Monday, October 31, 2005
1st George 1:1
"But now bring me a man who deploys to the mission frontier. And when the man arrives he becomes an exponent of Christ." ~ 1 George 1:1
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Poverty's cure
CNN's Christiane Amanpour inquired: "What is the solution for stopping nearly a billion people around the world having to struggle on less than $1 a day?"
Christiane, the solution is Freedom and Opportunity.
Freedom creates many kinds of fruit: opportunity is one.
A nation's citizens then use opportunity to unleash their creativity. NEWS FLASH: Freedom and opportunity cure poverty.
Christiane, the solution is Freedom and Opportunity.
Freedom creates many kinds of fruit: opportunity is one.
A nation's citizens then use opportunity to unleash their creativity. NEWS FLASH: Freedom and opportunity cure poverty.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Where's Bono?
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake that struck Kashmir on October 8, killed more than 53,000 people.
Virginia and I have learned that time is running out for survivors unless help arrives before winter.
I, um, must have missed the star-spangled Hollywood relief telethon for this disaster.
Something must have made the tsunami a more chic calamity, I don't know, --but the Pakistanis need aid just as badly. Where's Bono?
Virginia and I have learned that time is running out for survivors unless help arrives before winter.
I, um, must have missed the star-spangled Hollywood relief telethon for this disaster.
Something must have made the tsunami a more chic calamity, I don't know, --but the Pakistanis need aid just as badly. Where's Bono?
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Friday, October 14, 2005
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment." --Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You're in good hands on the mission frontier with George & Virginia; deploy with us!" --Ralph Waldo Obregon
"You're in good hands on the mission frontier with George & Virginia; deploy with us!" --Ralph Waldo Obregon
Monday, October 03, 2005
Newtonian physics
I have become so impressed with what I can do with Newtonian physics -- my cell phone, my car, my Powerbook, my e-mail, etc., -- that I sometimes forget that the vast majority of the universe is not Newtonian.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
The gumbo people (Katrina)
My Lord!--last week, Louisiana's two senators didn't even blink when they asked the federales for $250 billion for their state, following Katrina.
Nawlins is a state that simply doesn't care about anything but money and power. Ten years ago I saw documentaries on A&E about Louisiana corruption; I thought, "That can't be true!" But it was. And it is.
Louisiana political and police corruption ranks right up there with Mexico City! During Katrina, Virginia and I saw with our own eyes armed Louisiana police looting Walmart stores in front of live MSNBC cameras! They didn't care!
The likelihood of the gumbo people of New Orleans choosing to clean up the corrupt political and police culture they've endorsed for decades is about as realistic as Fidel Castro taking up market economics.
My Lord!--without safeguards, why in the world should President Bush give $250 billion to the gumbo people?
Nawlins is a state that simply doesn't care about anything but money and power. Ten years ago I saw documentaries on A&E about Louisiana corruption; I thought, "That can't be true!" But it was. And it is.
Louisiana political and police corruption ranks right up there with Mexico City! During Katrina, Virginia and I saw with our own eyes armed Louisiana police looting Walmart stores in front of live MSNBC cameras! They didn't care!
The likelihood of the gumbo people of New Orleans choosing to clean up the corrupt political and police culture they've endorsed for decades is about as realistic as Fidel Castro taking up market economics.
My Lord!--without safeguards, why in the world should President Bush give $250 billion to the gumbo people?
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Geo's Musing
A friend sent a personal thought regarding a campus e-mail she received that discussed the benevolent tolerance of lesbians, homosexuals and transsexuals at a Catholic university where she works. I could understand the frustration in her e-mail.
Tolerance is one of the highest virtues in our pop culture, --but, alas, it doesn't extend to Christians.
On college campi Christians are often denied First Amendment rights, and even discriminated for religious beliefs (where is the tolerance?). Political corruptness allows for selective mistreatment of Christians at many of our university campi and throughout public life.
