They Deserve It

On Sunday in class we were discussing graceless people in the Bible or at least people that failed to extend grace when there was an opportunity. In doing this, we discovered that we were not so good at receiving or giving grace ourselves, even though, like David and Jonah and James and John, we have received much grace from our Lord.

In Psalm 109, David has composed an imprecatory prayer to the Lord against one of his enemies. We are not made aware of who it is, but David is relentless in requests for the Lord's wrath on this individual.

 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser stand at his right hand.
⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty,
    and may his prayers condemn him.
⁸ May his days be few;
    may another take his place of leadership.
⁹ May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.
¹⁰ May his children be wandering beggars;
    may they be driven^[a] from their ruined homes.
¹¹ May a creditor seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
¹² May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity on his fatherless children.
¹³ May his descendants be cut off,
    their names blotted out from the next generation.


David's enemy may well have deserved what was requested, but David was also a man that required much in the way of God's grace himself. As is often the case, we seldom think about the forgiveness and kindnesses we have been granted when we angry for being wronged.

Have you ever prayed against someone that was in your life? I have, or at least it started out that way. When I lived in Cedar Rapids, I had a boss that was impossible to live with. He would drive me crazy with the nitpicky way he treated me and the hourly employees. He would actually drive them to quit. It seemed purposeful and hate driven. I do not know what drove him to beat down people in this way, but it was not productive for our enterprise.

I took my case to the Lord. In my anger, I prayed that God would treat my boss as he was treating others. I prayed that he would get fired or that something awful would happen to him.

These prayers were, of course, counterproductive so I switched my tactics. I prayed that my boss would find another job. In a matter of weeks it happened.

I guess what I am saying is that sometimes even righteous anger fails to be graceful in it's approach. David's enemy was not going to change so he prayed that God would smite him. Initially, I knew that my boss was not going to change, so I prayed that God would take him out.

What really needed to happen was a change of venue. I think my boss was miserable in his job and so he wanted everyone to feel his pain. He needed something else to do. I'm not sure how it worked out for David's enemy, but I hope God moved him on to something more productive.

We need to approach these situations with the same grace that God shows us and accept what God does with the situation. The people in our lives are who they are - broken sinners in need of grace just like us. Accepting them where they are at and moving with grace from that point with them is what we are called to do. It is what God did for us.

Romans 5:6-11 says,
    
⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! ¹⁰ For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! ¹¹ Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

For no good reason, we have been blessed with forgiveness, justification and reconciliation with God. He did this for us because, despite being jerks, He loved us anyway.

And that's the hard part isn't it? Loving someone that needs to be crushed, that needs a dose of justice; that's hard. But, God does this for you and me everyday and He did it for us even before we knew we had a need. Wow. 

As the old hymn says, "love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."

That's the challenge. We got to show, love grace and mercy to bring people in line with God's truth.

Are we up to it? I hope so.   

Condiment Intolerance

In my top ten list of most disgusting things (that are not human), condiments are many of them. The most disgusting item here is mustard.

1 Mustard
2 Catsup
3 Mayonnaise
4 Pickle Mustard (very diabolical)
5 Tartar Sauce
6 Sandwich Spread (very deceptive name)
7 Pickled Herring
8 Pekingese Dogs
9 Carp
10 Sitar Music
11 The Bee Gees (they are not really human and I think they are all dead)
12 Blue Cheese (rotten milk so rotten it has turned blue green)
13 Persian Cats
14 Teletubbies
15 Soap Operas 

I know, that's more than ten. I am grossed out by many things.

I was telling a friend (who is a floss miser) that opening a jar of mustard is like opening a baby diaper. It's simple. Mustard is disgusting. It smells bad and tastes bad. I'd sooner eat a lard sandwich. It should be illegal. Everyone that ate mustard in the 19th century is dead. See what I mean? It's a killer. It should at least come with a government warning label. Even the word, "mustard" is gross. How can you put something that smells like that in your mouth? Seriously, just give it up now.   

Why do people use condiments anyway? It covers up the taste of what you are eating. Few people ever enjoy the flavor of a good steak or hamburger because they cover it with fowl smelling sauces and vegetables. My thought is that if you don't like the taste of beef, you shouldn't eat it.  And leave the fries as they are. Why do you have to slather them in what appears some sort of catsup hemorrhage? It's just bloody awful.

Are you convinced yet? Ya, I thought not.

Fishing Season is Open If You're A Groundhog

My first bass of 2016. I think the time is upon us when all good men must go fishing. By next Sunday, I'm thinking the big ones will be hungry. I went to my usual spot. It looked like the pond had "turned over" some time last week. There was activity all over the pond, but hits were kind of slow and lethargic. It will only get better from here on out. I teased out this babybass with a small swim bait.

Powder Blue Circa 1979

This is the powder blue suit (with me in it) to which my mother said, "what were you thinking?" It's not a great photo, but is does give you a full view. The 70's were strange. You can't see them, but the shoes I have on are platforms. The heels were two inches high.

I thought I looked hot. Mom thought that all I needed was was a hat and I could pass for a pimp. The men of the family were strangely silent. It was like, "does this mean something?".

I never really understood the reaction to it. It did make me stick out among all the navy and brown suits at graduation, but that was sort of the idea. Looking back, maybe it was gay and a gay thing, but I did not see it that way. It's a damn sight better than a white tux with pink piped ruffles :^)

It was 1979. Who knew you could not get away with that? Apparently not me.

Condescending, Self Righteous Ted Cruz

In an interview with David Brody of CBN News, Republican Ted Cruz said this.

“Donald does well with voters who have relatively low information, who are not that engaged and who are angry and they see him as an angry voice."

