Pilgrim In An Unholy Land: 2008-11-09

Roger Williams and Legacy! We are all Pilgrims in an unholy land.

Paul Told the Thessalonians This Regarding the Second Coming.

Roger Williams

"In the poor small span of my life, I desired to have been a diligent and constant observer. . . and yet cannot in the holy presence of God bring in the result of a satisfying discovery, that either the begetting ministry of the apostles or messengers to the nations, or the feeding and nourishing ministry of pastors and teachers, according to the first institution of the Lord Jesus, are yet restored and extant", he said. In the 1600s he founded Rhode Island and a group called the Seekers, who would await the day when Christ saw fit to restore His Church. For having such "strange" beliefs he was banished and driven out of Mass., being persecuted for the gospel's sake 200 years before its restoration, demonstrating an historically reoccuring pattern. Nevertheless, he waited and watched!

Roger Williams and the Gospel.

Roger Williams founded the first state with a "hedge" as he liked to call it, separating the state from religion. He did this, because he wanted to find truth and this could only happen when religion was free of government corruption. If there was still a pure religion, it had to be unspotted by government corruption.
In Rhode Island, there was no state sponsored religion, no taxes to support a state run religion, but that never meant a public figure couldn't speak about God, that certainly never meant that they shouldn't pray and ask for guidance in their personal life. Roger Williams was perhaps the brightest, most liberal (when liberalism was about considering all religious ideas, not considering nothing) . He was a man that most Christians as well Jews would hold in the highest esteem. It was because of His leadership, that the first Jewish community was founded in North America and he was co-founder of the first Baptist church in North America. How did he come to conclusions about true religion and priesthood authority, which are totally consistent with 'Mormonism'? I would submit that it was from a lifetime of Bible study and understanding its precepts. If you study Williams life, you will appreciate how much he loved the Bible and tried to live it, how much he desired to interpret it and live it correctly. He is a man who loved native Americans, who gave them free goods, who unlike the puritans, obtained their land legally, who did work for widows when he had nothing to do but wait for an audience with the King of England. He is universally loved by historians. He was a man so loved by the Narragansett Indians that their sachem asked to be buried in Williams clothing. Here are some excerpts from Timothy L. Halls, "Separation of Church and State", University of Illinois Press, 1998. These are from pages 25-27. These quotes clearly show that the LDS idea of a need for apostolic succession and a line of authority aren't 19th century invention, but through careful study of the Bible, one can and should draw the conclusion that there was an apostasy in Christ's Church and that authority was lost and there was a need for a restitution."when [Roger Williams] arrived in Massachusetts he still believed that a pure church might be found if only he were to search for it diligently enough. In later years, though, Williams abandoned the search altogether. He became convinced that churches could not be established willy-nilly just because a band of individuals decided to form one. To found a church one needed a properly ordained minister, and - here was the rub - so far as Williams could tell, no such ministers existed any longer. To be ordained, one had to receive ordination from someone properly ordained by a minister of a true church. Now this chain of ordination had proceeded in an orderly fashion during the early years of the church. Christ had ordained apostles; they, in turn, had ordained church ministers; the ministers had ordained their successors; and so on. But, eventually, Williams thought, the chain had been disrupted. The line of apostolic succession had been severed by Constantine's nationalization of Christianity in the fourth century. At that point, Williams believed, the true church had died, and with it the chain of ordinations that kept the ministry alive." Roger Williams liked to speak of a hedge separating church and state and how when you removed the hedge, state corrupted religion. He was more concerned about the state's ill effect on religion than true religions ill effects on state when there existed no hedge or wall separating the two. Isiah 5:4 'What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down' (my interjection not Hall) "Thereafter, the world was ruled by the anti-Christian Roman Catholic Church and had become a wilderness in which true believers roamed as pilgrims, without benefit of ministry or sacrament." (Hall)Amos 8:12 "And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it."If anyone is fulfillment of this prophecy, it is Roger Williams. He searched all over England and then to New England. He founded a group called the seekers and encouraged all religions to come to Rhode Island, because he wanted to find the truth if it existed in its fullness. (my interjection not Hall) John Cotton wrote this about how Williams began to cut himself off from the New England churches because he didn't believe they possessed the authority to perform ordinances."And then [he] fell off from his ministry, and then from all church-fellowship, and then from his baptism and then from the Lord's Supper, and from all ordinances of Christ dispensed in any church-way, till God shall stir up himself, or some other new apostles to recover, and restore all the ordinances, and churches of Christ out of the ruins of Anti christian apostasy."". . . . Williams eventually abandoned any hope of finding a pure church. He associated for a few months with an infant congregation of Baptists but ultimately separated from them because even they could not claim to have preserved the legacy of the apostolic church. How could they baptize anyone without a properly ordained minister to perform the baptism, and where could they find such a minister? In forming the Baptist church, one of the founding members had baptized Williams, who had baptized the remaining members. But now, Williams saw, he was not a true minister and could not conduct the ordinance of baptism. He saw no alternative but to withdraw from his so recently acquired Baptist brethren. They were trying to create a garden out of a barren wilderness of the world and had set upon an illusive quest for a church that had died and would remain dead until God resurrected it in the last days."Jesus said this: Acts 20:29 "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock"Roger Williams talks about barren wilderness and lack of the beautiful garden, which is the church. It is described in like terms by Amos, 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD"But Roger Williams also foresaw a day when God would resurrect the church in the last days which is also consistent with the Bible Isiah 2:2,3 "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us ago up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." This next passage is one of my favorite Roger Williams quotes, because it shows how diligently he searched for Christ's Church, but was unable to be satisfied that it was on the earth in the 1600s and how he knew as a biblical scholar, that there was a need for a restoration of authority to perform ordinances like baptism and there were no missionaries or "messengers to the nations" possessing an authentic message (mine not Hall):"In the poor small span of my life, I desired to have been a diligent and constant observer, and have been my self many ways engaged in city, in country, in court, in schools, in universities, in churches, in old and New England, and yet cannot in the holy presence of God bring in the result of a satisfying discovery, that either the begetting ministry of the apostles or messengers to the nations, or the feeding and nourishing ministry of pastors and teachers, according to the first institution of the Lord Jesus, are yet restored and extant.""Williams saw no alternative but to wait patiently until God at length sent apostles who had the power to start new churches. Until that time, there was no one available either to start a church or to sustain it."

