Shipe

New Kitten

2008-07-22T09:53:00.003-05:00

In case you all are wondering why I've suddenly decided to start blogging today: 1) I just discovered Picasa Web Albums (thanks to Jessica's blog) and 2) I've been sitting on the couch recovering from 2 wisdom teeth being pulled--today is Day 6. It has been miserable.

Last month we broke down and got the girls their first pet--a very small kitten they named "Twinkle." She is a wild cat! She likes to follow us around the house like a puppy and constantly wants to play.

Trip to Mt. Vernon

2008-07-22T09:44:00.003-05:00

The girls and I went to Mt. Vernon this June with my friend Tiffany Scott and her two oldest children, Emma and Georgie Scott. We had a great time!

Our Vacation to Deep Creek Lake

2008-07-22T08:55:00.005-05:00

Here are some photos from our vacation to my parent's cabin at Deep Creek Lake. We had a great week there in June. We hiked in Swallow Falls State Park, hiked to the highest point in MD, visited the headwaters of the Potamac, hiked through Cranesville Swamp (where there were supposedly carnivorous plants), rented a Pontoon boat on Deep Creek Lake, and played lots of Mexican Train Dominoes. It was a great way to kick off the summer!

Emma & Rachel's Tea Party Birthday

2008-06-22T10:28:00.001-05:00

We took 6 beautiful girls to the Oatlands Mansion outside of Leesburg for a tea party to celebrate Emma's 9th and Rachel's 8th birthdays. My neighbor Sharon Zareva brought her twin girls, Rachel and Rebecca. Jenna Dunn, my sister Katie's daughter, also came along.

Yes We Shall!!

2008-05-08T13:28:00.002-05:00

Bill Clinton locked up Hillary back in '96... too bad she got out

2008-04-16T17:58:00.002-05:00

Another test... Google Presentation embeding

2008-01-07T20:40:00.000-05:00

Pretty slick new feature for Google Docs where you can embed a presentation. Trying it out here...

Hello, this is a test...

2007-12-05T12:12:00.001-05:00

Hello, this is a test using Jott. I am posting to the blog over my cell phone. listen

Powered by Jott

Fun

2007-11-10T17:36:00.001-05:00

Cute kid... but I'm biased

2007-08-23T12:01:00.001-05:00

A Man Addresses the Boys

2007-07-18T08:44:00.000-05:00

It is scary to think what will become of Iraq if our Congress declares defeat. We need a strong ally besides Israel tucked into the heart of the Middle East. It seems inevitable that we are on a collision course with Iran through no choice of our own. They are hell bent toward destruction of Israel and its allies. They are hard at work toward nuclear arms and the Russians and Chinese seem willing to provide them the delivery technology. But don't forget that delivery of those arms could be as simple as a truck driven into a city. Whether we like it or not we will have to deal with the Iranian radicals and bases located in Iraq just makes a lot more sense than Germany or Okinawa.

Many things make me unsupportive of Senator McCain for President. But without a doubt he is a lion when it comes to the war on terror and the role of the Iraq war in that bigger picture. Check out some excerpts from a recent speech he gave from the floor of the Senate over at Power Line.

My favorite line:

"Mr. President, the terrorists are in this war to win it. The question is: Are we?"

It's a Fourth of July Parade!

2007-07-06T19:20:00.000-05:00

Michael's Wedding

2007-07-06T11:18:00.000-05:00

Rachel, Allie, and Emma were excited to serve as flower girls for Michael and Millie's wedding. Rich was a groomsman and Christy read Scripture in the wedding. Unfortunately, none of our pictures of the bride and groom turned out.

Allie's 6th Birthday

2007-06-28T11:41:00.000-05:00

Allie celebrated her 6th birthday with a tea party.

New Neice

2007-06-27T11:54:00.000-05:00

Lucy Elizabeth Cole: the firstborn of Jessica (holding Lucy) and Jeremy; the ninth grandchild for Mike and Vickie Farris; the fifth neice for Rich and Christy; and the seventh first cousin for Emma, Rachel, & Allie. She had trouble breathing when she was born and spent some time in the NICU, so we are very grateful that she is doing well now.