Geez. What an idiot. He is telling potential voters that they are too stupid and uniformed to make a proper decision about voting and that any one that supports Trump is experiencing an emotional brain fart of anger.

Mental dispepsia not withstanding, it is this elitist attitude that is gradually bringing down every candidate in opposition to Donald Trump. How blind can a politician be? He is so caught up in the current paradigm that he does not see it. He is completely insulated from the reality the people in the US have to deal with daily.

It's time for a new paradigm, a new plan, a new model. Or better yet, let's dust off the old one. We know it works when it's allowed to.

Ted, give it up. Glib commentary in debates seems to be your venue. Perhaps you should go back to trial lawyering. Or maybe...maybe you would make a good ambassador to say Libya. Ya. that's it. Time to pack Ted.   

The Whole Trump Thing

In reference to Joseph Stalin and the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Winston Churchill famously stated, "If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons."

Churchill was siding with Stalin, the most ruthless dictator in history. Had Stalin been bombing the hell out of London, I'm sure Winston would have spoken favorably of Hitler's work. Such is the politics of our world. One man's dictator is another man's ally. It all depends on who is burning down your house.

Donald Trump is not burning down my house, but he knows who is and he speaks their names and points regularly to the guys with the torches. They are the western bankers, industrialist and politicians that seek to destroy our power by controlling the elements of the game. They have been trying to box us in with low wages, high taxes and fear for 30 years. The Donald is tired of it. Someone said he is one of them, but I don't think so. He has made and lost a lot of money because of them. He is not one of them. He has not paid his dues and joined their little club. He has rather, taken up the cause of the common man and invigorated us. His appeal crosses racial barriers. His words bring hope and a nationalist fervor not felt since VE Day. Unity of purpose may be at hand.

If he means what he says, things are gonna change.

Herein lies the debacle. The fear is now on them. For the first time since the 1960's, the established powers that be are scared shitless. They are running every possible gambit to find ways to deny the will of the people, castrate the power of the vote and install another president that will bend to their will. The moneyed power brokers of the GOP are working every possible scenario to bring Donald Trump down prior to the convention and general election. They are enlisting the help of the Democrats and established media. It's my belief that they will resort to the vilest chicanery to nullify the will of the American people.

For this reason alone, I support Donald Trump. He may turn out to be an awful president, a terrible politician that makes us all look bad and feel bad in the end, but right now in this hour, this one shining moment he is bringing fear to the empowered and entitled of the West.  Let them sweat if they can.

If he wins, I hope he arrests them all, confiscates their wealth and sends them to Gitmo for their crimes of terror against the American people.

I don't know if I will get my dream of abolition of the Federal Reserve or my dream of closing all our foreign military bases or my dream of high import tariffs and re-industrialization of the United States, but I would like to see an end to the dismantling and balkanization of my country. I would like to see an end to the endless wars. I would like to see the real perpetrators of 9/11 exposed. I am so tired of this pursuit of empire. We are Americans. We should oppose empires, not build them.

The world is a mess and it's because of US foreign policy, driven by Zionist money.

Christians, my own people, are completely deluded by all this. They believe Ted Cruz is the One, an evangelical, born again boy wonder.

Really friends? He's an Ivy Leaguer. He served in the Bush administration at the FDA. He met his wife Heidi there. She now works for Goldman Sachs and he is a US Senator supported heavily by the oil industry and some help from Heidi's bosses. Jeb Bushes brother Neil is now supporting him. He's as establishment as it gets. He will sell you down the river just like all the other establishment Republicans have done. Don't be stupid.

Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is insane. Who says a good Christian would make a good president anyway? I'm not sure I believe that.

"Ya, well who says Donald Trump would be a good president?"

Not me. But I do believe he can be the one to take this hereditary monarchy and put it back in the hands of us real folks. The gravy train administrators in Congress need to go to. Donald, you need to be campaigning against them too. Shut down the government. No one ever notices anyway accept the bureaucrats.

Let's send them all home.

Friends in Florida and Ohio, we need you to be strong and do the right thing on the 15th. Say 'no more' to them all. Vote Trump OK? Sunshine and buckeyes for everyone next Tuesday. Let's wrap this thing up.            

An Interesting Organism

The church is an interesting bunch. I speak in the nebulous sense of those that claim to be part of the body of Christ across all the denominational, theological and political lines. More specifically, I mean those that believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead and rules His Kingdom from His Father's side.

We are from all walks of life, from every culture, every nation and every tribe on the planet. We have one thing in common. We are all sinners saved by His grace.

Many of us live on the knife's edge. We constantly push to the very limits of what is acceptable behavior for one of Christ's subjects. Sometimes our motivations for this are good. We want to seem like an attractive bunch to those in the world that need Jesus. On other occasions, we are believers that, out of fear of eternal condemnation, attend services and perform functions in our local congregation, but behave as though we never knew Him through the week. There are still others among us that are so wrapped up in our own sense of righteousness that we cannot bear being with actual sinners that do not know Jesus.

These are only some of the "types" that exist in a "believing church". Of the three mentioned here, I think the first group is the most interesting and has the greatest potential for kingdom success.

It's true that we are not to be of the world though we live in the world. It's true that we must fear God and serve Him, but that holy fear and faith should generate sanctification that translates into consistent behavior. Finally, we should not be so wrapped up in our pursuit of righteousness, that we shun those outside our faith communities and fear contamination. We are clean because Jesus made us clean from the inside out and not because we scrubbed ourselves clean with study and prayer.