Friday, November 14, 2008

Famous Birthday's for Cadence's B-Day Nov.7

Jason and Jeremy London, identical twin actors who played on "7th Heaven".
Dana Plato, Kimberly on "Different Strokes".
Keith Lockhart, Boston Pops Conductor, who directed music in the SLC Olympics.
Joni Mitchell, Folk Singer.
Joan Sutherland, Opera singer.
Al Hirt, Famous Trumpeter.
Billy Graham, a very good man.
Dean Jagger, Movie Actor, at least it's not Mick.
Leon Trotsky, a very bad man.
Madame Curie, Discovered radium and polonium, wicked smot (as they say here).
Heinrich Himmler, ouch, sorry Cadence (well if you hadn't have been stubborn and been born on the sixth, you'd have had John Phillip Sousa, not Himmler).
Richard G. Scott, there that cancels out the Himmler thing, LDS apostle.

Behold, Perfection!

This is testimony of God's existence if ever there was.
Who knew that I was capable of spawning such beauty?

I Can't Get Enough of My Girl!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Destinkified Cadence

The Crying Cadence

Cadence is Almost a Week Old!!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Voter Fraud in New Hampshire?

After the election in New Hampshire, this voter was seen sporting an "I voted" sticker. Though the exact age of the voter is undetermined, it is almost certain that she was too young to vote.
What is the world coming to?
Bet Cadence could have cast a much more informed vote than many of the MTV zombies that went out this time though.

Some Before After of Cadence, Plus My Lobbying for Father of the Year with the Heisman-Baby Pose!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Cadence, November 10

"But then you reached down and touched me and lifted me up with you so I believe it was a road I was meant to ride. . . I'm just thankful for the journey and that I survived the battles and that my reward for victory is you!" - Johnny Cash

Cadence's Birthplace

Using Google Earth, I was able to measure the distance from Cadence's birthplace and Joseph Smith's birthplace (15 miles) and where he had his leg surgery when they lived in W.Lebanon, New Hampshire. Incidentally, the Smith farm in West Leb is now a KFC-Taco Bell, which I like to patronize. A little girl in our ward told Carissa it was the Holy KFC. We thought that was really funny. She was born 2.7 miles away from this historic place - junk food dive. Either she'll grow up having an affinity for the prophet, or she'll love chicken and tacos!
If she's anything like me, and judging by the gas problems, she is, she'll love both!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Some Cadence just for California!!

Some Timely Founding Father Quotes.

