text:
If you regularly take time to help a loved one with errands, personal care, living arrangements, financial and legal concerns or activities, you are a caregiver. Care giving can be stressful – physically, emotionally and financially.
DeKalb County Hospice is sponsoring a six-week class, titled Powerful Tools for Caregivers, to be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 19 through April 23, at the DeKalb County Hospice office, DeKalb.
In the class, caregivers learn how to reduce stress, improve self-confidence, better communicate feelings, and locate helpful resources. Attendees also learn how to increase their ability to make tough decisions and balance their lives.
The 90-minute sessions are designed to be especially helpful for caregivers with limited time. There is no cost for class participation. Each participant receives a copy of "The Caregiver Helpbook."
For more information or to register, contact Helen Maurer or Val Heintz at the DeKalb County Hospice, 815-756-3000. Class size is limited, advance registration needed.


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I believe there is a picture of Jiffy Pop somewhere on Badger's website. See, Badge, I be stalkin' ya. More seriously, I stumbled upon it while surfing the website after reading a thread about Badger's standup comedy.
ok im not surprised....!
i wore CDG odeur 71 the other day and got immediate attention... strange but true..
if i was FORCED to make a list of scents that women/girls comment on and like (and i remember they have liked on me from years ago too)
it would be :
1) CDG 1 eau de parfum !!
2) CDG 2 (no surprise at all... even NYC cabbies ask me what the heavenly scent im wearing is!)
2) YSL Rive Gauche Pour Home (no surprise)
3) Hermes (u ready?) - Hiris !!
4) Habit Rouge (no surprise)
5) Michael (Kors)
Last edited by zenman7; 25th March 2010 at 07:10 PM.
I believe there is a picture of Jiffy Pop somewhere on Badger's website. See, Badge, I be stalkin' ya. More seriously, I stumbled upon it while surfing the website after reading a thread about Badger's standup comedy.
He can post her up along with the member pics request I made in the off-topic forum!
Jiffy Pop is perfectly able to post herself, thank you very much.Originally Posted by more_i_see
Lovesick the wind that carries it
Rust_Monster: Thanks for stalking me! Actually, I really appreciate it when people check out my site, so that's very cool of you. Also, I know that more_i_see has done so as well, so thanks to both of you.
more_i_see: Additional thanks for starting another "post your pic" thread over in the off-topic section. I've posted links to two new pictures of myself (with the goatee) and two pics of Jiffy Pop, for anyone who would like to see them.
Pieter: Indeed, Jiffy is able to post herself, kind of. Due to computer issues as well as family issues (she has two children) she has rarely been able to get online as of late. Hopefully, we'll actually see more postings from her soon, but I can't say how soon.
AtinayBoy: Others have probably theorized that Jiffy Pop was just someone I was making up. Heck, when I've posted things about here, even I have thought, "Wow; it would be easy to think that I was just creating this "Jiffy Pop" character to try to impress people." Plus, with the ridiculously low amount of time I've been able to spend with her as of late, thanks to illness and/or her jackass ex- being unwilling to keep their kids, I've started to wonder if she's just a figment of my imagination, too! However, I promise that she is a real, living, breathing, 23-year-old female.
And, to stay on topic, here are a few more that I remember elicited good female reactions:
- Comme des Garcons' CDG2. Amazing scent, though I haven't had as many compliments on it as I have with most of the ones I mentioned earlier in the thread. Thanks for the reminder, zenman7!
- Givenchy's Pi. Some ladies like the scent of caramel corn.
- Ralph Lauren's Romance. Excellent, all-around, non-offensive, not-too-unusual-in-any-direction, just-smells-dang-good fragrance.
- Versace's Black Jeans. This was the one I wore on my first date with Jiffy Pop, and she was a big fan right off the bat.
Badger 8)
Jiffy Pop is reeeeeeal! I saw her eating donuts wit' Elvis down at the Krispy Kreme(tm)!
Hey zenman7....What is CDG? and can anyone describe the difference between Creed New Tabarome and old? Thanks
In case anyone cares..here's the vote count so far (excluding the single votes):
(4) Hanae Mori
(3) Creed MI
(3) Polo Blue
(3) Lanvin L'Homme
(3) A*men
(2) Dolce & Gabbana PH
(2) Chrome
(2) Body Kouros
(2) Cool Water
(2) Issey Miyake's L'eau d'Issey
I should be doing something productive... :
LOL!!! I should own this fragrance then if the men give you lots of compliments like they do Paul. Need a mankiller scent then! I have yet to smell this "Elixir of Love".Originally Posted by Paul G.
For me from my arsenal of scents...A*Men, Le Male, Lauder for Men, Pour Un Homme, Royal Bain de Champagne and Kingdom have gotten the most compliments from chicks.
It's Comme des Garcons.Originally Posted by shotcaller
http://blogsorbeta.blox.pl: CdG Series 8 Energy
(Oct. 3rd).
Creed MI is "*MILLESIME IMPERIAL* By Creed " right ?
Dolce & Gabbana pour homme and Must de Cartier pour homme
Old spice does it for me, the women tell me i smell like there grandad and my mates tell me i smell like a ferret. ;D
haha thats a little creepy if they like you smelling like their grandad
Funilly enough the most have been with Hypnotic poison (which actually is for ladies).
I did get a few with Minotaure.
Also YSL Rive Gauche .
Declaration Cartier.
Kenzo Jungle.
Fendi Life Essence.
Issey Miyake
TM Cologne
Live Jazz
Paco XS
amusingly enough, girls go for the lighter and more relaxed fresher scents, while guys compliment me more on the heavier and oriental-themed fragrances.
Yes it is.Originally Posted by BlitzSix
I get the most compliments from girls when wearing Lolita Lempicka.
Followed by Acqua di Gio and Paul smith extreme
Dolce & Gabbana PH also gets some
My wife is the same way. She can not tell A*Men from M7 from AdG.Originally Posted by tom
Roger & Gallet Lavande Royale
A bit off topic, but... Does anyone else think that "females" generally get turned on by a cologne scent simply for the fact that a guy is actually smelling decent? Just because he apparently cares and does not reek of run-of-the-mill grocery store stuff?
We have this lady in our office, she always comments that I smell nice and today she actually said "I really like that cologne you are wearing, my husband wears it too". I asked her what she thought I was wearing and she started listing all of the Tommy's, CK's, etc. and was really surprised when I told her that every time she commented I was wearing a different fragrance. She was particularly surprised when I told her that Bvlgari Cologne Au The Vert was a unisex fragrance, she thought it was a spicy masculine smell.
Oh well, I was amused. As they say, maybe it's not what you wear - it's how you wear it. Au The Vert "spicy & masculine" ROFL!
Originally Posted by ironmics
Yeah.. girls will just say mm you smell good...
even if you wear Gillete "Cool Wave" aftershave.
Old spice is a little too common and will make you yell out "Who's your Gran-Daddy !" once in a while.
At the right time and place any masculine smell that is not too ambitious (or have unusual 'experimental' smells that need to get used too e.g. Dzing !) should work with chicks.
Gotham Chick-Magnet
I'll say women just like when a guy smells nice and doesn't over do it, regardless if it's some high end niche brand or not. Most women are not that fragrance saavy, just as most men are not.
I'll also say that women are much more sensual than men, so they will notice how you smell even if they don't notice you're there at first. How can I put this, I'm out walking, shopping whatever, doing my own thing, minding my own business - I'm trying hard to decide between Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. If a guy that has a scent, good or bad, passes by me I will take notice, if he has no real fragrance/scent, I probably won't - I'll keep focused on cinnamon toast and colored marshmallows. ;D
I think scent can definitely be an aphrodisiac for women, if she likes the way you smell she'll be receptive you. If she really likes you, she likes how you smell with cologne or without, freshly showered or sweaty from working out, she'll want to nuzzle her nose in your leather jacket just to smell you. Actually, it's not just a sexual thing, I think women like to smell things of anyone they love - children, parents, spouse - it gives us the warm, fuzzies and makes you feel close to someone even if they're not there. I don't know if men get that, too, with the same intensity.
So smelling nice is a good thing, regardless of how many compliments you actually get. It may not always be appropriate to pay a compliment, but that doesn't mean you don't get noticed. Actually, I wish more men would wear cologne because I rarely come across it except for my brother and one co-worker who always smell good.
