Text of the Bill of Rights

Preamble
Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine
THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent starts of its institution.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.
ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.[6]
Amendments

First Amendment – Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, and of assembly; right to petition
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment – Militia (United States), Sovereign state, Right to keep and bear arms.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. [7]

Third Amendment – Protection from quartering of troops.
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Fourth Amendment – Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Fifth Amendment – due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.
No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Sixth Amendment – Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

Seventh Amendment – Civil trial by jury.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Eighth Amendment – Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Ninth Amendment – Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Tenth Amendment – Powers of States and people.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Blessings and gifts from God

I'll summarize my current position on the matter. God gives different people different gifts/blessing in different amounts, and at different times. He then expects everyone, regardless of the level of blessing they receive, to have a heart for those in genuine need, and to love generously.

I don't think that "as long as you have more than other people, you are supposed to use (or give away) all extra resources until you no longer have more than other people". [But should I (we)?]
We should be thankful for what we have been blessed with (materially, or otherwise), and when presented with opportunities to help people, or use our resources (including TIME) for good, feelings rooted in our own "security" (or preserving our excessive living habits) should not be allowed to hold us back. And it's so easy, right? Yeah... uh-huh... Anyway, not only "when presented with opportunities"... but we need to continually be on the lookout for those opportunities, and be ready to make a difference in someone's life, even if it's just to listen to someone who doesn't have anyone to listen to them. We should be an example of kindness to everyone we interact with throughout the day/week/month/year.

If we give resources/time to people/causes, but are first thinking/calculating about how it affects us (or WILL affect us), and then give according to our calculations, are we not merely "giving out of our excess"? Our giving of "our" selves, and "our" time, and "our" resources... is supposed to be selfless (we shouldn't be thinking about us), and supposed to be sacrificial, and is supposed to be done cheerfully.

Maybe it's the "sacrificial" giving, and not just "giving out of your excess" that has been causing a hangup for me. I think that's what causes me to sometimes think "if most of us are living excessively, then that indicates that whatever we are giving to God (by giving, in some form, to those in genuine need) MUST be being given out of our excess, and is obviously not sacrificial" --right? -- How can it be sacrificial if we are still able to live excessively? If you don't think we live excessively, then some re-focusing may be in order.
I think I've heard that (on average) people in the Pacific Northwest are among the top 2% of the "richest" people in the world, in regards to average standard of living. If we are able to sustain excessive standards of living, how can our giving possibly be considered as REALLY being sacrificial?
Or am I being hung up on this too easily?

Maybe I'll just have to resign myself to the beginning of this blog posting, and that we shouldn't get hung up on particulars, but rather: 1) keep a heart full of thanksgiving for what we've been given, and what we're able to do; and 2) don't hesitate to dispense love generously (in one way or another) to people in genuine need. God wants us to enjoy the blessings he pours out to us, and yet we are also supposed to take care of others.

Is that TOO simple? TOO warm and fuzzy? Is that just taking the easy way out? Are any of the questions/points raised above worth discussing/thinking about?
Anyone? Anyone? ...Bueller?

Security, Motives, Resources

We are taught to save money. Chances are, we will need it later. It makes sense to save money.
A couple of things I don't like about modern society, though: Our societal system generally installs a belief (sub-conscious, at the very least) that the following is how you should operate: Get “good grades” in school so you can go to a “good college”, so you can get a “good job”. Save money, invest money. Put as much into your 401(k) as allowed...

What are we valuing? The underlining idea here… is to do what it takes to be “successful”, which in this case can be translated as “make a lot of money” (or “have a lot of money later in life”), in order to have “financial security” (and have the THINGS you want, and live “comfortably”)(and some like to be envied, too). It’s good to save and invest. Right? Yes, but it also depends on your motives. Where’s your heart in the matter? Are we being a “good steward” of resources (or aiming to get good returns on investments, as at least one Biblical parable teaches us to do) in order to have more to help others with? –to make a bigger difference in people’s lives? ... or so that WE can be better off??? -so that we can live excessively… -so things will be easier for US… -so we won’t have to struggle… ??? Most people (if they’re completely honest with themselves) will admit that they are planning for their future security. SECURITY. Is that what being a good steward is??? -Engineering your resources over a long period of time so as to provide SECURITY for yourself (and family) later in life? Sure, there’s everything RIGHT with loving your family and desiring to provide a stable life for them. Is your motive, though, to provide a life where you’ll be able to live in excess? Most will say “no”, but most of us have a warped view about what is excessive, myself included.

