Cool Image Of The Moment

Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri -

Cool Image Of The Moment (UPDATED AGAIN)

Outdoor major league baseball has returned to the Twin Cities for 2010 with the opening of Target Field. The Minnesota Twins had been playing indoors at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome since the early 1980's, a facility they shared with the NFL's Vikings and the University of Minnesota that was not ideal for baseball.

UPDATE: Twin Cities resident and Powerline contributor John Hinderaker was present for Opening Day at Target field and posted some great photos and story.

UPDATE 2: James Lileks posted family photos of a trip to the old Metropolitan Stadium in Minneapolis. Included is a post card he has showing the stadium in the foreground and the tall buildings of downtown Minneapolis looking hazy in the distance. That stadium was knocked down later to make way for shopping. You have probably heard of what they built there.

New Trail For Springfield

Springfield News Leader article says a new park with trails is coming soon. I have a fondness for trails since my time in the Adirondack Mountains gave me plenty of opportunity to hike.

The more the merrier, I say.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 3

Here is Part 3 of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on Redemption from God's view. Spurgeon conjures here what God the Spirit might have covenanted regarding mankind's salvation in this imaginary, though Bible-saturated, statement,

"I hereby covenant that all whom the Father giveth to the Son, I will in due time quicken. I will show them their need of redemption; I will cut off from them all groundless hope, and destroy their refuges of lies. I will bring them to the blood of sprinkling; I will give them faith whereby this blood can be applied to them; I will work in them every grace; I will keep their faith alive; I will cleanse them and drive out all depravity from them, and they shall be presented at last spotless and faultless."

Previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2.

We Need More Leaders Like This

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is a man with backbone.

Inheriting the reins of a state drowning in debt and where in 2009 public employment added 11,000 jobs while the private sector lost 120,000, Christie is insisting that the leaks that are sinking the state's budget be plugged.

Mr. Christie's answer is simple: "a smaller government that lives within its means."

However quaint that may sound, when you have to cut nearly $11 billion in state spending to get there, you are going to get a lot of yelling and screaming. Most comes from the New Jersey Education Association, hollering that "the children" will be hurt by Mr. Christie's proposals for teachers to accept a one-year wage freeze and begin contributing something toward their health plans. What makes the battle interesting is the way Mr. Christie is throwing the old chestnuts back at his critics.

The children will be the ones to suffer from your education cuts. "The real question is, who's for the kids, and who's for their raises? This isn't about the kids. Let's dispense with that portion of the argument. Don't let them tell you that ever again while they are reaching into your pockets."

If you want, read it all.

Answer: 35 In August

Question: How old is Edgar Renteria?

That was my question the other day when I saw Renteria, now a San Francisco Giant, lace a hit into left to score a couple of runs. It seems he has been playing forever and yet, here he is, old as dirt, gettin' it done in the majors. Good for him. He became a St. Louis favorite when he played for the Cards from '99 to '04. He may best be remembered for knocking in Craig Counsell in the bottom of the 11th of Game 7 of the 1997 World Series to give the Florida Marlins a world championship over the Cleveland Indians.

I'm expecting the Cardinals to have a good year in 2010. Even though I think Chicago might be better than last year, I think a full season with Matt Holliday in the lineup and with Albert Pujols being healthy, along with possibly the best rotation in the league will be enough for St. Louis to win the division. That being said, I wasn't ready for them to lose a game yet, which happened the third game of the year. As good as they are I was hoping to win the first 10 or 11 before we lost. Bummer.

I saw some of the Masters golf tournament this weekend. I'm not big on watching golf, but I like to know who wins the major events. The overriding story was Tiger Woods, of course. I heard his statement a few weeks ago and was struck by how shaken he seemed to be. I honestly think he's been humbled by the prospect of losing his family. So, I'm praying for Tiger Woods. I would think his heart is most tender at this time. I pray that God would convert him.