Sorry, Jacona, but I must take issue with you here.Originally Posted by jacona
The Sensual Male
Rochas Man.
Today, wore Michael for Men. Met a buddy and his hot wife. He says, boy you smell good. She leans in and grabs my suit jacket and says, Boy, do you ever! Honey, would you please get our seats while Greg and I go and talk! (big smile on her face.) Fun.
Yesterday, Aqua di Gio. Two teenage girls sniff me and say how good I smell and wow that is nice....They walk away with big smiles on their faces, and so do I.
Ain't fragrance great!!!
HEHE.... I got the same reaction over Michael Kors!
from both men and women... Ê
I just suddenly got over the scent myself...
now my significant other is into it...
believe me
CDG Ê= Ê Comme des Garcons
the fashion house of avant garde fashion designer
Rei Kawakubo who burst into the fashion world in the 80's together with her then boyfriend Yohji Yamamoto
they are one of the most innovative and interesting modern perfume houses around.
often their scents are very distinctive, strong but always interesting, full of personality and have a lovely modern twist on everything.
To my mind, Comme des Garcons rank up there with the best of the best.
Odeur 71 is the only perfume to be on exhibition in the prestigious Pompidou Centre (of Modern Art) in Paris
nuff said..
I get alot of compliments wearing HM. It is my favorite to wear.Originally Posted by mariusg82
Definately! The women love Rochas Man.Originally Posted by jowcoffee
I know I do...I smell everything...I even smell clothes when I'm trying them on...of course, how they feel and fit are more important, but I find myself sniffing lots of things. It goes way beyond cologne for me...I've always got a candle going in my living room and bedroom...I sniff household cleaning products before I buy them (Method has a great line of wonderful smelling stuff) and I always take a good whiff of someone I care about so I pick up their scent. I notice very few women wearing perfume around my office, but usually pick up on and ask about their hand lotions since those are more common. Damn I love my nose.Originally Posted by jacona
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
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text:
U.S. application submission marks third major daclatasvir regulatory milestone globally, follows E.U. and Japan
PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced today that they have submitted new drug applications (NDAs) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the investigational products daclatasvir (DCV), an NS5A replication complex inhibitor, and asunaprevir (ASV), a NS3 protease inhibitor. The data submitted in the NDAs support the use of DCV+ASV in patients with genotype 1b hepatitis C (HCV). The DCV NDA also seeks approval for use of this compound in combination with other agents for multiple genotypes. The submissions are subject to FDA review for acceptance for filing.
"These FDA submissions represent a major step towards offering daclatasvir-based regimens to U.S. HCV patients, many of whom continue to have high unmet medical needs," said Brian Daniels, MD, senior vice president, Global Development and Medical Affairs, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. "We are excited to have achieved this milestone and, looking forward, will continue to innovate and invest in daclatasvir in a range of patient types and regimens."
These submissions follow the recent announcement that the FDA granted the investigational DCV Dual Regimen (DCV+ASV) Breakthrough Therapy Designation. In 2013, the investigational all-oral 3DAA Regimen (daclatasvir/asunaprevir/BMS-791325) also received Breakthrough Therapy Designation, and the company anticipates submitting this regimen for FDA review in Q1 2015.
In January 2014, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) validated the company's marketing authorization application for the use of DCV in combination with other agents for the treatment of adults with HCV with compensated liver disease, including genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4, and this application is under accelerated review. In addition, NDAs for DCV and ASV are under priority review by Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency for patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b, classified as either interferon-ineligible naïve/intolerant or non-responders to interferon and ribavirin.
About Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver and is transmitted through direct contact with infected blood and blood products. Approximately 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C, with an estimated 2.7–3.9 million chronically infected in the United States. Up to 90 percent of those infected with hepatitis C will not spontaneously clear the virus and will become chronically infected. According to the World Health Organization, up to 20 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis; of those, up to 25 percent may progress to liver cancer.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb's HCV Portfolio
Bristol-Myers Squibb's research efforts are focused on advancing late-stage compounds to deliver the most value to patients with hepatitis C. At the core of our pipeline is daclatasvir (DCV), an investigational NS5A replication complex inhibitor that has been studied in more than 5,500 patients as part of multiple direct-acting antiviral (DAA) based combination therapies. DCV has shown a low drug-drug interaction profile, supporting its potential use in multiple treatment regimens and in people with co-morbidities.
DCV is currently being studied in the ongoing Phase III UNITY Program, where it is being investigated as part of an all-oral 3DAA Regimen (daclatasvir/asunaprevir/BMS-791325). Study populations include non-cirrhotic naïve, cirrhotic naïve and previously treated patients. The 3DAA Regimen is being studied as a fixed-dose-combination treatment with twice daily dosing.
Daclatasvir is also being investigated in combination with sofosbuvir in high unmet need patients, such as pre- and post-transplant patients, HIV/HCV co-infected patients, and patients with genotype 3, as part of the ongoing Phase III ALLY Program.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bmsnews.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that clinical trials of these compounds will support regulatory filings, or that DCV or any other compounds mentioned in this release will receive regulatory approval or, if approved, that they will become commercially successful products. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.


text:
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Smoke and Mirrors
Pamela Anderson has been quoted as saying that she doesn't like mirrors because she's hotter in her mind. I know that there are a few holes in that reference. A) Her confidence in her physical appearance may need a little … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged celebrity, dementia, documentary, Facebook, Hashtag, Hogewey, illusion, Instagram, mirrors, Pamela Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, seal hunt, soapbox 1 Comment


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Cuomo's Slow-Mo Disaster
The New York governor is in deeper legal trouble than he realizes.
Andrew Cuomo is in serious trouble. Preet Bharara, the hard-charging U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, has turned up the heat on his administration's alleged interference with an anti-corruption commission he appointed, and for the first time in the New York governor's four-year tenure, he's lost control of a situation. That's an awful feeling for any politician, but especially for one who so prizes control, and who prides himself on playing political chess while his opponents play checkers. It's the classic tale of a pol so consumed with avoiding a short-term image hit that he risked his long-term freedom. (I know the story well, because five years ago this week I lost control of a similar situation and ended up in prison for obstruction of justice.)
Let's examine the peril of Cuomo's predicament, which is far more serious than some believe. Few U.S. attorneys – particularly not the pugnacious Bharara – get into public pissing matches they intend to lose. And the stakes are high: Cuomo is one of the nation's most powerful governors and heir to the national liberal mantle that his father, former governor Mario Cuomo, assumed with his poetic 1984 " Tale of Two Cities" Democratic National Convention speech. Decades later, leading Democrats continue to appropriate the elder Cuomo's rhetoric; it was the basis for John Edwards 2008 presidential campaign as well as New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's triumphant 2013 mayoral bid – not to mention Sen. Elizabeth Warren's current stump speech. Based on that lineage and his "taming" of a formerly chaotic state capital by producing four on-time budgets, Cuomo the younger has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2016 (if Hillary Clinton doesn't run) or 2020 (if Hillary runs and loses).
Story Continued Below
But despite the passage of timely balanced budgets, New York State government isn't in great shape. Lately, more Albany politicians have gone on to prison than to higher office. Most of the cases involved bribery. In an attempt to reduce the influence of money in the New York capital – or, in the eyes of skeptics eying his $35 million war chest, appear as if he wanted to reduce said influence – Cuomo appointed the Moreland Commission to investigate politicians' unethical and illegal behavior. To demonstrate the gravity of his endeavor, he had state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman officially designate commissioners as deputy attorneys general, thereby granting them law-enforcement powers. But once the commission got started, the trail led to some of Cuomo's biggest funders.
The governor then faced a choice: endure any embarrassing revelations an inquiry may produce, or quash the inquiry and avoid short-term re-election campaign turbulence. Cuomo chose political expedience.
According to the New York Times and my conversations with people involved, Cuomo's top aide Larry Schwartz called commissioners and commission staff multiple times and directed them not to subpoena major Cuomo backers. Federal witness-tampering law bars attempts to conceal documents or otherwise obstruct an official proceeding.
Soon thereafter, following passage of a watered-down ethics bill that gave Cuomo the political victory he felt he needed, the governor dissolved the commission. That's when Bharara decided to pursue the tangled threads left by the commission's abrupt disbandment.