Too much value is put into this model (chain of events leading to financial security, etc.). Typically we don’t even realize when we are valuing it. People often will make choices that are actually harmful, in order to be/become/stay “successful”. ---Work more hours, you can spend time with your family on the weekends. Take the promotion, uproot the family, change churches, states, schools, local relationships. It’s for the good of the family, right? How? What’s your goal? Why? What are your real needs?

The current economic condition (or “financial crisis”) I know is making things difficult for a lot of people. There are some positives, though, too. Maybe a lot of people will re-think their materialism mentality. Maybe more people will realize that some things that are here today might not be here tomorrow, and that you ought not to trust in your money for “security” and peace of mind, and happiness and joy.
I keep hearing about different non-essential industries that are seeing downturns (they’re never identified as “non-essential industries”, though)… and I have to say: So, less people are buying things they don’t need… Well… GOOD! Ticket sales are down? Nothing wrong with that! Coffee purchases are down? Big deal! People are driving less? Great! Retailers aren’t selling as many designer clothes? Awesome! And on, and on, and on… --- “Well, if all those sales go down, then those companies will have to reduce their workforce.” That’s probably true (but as sales decrease, they should be able to reduce the rate at which they are hiring people). But we shouldn’t support an industry for the sole reason that “it provides jobs”… --- I saw a thing recently where a women had paid a company $20 for them to contact companies on her behalf, in order for her to not receive direct [junk] mail from them anymore. I’ve also heard mention of a kind of “do not mail” list that would reduce the amount of direct mail marketing, pre-approved credit offers, refinance offers, etc. that go through the mail. [side note: I heard that direct mail comprises about 60% of the postal services business.] The postal service is not at all happy with people taking action to reduce their junk mail… Why? Because it would reduce their workload. Which should mean that they should reduce their expenses. --- Way too much of our economy is based on unnecessary consumption – either unnecessarily consuming too much of things, or consuming things that are unnecessary (one or the other, or both).

Then there’s the difficult issue of: Anything spent on luxury, extravagance, or even just plain un-necessities…… could have been used to make a difference somewhere (and “you spent money on the designer jeans, which helped the retail person to have a job, and helped the designer keep designing, etc” I don’t count as “making a difference”). So, is there anything wrong with spending [God’s] money on personal excesses, when it could go to “make a difference”? You tell me, you tell me… Not all “wasted potential” is actually waste, though. For example: The expensive oil that was “wasted” by the woman who used it on Jesus. Some pointed it out as waste, but Jesus defended the woman, because she “wasted” it out of love for Him. He was honored by her gift and her faith, even though it could have been sold and the money given to the poor. So, MOTIVES in spending (as in every area in our lives) MATTER. We all know that wealth is not a sin. Many people in the Bible were blessed with extreme wealth and material success. That’s not the current point.

Question: Has anyone ever called you out for “wasting” resources (mainly money), which could have been used to “make a difference”? How did/would you handle that? Would you explain to them that they should remove the plank out of their own eye before asking you about that? –or did you think about it and agree with them? -or were they incorrect, because it was somehow honoring God, but they didn’t realize it? Food for thought…

Progress

Since the Distractions posting, I’ve felt very well about combating distractions and being motivated to get some things done, however simple. There have been three days where I did some painting of the hot tub encasement (wood around the sides of the hot tub). One more little session and it will be done. I realize it’s a very small project, but I should have done it 3 years ago… Anyway, I also cleaned off the wooden benches on the deck, in preparation for re-staining them this Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

There was a tiny area on the back side of the house where I’ve wanted to put some bricks… and now I’ve finally done that, and it looks good. So simple really, but there’s a ton of these things that I’ve wanted to get done… but never got done.

