Diego Union-Tribune by John Wilkens that reminds us why Labor Day was created. No, it wasn't to grill up the last of the summer's supply of ribs and steaks, nor was it a last chance to take a mini-vacation before school really got into session. Over 125 years ago (127, to be exact) Labor Day was founded as a day of protest against the working conditions of the time -- 12 hour work days, 7 days a week(84 hour work-weeks? That's worth marching in a parade for), with truly horrid working conditions. From all of this spawned more than a holiday, but the beginnings of the labor unions.

Over the past century and a quarter, the power and might of the unions have seen it's highest points, and is currently in one of it's lowest points -- a recent Gallup poll found that on 49% of Americans have a favorable view of labor unions -- the first time that rating has fallen below 50% since that question started being asked around 1937.

PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup finds organized labor taking a significant image hit in the past year. While 66% of Americans continue to believe unions are beneficial to their own members, a slight majority now say unions hurt the nation's economy. More broadly, fewer than half of Americans -- 48%, an all-time low -- approve of labor unions, down from 59% a year ago.

These results are from the 2009 installment of Gallup's annual Work and Education survey, conducted Aug. 6-9. The 48% of Americans now approving of unions represents the first sub-50% approval since Gallup first asked the question in the 1930s. The previous low was 55%, found in both 1979 and 1981.

Source -- "Labor Unions See Sharp Slide in U.S. Public Support" by Lydia Saad. [Article here]

And I can understand why -- at its height, unions fought for the workers and against unfair labor practices. Their efforts spearheaded the 40-hour work week, fair wages (not to be confused with minimum wages), and many of the benefits they rightfully enjoy today. (My family was able to put my sister and I through a combined 12 years of college on our dad's earnings as a railroad engineer -- so I know how good the fruits of that labor have been to us.) But right now, unions are at a low point. I think their involvement in political campaigns that go far beyond 40 hour work weeks and good working conditions is in no small part to blame. Americans are looking at the past 5 or so years, and they're not liking what they see. And with "Card Check" (a nice way of taking away the secret ballot when it comes to elections), and "health care reform," there's probably not much to change this pattern anytime soon. At the bottom are more of the results of the Gallup poll in quick hits fashion -- if you want to see the analysis, head over to the Gallup page. The current economic conditions lean toward a strengthening of the labor movement -- but their politics might blunt, or negate that trend. Granted, I strongly believe that our national holidays, formed for good reason (Independence Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas leading the way), are being lost do to apathy and neglect, but here, I wonder if the organizations that "represent" labor are shooting the holiday that honors labor in the foot? What do you think?

Glad I'm an LCMS Lutheran...

And here comes more of the slippery slope for the ELCA.

I understand how easy it is to be overly permissive -- to let things slide. Standards and rules can get messy, tough to enforce. Good gravy, with 3 kids, I've let hard-and-fast "rules" bend a bit.

But we're talking about God's word here. A little bit higher standard than cleaning your plate, or choosing what socks to wear to school.

Here's the article from the St. Louis Post Dispatch :: http://preview.tinyurl.com/nbvh2n

What ever happened to "Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner?" Can we not pull the two apart? Isn't that a VITAL part of forgiveness?

This is only a test...

OK, using the "Networked Blogs" app on Facebook -- just doing a little test here.

Sunday morning, and all is well...

...for now.

Ellen's at work, and it's me vs. three kids. Two rooms in desperate need of cleaning out. Facebook pages needing updating, and a blog in desperate need of a posting.

One down, and a few more to go.

A good resource for the summer blockbuster season

Came across this story on MSN.com. http://runpee.com is a little tool that lts you know when it's a good time in the story to rush over to the restroom and, ahem, deal with that 64 oz soda you picked up at the concession stand on the way in, and have since drank. (Or, as is my case often, dealing with the earlier soda, and getting a refill). Looks pretty cool. Give it a look, and let me know what you think!

"Police Protection" in St. Louis? Calling Paul Blart!

Here's the story from Sunday's St. Louis Post Dispatch. Take a gander:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/laworder/story/772BFA5DB03D337E862575D400169796?OpenDocument

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OK, please tell me that "Mall Cop" and "Observe and Report" were just bad movie flops, and not the prototype for police protection in the Greater St. Louis Metro area!

OK, how 'bout this... If someone tries to pull me over, or detain me:

(a) They'd better be clearly identified as city/county police, not rent-a-cops filling in the gap, as evidenced by a clearly marked SLPD/SLCPD squad car and by official licence plate,

(b) They'd better be in uniform, complete with SLPD/SLCPD/et.al. badge and identification.

Otherwise, I'd be calling 911, asking them to confirm that the folks following me with all the light, sirens and guns are ACTUALLY ON DUTY, honest to God law enforcement officers. Otherwise, I'm not stopping for pretenders, wannabes, or someone on a second job. Isn't that called "impersonation of a law-enforcement official?" Isn't that against the law in Missouri? (Or for that matter, any other state?) Are things sooooo bad that rent-a-cops are required to keep the peace?

Why not just hire more police? Put it to a vote to raise taxes in a specific, delineated zone to hire dedicated, OFFICIAL police for a particular zone. If it passes, hire the cops needed. If it doesn't, work with what you have.

I hate "efficiency."

Good evening, y'all:

This past March and April have really been busy, which means I've been worn down much more often than usual. Other than increasing my intake of good, strong Lutheran coffee and Monster energy drinks, it also ends up getting me a little more philosophical than usual. In short, I've been thinking. And thinking. And thinking some more.

It's also given me the opportunity to really examine things a little. Changes of direction will do that, especially when it changes everything from the ground up. So let me take you on a little journey through my thinking on this. It touches a lot of bases, but it started off all together simply, with a Facebook posting.

"I hate efficiency."

I was tired, most likely a bit more irratable than usual, and I had had my fill of rude customers at work, going through the cow queue lines at McDonalds, and enduring other processes that are streamlined to optimize the efficiency of whatever the heck they were doing. Wandering around the local Barnes and Noble a few minutes before I took over things at the Bunny Set in the mall, somehow, my mind dredged up a simple concept from Steven Covey (the 7 Habits of Effective People author.) Summed up, he stated that while you can be efficient with things, you can't be efficient with people. You can, however, be effective.

I've heard many times on how, when waiting in line, how often we're "herded like cattle," or treated like sheep when patiently holding on until it's our turn. Yes, the jokes are old and well worn, but like all good jokes and satire, they have that kernel of truth at the core. But it goes much deeper than simple puns.

I see the problem as two fold: first, we allow others to be "efficient" with us. Can you be "efficient" when relating to your mom or dad? How successful were you when you were last "efficient" with your wife or husband? I'm guessing not too well. So why do we allow others to be efficient with us when waiting at the DMV, or anywhere else. I think that when we allow others to get the notion that we are something that can be handled purely on an efficiency level of interaction, we lose something very important. Note in that previous sentence the word "something." Not someone, nor a person, but something. A thing that can be dealt with efficiently.

When we lose the person part of the word, and become a thing, we revolt. "I AM A PERSON, not a THING!" we might say. And in doing so, we take that anger and frustraton out on the person who's doing the job. Or on the other drivers as you head home. Or, to get your revenge on "the man," you start seeing other people as "things," depersonalizing them...

I'll keep things going tomorrow.