Though Cuomo hunkered down when City and State and the New York Daily News ran smaller stories about his administration's meddling, he denied any inappropriate interference after the recent Times expose. In concert with his public statement, another senior Cuomo aide, Joseph Percoco, allegedly called several commissioners to request public statements backing up Cuomo's; Schwartz may have resisted making the calls this time around. Several supportive statements from commissioners magically appeared in media inboxes within minutes of each other. Percoco's intervention may have violated federal obstruction of justice statutes, which prohibit attempts to "influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice." Courts have expansively interpreted the "due administration of justice" clause to forbid any conduct interfering with a legal proceeding, which would encompass Bharara's investigation.
To obtain a conviction under this clause, Bharara must prove that the defendant attempted to obstruct a pending federal proceeding. Cuomo's acknowledgment of his staff's communication with commissioners in advance of their supportive statements is important. Such communication is innocuous if it merely "correct(s) the record," as Cuomo stated, but if it attempts to "corruptly persuade" commissioners by convincing them of an untrue story, then it constitutes obstruction of justice. Since contemporaneous records of commission and staff frustration at Cuomo's attempts to thwart subpoenas exist, it will be difficult for him to argue that his aides were merely encouraging commissioners to make truthful statements. Even the fact that Percoco allegedly asked commissioners to communicate with him through private email messages rather than through their government accounts could be problematic, given 18 U.S.C. §1512(c), which prohibits attempts to conceal evidence during an investigation.
Perhaps Cuomo's best defense is that commissioners' testimonials were not sworn statements during legal proceedings, but merely incidental to the ongoing investigation. However, prosecution for obstructing justice under 18 U.S.C. §1512(b)(3) does not require proof that the defendant intended to obstruct a particular proceeding; federal judges have ruled it sufficient if the misleading information relating to a potential federal offense is likely to be transferred to a federal agent, a case Bharara could easily make following his seizure of all Moreland Commission material.
That Cuomo aide Percoco allegedly conducted this recent round of calls and Schwartz the earlier ones is consequential. Anyone familiar with the concept of the Prisoner's Dilemma understands why. Instead of one top Cuomo aide in legal jeopardy, there are now two—and Bharara will doubtless seek to play them against each other, just like in the cop shows where the detectives split up the two suspects into separate interrogation rooms and tell each one, "Your buddy's down the hall right now singing like a canary – you know that, right?"


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Two significant political events will take place during the next two days. The first is tonight's debate at the Reagan Library featuring eight Republicans vying for their party's presidential nomination. The debate begins at 8 p.m. eastern time. The second is President Obama's nationally-televised "jobs" speech, scheduled to air tomorrow at 7 p.m.
Let me focus here on the debate, and turn to the President's speech in a separate post. Labor Day signifies that we are about halfway through the invisible primary – the roughly 10-month period in which the field of candidates that will compete in the series of caucuses and primaries is established. As always, there are two stories to follow: what the media says is happening in the nominating process, and what is actually happening. With that in mind, let's look at the Pollster.com composite polling date here.
The polling trends prompt at least four observations. First, despite being declared by several major news outlets as the "winner" of the first two major Republican debates – largely because he refused to engage in much give and take and thus appeared "presidential" – Mitt Romney's polling support hasn't inched upward at all. Indeed, it dropped in the aftermath of Rick Perry's entrance into the race. This has to be somewhat troubling to Romney, particularly since he entered the race with relatively high name recognition due to his failed 2008 bid. It suggests relatively soft support among potential voters. Even more problematic, he does much worse in polling of registered voters, as opposed to surveys of all adults, suggesting his candidacy is actually weaker than the composite polling indicates.
In contrast, Rick Perry has shot to the top of the national polls, with a bullet, since formally entering the race. He leads Romney by 6-8% among all adults, but his lead doubles in surveys among registered voters. Right now, in fact, if surveys are to be believed the race for the Republican nomination isn't even close. This despite the obligatory media efforts to both a) take down the front-runner and b) to establish an unflattering candidate caricature. In Perry's case, the stereotype is that he is "dumb". This puts him in line behind a succession of stupid Republicans, dating back to Gerald Ford (really more clumsy than dumb), Ronald Reagan (described by Clark Clifford as an "amiable dunce") and George W. Bush ("Shrub"), all of whom succeeded in becoming president despite their lack of intelligence. (Don't get me started on Ike!) Perry has to hope he can somehow live up to his predecessors' profound stupidness. Tonight is as good a night as any to demonstrate that he lacks what it takes to be characterized as "smart." The key issue is whether Romney reacts to his lukewarm polling and decides to directly engage Perry, or insists on trying to sail above the fray. Much has been made of Perry's "weak" debating skills, but those qualities are largely overrated in these types of events. What matters instead it if the candidate stays on message – and happens to pick the right message given the electoral fundamentals. For Perry, that means focusing on jobs, jobs, jobs and – yes – jobs. Avoid controversial statements, and instead reassure voters that you have a presidential temperament.
The second observation is Palin's staying power in national polls. Although her polling arc mimics Romney's, she has managed to remain in the top tier of candidates despite running a somewhat unorthodox campaign to date. Part of her polling success, of course, reflects name recognition based on her previous vice presidential run. And she has the highest negatives of any of the Republican candidates. Nonetheless, although she will not be participating in tonight's debate, her presence will be felt. And she will certainly be watching as well.
The third fact is the media-contrived story-line that Bachmann's candidacy is weakening. The recent reshuffling of Bachmann's campaign staff has been interpreted by the media, not surprisingly, as an indication that her candidacy is struggling. Never mind that it might make her stronger. In fact, next to Perry, she has come the farthest of any Republican in putting together an electoral coalition, she retains strong support within the Tea Party, and she currently has the most cash on hand of any Republican, except for Romney, among those who have filed FEC fundraising reports. (Paul has raised and spent more. Neither Perry nor Palin have filed as yet.). And yet, because the media has difficulty handling more than three top-tier candidates, they have decided to pit Bachmann and Paul against each other for that coveted third spot (assuming Palin doesn't announce). Let's see if the two candidates take the bait tonight.
Finally, midway through the winnowing process, the bottom tier candidates – Cain, Gingrich, Santorum and Huntsman – are in full-blown survival mode. The danger here is that if the media decides they are not viable, it doesn't matter how well they do in the debate. Gingrich, in my view, clearly was the strongest debater at Ames, but the media are simply not interested in his candidacy, and so his strong debate performance largely went unrewarded. If these four don't attract media buzz, they can't raise money because donors largely follow the Mayor Daley adage of "don't back no losers." Of this group, Huntsman seems to me to be closest to falling into the "Pawlenty of danger" zone. His effort to brand himself as the maverick "sensible" Republican hasn't worked, I think, because it ignores a basic fact: the people he is appealing to don't vote in Republican primaries. Moreover, his strengths – particularly his diplomatic expertise – are not what voters are looking for during this electoral cycle. Santorum, trying to find a place in the field, seemed determined to dislodge Paul during the last debate. Let's see if he tries to reprise that tactic, or looks to pick on someone else – such as Bachmann.
A final point – most potential voters will not pay attention to tonight's debate, with more of them watching America's Got Talent instead. The debate matters much more to the issue activists, donors and media who collectively establish candidate viability during the invisible primary. So when you evaluate the candidates' statements, and judge winners and losers, do so in terms of these audiences, and not the general public.
If I can, I'll try to come on later tonight with the post-mortem.


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We have a wonderful wonderful pattern of Bible study here at Grace Church. We go through book after book after book just the way God wrote them, that's the way we take them. We assume you can't improve on God's method. And since the Lord gave us a Bible, we want to study it. Since He gave it to us book by book, we want to study it book by book. Since He said that we are primarily those who have inherited the blessings of the new covenant, we spend the bulk of our time in the New Testament. And He said that the Old Testament account was for examples to us who believe. And we go back to the Old Testament to see examples of those great truths taught in the New Testament.
At this point in time we're studying 2 Timothy, Paul's second epistle to his son in the faith, Timothy. Now the wonderful thing about going expositorially through Scripture is that you know exactly where you're going to go and you're taking God's Word as He gives it. The difficulty is you've got to deal with what comes next, and sometimes it may be a little bit poignant and directed at you, but that's how it is. And I don't know, I'm kind of getting the feeling now after 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy that all of these things have been directed at me and the leadership of the church because Timothy is a church leader and Paul is writing to him to help him get things straightened out.