I also finally took some things to the Goodwill that had been cluttering my garage. Then today I went through a ton of things in the garage, reorganized/changed the locations of things, removed some things, put a couple things in storage in the little attic above the Mustang, and swept out the garage. I cleaned up some remnants of a project that were still sitting outside; I re-secured a trim-board on the deck that had been bugging me for like 2 years. This was so simple: drill two holes, and then put two screws in…. but again: just one of those things that I never got around to doing, but subconsciously contributed to weighing me down a tiny bit when added to all of the other tiny little things.

In the grand scheme of things, how important is it to have a cleaner, tidier, more organized garage (or some of the other things I’ve spent some time on lately)? Not very… (since it’s investing time in “things”, which are temporary, rather than people, which are eternal). But, if combating distractions and accomplishing little things that otherwise weigh you down… if doing those things frees you on some level, and provides a healthy boost of spirit, letting you come alive a little bit more, which can then affect the way you go through your days, and affects your interactions with the people in your life… then I think it’s okay to make those little time-investments in “things”, even though (on the surface) it might appear to have absolutely no relation to eternal things.

If, on the other hand, you’re spending time on those things in order to impress people, or compete with your neighbors, or because you are too concerned with your status/image/etc. … then that’s too bad…

Side note: As I was walking back home from church today, I stopped to talk with the guy who lives at the entrance to the neighborhood (Steve). We probably talked for about an hour, about a lot of different things (we talk every once in a while). He has three kids. His oldest [step-] son got seriously involved with drugs and gangs, dropped out of HS, and is currently in jail for shooting someone. Steve’s 17-year-old daughter has also dropped out of HS, and is now living mostly at her boyfriend’s [parents’] house. His 12-year-old son still lives at home. Steve has been married for 20 years, but is now going through a divorce - one that he doesn’t want to happen... He has had a pretty rough life, and I know he’s having a hard time with things. He used to be an alcoholic, and is currently wanting to quit smoking. The good part is that he believes that Jesus is the son of the one true God. Steve knows which way is up, and wants to do things God’s way (he also will reference different stories in the Bible when trying to make a point, which is nice to encounter). He doesn’t want a divorce, and hopes that she’ll change her mind (but that doesn’t seem likely to him right now). He referenced The Parent Trap, and how the Mom and Dad ended up getting back together. He hopes for the same. It’s impressive to see hope in a man who has had so many troubles in the past and is currently in a giant dung-heap of events. Please pray for Steve, his wife, and family… and for me, that I can help him in some way.

+Thanks+

Distractions, etc.

We are constantly being distracted by "the world". If it's not one thing (or 100), it's another (100).
You can easily let your available time slip through your fingers... going towards what? What are you spending your time doing? I am increasingly telling myself: "Stop. This doesn't matter. Move on." Maybe I'm reading a paper or magazine or something that came in the mail. Maybe I'm watching something on TV (rare, but when it happens I can sometimes get sucked into finding something interesting to watch, and then something else interesting, etc.). Or maybe I'm at Safeway or Target or wherever, and find myself spending too much time there, when I've already met my objectives.
I don't want to overspend my time in those scenarios. There's too much to do (on a small scale AND large scale).
I've been (in the last 1-3 years) becoming more and more aware of a force trying to thwart my progress and limit my successes. It wants me to get distracted, to waste time, to put things off, to feel overwhelmed. It wants those things to become normal, accepted, and nothing to be done about it.
However (slightly related), I feel that I have (for the most part) successfully killed the temptation to purchase things (or spend money on things) that don't matter, or don't contribute to the person I want to be (more on that later). There are things I've spent money on in the past, that I either enjoyed, or am partially glad I now have... that I would not be spending money on in my current state of mind and heart.
Also needing to be acknowledged is that even our goals that we want to accomplish... can also sometimes be distractions from loving God and loving others. Sometimes our goals, or the things we want to do so much... are just selfishness wrapped up in a pretty box.
There's much more to say, but I need to go to bed.