But beware: most so-called “gender scholars” in our universities only have degrees in fields like English or Literature--not biology or other hard sciences. These self-appointed “experts” on sexuality are scientifically illiterate.
Dogma and propaganda are their scholarship.
Tolerance is one of the highest virtues in our pop culture, --but, alas, it doesn't extend to Christians.
On college campi Christians are often denied First Amendment rights, and even discriminated for religious beliefs (where is the tolerance?). Political corruptness allows for selective mistreatment of Christians at many of our university campi and throughout public life.
But beware: most so-called “gender scholars” in our universities only have degrees in fields like English or Literature--not biology or other hard sciences. These self-appointed “experts” on sexuality are scientifically illiterate.
Dogma and propaganda are their scholarship.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
God sees the truth but waits
Virginia and I were invited to a meeting at our church by Pastor Dave Sefton in order to meet a one Vietnamese pastor, Ba Nguyen (Paul Walker), and his small company of Vietnamese who are slated to begin Sunday evening Vietnamese services at Jubilee Christian Center in October.
After our 2 hour meeting, it appears that Pastor Paul Nguyen really seems like a great spiritual man to lead Jubilee's Vietnamese Christian community. His wife, Marylin, is very sweet, his sister Hanh is entrepreneurial and devoted to her brother's vision, and Mai, well she was the source of regret.
Mai is a stunning spiritual Christian. As I listened to Mai, and then as I listened to Virginia's take on Mai's personal experiences at Jubilee -- I regretted, greatly, that Virginia and I had never met her earlier. Mai and Virginia & me crossed paths at Jubilee often but didn't know it, because we weren't told of each other.
Mai explained to us that she would have done anything to serve God, was willing to quit her job to travel back and forth to Vietnam to serve God full time (not the flaky kind of Christian who wants to quit their job to serve God, if you understand what I mean.)
Mai was told no, that it wasn't time yet.
But, Virginia and I were deploying to Vietnam, were smuggling Bibles, were sharing with the Underground church in Hanoi, Da Nang and Saigon during this same time.
Why wasn't Mai put in touch with us? Why was she told it wasn't time? Why did she have to endure such disappointment? She would have entirely changed the outcomes of our experiences in Vietnam for the better had she been with us.
This is the regret to which I refer.
God sees the truth but waits.
After our 2 hour meeting, it appears that Pastor Paul Nguyen really seems like a great spiritual man to lead Jubilee's Vietnamese Christian community. His wife, Marylin, is very sweet, his sister Hanh is entrepreneurial and devoted to her brother's vision, and Mai, well she was the source of regret.
Mai is a stunning spiritual Christian. As I listened to Mai, and then as I listened to Virginia's take on Mai's personal experiences at Jubilee -- I regretted, greatly, that Virginia and I had never met her earlier. Mai and Virginia & me crossed paths at Jubilee often but didn't know it, because we weren't told of each other.
Mai explained to us that she would have done anything to serve God, was willing to quit her job to travel back and forth to Vietnam to serve God full time (not the flaky kind of Christian who wants to quit their job to serve God, if you understand what I mean.)
Mai was told no, that it wasn't time yet.
But, Virginia and I were deploying to Vietnam, were smuggling Bibles, were sharing with the Underground church in Hanoi, Da Nang and Saigon during this same time.
Why wasn't Mai put in touch with us? Why was she told it wasn't time? Why did she have to endure such disappointment? She would have entirely changed the outcomes of our experiences in Vietnam for the better had she been with us.
This is the regret to which I refer.
God sees the truth but waits.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Jovia Tran's milestone
Saturday 28 May 2005, my "niece," Miss Jovia Tran graduated from San Jose State Univ with a baccalaureate degree in Biochemistry.
Jovia is a part of our family, and Virginia and I count it a privilege to know her.
Jovia is a part of our family, and Virginia and I count it a privilege to know her.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
The Differential
This May, 2005 image shows a U.S. Army soldier comforting a fatally wounded child from a terror car bomb blast, in Mosul, IRAQ.
This is the difference between American soldiers and Allah's soldiers.