One man wrote me a gracious letter this week and said, "We've been being exhorted week after week after week and I'd like to suggest that it's time for a little comfort. Couldn't you divert yourself and give us a little comfort once in a while?" And I feel the same way. I just want to tell that gentleman that I agree, I'd like to be comforted to but I've got two more chapters of the Lord's exhortation here that I've got to deal with just like you. And it's all in His good time and all in His holy purpose.
I was sent a tape cassette album last week that pronounced the fact...and it had my name on the cover, it was by a preacher here in Los Angeles who was preaching against me...and he said, "The heresy of MacArthur is expository preaching. He has perverted preaching into what he calls verse-by-verse Bible exposition." Well I've heard it all now, I mean, that is...that's just unbelievable. But anyway, we'll carry right on with our exposition in spite of this man's opinion...since this is God's precious Word. And we rejoice to be able to study it.
Now I say all that in a sense because I want you to know that this is a very difficult passage we come to from the standpoint that it's not very comforting. In fact, it's a passage of more warning as is rather typical in these epistles. In fact, if I were to title this, and I did, it's "Danger in the church," not danger to the church, but danger in the church. While our Lord Jesus said, "I will build My church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it," He didn't say it would be easy. And He didn't say the process of growing in the church would be without conflict. In fact, Jesus made it clear that the church age itself would be plagued with difficulty, primarily and there are many areas of difficulty, but the primary concern of our Lord and the Apostles and even Paul here is the encroachment on the church of false teaching, false doctrine and its consequent...ungodliness. False doctrine and ungodly living are twins, they go together and they are the greatest enemy of the church. The church will always be, has always been, plagued by false teachers, false apostles, false pastors, false preachers and false Christians. Those who name the name of Christ say they represent God but in fact represent Satan. They create confusion in the church. They create disorder in the church. And they keep the church in a battle situation all the time. Jesus Himself writing in Matthew 24 predicted that there would come false Christians, false prophets and false Christs even. Peter predicted false prophets and false teachers who would lead people astray and be very successful at it. John warned of many antichrists who were already at work in the church in his epistle. Jude warned about evil, wicked, lascivious men who would come and cause us to have to contend for the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. And the beloved Apostle Paul fought false teachers everywhere he went. No sooner would he found a church then false teachers would invade it, whether they were the Judaizing legalists from Jerusalem, or the pagan religionists from out of the Greek culture, they would go in and try to pull away the unstable people, bring chaos and confusion, get evil men in high places and disrupt the church. So Paul in that rather generic message in Acts 20 says that he expects in the church that perverse men will rise from within your midst and wolves will come in from the outside and the intent of both will be to disrupt the church. And you must be committed to the Word, he says, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance.
The church is always under attack. Jesus in Matthew 7 put it very straightforward in His Sermon on the Mount as He drew that sermon to a conclusion, warning the people about those who would come along pretending to be shepherds. He said, "Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." It doesn't mean that they are wolves dressed like sheep, sheep's clothing is wool. They were men in wool cloaks because the wool garment was the garment of a prophet. In fact, Zechariah 13:4 says that they wear a rough garment to deceive. John the Baptist wore that kind of a rough garment which was consistent with the prophetic office.
So here come these who are wolves dressed up like prophets in wool garments and they come to deceive. They come to tear and shred and destroy. They're dressed like shepherds but they're wolves. That's the way it is. Jesus said it would be that way and that's exactly the way it is.
Now as Paul writes to Timothy, he wants to warn him about this and he's already warned him on a couple of occasions in these epistles. And now he warns him in a more general way by saying the whole church age will be characterized by this kind of conflict. We shouldn't be surprised by that. We shouldn't be vulnerable to that. Our eyes should be wide opened because we have passages like the one before us. Let's read it. You follow along as I begin in verse 1.
"But realize this, that in the last days dangerous times will come, for men will be self-lovers, money lovers, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self- control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power and avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind rejected as regards the faith, but they will not make further progress for their folly will be obvious to all as also that of those two came to be."
Now this, as I said, is a warning passage to God's ministers. It is a warning to stay away from spiritual imposters. You will notice verse 13 adds another dimension, "But evil men and imposters will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." Here he is talking about the religious charlatans, imposters and frauds that invade the church. This is, by the way, one of the two prophetic passages in these epistles. The first one is in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and it also predicts the coming of infiltrating apostates and false teachers who will attempt to destroy the church, and this one does the very same as that first prophetic word.
It is important that Timothy be alerted to the fact that he is to expect this kind of warfare. And, beloved, if you think for any moment that there will ever be a time when the church can sit back and relax because the battle is finally won, you're wrong. Not until the Lord Jesus takes us to be with Himself will we get out of the war. Furthermore, it isn't going to get easier, it's going to get worse, Verse 13 says, "Evil men will proceed from bad to worse and imposters will proceed from bad to worse." It continues to accumulate and escalate as we progress toward the Second Coming of Christ. And Paul wants Timothy to understand that. He wants Timothy to know that what he's experiencing with the false teachers and false Christians in the church at Ephesus is something that will be common to the rest of the church's history. This is not an abnormal situation, I hate to think of it but this is a normal one...the church at war, the church in conflict.
Now remember that Paul has just encouraged Timothy to be a vessel to honor back in verse 20 of chapter 2. He said the church is like a large house with vessels that are honorable and dishonorable and I want you, Timothy, and all those who stand in the name of Christ to preach and do His work to be honorable vessels. And so he gave him some principles for being an honorable vessel down through verse 26. But he never told him it would be easy. Being an honorable vessel will be very difficult because there will be an ever ever ever continuing battle and warfare. Timothy had already begun to experience the resistance in Ephesus with the false teachers and the ungodly people who had followed their line. He needed to understand that this was to be expected and we need to understand the very same.
In Timothy's case these false teachers had arisen in the church and I think that's the context in which you have to see this passage. I don't think he's describing the world here, I think he's describing the character of the apostate church, the defecting church. I think these sins named from verse 2 on are characteristic of the world, but I think the issue here is that what should be characteristic of only the world has become characteristic of the church. The leaders in the church are reflective of the evils of the world, for they themselves are false. And I believe this is a picture of the church and the danger that is in the church from these who falsely represent God.
Difficult times or dangerous times are coming to the church. In verse 5 he says these people hold to a form of godliness. That tells me he must be referring to the church. He must be referring to people who pass themselves off as though they represented God. And it says in verse 6 they enter into households and captivate weak women who are weighed down with sins led on by various impulses who are always learning or hankering after religious truth but never come to the knowledge of the truth. So they again are religious teachers who purport to give answers to guilty, anxiety-ridden women who are indulged in sin and looking for a way out. They are supposedly religious gurus who can solve problems. They are called in verse 13 imposters which says again that they are masquerading, they are pretending to be preachers and teachers who speak for God when in fact they don't.
So I believe that what we have here is a picture of the battle in the church. The church will experience this kind of personage throughout all of its history, as we shall see. And as I said, while the sins that are listed here are certainly true of the age of man and the world outside the church, what makes this such an insidious issue is that they have become issues within the church. And they pose a severe danger to the church's health, safety and power.
Now let's look at verse 1. The first word is helpful to understand, it's the word "but" and it turns the corner on a thought. He has just been saying to Timothy, if you want to be a vessel unto honor that requires gentleness, that requires meekness at the end of chapter 2, that requires kindness, that requires patience, all of those seem to be kind of soft and a little bit on the gentle side in terms of identifying the nature and character of one who ministers for Christ. You're to be kind and tender and patient and thoughtful and all of that. But...he says...realize this, that you are in great danger. So there's a hard side, too. On the one side there is a gentleness and a meekness and a patience and a tenderness. But on the other side there is a strength and a power and a resoluteness. You can be gentle but don't relax. You can be meek but don't get fooled, don't get lulled. Realize this, present tense, continually be knowing this, present tense again, continuous action...Timothy, you right now keep this in your mind. And this indicates to me that whatever he's talking about he wants Timothy to know because Timothy is experiencing it even then. Some people have wanted to say that the prophecy here relates to a time just prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Not so. It relates to that time but it also relates to Timothy and that's why Paul is saying it. So it sweeps from Timothy to the Second Coming. And we'll see the indication of that in the phrase "in the last days."