Angels

Since some angels are fallen, then angels have free will. How long were angels around before the expulsion of Lucifer and the others with him? Who were these others? Why in the world would they rebel? Have any other angels been expelled since then? Do any of them ever sin against God anymore? Do angels ever receive forgiveness? Have they ever? Is it possible that there IS no forgiveness for angels?
We won't look at ALL of these, but let’s look at a couple of things.

2 Peter 2:4 says that God did not spare angels when they sinned, but rather, (much paraphrased) cast them out, to be judged later.

Jude 1:6 “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home… [God has kept in darkness for future judgment]” - I am amazed that some of them (1/3?) would do that! Why would they do that?? Were they, too, just simply deceived by Satan, and exercised their free will in choosing to cater to his deceptions, rather than hold true to their real master, and rebuke the dissenter?? Hard to grasp why any angels turned at all. But, I guess any time there is free will involved, there will be poor choices made… … “poor choices” – what an understatement!!!

If Satan was in the Garden of Eden, and tempted them regarding the fruit of the tree they were not supposed to eat from, and if they had rebuked him, or turned him away, surely he would have came back at another opportune time. Given enough time with free will, humans would have eventually sinned no matter what, requiring a Savior. So, it would seem that sin would have been foreseen when giving creatures free will, and so it was part of the plan. Care to comment on that? Okay, back to angels…

Hebrews 2:16 says that Christ’s defeat of death does not help the angels – it helps “Abraham’s descendants” – seemingly because humans are the ones that taste death, while angels do not (conquering death, then, is of no help to angels).

1 Corinthians 6:3 says that we will judge angels. Won’t THAT be interesting… - Fascinating…

Thoughts? Comments? Don’t be shy.
Loving input from brothers and sisters in Christ is appreciated.

Criticism, etc.

Excellent! I’m very happy to yield such a crop of responses, and that people care enough to look at my blog, read such a long entry, think about what’s been said, and choose to respond with due consideration. Thanks to all involved!

Of course, [besides Jaime] I don’t know who left the comments (because y’all are so clever at being anonymous in response to the subject matter), but I’m totally fine with that. The positive things that were said to me in anonymity feel very good (I’m almost happier that they were anonymous, in this case). I plan on continuing to share random thought processes.

Originally, I was thinking about asking people to think about how they handle constructive criticism. Do you think you do well with it? Sometimes we are not in a proper mood or emotional condition to receive such criticism very well (even by genuine people we love), even though we ought to be ready to accept those things from those people in our life.

I completely agree that communication is extremely important in all of our relationships, and that we HAVE to communicate to have a healthy relationship.

In all truth, I wasn’t saying that we should have that sort of system [of anonymous criticisms and praises]… It was not my intent to suggest that we ought to utilize anonymous means to weasel out of tough communication. I simply wanted to touch on the issue of how we think we handle constructive criticism, and how welcome we are to it. Then I thought that for more interesting discussion, I should come up with some sort of “supposal” situation, and thought of what I posted about. Having half of the supposed message board be for positive things was a secondary thought, to even it out some, which I thought would add to the discussion.

I like thinking about supposals, and you should all be aware that I will offer more of them in the future. Also be aware that I do not necessarily endorse the supposals that I bring up. The intent is (and will be) to stir thoughts and discussion. I know that this supposal succeeded in getting us all thinking, for which I’m glad.

The thought HAD entered my mind that, once receiving anonymous criticisms, we might get hung up on “I wonder who said that…” – after thinking about it, I determined that all of us would probably not be able to help trying to figure it out. But, I thought I’d go ahead and bring up the “supposal” scenario anyway.