What I am trying to say is that if we want to be successful for the Kingdom, we need to push the limits of grace while maintaining the truth in love. Condemning the outward acts of sinners will not win them for Jesus. Joining them in contradiction to our calling will not do this. But joining them as friends with a conviction about mercy, truth and justice might just win a few. Showing them the peace that comes with knowing Him and the stability that comes even in dark times can make them thirsty. Showing them that you are not opposed to a little fun also goes a long way.

Jesus liked a good party. I think of the wedding feast at Cana where He made the wine. I think of Him going to the houses of Zacchaeus and Matthew without fear and in good conscience, enjoying the party and delivering the truth. I also think about what He said when some wanted to condemn His participation.

To Zacchaeus He said, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰ For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

At Matthew's house He told the Pharisees,  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’^[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

We need to be out there among 'em. We need to ask them to join our party. We need to push the limits of traditional "Christian" behavior to bring people in. That might create some messiness in the local congregation. So be it.   

The Only Time I Ever "Looked Gay"

I am not what you would call obvious. You would probably not know I am same sex attracted just by talking to me for a few minutes. Maybe after we got to know each other you would figure it out, but I'm thinking you'd say, "naw, that can't be".

I think the only time I ever looked kind of gay was when I was in a friend's wedding. The bride was my friend who knew of my SSA status and ask me to stand up with her and her hubby in the ceremony. I obviously could not be a bride's maid. Too much equipment. But the groom was kind enough to let me stand with the guys. We all had these white tuxes on. I was the only guy that looked gay. I was the sore thumb.

I'm all ruffly pink and white. Geeze. I think there was only one other time that came close. I bought a powder blue suit for my college graduation and it made me seem a bit...pretty. Anyway, I have been more careful since then.  

It's Not The Same

This will not sit well with some, particularly among my Christian friends whom I love and am very glad to have in my life, but I need to say it, and you need to know it or at least consider that it might well be the truth.

Homosexuality is not like substance abuse, alcoholism, gambling addiction, greed, avarice, covetousness, malice, hate or whatever other sin that you want to name. It is hard wired into those of us that have to deal with it. We know the desire long before we ever participate in the behavior. It seems as natural as your desire is for the opposite sex. Further to the point, it is not all about the sex anymore than your marriage is. There is friendship, camaraderie and solidarity in these communities that goes beyond the mere search for a sex partner. It is a sexual desire and behavior common to many throughout the world, through history and across all cultures.

Alfred Kinsey, whatever you may think of him, had a scale of zero to six for Human sexuality.

0.	Exclusively heterosexual with no homosexual
1.	Predominantly heterosexual, only incidental homosexual
2.	Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3.	Equally heterosexual and homosexual
4.	Predominantly homosexual but more than incidentally heterosexual
5.	Predominantly homosexual, but incidentally heterosexual
6.	Exclusively homosexual.

The percentages for each category, 0 to 6, are broken out below under my last paragraph. You can choose to believe his research or not.

The source is here.

The overwhelming majority of humans are straight. There are about 4% of us that are 6's. This would be me if you are wondering. I have zero heterosexual desire. I like women. The best relationships I have had in my life have been with women. I just never wanted to have sex with one.

I guess my point here is that I never felt like I was given choice. Yes, I know behavior is a choice, but the desire that I have seems quite natural and at the risk of setting your teeth on edge, quite normal.

Back in 1977 and 1978 I had some fairly intense counseling that was designed to create a passion for the opposite sex. It involved hypnosis and something called 'visual imagery'. During hypnosis sessions I would rest the ring and middle fingers of my left hand on a biofeedback device that measured galvanic skin response  (GSR). I would be asked to concentrate on the buzzing sound the device made and reduce it through relaxation. I was very good at this. I could get very relaxed very quickly. During these periods I would would be asked to visualize heterosexual coitus while the counselor described it. I have to say that even though I was about as relaxed as a man could get without being asleep, I do not think I was ever in a hypnotic state. There was also the fact that the entire process kind of put me off. I did not trust my counselor (he was weird) and he was talking about things that, frankly, were kind of gross to me. Suffice it to say, it did not work.

I quit counseling in 1978. It was also in 1978 that I met Robert. We lasted about a year and a half. In 1979 I graduated and Robert and I went our separate ways. I should tell you all about Robert some time I suppose. Or maybe not. Some of you could not deal with it. Whatever. He was my first and my last. Ya, I know. I'm not dead yet, but I am just too tired so there will be no man but Jesus in my future. I really want to see Him.      

Kinsey summarized his findings (Kinsey et al., 1948:650-51) on the incidence of homosexual behavior among white males in the U.S. population in these words:

"37 per cent of the total male population has at least some overt homosexual experience to the point of orgasm between adolescence and old age. This accounts for nearly 2 males out of every 5 that one may meet.

"50 per cent of the males who remain single until age 35 have had overt homosexual experience to the point of orgasm, since the onset of adolescence.

"58 per cent of the males who belong to the group that goes into high school but not beyond, 50 per cent of the grade school level, and 47 per cent of the college level have had homosexual experience to the point of orgasm if they remain single to the age of 35.

"63 per cent of all males never have overt homosexual experience to the point of orgasm after the onset of adolescence.

"50 per cent of all males (approximately) have neither overt nor psychic experience in the homosexual after the onset of adolescence.

"13 per cent of the males (approximately) react erotically to other males without having overt homosexual contacts after the onset of adolescence.

"30 per cent of all males have at least incidental homosexual experience or reactions (i.e., rate 1-6) over at least a three-year period between the ages of 16 and 55. This accounts for one male out of every three in the population who is past the early years of adolescence.