So he says, "But realize this, that in the last days." Now what are the last days? How are we to perceive the last days? Some say as I mentioned a moment ago that means the Second Coming, a time just prior to the Second Coming. It could mean that. It could mean anything. That phrase "in the last days" is used in the Old Testament for several different things. For example, in Genesis 49:1 it is used to refer to the events that are to come in the life of Jacob's sons and the tribes of Israel. So that the last days there has to do with a time in history in the near future at which time the people who are hearing the prediction are alive. The last days then would be just a few years hence.
On the other hand, in Daniel 2 the last days is used in verse 28 to refer to the entire sweep of history from Babylonian supremacy to the Messiah's Kingdom, everything from the Babylonian ascendancy where they had, you remember, the head of gold, the greatest kingdom of the world, clear till the coming of Christ to destroy the final form of man's kingdom made of iron and clay mixed, that whole sweep of history is called the last days. What you conclude then is that in the phrase "the last days" you have to establish its meaning by virtue of its context. What is the passage talking about because the phrase in and of itself is not necessarily identifiable? The last days of what?
In Isaiah 2:2 it is used and it becomes clear that this means the Messiah's Kingdom. It will come about in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it and many people will come and say, Let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us concerning His ways that we may walk in His paths. That's a Messianic Kingdom prophecy. So the last days of Isaiah 2:2 has to do yet with the future of Messiah's time. So that phrase in the Old Testament could refer to a few years later, it could refer to the whole sweep of Gentile human history, or it could refer to a time when Messiah sets up His Kingdom. Again, the context has to dictate that.
Now when you come into the New Testament, these last days can be pinpointed fairly well. For example, you find in Acts 2, you remember on the day of Pentecost that Peter stood up to preach. And just after the Holy Spirit had descended and the people had spoken in languages and declared the wonderful works of God and this marvelous miraculous sign had indicated the coming of the Holy Spirit, Peter said, "This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel." And what did Joel say? "It shall be in the last days that I will pour forth My Spirit." So Joel said in the last days the Spirit will be poured forth. On the day of Pentecost when the first pouring of the Spirit came, that began those last days. So the last days began with Pentecost for sure.
In Hebrews, let me take you to a further Scripture. Chapter 1, "God after He spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways." In other words, God speaking in the Old Testament. "In these last days has spoken to us in His Son." In other words, the writer of Hebrews says the last days began when God began to speak through His Son. So now we know the last days didn't begin at Pentecost, we can back up the last days began when the Son began to speak on earth. When the Son came He initiated the last days.
In John's epistle, 1 John 2:18, "Children...John says...it is the last time." So what does the last days mean? It means the time from the first coming of Christ to the establishing of His eternal glory. This whole period, this whole age is the last days up until He establishes His glorious Kingdom. We're living in a long dispensation that is properly called "the last days." The last days were the Messianic days, the days when the Messiah came and He has already come and initiated those last days.
Now let's go back to our thought in 2 Timothy. When he says here, "Realize this that in the last days" he's talking about the sweep of this long period between the first and second coming of Christ. This age of the church, in these last days, already set in motion by the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth, what are we to expect? Here it is, "Dangerous times will come." Or literally, enistemi, set in...dangerous times will set in. The word chalepos is dangerous, the word for "time" here is not chronological time, there's a word for that, chronos, it's kairos, it means seasons, epochs, particular times. And the best way to understand that is that in the period of the church age in which we live, very dangerous seasons will set in.
Now the idea of the word "seasons" is that there will be seasons of greater danger and lesser danger, almost a pulsing effect. The word for "danger" or "difficulty" here means a threat, a menace. It is used, for example, in Matthew 8, I think it's verse 28, where it talks about those two demon-possessed people that came out of the tombs. And it says they were violent, that's the same word. Violent seasons will assault the church. All through the church age there will be violent assaults against the church. That's the context here. That's the age in which we live.
Plutarch secular Greek writes, uses the same word to refer to an ugly wound, having to do with someone being assaulted and wounded severely. The church is going to be cut up, it's going to be wounded, it's going to be gashed and hacked. It's going to receive blows, painful, hard, menacing, dangerous, difficult seasons are coming against the church. And as we get closer to the coming of Christ they're going to get worse because of verse 13. It says they will proceed from bad to worse. So cumulatively they become worse. They come, they go but each new wave is worse than the wave before. We live in danger. I want you to understand that, beloved. As we get closer and closer to the coming of Christ, and that happens every second, obviously, we cannot expect that the things in the church are going to get better and better, they're going to get more violent and more difficult all the time. And I'm telling you, I'm seeing that. I'm seeing that in my own personal life and in the life of this church. There was a time, I look back 20 years ago when it seemed like everything was sort of a honeymoon and hearts and flowers and all of that. And we were carrying on and God was blessing and we were growing and nobody seemed to care. And as the years have gone on, the battles just accumulate, they just keep accumulating. And every new wave seems more difficult and more devastating than the one before. And not just in our local church but at the level of the church worldwide. There seems to be today a greater apostasy than every before, a greater tolerance for things that displease God, greater confusion, more religious phonies and charlatans, more false Christians, more apostasy of every sort.
The church faces hard times, seasons of great danger, painful difficulty. There will be a general encroaching decadence, an escalating apostasy. It's never going to change. I hear people say, "You know, Grace Church isn't perfect." Right, right, we know that. And you want to know something else? I believe with all my heart that in the days ahead it might become less perfect. Why? Because the escalation of the violence against the things of God coming from the kingdom of darkness. The battles are going on all over the place, sometimes I don't even know what front to fight on. We live in a time when it's not going to get any easier. People have said to me recently, "You know, Grace Church isn't perfect and Grace Church has got problems." That's right, Grace Church has got problems because Grace Church has people. And people have problems because people are sinful. And Satan is powerful and the waves of attack just come and come and come and come and sometimes, honestly, you're so busy fighting on one front you can't fight on another front and the enemy gets you over there. And I'm experiencing that personally right now. I cannot fight on all the fronts where battles are going on, I can't get there. There's just no way. So you've got to choose the front you're going to fight on and figure you might get shot from the rear. That's just how it is in the church, it's just one constant battleground and it goes on and on and on. Now I don't want to discourage some of you young men who feel called to the ministry, but I want you to know what reality is. If you can't...if you can't face the battle then you better not join the army, you better not get into the situation if you're looking for perfection. It's just a warfare. But if you're committed to the victory and to being on the victory side, it's a challenging and exhilarating warfare and victory is glorious.
These seasons come and go but every time they come there's an ever-increasing wickedness. Ultimately it's going to culminate in the Antichrist himself as Paul writes in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, he is going to come and he's going to be the absolute epitome of deceivers. This one is going to come who is called the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God or object of worship, who takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God and he's going to deceive people and he's going to do all kinds of wonders and signs, false wonders it says, and signs and with the deception of wickedness he's going to cause people great harm. That's going to be the epitome, but we just keep escalating.
And by the way, the Antichrist is going to rise from within organized religion. He's going to be from the dominion of Christendom. The false...the false christs, the false apostles, false prophets and all of them are going to rise within the framework of the quote/unquote "church."
So there's always a battle. It never goes away. If it isn't one thing it's another thing. If it isn't somebody attacking you from the outside, it's somebody on the inside bickering or complaining or trying to protect their little turf or trying to destroy unity or whatever it might be. Or else you're fighting over issues that you can't resolve. And so there's just a constant thorn in your side and you get distracted to things that you ought to just give to God and walk away. There's always something to keep the battle hot. But with all the fronts and all the battles, the bottom line, people, and this is the thing which I'm committed to, the bottom line is to protect the truth of God and the purity of His church. We may not be able to accommodate everybody with everything the way they would like it, but we will uphold the Word of God and we will call for the purity of godliness. That's the bottom line. You've got to guard the truth and you've got to guard the integrity of the church, its character. But we are in a battle and a battle that will escalate. And it's going to get worse and worse and we're interested in people who are going to say, "I know I'm in a war so I expect a battle, but I'm wanting to stand." They're going to be people, I think, in the future at our church that are going to leave, going to leave the church because they're going to say it's a little too intense there, there's a little too much commitment to things. I'd like to get in a little more relaxed environment. I'm kind of in to the social thing, I don't want to get so hot and heavy. MacArthur's always got some heat on. And he's always under attack from something. And I don't need that. I don't want to fight his battle, I just as soon avoid it if I could. And they'll drift off into a quieter place, and there are quieter places. I think that will happen in the future. I think some people will say, "Well, you know, Grace Church doesn't have all the social things it once had and that's maybe because as the battle gets hotter, more of our energies are going to be spent on the front and less on the R&R end." But that's maybe the way the Lord would have it. I don't know all the future holds, but I just know the battle is going to get worse. And I'm ready. I don't shirk from that, in fact I kind of get excited about it, to be honest with you, because the worse the battle the greater the victory, I guess. And we want to see the kingdom of darkness defeated. So it's difficult, dangerous times.