Test for live broadcast of worship service

2007-06-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

Papers reveal Newton's religious side - USATODAY.com

2007-06-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

Papers reveal Newton's religious side - USATODAY.com

This is super fascinating stuff.

William James Album

2007-02-26T19:17:00.000-05:00

Photos taken so far...

William James

William James Shipe

2007-02-26T11:46:00.000-05:00

Looking cool and relaxed.

William James Shipe

2007-02-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

More from February 25. William James Shipe was born tonight at 6:42 p.m, weighing 8 pounds 9 ouncesand is 19 1/2 inches long. We'll put up a photo when we get one.

Snow Video and Photos

2007-02-25T13:09:00.000-05:00

Snowing in Virginia and Courtney's Having Her Baby

2007-02-25T13:06:00.000-05:00

This is looking out of mom and dad's house toward Kenny and Courtney's. They are at the hospital right now having the baby! Hopefully later today we'll have more details. And later hopefully some pictures!

Taranto is Awesome

2007-02-22T20:41:00.000-05:00

From his February 22, 2007 Best of the Web Column:

A Wireless Plan for Your Family
Working Assets, "a progressive phone company," offers "The Right Choice That Supports Choice":

Planned Parenthood Wireless is a new choice for your cell phone service. By signing up for this service, you will help preserve reproductive rights, and ensure access to comprehensive family planning and medically accurate sex education for women and families around the world. You'll do something you do every day--talk on your cell phone--and you'll be helping Planned Parenthood as 10% of all monthly charges goes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, at no extra cost to you.

Just make sure you're prepared to stick with it for the duration of the contract. We hear those early-termination fees can be murder.

A World Without America

2007-02-21T13:13:00.000-05:00

I could almost vote for him because of this...

2007-02-16T16:41:00.001-05:00

Sledding on Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T17:23:00.000-05:00

Christy and the girls braved the frigid wind gusts to sled on the ice for over an hour. The girls enjoyed the "half-pipe" (in the video) and also easily sled across much of Jim and Kay's icy 10 acres of land, often ending a run at the tree line. It was the best sledding they've had so far.

Moral Courage and Leadership

2007-02-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

Certainly was a Merry Christmas!

2006-12-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

2006-05-09T21:52:00.000-05:00

Emma and Rich traveled to Columbia, SC to see Michael graduate from the University of South Carolina graduate school (Moore School of Business) with an IMBA. That is an International Masters of Business Administration. It was great to see him and the school. Here are more pictures from the trip over on Shutterfly.

Try and beat this!

2006-04-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Just learned to ride!

2006-04-29T15:42:00.000-05:00

Emma just learned to ride a bike! She's only been riding a couple weeks but she's already a daredevil. Dad is proud.

Although at the end of this day of riding she had her first skinned knee wreck. She learned the hard way that you can't pedal while taking a sharp turn. The pedal hit the ground and then so did she. We're sure she'll be ready to go tomorrow.

Great Country Farms - Easter Egg Hunt

2006-04-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

The girls and Christy went to Great Country Farms for their Easter egg hunt. They had a blast. Here are some highlight shots...

2006-03-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

Jessica and Jeremy's wedding

2006-03-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

Jessica looking great before the wedding. Check out the little album we put together over on shutterfly here.

Trying to figure this thing out...

2005-11-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to figure out this blog thing. Maybe I can get my wife going on it?

Big "L" or Little "L"

2004-10-27T10:28:00.000-05:00

I want to make clear that one of my purposes of this space is to intelligently (or at least attempt to intelligently) engage Christian Libertarians. I want to deal with the philosophy, not the relative merits of the Libertarian Party and the GOP.

With that said I will now violate that purpose and take a shot at the Libertarian Party.

Check out their nominee's position on abortion. I thought they were the party of reason? Here is sampling:

I oppose government control over the abortion issue. I believe that giving the government control of this issue could lead to more abortions rather than less, because the left-right pendulum of power swings back and forth. This shift could place the power to set policy in the hands of those who demand strict population control. The government that can ban abortion can just as easily mandate abortion, as is currently the case in China.