"25 per cent of the male population has more than incidental homosexual experience or reaction (i.e., rates 2-6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. In terms of averages, one male out of approximately every four has had or will have such distinct and continued homosexual experience.

"18 per cent of the males have at least as much of the homosexual as the heterosexual in their histories (i.e. rate 3-6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. This is more than one in six of the white male population.

"13 per cent of the population has more of the homosexual than the heterosexual (i.e., rates 4-6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. This is one in eight of the white male population.

"10 per cent of the males are more or less exclusively homosexual (i.e., rate 5 or 6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. This is one male in ten in the white population.

"8 per cent of the males are exclusively homosexual (i.e. rate a 6) for at least three years between the ages of 16 and 55. This is one male in every 13.

"4 per cent of the white males are exclusively homosexual throughout their lives, after the onset of adolescence."

God's Grace and His Truth

Yesterday in Sunday school we were talking about what I believed was the inevitable tension that exists between God's grace and His truth and how, if we allow that tension to become love, then the whole process is considerably less 'tense'.

Someone pointed out that grace and truth are not mutually exclusive in that God's grace is an integral part of His truth. This is brilliant as far as it goes, but when we allow one to define the other, we run the risk of moving toward total grace or total truth. Total grace allows all things, even things that fly in the face of virtue or compassion. Total truth is rigid, strictly defining what must be and excluding and condemning all things that oppose it.

So do we allow graciousness to over ride important truths about what God requires of us, what He expects from those that love Him? Are there in fact limits to God's Grace and compassion? If truth exists, then are we not compelled to say yes to that question?

This is a puzzlement. It is the tension. You can gloss it all over with love, but it is still very tense.

What then shall we say?

We have to find balance. Instead of searching for the limits of God's grace and how far out of the way we can push the limits of His truth, maybe we should just obey and bask in His glory.

There may well be limits to God's grace, but only He can define that and if these limits exist He never tells us about it in scripture. We are instead told about how much He loves us and what can happen to those that fail to observe the precepts of His truth. Those that persist in living in certain ways will not inherit eternal life. Jesus said this. Paul and Peter wrote about it. At the same time they all also spoke of God's preference for mercy and compassion and repentance.

At the root of this matter is God's sovereignty. He will do what He wants. He is God. He knows the hearts and minds of humanity and those that claim to be His possessions. He will take into account all things as He pursues us and we pursue Him.     

We cannot sin all the more that grace may abound and we cannot go "full pharisee" with His Word.

Children will test the limitations their parents place on them and their parents will apply the appropriate amounts of grace and truth as they see fit. So it is with our heavenly Father. Life's lessons can be difficult or easy. It all depends on our degree of submission to His will.

When Jesus was in conversation with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3, Jesus makes clear how God's grace, truth and love work together to save us who are willing.

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. ¹⁹ This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

So what are you saying Ghog? All I have to do is believe and I will enjoy God's grace and salvation and live in His truth? 

Well yes, but that belief, that faith has to translate to walking in the light and avoiding the evil deeds of the darkness. If your belief is the real deal, this will happen. Grace will cover the learning process.

Marco Is Done...Stick a Fork In Him

Well, someone has dropped a dime on Marco Rubio. I thought sure he was going to be the next establishment darling in the race for the GOP nomination for president, but apparently he was someone else's darling...at least twice. Marco we hardly knew ye.

GotNews is saying they have ID'd a couple of mistresses that Marco has mounted despite his marriage and family man image.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio has carried on at least two extramarital affairs since he entered politics.
GotNews.com can confirm through lobbyist sources in DC and Tallahassee that at least one DC-based lobbyist has had an extra marital affair with the first term U.S. Senator. Still another Florida-based lobbyist has been IDed as carrying on an affair.
The first woman was Amber Stoner, a 36-year-old woman who worked for Rubio when he was head of the Florida Republican Party....

The second woman is Dana Hudson, a blonde lobbyist based in the Beltway.
According to two lobbyists in DC in the national security space Hudson has been bragging about having had sex with the senator to other lobbyists.
Hudson lobbies on Homeland Security issues and is personal friends with the very same corrupt David Rivera who once partied with Rubio....

Rubio’s wife reportedly knows about Marco Rubio’s extra marital affairs and doesn’t mind them — so long as she and her children are provided for.
One high placed GOP establishment source from Florida who actually backs Rubio over Trump and Cruz expressed shock that Rubio was still carrying on with women while he was running for president. “It smacks of Jon Edwards,” he texted.

Wow. I guess my only surprise is that they were both women. I kind of thought Marco was in the closet, but it turns out he's in there with at least two women that are not his wife. I'm thinking Marco's political career may be over. He's not as slick as William Jefferson. He will not get away with it.

As to who dropped the dime, it could be anyone. The party may have asked him to step aside to give Cruz a chance at Trump and he refused. Trump's operatives may have done it out of revenge. Or some sore loser like Christie may have done it out of spite. Cruz may have done it to increase his odds in Florida. Whoever did it, it's better that everyone find out now.

I'm sure damage control will begin in earnest tomorrow, but it will probably be short lived. If these allegations are true, he will be done by the end of the week.

Marco, just zip it OK?   

It's That time of Year...

We started the spring quarter in Sunday school today at church. I had to work a double shift and it looks like this will continue until June. I am finally teaching Messy Grace by Caleb Kaltenbach. It seemed to go well. Between my two classes I had 38 people. I know this will change. People seem to test drive teachers and their subject matter. A subtle shift will occur in the coming weeks. 38 this week may translate to 45 next week or twelve. Actually, I doubt that last number will happen. There are Groundhog loyalists in my 0800 class that amount to more than that. I had 5 elders in my 1030 class with their wives. I would like to say thanks for your support. The subject matter can be touchy and I appreciate all the participation. I would also like to add a special thanks to Mandy for coming. You seem to be a wise woman. I hope you will continue to occupy a place in the front row.