Verse 1 says, "Dangerous times will set in." And I believe, beloved, we're in one of these waves right now, one of these kairos times, one of the epochs of danger to the church. Why? Verse 2, "It's because of what men will be, for men will be." Stop there for a minute. The problem is it's because of people. It's because of what men will be. The word men is anthropos, that's the word from which we get anthropology, it's a generic word. What men generically here, used in a generic sense. It's because of what people are. We have certain people who are the problem here. There are people who will be...and then he gives you a list of the worst things you could imagine, the worst. That's the problem. The problem in the church, the battle that we fight is not because we don't have good ideas or good facilities or good programs, it's because we have a lot of bad people who are endeavoring to attack the church, not just our church but the church of Christ around the world.
Now who are these people we ought to look out for? He says you've got to avoid these people, the end of verse 5, "Avoid such people as these." Now what are their characteristics? Four points he makes to establish the character of the people who are dangerous to the church, four points. Here are the people to avoid, they are dangerous to the church. They must be spoken against, they must be identified...very very important. These four points and then as we go down through verse 9 we'll see them unfold. Now this morning we're just going to barely get started because of the need to give you an introduction. But these four general points will give us the characteristics we need to look for.
Let's just start with the first one, okay? The first point of identification in verse 2, "For men will be self-lovers." That's one word in the Greek, philautos from two words, phileo which means to have affection for, literally sometimes translated to kiss, and the pronoun, themselves. People who kiss themselves, people who are in love with themselves, self-lovers. Now that's the pipe, may I say, that's the sewer pipe out of which all the rest of the garbage flows. All the garbage comes out of that...lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. What an ugly ugly list. And it all flows down the pipe of self-love....all of it. It all drips out of that pipe. It's the sewer of self-love that spews out all that filth.
Now misdirected love always releases vice...always...always. If you love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, you're okay. Anything less than that and you're going to demonstrate vice and wickedness. Once a person decides that the focal point of life is himself and he becomes a philautos, a self-lover, he has just made the decision that will destroy his entire world. Because as soon as you decide to love yourself, you've just destroyed the possibility of a meaningful relationship to God, Christ or anybody else. Because your agenda is you. And that will violate every relationship that you endeavor to make.
Now let me tell you something. That we expect in the world. We expect the world's attitude to be one of loving itself. What is frightening to me is that that has become a reality in the church. It is not only a reality, it is tolerated. It is not only tolerated unbelievably, it is advocated. Are you ready for that? In the new self-esteem, self-fulfillment, self-image, self-love theology. Here we are, very up-to-date. And we live in a time when psychologists, at least a great bulk of them in psychological theory, believe that the explanation for almost every interpersonal problem is low self-esteem. You hear that all the time. Your problem is you don't think well enough of yourself, you've got to climb up and think of yourself as somebody. You've got to be...you've got to be good to yourself, indulge yourself, you've got to love yourself. We have now elevated self-love to the heights. It has become the priority of everyone's life.
May I tell you that I did a little look at church history to see if I could find any advocacy of self-love in the history of the church and I found none....none at all. It didn't even exist until about the 1960's when the church started to buy into secular psychology and secular psychology says the cure for everything is to love yourself. And the church began to buy into that prioritization in the late 60's and through the 70's and now we're there hook, line and sinker. Since in our society, see, self-love is the solution to everything. Love yourself. Do it, go for it, grab it, buy it, make it, it's yours, take it, you're the big one, you're who matters.
You understand what that's doing to our society? You understand why we have conflict in our society at every level? Because people who are consumed with self-love cannot make meaningful relationships. It's impossible. Because the only agenda is me and the only agenda is you and therefore you're not interested in me and I'm not interested in you. And when you get a society of people consumed with self-love, you get chaos...chaos, absolute chaos. And we now believe in our culture that self-denial is a terrible thing. Self-humbling, a horrible thing. You have to have self-love and self-esteem. You know what that translates to in most cases? Selfishness.
Now I'm not saying as Christians that we're not to be thankful for what we are in Christ. We are to be thankful for what we are in Christ. Praise God for what He's made us. But I want you to know, what I am in Christ is Christ, not me. Right? What I am in Christ is Christ in me, not me. What I am apart from Christ is me and I don't love that. I don't love that. And as soon as I start to love my own indulgence and focus on my own life, I've just cut myself off from every meaningful relationship and crated chaos at every level. Now I live for myself, my own agenda, my own goals, my own plans, my own achievements, my own success, my own enterprises. You get in my way, you get stepped on. I've got my own turf, I'm going to protect it. I've got my own goals, my own plans and that just devastates relationships. And that's what life is is relationships.
So what you have basically in the advocacy of self-love is the advocacy of selfishness. And everybody pursuing selfishness destroys everybody in their wake. As I said, this has no place in historic Christian theology. I went all the way back to St. Augustine in the city of God and he said this, "Two cities have been founded by two loves, the earthly by the love of self, even to the contempt of God. The heavenly by the love of God, even to the contempt of self." And he said, "The former in a word glorifies itself, the latter the Lord."
Obviously he made a very clear statement there. He said you either love self or you love God. And if you love self you have contempt for God. And if you love God you have contempt for yourself. John Calvin writing in the Institutes of Christian Religion, of course the classic treatment of theology says, "For so blindly do we all rush in the direction of self-love that everyone thinks he has good reason for exalting himself. There is no other remedy than to pluck up by the roots that most noxious pest, self-love." Now that's how the church felt about self-love. The wave of self-love has come before. I think it's greater now than it's ever been. It isn't that self-love has never been around, it is, dear friends, that the church has never before advocated it. That's the issue. We don't want to sing "Amazing Grace that saved such a worm as I." When did anybody ever write a song like that currently? Or how about, "My sinful self, my only shame. My glory all the cross?" There's no command in the Bible to love yourself. There's only an assumption that you're going to care for your own interests. There's no command to love yourself, there's no command to esteem yourself but a lot of commands to humble yourself. The church has always seen it as a sin. It was the sin that cursed the whole world. It was Eve's own self-love that brought down the entire human race into sin. And when the serpent came and tempted Eve, he said, "You shall be as God." And she was so in love with herself that she couldn't stand the way she was, she wanted to be other than what she was, superior to what she was, she wanted to be like God because in her mind she was so very important. And it was her love of self that sent the entire human race careening into sin. And so the church has recognized self-love as a noxious weed to be rooted out until now, and now the church promotes self-esteem, self-love, self-affection, self- fulfillment. It abounds.
You say, "What is it a result of?" Well, it's a result, of course, of sin and fallenness and Satan but just specifically I believe it's partly a result of a society that's bought in to the evolutionary lie. Our culture believes that man is a piece of protoplasm waiting to become manure hoping he can move to a higher level in the next pile. Our society believes there's no God, there's no God at all, this is just what happened. You know, one day there was nothing and then nothing became something and here we go. And all of that evolutionary thing means that ultimately man is at the peak of evolution, he's got no accountability to a deity, there's no real God involved. Man is just the final movement of the evolutionary process. He's the ultimate beast, so why not celebrate your bestiality. Right? You're a beast, do what a beast wants to do. Call your own shots. Mark your own course. Chart your own destiny. Do what you want. It's the evolutionary that's cursed this world because it's cut man off from accountability to God, it's cut him off from having to bow the knee before a greater power and it's made him think he was God and he can love himself ultimately because who else is there to love? That's the legacy of evolution. It's not just as simple as a wrong view of creation, my friend, evolution has cursed our entire society with a viewpoint that says man is just the result of a random process and has every right to be as beastly as he wants to be since he's the highest beast on the totem pole. At least for now.
