I am shocked - SHOCKED I tell you - at this ruling coming out of California.  The judge in this case has done his homework and is absolutely correct that it does not violate the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment.  In fact, the whole notion of "separation of church and state" is a relatively recent development that came out of the courts, not the Constitution.

Back in the day, many of the states had their own official churches.  The 1st Amendment was to ensure that the Federal government did not create a national religion (as back in Britain) and that they did not restrict an individual from exercising their faith.  Somewhere along the line, the 1A was interpreted to mean that no government program, public schools especially, could ever legally be allowed to appear that they endorse a religion; especially Christianity.  via WND:

A federal judge in California has handed down a scathing ruling against a school that required one of its teachers to remove signs celebrating the role of God in American history from his classroom walls.

As WND reported, math teacher Bradley Johnson had banners hanging in his classroom at Westview High School in San Diego, Calif., for more than 17 years with phrases like "In God We Trust" and "All Men Are Created Equal, They Are Endowed by Their Creator," only to have the principal order them torn down during the 2007 school year.

But Johnson filed a lawsuit alleging the order a violation of his constitutional rights, and the teacher has now been rewarded with a court victory and a powerfully-worded ruling.

"May a school district censor a high school teacher's expression because it refers to Judeo-Christian views, while allowing other teachers to express views on a number of controversial subjects, including religion and anti-religion?" posited U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez in his judgment. "On undisputed evidence, this court holds that it may not."

He continued, "That God places prominently in our nation's history does not create an Establishment Clause violation requiring curettage and disinfectant for Johnson's public high school classroom walls. It is a matter of historical fact that our institutions and government actors have in past and present times given place to a supreme God."

The judge further reprimanded the school, stating that while teachers at the district "encourage students to celebrate diversity and value thinking for one's self, [they] apparently fear their students are incapable of dealing with diverse viewpoints that include God's place in American history and culture."

Read more...

From Dave Carwell (MAF Program Manager Haiti):

On the spiritual reflection aspect......this Friday the 12th, one month after the earthquake, people are calling for businesses to close for prayer and fasting.  That's a beautiful response. Also of significance.......the town of Jacmel is famous for its Mardi Gras celebrations. This year it is canceled, and the mayor has granted an evangelical church the same space to conduct revival meetings. Wow! In the midst of all of this............God is at work!

We just heard last week at church about the danger of thinking Haiti was being judged.  However, it is good to hear that, seemingly as a direct result of the tradgedy in that country, people are turning to God.

WorldNetDaily reports that a health-care plan being kicked around congress right now could be an expensive proposition for married folk.

According to Minnesota congressional candidate Allen Quist, the fine print of provisions still alive in both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives deliberately create enormous pressure for couples to live together without marriage – or even get divorced – by charging married couples thousands of dollars more in premiums and fees.

He goes on to say, "In fact you have government policies tearing apart marriage.  Marriage is the foundation of society. It's the foundation of our government and to a large degree the basic unit in the church. [The policy] undermines the church's teaching and undermines church structure."

"It weakens the family. It weakens the church, and it weakens our country,"

Read more...

via http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=123180

This looks like a really well done movie.  It's not typically what I'd go out and watch, but it looks to be a good message.  In a small way, it reminds me of The Blind Side, which was a fantastic film.  Anyhow, here's an exerpt and preview:

A youth pastor in California has made a feature film, released in theaters around the country this past weekend, that is literally saving lives.

Jim Britts of New Song Community Church in Oceanside has worked in youth ministry for more than 10 years, while his wife, Rachel, has been a high school English teacher for the same amount of time. Their experience with youth prompted Jim to write a movie script (which has also been turned into an award-winning novel) based on the real-life struggles many students face – including teen suicide.

"We realized that every day we talk to students who are in pain. It's a huge, huge part of our jobs," Britts told WND. "And so I started wondering if I could write a movie that would bring hope to hurting students as well as empower teenagers to be messengers of that hope to their classmates."  Read more...

Channel 2 News segment on last weekend's pro-life march at the capitol.

via WorldNetDaily

The ACLU might not like our history and might run from it, but the fact remains that the Ten Commandments shaped our laws and may be displayed in a court of law. I am sure the ACLU will not ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review this case. The ACLU has been running from the Supreme Court since 2005 and has taken loss after loss on the Ten Commandments.

...

Following the precedent set out by the Supreme Court's decisions in McCreary County and Van Orden, as well as by our own previous decision in Mercer County, we hold that the Grayson County Foundations of American Law and Government Display (with Ten Commandments) does not infringe plaintiffs' rights under the Establishment Clause

As the struggle against the Christian herritage of our country continues, the ACLU has lost in an appeal at the 6th Circuit. I find the whole issue irritating, particularly since the separation of church and state was never intended to remove "religion" from government altogether.  Rather, the 1st Amendment was to guarantee that government could never interfere with religous observance. If you look at the majority of comments from the founders of our nation, the original intent has cleary been lost. Read more at the link above.

I received this in an email today and feel it's worth posting. According the the email, this was a sermon given recently in a Virginia church. I have not verified the authenticity, but real or not, it is a good illustration.

Good morning, brothers and sisters; it's always a delight to see The pews crowded on Sunday morning, and so eager to get into God's Word.

Turn with me in your Bibles, if you will to the 47th Chapter of Genesis, we'll begin our reading at verse 13, and go Through verse 27. Brother Ray, would you stand and read that great passage for us?

....(reading)...

Thank you for that fine reading, Brother Ray...

So we see that Economic hard times fell upon Egypt. And the people turned to the government of Pharaoh to deal with this for them. And Pharaoh nationalized the grain harvest, and placed the grain in great storehouses that he had built.