Maybe that would explain why the fascist and communist regimes of the 20th century murdered so many people? Their problem was they had outlawed murder first and regrettably the pendulum swung toward government mandated killing.

If you are a pro-life Christian Libertarian and you are voting for Badnarik, how do you justify your vote for Badnarik who is unquestionably pro-abortion?

Christian Libertarian?

2004-10-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

Has anyone defined "Christian Libertarian"? I find it interesting that Libertarian philosophy can some how be modified by the word “Christian.”

"Liberal" and "Conservative" can (and must) be modified because they are relative terms. No one really knows precisely the positions of a Liberal or a Conservative until the terms are modified or relative positions are marked.

Libertarianism is a precise philosophy much like Marxism or communism. Because of this precision it is difficult to modify these philosophies without changing the philosophy itself. In my mind the only modifications that can be made are on the peripheral issues that are not fundamental to the core of the philosophy.

Similarly Christianity is very precise. Peripheral issues can be modified in Christianity without changing it. As an example, there are Christian Calvinists and Christian Arminians, but there are no Christian Atheists. Atheist is not a modifier that works with Christianity. You are either an Atheist or a Christian but you are not both because these positions have opposed fundamental principles on the existence of God.

I see Christian Libertarian in the same way. You cannot be both a Christian and a Libertarian. You are one or the other. Obviously I believe that these two philosophies have opposed fundamental principles. If you are a Christian who calls himself a Libertarian you are modifying libertarianism out of existence.

The founding principle of libertarian philosophy is counter to a founding principle of Christianity. Every libertarian definition I have read founds its complete system on the belief that the individual owns his or her own body absolutely. David Boaz in his book “Libertarianism: a primer” says this on page 61, “Any theory of rights has to begin somewhere.” In the next paragraph he stakes his claim on where he begins, “Each individual owns himself or herself.”

A founding principle of Christianity is that God created everything and therefore owns everything. The Bible teaches that we are stewards with obligations, not owners with unlimited rights.

If it is your body than drug addiction is your right, if you are a steward than maybe not. If it is your body than suicide is your right, if you are a steward than maybe not. If it is your body than prostitution, sodomy, bestiality, etc. is your right, if you are a steward than maybe not.

Clearly there is much room for discussion on what the implication is in us being stewards rather than owners but I think we can start by leaving libertarianism off the table because of its fundamental inconsistency with the Bible.

On page 63 Boaz does sort of acknowledge God in the equation:

As the Declaration stated clearly, rights are not a gift from government. They are natural and unchanging, inherent in the nature of mankind and possessed by people by virtue of their humanity, specifically their ability to take responsibility for their actions. Whether rights come from God or from nature is not essential in this context. Remember, the first paragraph of the Declaration referred to “the laws of nature and of nature’s God.” What is important is that rights are imprescriptible, that is, not granted by any other human. In particular, they are not granted by government; people form governments in order to protect rights they already
possess.

I agree that “rights are not a gift of government” but it is essential that these rights come from God. If our rights come from God than prostituting your body is not one of those rights. I believe this to be one of the essential differences between the American and French revolutions. The Americans appealed to God, a higher authority, and the French did not.

The Declaration speaks of the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. On page 64 Boaz must take the extra step of redefining the “right to life.” Because he says that the term is used in confusing ways (one of which according to him is the anti-abortion movement) he feels compelled to redefine the term in this way, “We might do better to stick to ‘right to self-ownership.’” I feel this is a very significant rewrite of Jefferson’s “right to life.” I believe we do have the right to life but with that right we do not have the right to take our own life.

The Founders vigorously debated the inconsistency of slavery and our founding principles. Jefferson, the author of the Declaration and a slave owner, even lamented its injustice. But in all their writings was there anything about the inconsistencies of the anti-libertarian laws against sodomy, adultery, fornication, prostitution, suicide, etc.?