The second thing I believe has contributed to this is existential philosophy. Existential philosophy came in in the sixties and seventies and really reeked havoc in our thinking. And it says "live for the moment." Existentialism says, "Fulfillment is in the now, grab it now, do it, baby, this is it, get your gusto, go for it, it's right now." Live for the moment. Exhilarate yourself in the moment. No thought for the future. No concern about the past. Just indulge yourself in the moment and squeeze as much fulfillment out as you can. That's existential philosophy. There's no destiny, that's also tied to evolution. There's no destiny, there's no God, there's no where to go, this is it, man. All you've got is now, so milk it, grab it, run with it, exploit it. And whoever else you need to exploit to get your fulfillment. So you take evolutionary theory, you add to it existential philosophy and you get selfishness.
You could throw a third thing in and that's a pervasive humanistic mentality which says, "Man is all there is." Man is ultimate. And if man is ultimate and I'm man then I'm ultimate. Humanism says I'm God. The only God there is is me. The only moment I have is now. And I'm going to do what I'm going to do.
I would expect William James to believe that. I would expect Erich(?) Fromme(?) to believe that. I would expect Mazlo(?) to believe that. I would expect Karl(?) Rogers(?) to say "All advocate self-love, unconditional acceptance of ourselves leads to true fulfillment." I expect that from Karl Rogers. I don't expect that out of the pulpit and I don't expect that from someone who reads the Bible. That's what's frightening. That's what's so dangerous in the church because if you get a church of people who all love themselves, you've just alienated everybody from everybody. People come to me sometimes and say, "How we going to get fellowship in the church? How we going to have better fellowship?" And I realize it's not as simple as having a potluck dinner, folks. I wish it was, but it isn't. We are living in a society that is selling people on the idea that they matter supremely. And how do you get them to wind their way out of that? That kind of thinking? To give their life up for somebody else? Somebody says, "Well, you know, people aren't compassionate. I want people to be more compassionate. How can we stimulate compassion?" I don't know, I wish I knew how to stimulate compassion. But I'll tell you, it's hard when people are only compassionate about themselves. It's a pervasive thing. And we've all been affected to one degree or another in this "me" generation. Dangerous to the church, dangerous. We're living in a dangerous season when self-love is not only tolerated, it's preached...it's preached, it's advocated. I mean, try writing a book on humility and see how many you sell. Maybe two or three. Nobody would buy a book on humility. You'd have to put it in a fake cover that says, "How to have maximum sex," and then they'd buy it. I mean, it's a society where everyone wants to indulge themselves to the limit and then people ask why there's a breakdown in meaningful relationships. And what flows out of this sewer of self-love? Love of money, boastfulness, arrogance, reviling, disobedience to parents. I mean, why obey your parents? You're more important than they are. Ungrateful. Sure, what are you going to thank anybody for? You're so self-centered and independent and resourceful, you don't owe anybody to anything any way, they owe you. And it just goes on and on. Unloving, irreconcilable, people are implacable, malicious gossips or slanderers, no self- control, brutal, they hate what's good, treacherous. All that flows out of the sewer pipe of self-love. And we'll go in to those next time.
I don't want to leave you with a depressing kind of a situation, I'd like to help you turn it around a little bit. That's as far as we can go. Now, folks, I want you to know that there are about 19 of these and I'm going to do more than one a week. This is just...this is the first one, next time I promise you I'll do more. In fact, I'll probably go through all of them, down to verse 5 at least.
But let me turn the table, if I can, and have you turn to Philippians chapter 2 cause I don't want to leave you with that kind of depressing thing. In Philippians chapter 2 verse 3, can I just give you this from Paul from the Holy Spirit as an exhortation to your own heart? "Do nothing from selfishness." Did you get that? Could you just underline that? That's pretty simple, straight-forward, basic, not complicated. "Do nothing." You say, "What was that again?" "Do nothing from selfishness." Ask yourself every time you do something, is this selfish? Is this for me? Is this selfish? I'm telling you, you might be...you might be paralyzed at the start of the day and never take a step in any direction. You know? You might never ever be able to leave your room. I mean, you go to the closet and you say, "All right, now what should I wear? Am I thinking of myself? Boy!" I mean, if you lived your life that way and ask yourself that question, you might be totally paralyzed. You see how deeply entrenched we get into that? "Do nothing from selfishness, or empty conceit." Ask yourself this, am I doing this to promote myself? Am I doing this for myself? To promote myself? "But with humility of mind let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself."
Can you go through your...just one day at a time, maybe start with one day, maybe start today and do nothing for yourself today and everything you do today do for somebody else? Might begin a little pattern change in your life. And verse 4, "Do not merely look out for your own personal interest, but for the interests of others." It's not wrong to look out for your own personal interests...the assumption here is you're going to do that, you need to do that, you've got to live and sleep and eat. But not just yours but others also. Be humble, regard others as more important than yourself and while you're looking out for your own normal personal interests, be sure you're looking out for everybody else's too.
Now notice verse 5, "Have this attitude in yourselves." Let me tell you something, folks, you don't need another program. We don't need a program to stimulate compassion. We don't need a program to stimulate fellowship. We need an attitude to do that. We need an attitude of mind to do that. That's an attitude. The church...the church cannot take all of its resources and put them into some kind of a program, we don't have those resources. We've got to give ourselves to the battle, but what we want to do is cultivate the attitude in every heart. What attitude? The attitude which Christ had. And what was the attitude of Christ? It was an attitude of one who didn't think what He had was so important, He wouldn't give it up for somebody else, because that's what Jesus did. He existed in the form of God, that is in the full glory of His eternal presence in the trinity but He didn't regard being equal with God in that way something to hang on to. He emptied Himself, took the form of a bondservant because God wanted Him too and made Himself in the likeness of man, being found in appearance as a man, humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. Jesus came down and died in subservience to the will of the Father because He looked on the Father's will and saw that as the most important thing. He was willing to give up what He had for the sake of the one He loved.
Don't do anything from selfishness. Don't do anything out of conceit. Be humble in mind. Think more of others than you do of yourself. Take tremendous interest in other people's lives. And maintain an attitude like the attitude of Christ who having something willingly gave it up for someone else in order to show Himself a servant.
Boy, we're in a war, we're in a battle, the church is in danger of great violence. The church is suffering deep wounds right now. The enemy is winning on many many fronts because the church is not only tolerating self-love, it's advocating self- love as if it was biblical. And all the garbage that comes out of it. The second one is money love and coming right out of the self-love psychology is the prosperity gospel...right out of it. If you believe in the self-love philosophy, then you're going to believe in the prosperity gospel because if you're the most important person and self-esteem is the greatest issue, then whatever feeds you is what you're after and that's going to lead you to indulge yourself in anything and everything you can get your hands on. And the flow, you'll see next week, how the flow comes.
So we've got to stop it at the start. And that's at the matter of self-love and come to the point where we have an attitude like Christ did as described here in Philippians chapter 2. Well, let's bow together in prayer.
Lord, You know each of our hearts and You know that there are areas in all of our lives, in my life and all of our lives where we have selfishness and exercise our own egos and our own empty conceit and we demonstrate the love of self. Forgive us, Lord, for that. And help us not to catch this terrible, terrible contagion that's spreading through our society and into the church where everybody is just bent on fulfilling their own pleasure, feeding their own ego, self-fulfillment. Lord, please protect the church. Help us to have the mind of Christ, humble, condescending, gracious, submissive. That same attitude that He had cultivate in our hearts that we might look on the things of others not on our own things that we might esteem others better than ourselves, that we might never do anything out of selfishness or conceit. And we pray, Father, that You will use us even this day somehow in an unselfish way to be Christlike to someone. That's our prayer and we pray in His name. Amen.
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Microsoft is facing some new and very agile competitors. Their response will be interesting; so far it's been the same as usual - trying to cram full-fat bloaty Windows on as many devices as possible, whether it works on them or not.
Who'd have predicated all this ten years ago?


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I don�t speak a word of Italian but I sure do eat it! Ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti � if pasta, tomato sauce and cheese are involved, I�m there with my formal bib on.
FORT WALTON BEACH � I don�t speak a word of Italian but I sure do eat it! Ravioli, lasagna, spaghetti � if pasta, tomato sauce and cheese are involved, I�m there with my formal bib on.
That�s why it was such a pleasure to visit the new Caffe Italia ONE89 (and it took me a minute to figure that out � they�re at 189 Brooks St.). The restaurant concentrates on simple, classic Italian dishes, served in a charming setting and accentuated by impeccable service.