This is the difference between American soldiers and Allah's soldiers.
Monday, May 02, 2005
George W. Bush --Arab hero!
Virginia and I have learned that young men in Afghanistan have just made a great discovery -- those blue burqas floating down the boulevard harbor real live girls! They are not harboring the devil, as the Taliban once said, if you can believe it.
O, spring is in the air, as young Afghani boys and girls experience having boyfriends and girlfriends, and even meeting each other before wedding day!
Indeed, not being forced to marry some guy your parents picked for you is a giant step on the road to a free country.
Who would have ever imagined: George W. Bush, Arab hero!
O, spring is in the air, as young Afghani boys and girls experience having boyfriends and girlfriends, and even meeting each other before wedding day!
Indeed, not being forced to marry some guy your parents picked for you is a giant step on the road to a free country.
Who would have ever imagined: George W. Bush, Arab hero!
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Obregons emphatically agree with Oliver Wendell Holmes
"Young man, the secret of my success is that at an early age I discovered I was not God."Â Â --OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES
"The secret to our success on the mission frontier is that we've chosen to get out of God's way and let God's Spirit minister to the people."Â Â Â --Geo & Virginia Obregon
As a result:
-->Teenagers and pre-teens ministered emotional healing to the conference attendees. (Archipelago Team - 11)
-->Spiritual breakthroughs occurred in Pakistan during casual conversations not through preaching and teaching. (Studies and Observation Group)
"The secret to our success on the mission frontier is that we've chosen to get out of God's way and let God's Spirit minister to the people."Â Â Â --Geo & Virginia Obregon
As a result:
-->Teenagers and pre-teens ministered emotional healing to the conference attendees. (Archipelago Team - 11)
-->Spiritual breakthroughs occurred in Pakistan during casual conversations not through preaching and teaching. (Studies and Observation Group)
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Jubilee Christian Center and the U.S. military
The first Sunday of 2005 our Pastor was informing us on the Asian tsunami disaster from the pulpit, and decided to take up an offering and send it to India. In Andhra Pradesh State we have missionaries and their families, Lee & Praveena Ruud, and Scott & Melody Norling, on the ground, full-time.
Mrs. Obregon and I were unable to contribute on Sunday, but a light went off in my head. Our American military, at great cost, and almost entirely alone in the world, saved Kosovars, Afghans, and Iraqis from tyranny --and Virginia and I helped pay for that!
But wait, Virginia and I do even more --the $500 billion of the Pentagon's budget performs other Christian charity:
+Keeps the Persian gulf open to world commerce;
+Protects Europe;
+Ensures that the waters between China & Taiwan are safe;
+Prevents Saddam's rebels from destroying the ecology of the Tigris-Euphrates valley.
Probably most of the charity that we members of Jubilee Christian Center give --goes through
the U.S. government!
U.S. armed forces - Christianity in action.
Mrs. Obregon and I were unable to contribute on Sunday, but a light went off in my head. Our American military, at great cost, and almost entirely alone in the world, saved Kosovars, Afghans, and Iraqis from tyranny --and Virginia and I helped pay for that!
But wait, Virginia and I do even more --the $500 billion of the Pentagon's budget performs other Christian charity:
+Keeps the Persian gulf open to world commerce;
+Protects Europe;
+Ensures that the waters between China & Taiwan are safe;
+Prevents Saddam's rebels from destroying the ecology of the Tigris-Euphrates valley.
Probably most of the charity that we members of Jubilee Christian Center give --goes through
the U.S. government!
U.S. armed forces - Christianity in action.
Friday, December 24, 2004
Our brightest ornament
"I think that I did see all heaven before me, and the great God Himself!" --Handel upon completing "The Messiah" in just 25 days.
On behalf of Virginia and I, Merry Christmas! We believe, as most Americans do, that religion in one's family and in one's nation is indeed its brightest ornament.
On behalf of Virginia and I, Merry Christmas! We believe, as most Americans do, that religion in one's family and in one's nation is indeed its brightest ornament.