It got up to 70 degrees here today. It was enough push me to the service desk at Hy Vee to get my 2016 fishing license. I immediately broke it in. I put on my new hat hook and went fishing. I didn't catch anything, but the water looked promising even though it was still very cold. As the spring rains begin to warm the water, I'm sure I will find a bass with my name on it. I hope to be going again soon. Sunday afternoons are perfect for me and this activity. It gives me occasion to sort out the events from the day's worship and also look to the week ahead.

I have to do two things this week. I am supposed to do them every week. You have to do them too if you are a person of faith.

1) Love the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.

And...

2) Love our neighbor as ourselves.

Surprisingly, these things are not as easy as you think. What we have to remember is our over all purpose. We were created to bring glory to God. If we can do that, then we can knock out these two commands. Piece of cake right? Ya right.

Lord I do love you even though it may not seem like it sometimes and I know you love me, even though I may not think so sometimes. Now that I think about it, it's kind of like we are married. I seem to be the weaker partner. So be it. I will try to follow your lead, hoping all the time you are listening to me. I'm not sure at this point why you should listen to me, but I kind of think you do. I will continue to work on our relationship. You're laughing at me aren't you? OK. I can deal with that. I'm a human being that gets laughed at frequently. The preachers said something this morning about You having a sense of humor. I know that's true. Look at all the different kinds of humans you made. You do seem to like variety. Glad I could help with that.

Steve also shared with me an interesting question brought to him by a young nephew. The kid wanted to know if God, who is invisible in our world, is visible in heaven. You might think this sounds like a 'kid' type question, but really it's very deep. I would submit to the young one that God is NOT invisible here. If pressed to prove this, I would try to point out all the people that are doing God's work by glorifying Him and loving their neighbors. As Christians, when we do this, we become the face of Jesus to people and as John tells us, if we have seen Jesus, we have seen the Father.

Now this could be a stretch for some, but is it also the point of the two greatest commandments. We, as believers, are the hands and feet of our heavenly Father. We help to make Him known. That is pretty heavy.

The boy seems to genuinely be seeking God. I'm kind of hoping God reaches out to him and locks him into the faith early. The Lord loves the young ones. We should all be so unjaded, forthright and innocent in our inquiries.

Spring is coming. Soon life will spring from death, beauty will replace corruption and a bass will be on my lure. Bring it Lord. I am ready. Thanks for the Day!        

Makin Shit Happen

There are people whose natural habit it is to make things happen. If they are dissatisfied, they make a change for themselves and sometimes without regard to the people around them, like family, wife or husband. Some will drag everyone in their circles into what they are doing even if it means a trip to the other side of the planet. Others are just naturally changing things up out of curiosity or attention seeking or boredom. It is who they are. They are the ones that show up at work with green hair. You know the ones I'm talking about.

When I was much younger, my Mom worked part time in a grocery store in addition to her full time job. She really liked working at Dahl's because of the wide variety of people she would meet as they checked out. There was one individual that would ride up to the grocery store on his bicycle. He would play a harmonica as he rode his bike and then he would come into the store. To say he was "differently enabled" would be a politically correct assessment. He would come into the store, playing his harmonica and flirt with the women at the service counter. He would also chat up the cashiers, my Mom included. I don't know that his intention was to pick up anyone; he just wanted to spread his particular brand of joy with as many people as possible. Sometimes his intrusions into the store would upset buying customers and they would have to ask him to leave. It seemed unkind, but necessary even though he had really done nothing to actually hurt anyone. His presence, however, provoked discomfort for some. He was a distraction and he enjoyed it. He wore a baseball cap like the one below.

Have you ever been the one that makes shit happen? It's odd to have the urge at my age, but I think I want to be that guy. Why now? You would think that I would be long past that and just want to coast off to heaven. Nope. For some reason, I think life is just beginning to get good...interesting. I want to make it that way for everyone. I want to shock old ladies and make young people get red faced and laugh. I want to upset those in authority. I want them to worry that they are losing control. I want to be the one that they wish they were free enough to be.

How odd.

So buckle your seat belts and get ready or better yet...I will turn off the seat belt sign so you will feel free to move about the cabin. Let's make some shit happen.

The Last Loser

Mitt Romney is making an allegedly important speech Thursday regarding the 2016 presidential race. This may become known as "Trumpus Interruptus" in the history books. We will see.

I cannot believe they are doing this. Establishment Republicans would rather see a loser lose again than see Donald Trump as President of the United States. It baffles me that they would rather have the Queen of Mean, the Whore of Babylon ascend the Capitol steps in January 2017. She, whose name must not be spoken, will ascend from the bowels of the ninth circle of Hell to rule the Empire.

Lord, you can stop them? Smite Mitt before he harms us all. Send him to wherever it is you are going to send Mormons after death. Make sure he gets a chain. Thanks

This should tell you exactly who these establishment GOP types are and where their real politics are located...to the left of center and in their pocket books.

Truth be told, Trump is probably as liberal as the Witch of Endor Arkansas. He may just be putting us all on for personal entertainment. Nevertheless, I have become convinced that he is the enema America needs. He has certainly increased interest in voting. It would be funny indeed if he managed to beat both of them.

Bring it Mitt. What have you got to lose?  

