The Weekly Standard:

Kristol: A Contrarian Take

If Palin wants to run in 2012, why not do exactly what she announced today? It’s an enormous gamble – but it could be a shrewd one.
After all, she’s freeing herself from the duties of the governorship. Now she can do her book, give speeches, travel the country and the world, campaign for others, meet people, get more educated on the issues – and without being criticized for neglecting her duties in Alaska. I suppose she’ll take a hit for leaving the governorship early – but how much of one? She’s probably accomplished most of what she was going to get done as governor, and is leaving a sympatico lieutenant governor in charge…READ ON

On July 26th. Read her speech (here).

Fox News:

Palin Quits, Transfers Power to Lt. Governor

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said Friday that she is stepping down at the end of the month, setting up a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin shocked the political word Friday by announcing that she will step down at the end of the month and transfer power to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.

Palin made the announcement from her home in Wasilla, flanked by her husband, Todd, and family and state commissioners.

Palin’s decision now allows her to avoid the difficult task of running for president while serving as governor…READ ON

The University is closed July 3rd!

Mr. Naron wrote an awesome post a year ago, which he decided to re-post. What perfect timing! It is entitled  “Worst Break-Up Excuse You’ve Ever Heard,” I encourage you to read it. He has four of the excuses posted, however, the mother-of-all lame excuses caught my eye. Why? Well, it was used on me. In fact, the way Mr. Naron describes it is the same way I would describe her lame excuse:

And that brings us to probably the worst one I’ve ever heard, and I thank Heaven it’s never been used on me. Evidently, some girls break up with their beaus in order to “date Jesus”. I had a little trouble with even understanding what that means. From what I’ve been told, girls with no more scruples than Madonna will tell a guy she just wants to be with Jesus for awhile. Inevitably, she dumps Jesus for the next better looking dude who comes along.

I’ve always behaved with at least the basic level of dignity in break-ups, but I would not be able to if a girl tried to use the Lord as an excuse. I would have to berate her within an inch of her spiritual life. And if we ran in the same circle of friends, you can bet she would quickly find herself shunned Plymouth Colony style. I’d rather she cheat on me than turn Jesus into a dating maneuver.

And for any of you who have had this pulled on you before, I hope you set him or her straight on the issue. I imagine a few have blamed Jesus for the whole thing as if He had anything to do with it. But that’s a discussion for another day.

My thoughts exactly. When I read his post this morning I felt like the words were taken right out of my mouth! As for:

Inevitably, she dumps Jesus for the next better looking dude who comes along.

Actually, it only took a few days to execute her plan — the new one is a nonbeliever. And that’s not even the worst part of it all [No Details Needed!].

I haven’t addressed the issue as frankly as I am right now. Mr. Naron’s post had me thinking. I believe this break-up excuse is used, not by spiritual individuals, but by those with no spiritual life.  Who in their right mind would invoke Jesus in order to date a nonbeliever? Exactly.

When he stated:

And if we ran in the same circle of friends, you can bet she would quickly find herself shunned Plymouth Colony style.

Naron is taking a page right out of the Apostle Paul’s Epistle (1 Corinthians 5-7):

(5) deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. (6) Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? (7) Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.

But part of me would like to reach out, as he expressed:

I hope you set him or her straight on the issue.

I’d like to share the love and mercy that Jesus Christ has shown me. I will admit, sometimes this issue angers me, every time I see a picture here-and-there of the one “dating Jesus” only the guy isn’t Jesus. It angers me. But at those very moments I begin to pray, or I’ll turn on my worship music.

So what approach do I take? Continue to shun — or share the love shown to me? At this point I just continue to pray. My relationship with the Lord grew after this breakup, so I am happy. But the ends don’t justify the means, and the person’s dishonesty still exists.

Either way, life is awesome, and God is great. What else matters? As Paul said in Romans 8:31: ” If God is for us, who can be against us?”

In the end I think back to one major thing:

God You Reign!

Starts at 7:00pm, Calvary Chapel Golden Springs. You can watch a rebroadcast online (here). We are getting into Psalm 87 tonight.

Or, maybe I’ll see you there?

You can listen to pastor Raul on 99.5 KKLA at 1PM, and 107.9 KWVE at 1AM and 5PM. Or, come to Calvary Chapel Golden Springs!

Sundays: 8AM, 9:30AM, 11AM, 12:30PM, and 6PM

Wednesdays: 7PM

[Edit @ 10:20PM]: Pastor Raul covered Psalm 87-90. 87 was David’s description of the Kingdom Age, and 88 is known as the most depressing part of the Bible. 89 was awesome, it was very uplifting. You can watch a rebroadcast above.

WordPress updated their iPhone application, it works a lot more smoothly. How can I tell? I’m using it as we speak and it has not given me any trouble.

Thomas Sowell (via Townhall.com):

Alice in Medical Care

Most political and media discussions of medical care have an air of unreality reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. There is an abundance of catch-phrases but remarkably few coherent arguments.

Let’s start at square one. Why is there alarm about American medical care? The most usual reason given is because its cost is high and rising.

That is certainly true. We were not spending nearly as much on high-tech medical procedures in the past because there were not nearly as many of them, and we were not spending anything at all on some of the new pharmaceutical drugs because they didn’t exist…READ ON

The Republican incumbent, Norm Coleman, has officially lost. The seven month legal fight is over. The Minnesota Supreme Court affirmed Al Franken as the senator, but Coleman may take this to federal court. I think he should really give this up now, it’s over.

Crap, this sucks.