Had a meeting last Monday night so I missed viewing '24' in its regular time slot. I watched it Friday night on the computer. I went to the website for the show and the Fox Network and clicked the button. I guess they are using something called 'Flo' to show the programs. Let's just say my experience with Flo was not a pleasant one. The feed stopped several times for two or three minutes. After about 30 minutes of airtime, I switched over to Hulu and had a much better experience. To be fair, the Hulu feed stopped to buffer a couple of times, too. But it was much more manageable. And '24' is excellent this year.

While I was watching my computer Friday, I could hear a lawn mower running somewhere in the neighborhood. It was dark outside. Mowing in the dark - you should try it. I did on Tuesday. My yard had gotten ridiculous and the week was jammed with things to do, so I had to get out there. But I had to go get gas first. And we ate first. And it was overcast. And the light faded quickly and before I was halfway through the yard, I began to jog. Yes, running in the dark with a mower. I could have put my eye out.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 2

Here's the part 2 of Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on Redemption from God's view. Spurgeon conjures what God the Son might have covenanted regarding mankind's salvation in this imaginary, though Bible-saturated, statement,

"My Father, on my part I covenant that in the fullness of time I will become man. I will take upon myself the form and nature of the fallen race. I will live in their wretched world, and for my people I will keep the law perfectly. I will work out a spotless righteousness, which shall be acceptable to the demands of Thy just and holy law. In due time I will bear the sins of all my people. Thou shalt exact their debts on me; the chastisement of their peace will I endure, and by my stripes they shall be healed. My Father, I covenant and promise that I will be obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross. I will magnify Thy law, and make it honorable. I will suffer all they ought to have suffered. I will endure the curse of Thy law, and all the vials of Thy wrath shall be emptied and spent upon my head. I will then rise again; I will ascend into heaven; I will intercede for them at Thy right hand; I will make myself responsible for every one of them, that not one of those whom Thou hast given me shall ever be lost, and I will bring all my sheep of whom, by Thy blood, Thou hast constituted me the Shepherd -- I will bring every one safe to Thee at last."

Part 1 is here.

Cool Image Of The Moment

The Vancouver Giants are part of the Western Hockey League.

HT Cris Creamer.

Spurgeon On Redemption, Part 1

The other day in a meeting a devotion was led by a friend of mine named Tom. Having just passed the Easter season, the devotion was a reflection on the meaning of that event. Part of Tom's devotion was reading words written by Charles Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the 19th, or any other century.

What Spurgeon wrote was imaginary covenants that each member of the Trinity might have taken before effecting the Redemption of God's people. Each statement is so thoroughly Bible-saturated and compelling that I wanted to post them. Please remember these are Spurgeon's words and, though obviously drawing on Biblical truth, we can't assign them the same authority.

Spurgeon first imagined the Father saying,

"I, the Most High Jehovah, do hereby give unto my only begotten and well-beloved Son, a people countless beyond the number of the stars who shall be by Him washed from sin, by Him preserved, and kept, and led, and by Him, at last, presented before my throne, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. I covenant by oath and sware by myself, because I can sware by no greater, that those whom I now give to Christ shall be forever the objects of my eternal love. Them will I forgive through the merit of the blood, to these will I give a perfect righteousness; these will I adopt and make my sons and daughters, and these shall reign with me through Christ eternally!"

Cool Image Of The Moment

Looking up 'Moderne' on the internet the other day yielded this image which I like. Moderne, I learned, is a style that appeared at the end of the Art Deco period.

According to the all knowing, all powerful Wizard of Oz (read: Wikipedia), "its architectural style emphasised curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements." Mentioned in the article was the Long Beach Airport and clicking on that link brought up the article with the logo.

The logo was cool.

Terror And Taxes. If That's Not Redundant

Charles Krauthammer on two issues that are hot right now - the war on terror and the taxes necessary to fund Obamacare. Here's a snippet on reports that the Obama administration is excluding any Islamic reference from the upcoming National Security Strategy:

In Pakistan, we have allies, the moderates in the government and in the army who are now at war with the same jihadists. Do you think the Pakistanis, who are Muslims, are denying that the enemy is jihadism - and the imposition of Sharia law? For us to deny it is to say that our own allies - the moderate Muslims - are deluded.

Read it all here.