I realize that I ALSO need to improve at communicating things when I disagree with something or want to give someone a compliment or acknowledgment, or want to mention something that might be tough for someone to hear. I’ve spent a long time trying to get people in my life to realize that I am genuine. I care. You can come to me about anything – any subject. I will not break your confidence. I have been a mentor and confidant to many. I’ve been trusted with much. I am a good listener.
I will be there for you.

I joke around a lot. I like to laugh. I love to play. I am a child at heart, but can be “mature” when it comes to the matters where it is important to be so. I take responsibility for the results of my words and deeds. I don’t pretend to believe that I handle everything the best way. I have a long way to go, just like everyone else. I need to improve my patience when people and things cause my plans and intentions to be delayed, cancelled, or interrupted. I need to speak up! I need to not hold things in so much. I need to be more decisive. I need to tell people that I love them. I need to spend more time and effort making a difference in people’s lives, helping people to recognize their need for a Savior, and sharing the Good News. I need to get better at recognizing when I am placing too much value in something that really doesn’t matter. And there’s more, but we don’t need to keep going on about it right now…

Summary:

We need to communicate!!! :)
Before we offer criticism to someone, we need to make sure that we are doing it in love. Otherwise, we shouldn’t be saying it (or even thinking it).
When receiving criticism, we need to discern whether it is coming out of love or not. If it IS… we need to take it to heart.
We need to remember to share with people – share with each other – encouragements, acknowledgments, etc. We all know how great it feels when we receive those. Don’t withhold them from people.
Love.

+ Jesse +

All in favor [or not], say... something

For the sake of discussion, let's assume that everyone has a blog, or a myspace, facebook, or something similar. What if there was a message board or bulletin board type place on your page for people to put certain types of comments... One half was for people to anonymously offer encouraging words, compliments, praises, acknowledgments, etc (I don't think anyone would have a problem with that)... but the other half... was for people to anonymously offer genuine advice/suggestions/criticisms, etc. Let's assume that people would always be genuine. Let's say that the praises/encouragements/acknowledgements could be visible to everyone, but the advice/suggestions/criticisms, etc. were only visible to you.
Would you welcome that? Or would you rather not know about those things?

I think that if I was the only one who could see them, I would welcome the anonymous input.

Almost certainly, there are things about ourselves that we live our lives thinking that people don't notice about ourselves or our personalities, or things we just don't realize about ourselves... which we ought to change/improve.
Sure, we can say that people who are in genuine relationships ought to be able to give each other sound advice, constructive criticism, etc., without causing embitterment, and that by choosing to allow an anonymous avenue for this type of input we would be choosing the safer and weaker way to receive it, and it might not be as powerful or effective...
And I agree with that, to a degree.
However, the nature of things and relationships is that, while genuine relationships ought to be able to handle these things (and should be handling them), having an anonymous avenue would cause more people to say something they would normally choose to just not say (genuine relationship or not). And I don't think these would be really "major" things. I would hope that any major issues would be brought up in person.

Possible things that might show up for people (some for me, too): "Be more positive", "Be more decisive", "Don't fear/worry so much", "Don't be afraid to laugh", "Don't beat yourself up", "Don't over-analyze", "Let your light shine", "Don't worry about what people think", "Be more considerate of others' feelings", etc. ... There are so many of these types of advice or suggestions possible, but some of them might be things that some people might not feel are important enough to bring up, given that it might hurt someone's feelings, or cause someone to treat them differently after, etc.

Why am I bringing this up? I don't know. It's just something I was thinking about the other day, and I thought I'd document it on here, and see if anyone would have anything to say about it.
Thanks for reading/thinking/sharing.

To think about

Who have you chosen to love? Can they tell?
Which people in your life have you chosen NOT to love? (consciously or not) - This might be random people you occasionally interact with, or maybe general acquaintances, friends, or relatives.
Do you realize who you aren’t actively loving? Why do you withhold love? Are you afraid of loving people? We are all called to love.
Are you responsive when someone chooses to love you?
Are you willing to love, and be loved in return?
Decide to live a life full of love.
Choose to love.