Resisting The Lord's Plans

As the Rolling Stones used to sing, "you can't always get what you want.." and another early Stones offering, "I can't get no satisfaction.." If I was going to have a couple of worldly songs at my funeral, it would probably be those two. They resonate with me in special ways, even as a child of God.

Many of us faith-centric individuals go through life in search of God's will and some elusive special purpose that we are certain matches what we are thinking we want to do for Him. For some reason, we have it in our minds that we are "more special" than a billion other Christians in pursuit of their obedience. God wants us to do what we want to do for Him. He would not ask us to do this or that thing that would be unpleasant or test us in ways in which we are weak. He would not want us to stay in a situation where, though we might bring Him glory, we would go crazy if we stayed. He would not put us in a place where seemingly nothing is happening.

And so we flee situations that make us uncomfortable or do not line up with the vision we believe God gave us. We run for the hills. We get ourselves thrown overboard. We flail about trying to escape the painful thing...whatever it is. We dread that feeling of a loss of momentum and we wonder what God is doing since it seems like we are spinning our wheels and going no where.

We do these things, even in the face of the uncomfortable truth that we are where we are because God put us there and He wants us to serve Him and each other from that place.

Read that last sentence again and tell me it does not ring true. What? Are you thinking it's true for other believers, but not you? Think again brother. Our purpose here has very little to do with what we want, how we feel or what we think. When we gave our lives to Jesus, they ceased to be our own. We are free from sin, but we are not free from our master. We must stay and obey and go when we are told. Our lives are not our own. Our purpose, generally speaking, is to bring glory to God and be obedient to His will no matter what circumstance we find ourselves in; and to find contentment in these things.

Some of us are like Jonah. We know what God wants, but we actively seek to escape doing it. Then when we finally submit to doing God's will and achieve the purpose He desired, we are still not content. We pout because it is still not what we wanted. Never mind God's glory and purpose.

Others are like Jeremiah who preached his message for 40+ years. No one listened or turned to the Lord. There was no repentance. I wonder how he felt about that? Did he feel like his life had been wasted? Still, the work he did had to be done by someone. He brought the Lord glory through his obedience and tenacity.

I would like to escape my current situation. I would like to walk away. I feel like my time is being wasted.

Then I think about the other lives that I affect in this place that I am in. If I give careful consideration to this, I discover that my influence has been much more pervasive that I thought. People I never think about have listened to the things I have said and read what I have written. These things have probably even brought God glory and honor in ways that I have not realized.

Therefore, I cannot run away. I am where I am because I AM THAT I AM put me here. Sometimes I wish He didn't love me so much....nah...I'm good with it.

Thanks Lord.

Dang It...I Am Just So Flippin' Angry I Could Cuss

Have you ever heard the word "euphemism"? Do you know what it means?

eu·phe·mism

ˈyo͞ofəˌmizəm/

noun

noun: euphemism; plural noun: euphemisms

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.

 

Christians like to use euphemisms. It's all the words we use when we want to cuss. "Cuss" itself is an interesting word. It's a shortened Bible-belt form of "curse". We Christians would never want to curse. That would be a sin, so we have come up with all these replacement words for the actual profanity. Here are a few of them with their actual equivalents.

 

Shucks, Shoot, Crap = Shit

Dang, Darn, Drat = Damn

Frigg, Flip, Shag = Fuck

Son of a Gun = Son of a Bitch

Stupid Idiot = Dickhead

Someone from Indiana = Bastard = i.e. Paul Ryan

 

That last one was sort of my own invention. The Hoosiers run around saying "Hoosier Momma, Hoosier Pappa"...but I digress.

 

The thing is, what we call swearing, cursing and profanity and what these things actually are - are very different from actual cursing or swearing. None of the words above have any relevance to what God said in Exodus 20:7.

  
⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

 

The name of God was and is a sacred thing. It must not be misused, abused or casually spoken without the proper reverence. The ancient Hebrews and the Jews after them would go to ridiculous lengths to avoid this. They would not speak the actual name of the Lord, even in worship, and they would not write it or carve it on any surface from which it could be removed. They would substitute the word "adoni", which means "Lord" in Hebrew, even when reciting or copying scripture. They would use a euphemism for the name of God so as not to profane His divine and unspeakable, unpronounceable Name. You think I'm kidding (another euphemism)? I am not. There is even speculation that the actual name of God with it's proper spelling and pronunciation, has been lost, making it impossible to literally violate his command. If something goes unspoken and unwritten, it gets forgotten. Nevertheless, intention is 9/10's of the law. 

 

This is the purest definition of what it means to cuss. All the other stuff is fluff. There are things that many people, particularly in the Christian world, the Church world, are uncomfortable talking about. They have to do with sex, defecation, urination and expectoration. These are perfectly ordinary human bodily functions that seem to make Christians squeamish. Yet we seem to have all these other words we use to talk about those things. Poop, Pee and Whoopee have been popularly used in the Christian community, they are not as clinical sounding as the actual terms and they are not considered profane. Slang maybe, but not profanity. There is nothing wrong with this, but there is nothing wrong with saying 'shit' or 'piss' or or or. As long as you do not take the Lord's name in vain, your use of other language will not offend me.

 

But what about 'damn'? Well really, we should not be damning people or animals of inanimate objects. This is like judging them. Seriously. Yet we do not seem to have a problem with 'darning' or 'danging' them. These words carry the same meaning as 'damning', but we Christians do not seem to have an issue with using them. We are less offended if our brethren say 'dang'. Again, intention is 9/10's of the law.

 

What we intend with the language we use is what determines if it's profane. You cannot just say that certain words are off limits to prevent abuse of God's name. To do that is to build a hedge about God's law. We find a way to violate the intent of God's law without actually doing it. This is not good. 