"Get first all the people's money, then all their lands, and then make them and their children servants forever"
-Benjamin Franklin
"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As Nations become corrupt and vicous, they have more need of masters"
-John Adams
"When a people shall have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes"
-George Washington
"Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks can render us secure."
-James Madison
"Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt"
-Samuel Adams
"It is the duty of all men in society, publicly, and at stated seasons, to worship the supreme Being, the great Creator and Preserver of the universe."
-John Adams
"Every measure of prudence, therefore, ought to be assumed for the eventual TOTAL EXTIRPATION of slavery from the United States. . . I have, throughout my whole life, held the practice of slavery in abhorrence."
-John Adams
"Whatever may be the judgment pronounced on the competency of the architects of the Constitution, or whatever may be the destiny of the ediface prepared by them, I feel it a duty to express my profound and solemn conviction. . . that there never was an assembly of men, charged with a great and arduous trust, who were more pure in their motives, or more exclusively or anxiously devoted to the object commited to them."
-James Madison

CF Rankings as of 11/9/2008

Sorry to interupt the Cadence Celebration, but I had to put out my rankings.

Rankings for simple Margin of Victory * Opponents win pct (vs. D1).
This one does not take into account as much, the difficulty of schedule, although somewhat because it uses opp win pct, but doesn’t take into account who they were playing.

1- Florida 16.52
2- Texas 11.97
3- Texas Tech 10.69
4- Oklahoma 10.34
5- Missouri 10.14
6- USC 9.74
7- Penn St 9.27
8- Boise St. 8.99
9- Ohio St. 8.41
10- Tulsa 7.92
11- UNC 7.50
12- TCU 6.98
13- Oklahoma St. 6.22
14- Ball St. 6.16
15- Georgia 6.0
16- Utah 5.73
17- Alabama 5.64
18- BYU 5.21
19- Kansas 4.34
20- Iowa 4.12
21- Nebraska 3.81
22- W.Virginia 3.11

Conferences.
1- Big 12 3.52
2- SEC 2.21
3- Big 10 1.75
4- ACC .94
5- Big East .51
6- Mountain West .17
7- PAC10 -1.09
8- MAC -1.53
9- CUSA -2.05
10- WAC -2.13
11- Indys -2.49
12- Sun Belt -3.92

My Ranking system
(Margin of Victory * Opponents win pct) * Opponents Avg per game (margin of victory * their opponents win %) + (7 pts per win * opponents win pct.)
This takes into greater account the difficulty level of opponents.
1- FLORIDA 21.07
2- TEXAS 18.37
3- TEX TECH 16.94
4- OKLAHOMA 14.93
5- MISSOURI 14.49
6- OHIO ST 13.81
7- PENN ST 13.22
8- USC 12.63
9- UGA 11.93
10- UNC 11.74
11- BOISE ST 10.81
12- OKLA ST 9.13
13- UTAH 9.10
14- TCU 8.92
15- ALABAMA 8.14
16- NEBRASKA 7.88
17- KANSAS 6.89
18- IOWA 6.44
19- MIAMI FL 6.24
20- OLE MISS 6.06
21- PITT 5.83
22- WISCONSIN 5.34
23- UCONN 5.24
24- TULSA 5.22
25- MICH ST 5.17
26- BALL ST 5.09
27- ARKANSAS 5.00
28- FL ST 4.95
29- CINNCI 4.86
30- VT 4.63
31- VANDY 4.52
32- CAL 4.38
33- ILLINOIS 4.33
34- WVU 4.26
35- UVA 4.16
36- BYU 4.13
37- OR ST 3.95

Conferences
1- BIG 12 7.14
2- SEC 5.01
3- BIG 10 4.61
4- ACC 3.5
5- Big East 2.51
6- MWC 1.32
7- PAC10 .08
8- MAC -1.61
9- CUSA -2.03
10-WAC -2.09
11- IND -2.30
12- SUN BELT -5.35

Locke’s Gold Star System. For every win the team gets a gold star for all the d1 opponents their opp had beaten.
1- TEXAS 45
2- UTAH 40
3- TEXAS TECH 38
4- FLORIDA 37
5- OHIO ST 34
6- ALABAMA 33
7- OKLA 33
8- MICH ST 33
9- Boise St. 33
10- UGA 32
11- USC 32
12- PENN ST 31
13- PITT 30
14- TCU 28
15- UNC 28
16- MIZZOU 27
17- CAL 24
18- OKLA ST 23
19- AFA 22
20- UVA 22
21- NEBRASKA 22
22- CINN 22
23- VT 22
24- MINN 21
25- IOWA 21
26- BYU 20
27- E. Carolina 20
28- Ball St. 20
29- C. Michigan 20
30- WISCONSIN 19
31- UCONN 18
32- NW 18
33- WAKE 18
34- FSU 18
35- MIAMI FL 18
36- Rice 18
37- Tulsa 18

Conference Gold Stars per Team.
1- Big 12 20.3
2- Big 10 19.9
3- SEC 17.7
4- ACC 16.9
5- MWC 16.3
6- Big East 16.1
7- PAC 10 12.9
8- WAC 12.0
9- MAC 9.7
10- CUSA 9.3
11- Ind 9.3
12- Sun Belt 6.3