Thursday, December 16, 2004
No promise to find
Scott Peterson was recommended the death penalty
by a California jury Monday for double murder.
I've always believed that Scott Peterson was guilty
when he never promised to find the real killer.
by a California jury Monday for double murder.
I've always believed that Scott Peterson was guilty
when he never promised to find the real killer.
Friday, November 26, 2004
Pastors, farmers, parents
+ While returning from L.A. last week, Virginia and I still continue to wonder in awe about the spiritual trend taking place in our land. This trend follows common sense.
+ You see, if an ideological division does exist in America it reflects the world-view of different Americans. Virginia and I meet a lot of diverse people in our line of work.
+ If there is anyone in our orbit who has a natural perspective it is our pastor, Dick Bernal. Wait, --others with a selfsame natural perspective: farmers, ranchers, or even parents rearing their children understand the progression of planting seeds, cultivating growth and patience, oh so much patience, for the coming harvest.
+ These are the people who tended to vote for George W. Bush. Those who view the world as a thirty-minute situation comedy and a laugh-track in the background tended to vote for John F. Kerry. This difference is reflected in the geography of the red states and blue states; sort of earthy Americans vs. tinseltown Americans.
+ Another telling spiritual trend is that the other Party is no longer a mom-and-pop party, because the fertility rate in the Kerry states is 12% lower than in the Bush states. Vermont, (the home of Howard Dean and perhaps the most left state in the country) produces an annual average of 49 children for every 1,000 women of child-bearing age; in Utah, where most voted for George Bush, the figure is 91 for every 1,000. In deep, deep blue cities such as San Francisco (where I live) and Seattle you find more dogs than children.
+ These trends are all amazing to me, possibly the only long-term solution for Democrats may be a constitutional amendment enfranchising canine-Americans.
+ You see, if an ideological division does exist in America it reflects the world-view of different Americans. Virginia and I meet a lot of diverse people in our line of work.
+ If there is anyone in our orbit who has a natural perspective it is our pastor, Dick Bernal. Wait, --others with a selfsame natural perspective: farmers, ranchers, or even parents rearing their children understand the progression of planting seeds, cultivating growth and patience, oh so much patience, for the coming harvest.
+ These are the people who tended to vote for George W. Bush. Those who view the world as a thirty-minute situation comedy and a laugh-track in the background tended to vote for John F. Kerry. This difference is reflected in the geography of the red states and blue states; sort of earthy Americans vs. tinseltown Americans.
+ Another telling spiritual trend is that the other Party is no longer a mom-and-pop party, because the fertility rate in the Kerry states is 12% lower than in the Bush states. Vermont, (the home of Howard Dean and perhaps the most left state in the country) produces an annual average of 49 children for every 1,000 women of child-bearing age; in Utah, where most voted for George Bush, the figure is 91 for every 1,000. In deep, deep blue cities such as San Francisco (where I live) and Seattle you find more dogs than children.
+ These trends are all amazing to me, possibly the only long-term solution for Democrats may be a constitutional amendment enfranchising canine-Americans.
Monday, November 15, 2004
Teaching my nephew Geometry
MY WIFE AND I SPENT the entire Summer teaching my nephew, Michael Trejo, Geometry, as a requirement to fulfill High School credit to begin Algebra II in Fall 2004.
I HAD TO RE-LEARN all the theorems, postulates, nit-picking definitions, and dreaded proofs in order to transmit that knowledge to Michael.
YOU KNOW, GEOMETRY IS A very beautiful subject. But geometry, as it is taught, is filled with com-plicated trivialities. As a result, the first four to five chapters offer little insight into geometric ideas that matter in the real world.
I CONTINUALLY FOUND myself assuring Michael, "Don't worry, Michael, we'll be getting to the geometry soon; we're almost there." Poor Michael, I had to teach him proofs of statements that were obvious to begin with.