 

So the next time you hear someone using some salty language, consider their intent before making judgements about their character. 

 

Dang. I write some good shit sometimes. (;^))))    

Disconnected Thoughts

Someone asked me why I blog. It's a fair question because the process can be time consuming, but there was an underlying accusation in their question. Really, what they wanted to know was, "why do you think anyone would possibly care to read about you or your life or your random disconnected thoughts about what is going on in the world?" This is what I derived from the whole conversation; it was never stated in those words.

I was being accused of narcissism in the kindest way possible; maybe only egomania, a show off at the very least. I have to confess to being a bit of a show off. I like attention. There are places where I get quite a bit of attention. I teach at church. This is where I have my most fun with people. I also participate heavily in a class that I attend as a student and I'm sure the teacher wishes I would just shut up, but I cannot resist going for a laugh while making a valid underlying point. I have also been known to bury personal digs in my veiled attempts at conversation in order to engender discussion.

I will grant you that this bothers people when they figure out what I am doing, but it does work in terms of producing an open discussion about things that people would otherwise remain silent about. And that brings me to this.

I blog because it's my way of thinking out loud, of organizing my thoughts on a subject, even of giving people another way to look at things. The common memes about the issues of the day are seldom correct and tend to be overly simplistic. There is usually more under the surface of things that needs to be looked at. We have to turn over the rocks in the yard and look at what lies beneath if we are going to attempt to understand what's really going on in our yards. Avoiding unpleasantness is not my life goal. People need to see the mess and deal with it - whatever the mess is. If writing or saying shocking things will do that, then I am up for it.

I confess to being tired of the PollyAnnas in church, at work and elsewhere that are always saying, "God is in control" or "they will figure out a way to make it work". This is a way of passing responsibility for whatever it is to someone else. God gave us brains for a reason. At work we even get paid to use them to a greater or lesser extent. Why don't we?

I am not saying that there is no ego involved in putting my thoughts on the internet for others to read. I do think I have valid things to say that others would do well to understand. Perhaps that is too much for me. Maybe it's not my place. I have never been very good at keeping my mouth shut.

So, the bottom line is this. If you don't like what I say, what I write or who I am, that's OK. Don't listen to me or read what I write or complain about it unless...you want to talk. Know this though. You will not shut me up.
-----------------------
 Now for other things. Saturday night was an adventure in parent rearing. It was about 10:15 PM. I had just finished prep for Sunday's lesson. I came upstairs from my lair and was thinking about sleep when Dad grabbed the dog's leash, hooked him up and headed to the garage. Following close behind, I asked him, as he was putting the dog in the Highlander, what he was doing. He said he was going to take the dog for a ride. Really? 10:15 PM? A ride? He also had two containers of Blu Emu and his flashlight. 'Always be prepared' I guess.

Alzheimer's is a strange disease. When I told him that he needed to come into the house and get some sleep because we had to go to church the next day, his answer was that he would be back before morning. I did eventually get him and the dog back in the house. It took some cajoling, but I got it done. I fully expect to come home from work one night to discover that he and the dog have gone on an adventure. My life is so interesting.

People that have never been in my situation tend to be critical of my approach. They think that I am in control of this man and I should do a better job of caring for him. To this I would say Dad still has a mind and a will, albeit diminished. It is difficult to force him to do anything that he is set against doing. Even so, my thought has always been to allow him the maximum amount of independence and to let him do things as he is able. I firmly believe that a sense of usefulness does much to fight the brain atrophy he is experiencing. I think he has lived longer because of it. I also know that Alzheimer's 100% fatal and there will come a point of diminishing returns with this regimen. I believe now that we may be there. I now have to find the time to get him evaluated and start looking for places where he can live out the rest of his life.

Church members and family members will think this is terrible or irresponsible. I have another opinion. If this were my mate or life companion, it would be different. As it is, this is my aging father. He needs care that I cannot give him. I am gone a lot. I have a full time job. And as selfish as it sounds, I would like to have a life outside of work and Dad.

Some have said, "get elderly day care". This is an option, but not a good one. I still need to sleep. If he decides it's a good night to take the dog for a ride or a walk and wanders off, I will not be getting much of that.

"so get in home, round the clock care."

No. This won't work either. When he gets it in his head to do whatever, it's going to get to the point that it will take more than one person to stop him. He is old, but he is still strong and capable of wielding objects to strike people. Having been hit with his flash light, I understand this. Alzheimer's is a crazy disease that makes people crazy.

I really do not want to deal with this, but I am going to have to.

in flagrante delicto

According to Politico, there is a quiet move by the GOP powers that be to mount a 3rd party candidacy by someone more acceptable to them if Donald Trump is successful in his bid to capture the party's nomination for president. They have been caught in the act of plotting their own defeat and dooming us to four years of coughing fits, prevarication and criminal acts by HRC.

Conservative donors have engaged a major GOP consulting firm in Florida to research the feasibility of mounting a late, independent run for president amid growing fears that Donald Trump could win the Republican nomination.
A memo prepared for the group zeroes in on ballot access as a looming obstacle for any independent candidate, along with actually identifying a viable, widely known contender and coalescing financial support for that person. The two states with the earliest deadlines for independent candidates, Texas and North Carolina, also have some of the highest hurdles for independents to get on the ballot, according to the research.

These people just do not get it. In USA Today Glenn Reynolds sums up why it is that people are opting for a ballot box revolution rather than the status quo in both America and the United Kingdom (which is considering an exit from the European Union).

In America, Donald Trump — who many of the experts thought had no chance — is dominating the polls. In Britain, meanwhile, much of the public seems to be mobilizing in favor of exiting the troubled European Union — a British Exit, or Brexit.

