Easter 2024

 

What would cause someone to voluntarily submit to the agony of the Cross?

Any honest student of history will agree that there was a historical Jesus. Given that, the Bible teaches that He -

• Was born of a virgin
• Suffered unbelievable torture
• Was crucified
• Was stabbed by a Roman soldier to ensure his death
• Was buried

.... And rose from the dead!

He also made an outlandish claim, which if true, places a great burden on us. "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me."  John 14:6 (KJV)

The Bible also teaches that we all live, die, and  will face judgement. 

However, if you come to know Jesus, He has already taken your judgement on Himself.  "He that believeth on Him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." John 3:18. (KJV)

So, please explore His claims. It is not enough to know about Jesus, you must know Him. 

To answer the question asked at the beginning, look to John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Before you go, check out the Got Jesus tab above (or HERE) to learn how to know Him. 

The One Shot Group

In the movie The Patriot, Benjamin Martin takes his two young boys to rescue his oldest son from British soldiers. He gives his sons specific instructions, including -

AIM SMALL, MISS SMALL

What can we learn from this scene? I started thinking about the fact that in those days, a person only had one shot with a muzzleloader; and in a self defense situation, it was take the shot, then use whatever other means were available to escape or prevail over the bad guy. 

So -

What if we started training as if there was only one shot? Ergo, the title of this post. A few years ago, I wrote about handgun stopping power, and discussed the ways a fight can be stopped. You can read that post HERE. 

This drill is super simple. When you arrive at the range, put a target out at 25 yards. Draw or pick up your pistol (depending on range rules) and take one shot. Now relax for a few minutes, then check your hit. End of the drill. How did you do? 

If you can't deliver the shot at 25 yards, what range can you do it at?

How far can you do it with iron sights?

With a red dot sight?

With a laser?

Vital Dude target. White dot added to clarify the shot location. 25 yds, 
with a laser pointed at the middle of the nose.

Happily, we are not restricted to only one shot with modern handguns. For those of us who live in free states, ammunition capacity is limited only by our personal desire and circumstances. If we have to shoot, we shoot until the threat is stopped.

Ordinary reasonable people really don't want to shoot someone, and avoidance of bad situations is the best defense. But if you are in a public place and someone comes in and starts shooting, you need to do your best to deliver the shot. . . . and try to make the first one count.

If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. (Romans 12:18 KJV)

The Nativity, AD 2023

 

As we celebrate Christmas 2023, the Nativity display reminds us of who it is about; and the calendar points to the fact that the Nativity was such an event historically that nothing else can compare. Sure, there are other calendars; the Japanese, Chinese, Indians, Israelis, and others have calendars, but the calendar based on Jesus' life is used almost universally around the world.

When you look at the manger scene above, you see Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Gathered near are a shepherd, a donkey, a sheep, and three wise men. Similar scenes are displayed all over during the Christmas season.

But, what does the Biblical record show, and what does it mean. The Bible does mention the presence of shepherds at the manger scene, but does not specifically mention the number of wise men. It tells of gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but not how many men came. The written Biblical record does not place them at the manger, either.

We see depictions of livestock ranging from a sheep and a donkey as shown above, to scenes with those animals, as well as cattle, and camels. There was no Kodachrome or digital photography then, so all we have is the written record. But it is sufficient to tell the story.

At first glance, we might think of the Nativity as the beginning of the story, but it has its origins in eternity past. Mankind's story begins in the Garden of Eden with the creation of Adam and Eve by this same Jesus. (As the Apostle John writes: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1: 1-3)

Gun free zones are STILL a bad idea!

I wrote the following in 2015 concerning 'Gun Free Zones' - - - 

Gun free zones are a bad idea. Now, once again, innocent Americans have reaped the reward of the gun ban utopian's dreams. Arbitrarily designating these areas shows that those who do so are out of touch with reality. There are at least two fatal assumptions they make:

1. Criminal who don't obey the law will obey their sign
2. Good people with guns will turn bad when they enter the designated ban area.

Well, in this case, there were again some good guys without guns in the ban area. The bad guy showed up, without an appointment, and massacred these Marines.

Details will come out. 

Questions will be asked, such, as was this person a radical Islamic terrorist? Was he a domestic terrorist? Was he just a run-of-the mill hoodlum?

Doesn't matter. 

The question that needs to be asked is, "When will these statist utopians wake up and get rid of these asinine killing fields for evil perpetrators??"

Are you a politician who has held onto this hopeless ideal?  Wake up!

Update October 2023 - the Marines' killer was identified HERE. With Hamas calling for worldwide jihad, it is long past time for our government to require us to disarm when we go to certain places.

The bad guys surely will not. 

New Mexico today, Tennessee Tomorrow?

 Here is the text of my letter to the editor warning against Red Flag laws in Tennessee:

Gov. Michelle Grisham (D) of New Mexico ignited a firestorm with her suspension of the Constitution, when she, by executive fiat, announced a 30-day Second Amendment (2A) ban. Television footage shows her backed by Moms Demand Action activists; but various law enforcement officials and even the Democrat New Mexico attorney general have distanced themselves from her and voiced refusal to enforce her edict. A federal judge has already entered a temporary restraining order against this harebrained 2A abridgment.

Meanwhile, Tennessee gun owners dodged a bullet in the recent special legislative session called by Gov. Bill Lee (R?). Lee wanted a red flag law so badly that he spent millions of Tennesseans’ tax dollars on the session. It was an utter failure when the legislature refused to circle the drain with him and send the Bill of Rights to the sewer.

Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact

 

M&P 22 Compact

In a previous post I made the case for a small, discreetly carried .22 caliber pistol. While that concept certainly still holds, I will discuss the Smith & Wesson M&P 22 Compact pistol here. It is too large to be so discreetly carried, but may still be a good choice for some. It is similar in size to the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 M2.0 4.0" Compact and weighs about half what that full caliber gun weighs.

 Some desirable features of this gun include-

• The controls mimic the controls of the 9 mm, so the manual of arms is the same.
• It is omnivorous, that is to say, it has eaten everything I have fed it. This certainly can't be said for every 22 caliber pistol.
• As mentioned above, it is light weight.
• It has a threaded barrel, so a silencer could be attached.

Why get this gun?