AT THIS STAGE, who could doubt the truth of such a statement as: "Given any 3 points on a line, one is between the other two." This silliness is called the Definition of Betweenness. Can you believe this? When shown this, the natural reaction of an intelligent student (and his uncle), is irritation and impatience. All this tends to kill a student's interest in geometry long before they reach the meat of the subject.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM is that High School math instructors are slaves --and they live on the plantation of Deductive Reasoning.
THIS IS THE notion that knowledge is somehow not valid until it has been organised into a highly formal system of theorems. All knowledge is deduced from something before it.
DEDUCTIVE REASONING is an interesting idea that educated people should know something about, just as they should know something about representative government; but everything in its place. This doctrine belongs somewhere else, not in geometry...
IF GEOMETRY IS CONSIDERED for its own sake, geometry students will study with greater efficiency, and they will love the subject!
I THINK HIGH SCHOOL geometry teachers know this, but they are stuck on the plantation.
I HAD TO RE-LEARN all the theorems, postulates, nit-picking definitions, and dreaded proofs in order to transmit that knowledge to Michael.
YOU KNOW, GEOMETRY IS A very beautiful subject. But geometry, as it is taught, is filled with com-plicated trivialities. As a result, the first four to five chapters offer little insight into geometric ideas that matter in the real world.
I CONTINUALLY FOUND myself assuring Michael, "Don't worry, Michael, we'll be getting to the geometry soon; we're almost there." Poor Michael, I had to teach him proofs of statements that were obvious to begin with.
AT THIS STAGE, who could doubt the truth of such a statement as: "Given any 3 points on a line, one is between the other two." This silliness is called the Definition of Betweenness. Can you believe this? When shown this, the natural reaction of an intelligent student (and his uncle), is irritation and impatience. All this tends to kill a student's interest in geometry long before they reach the meat of the subject.
THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM is that High School math instructors are slaves --and they live on the plantation of Deductive Reasoning.
THIS IS THE notion that knowledge is somehow not valid until it has been organised into a highly formal system of theorems. All knowledge is deduced from something before it.
DEDUCTIVE REASONING is an interesting idea that educated people should know something about, just as they should know something about representative government; but everything in its place. This doctrine belongs somewhere else, not in geometry...
IF GEOMETRY IS CONSIDERED for its own sake, geometry students will study with greater efficiency, and they will love the subject!
I THINK HIGH SCHOOL geometry teachers know this, but they are stuck on the plantation.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Helpless masses
HOW FAR WILL liberty spread across the Earth? Positive changes occur every single day. People
watch America for indications about their own future.
IRAQ NOW HAS an interim government. Elections are planned in a country that had previously been run by a tyrant for over 20 years. Saddam's torture chambers and rape rooms are out of business.
The Iraqi people now exercise freedoms denied them for decades. Liberty and economic opportunity now exist.
INTERNATIONAL PARIAHS such as North Korea and Iran are now feeling the heat of liberty spreading.
AS MISSIONARIES, Virginia and I are saddened that
most Americans are unaware of the people world-wide who are yearning to be free from tyranny. We Americans cannot lose our resolve --as it could be a death sentence for many who simply want to enjoy the freedoms that the USA takes for granted.
THOSE WHO CONDEMN the removal of Saddam
energize other regimes with similar strangleholds
on their helpless citizens.
watch America for indications about their own future.
IRAQ NOW HAS an interim government. Elections are planned in a country that had previously been run by a tyrant for over 20 years. Saddam's torture chambers and rape rooms are out of business.
The Iraqi people now exercise freedoms denied them for decades. Liberty and economic opportunity now exist.
INTERNATIONAL PARIAHS such as North Korea and Iran are now feeling the heat of liberty spreading.
AS MISSIONARIES, Virginia and I are saddened that
most Americans are unaware of the people world-wide who are yearning to be free from tyranny. We Americans cannot lose our resolve --as it could be a death sentence for many who simply want to enjoy the freedoms that the USA takes for granted.
THOSE WHO CONDEMN the removal of Saddam
energize other regimes with similar strangleholds
on their helpless citizens.
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