Go there at night, when you can enjoy all the sparkly lights. Be sure to bring your appetite.
The food
Caffe Italia offers a menu packed with traditional Italian favorites � pizza, spaghetti, lasagna and chicken Parmesan to name a few � to more esoteric dishes like escargot or a stromboli-style stuffed pizza. The choices are far-flung and eclectic, promising a dish to satisfy every taste.
Start your Italian adventure with an appetizer like calamari, bruschetta salmon, carpaccio (sliced and marinated filet mignon served with greens) or a more traditional selection such as zucchini or mozzarella fries. Your server will bring a basket with warm, sliced bread accompanied by a dish of spiced olive oil for dipping.
Caffe Italia also offers salads, like the spinach salad, topped with dried cherries, candied pecans, pickled red onions, a hardboiled egg and crumbled blue cheese bathed in balsamic vinaigrette.
Sandwiches include the meatball or Italian sausage sub, chicken hoagie, chicken Caesar wrap or spicy Italian sub. More coastal-oriented selections include the shrimp po boy or Fish of the Day po boy.
Hungry for a pizza that doesn�t taste like it came out of a box? Caffe Italia offers 12- or 16-inch pies in unique flavor combinations, like the Margarita, Della Casa (pesto basil or pesto arugula sauce topped with fresh veggies and mozzarella cheese) or Hawaiian (Canadian bacon, prosciutto, sliced pineapple and onions topped with mozzarella). Or you can choose your own toppings � they offer a roster that�s longer than roll call at the U.S. House of Representatives.
Pastas include various spaghetti dishes, pesto, fettuccine, tortellini, ravioli, manicotti, penne dishes, lasagna, and, well, just consult the menu � there are that many!
Seafood fans will not be disappointed with the list of shrimp, scallops, mussels, salmon, lobster or catch-of-the-day offerings, and diners wanting something more substantial can opt for an entr�e such as chicken or veal Parmesan, filet mignon or grilled chicken.
Small fry get to choose between spaghetti, chicken fingers, fettuccini Alfredo or buttered noodles.
Got room for dessert? Complete your culinary adventure with tiramisu, cr�me brulee, gelato, or the luscious-sounding lava cake (warm chocolate cake with an explosive chocolate center).
On our visit, we started with a shrimp scampi appetizer, which arrived in lemon butter and garlic sauce and was accompanied by crispy crostini. The shrimp were cooked perfectly; you bit into them with a sassy snap. And the sauce was mouth-wateringly decadent.
My companion tried the lasagna, which arrived in luscious, melty stacks of pasta, sauce, meat and cheese. I opted for the chicken Parmesan, accompanied by a side of spaghetti. The chicken had a nicely golden crust that held up to a topping of marinara sauce, and the spaghetti was a welcome side note to the meat.
The atmosphere
Caffe Italia occupies one of the restored old houses along the waterside of Brooks Street. It offers indoor seating or a sheltered outdoor area with covered windows and heaters for chilly nights.
The view is spectacular, overlooking Santa Rosa Sound and the Okaloosa Island skyline. Tiny white lights festoon the decorative shrubbery, giving the restaurant a festive look. It can get noisy when the room fills up.
The service
We received excellent service at Caffe Italia. Our server was friendly and attentive without being intrusive. Wait times for our courses were reasonable despite the crowd. At one point the owner dropped by to make sure we were receiving good service and delicious food. You can�t ask for a better service experience.
A final taste
The new Caffe Italia is a worthy addition to the downtown restaurant lineup, providing an extensive menu of traditional Italian favorites and unique offerings, along with some whose culinary roots have nothing to do with the Old Country, such as po boys and Catch of the Day. You�ll enjoy the captivating setting almost as much as the menu, and the service is above reproach.
Restaurant: Caffe Italia ONE89
Location: 189 Brooks St., Fort Walton Beach
Telephone: (850) 664-0035
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-close
Handicap accessibility: Check with the restaurant; entryway was being remodeled.
Children�s menu: yes
Reservations: not necessary
Price range:
Appetizers: $8-$13
Salads and soup: $4-$9
Sandwiches: $9-$11
Pizza: $10-$16
Pastas: $10-$16
Seafood: $17-$21
Entrees: $16-$32
Kids menu: $4-$6
Desserts: $6-$9
Beverages: $2-$3.50
Payment: major credit cards


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The New York State Commission of Correction recently released a report on the suicide of Bartholomew Ryan, a 32-year-old East Meadow resident and an Iraq war veteran who hanged himself with a bedsheet in his cell at the Nassau County Correctional Facility in February 2012, less than 24 hours after he was incarcerated.
The state-appointed three-member commission, headed by commissioner Phyllis Harrison-Ross, released a five-page report in which it concluded that Ryan received "inadequate evaluation and treatment by Armor Correctional Health Care Inc.," the independent medical care provider for the county jail.
Ryan, who served in the U.S. Marine Corp. from 2003 to 2008, was arrested on Feb. 22, 2012, and charged with driving under the influence of drugs. He was remanded to the Nassau Correctional Facility the following day, where he was to remain until his first scheduled court appearance on March 9.
Ryan was screened twice for suicide risk, in accordance with the Suicide Prevention Screening Guidelines, the report stated — once by uniformed correctional booking staff and once by a licensed practical nurse employed by Armor Inc. Because Ryan had a history of psychiatric treatment and had previously been on medication, he was referred to the facility's mental health services before being housed in the jail's new-admission health housing, the report continued, where his cell was supervised by an officer who conducted rounds every 15 minutes.
Ryan was then examined again by Armor Inc., this time by a doctor. The assessment, according to the report, was "inadequate."
Shortly after 3 p.m. on Feb. 24, 2012, officers discovered Ryan hanging by a bedsheet from the cell bars, according to the report. Two officers, identified only by their initials, reported the emergency on the facility radio, cut Ryan down and, with the help of a third officer and an automated external defibrillator, unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him.
The report stated that an ambulance was not called during the resuscitation attempt, but was called shortly afterward, at 3:23 p.m., which prompted a recommendation at the report's conclusion to the Office of the Nassau County Sheriff to ensure that all staff are familiar with a procedure called Public Access Defibrillation, which requires activation of emergency medical services while an AED is being used.
The report also recommended that Armor Inc. hold a quality-improvement training session with its mental health staff, focusing on the "special mental health needs" of incarcerated combat veterans. The report further advised Armor Inc. to evaluate the professional conduct of the doctor who performed an "inadequate psychiatric assessment" of Ryan.
Ryan's mother, Lilyann Ryan, is suing the county for what she claims was the wrongful death of her son. "The report confirms what we've been saying all along," said her attorney, Nicholas Warywoda. "That the Nassau County Correctional Facility didn't do what they were supposed to do, and it cost Bart Ryan his life."
According to Warywoda, the case is now before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Nassau County Attorney John Campioli said he was unable to comment on the case, but he did say, "It's a tragedy when one of our veterans commits suicide."
Referring to the report's recommendation that the county sheriff's office review its procedures, Campioli said, "I can tell you that the sheriff and his staff are constantly reviewing their policies and procedures so as to improve them and make them the best that they possibly can."
In a written statement issued through a county spokesperson, Nassau County Sheriff Michael Sposato said, "Because this matter is already in litigation, we cannot comment on any specific allegations other than to state that we firmly believe that the correction officers involved in this incident responded appropriately and in accordance with their training during the resuscitation efforts."
John Jaronczyk, president of the Nassau County Sheriff Correction Officers Benevolent Association, said, "Like we said from the beginning, the officers did everything based on their training and experience. They immediately saw [Ryan], they cut him down, they notified medical right away, and they began immediate basic life support.
"Medical was supposed to come and take over the scene at that point," Jaronczyk continued, "and there was a disconnect then, but it wasn't on the officers, it was on the medical company."
Asked to comment on this story, a spokesperson for Armor Inc. referred the Herald to the county sheriff's office.


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In a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Run the machine to finely chop all the ingredients, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Spoon the pesto into the cups of an ice cube tray. Tapping the tray gently on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer. Freeze for 1 day or up to 1 month.
When ready to serve, thaw the pesto. Mix in the Parmesan. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the ciabatta slices with the 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil. Grill until toasted, about 5 minutes. Spread the artichoke pesto over the toasted slices and serve.