Writing in The Spectator, Brendan O’Neill puts this down to a class revolt on both sides of the Atlantic. And he’s right as far as he goes, but I think there’s more than just a class revolt. I think there’s also a developing preference cascade. O’Neill writes: “In both Middle America and Middle England, among both rednecks and chavs, voters who have had more than they can stomach of being patronised, nudged, nagged and basically treated as diseased bodies to be corrected rather than lively minds to be engaged are now putting their hope into a different kind of politics. And the entitled Third Way brigade, schooled to rule, believing themselves possessed of a technocratic expertise that trumps the little people’s vulgar political convictions, are not happy. Not one bit.”

Well, that’s certainly true. Both America and Britain have developed a ruling class that is increasingly insular and removed from — and contemptuous of — the people it deigns to rule. The ruled are now returning the contempt.

Those that would rule need to know that we are sick to death of politicians that think they know better than we who elected them. We are sick to death of them catering to minorities and immigrants and the companies and businesses that hire them. We are tired of artificially low wages that are brought down by cheap labor. We want our jobs back that have been exported to China, India and Mexico. And we want America to be ours. Close the borders. Deport border jumpers. Allow only legal immigration. No amnesty please. No more anchor babies. No more religious extremists from the middle east. Bar them. Load up cattle cars and airplanes and send them back to where they came from. There is a legal process that millions have used to enter the US and eventually become citizens. This should be the only way anyone emigrates to our land.

Those who immigrated here legally are furious at the current situation. Donald Trump is collecting their votes along with millions of white Democrats and Republicans. It is time for a change. I am ready for a bit of craziness if it will make the powers that be sit up and take notice. We will not be controlled and if you try to mess this up, you will have the extremists pouring out of the woodwork to bring you down.

As a Libertarian, I really am not all that fond of any of the candidates. I had a passing fancy for Ted Cruz, but I got over it. I thought that Marco Rubio might upset the Trump apple cart, but that has not happened. I know it's early yet, but I have yet to see an obstacle that Donald Trump could not move out of his way.

I am willing to jump on this bandwagon just to see the feces hit the oscillating wind device.

Mr Trump is not a Ronald Reagan conservative. He is not a JFK type Democrat. He is, above all else, a pragmatic populist. Neither liberal or conservative, he wants to do what works for the most Americans possible. After all, we are the ones that pay the bills. If we can get him elected, then maybe we can get rid of the Paul Ryan's and Harry Reid's of this world too. Mitch Mc Connel and Nancy Pelosi also need to go home. I have had it with their imperial attitudes and their willingness to destroy our union to empower themselves. Let these technocrats move on to something productive or maybe...maybe, they should just retire.

Let the Trumpening begin.      

Another Day, Another Opossum

The Daddy Possum was in the trap this morning. I reunited him with his wife down at Yellow Banks. He was docile by the time we got there and he seemed grateful for his release. He was almost petlike in his demeanor. As he exited the trap, he turned to look at me as if to say thanks and then he smiled his possum smile and trotted off into the woods.

I will reset the trap tonight. Transporting wildlife to a better place has become my new purpose. Possums do a great job of cleaning things up. They will eat most anything. Some think there are too many possums. This may be true. If so, competition will thin the herd. Whatever. It's fun and harmless.

I suppose I need a plan in case I get a skunk. This is a concern. If I smell funnier than usual the next time you see me, you will know what happened.

This had to be a hazard for the pioneers as they crossed the continent. I'm not sure what their solution was. I'm sure it gave the natives a good laugh.  I am told that hydrogen peroxide will remove the smell. I hope I never have to find out. I wonder what the pioneers used?

I can tell in my bones that spring is coming. There is stirring of desire within me. I thought I was passed this, but maybe not. You might send up a prayer for me. The armor has weakened in places, but I must stand. I am too close to my goal now to fail.

Maybe my new hobby of collecting wildlife will help with this. I'm hoping for a raccoon next or maybe some possum babies. Lord, please hold the skunks for more skilled hunters.

I'm just about ready to go to work. I've been sitting here at Caribou for awhile and one of the employees is on break. He is plugged into his phone listening to something. It's making him whistle...very funny. Gots to go...  

The Old Man, The Dog and The Opossum

There are few things in God's creation uglier than a possum.

I rest my case.

Anyway, I was made aware of a possum infestation under the east deck of the house by my Dad and a digging, barking wheaton terrier so I set the harmless trap and today I had my first possum. These are interesting critters even if they are ugly. They are marsupials. Like a kangaroo, the female carries her young in a pouch. The male possum has a bifurcated penis, which means it has two ends and this corresponds well to the female possum which has two vaginas. It sort of reminds me of Double Mint gum. Wrigley's had a commercial jingle that went something like, "double your pleasure and double your fun with Double Mint, Double Mint, Double Mint gum" and then they would show you video of twins chewing gum....but I digress.

So, finding my possum this morning, trapped and very crabby and with an excited wheaton terrier barking and running circles around it, I had to decide what to do with my prize. I considered calling my friend Steve. He likes to kill things. He probably would have skinned it and made me a hat. I was more concerned about him finding a way to eat it though. He is from Missouri. I think I will wait for a raccoon. Nicer hat.

My solution, in the end, was to take the possum for a ride. We went to Yellow Banks where I detrapped my toothy friend and she ambled out into the thicket toward the river where I am sure she will be happier than a pig in shit.

I then returned home and reset the trap. I think there's more possum to be had. This morning's was the female. Daddy possum is out there and it's my desire to reunite them at Yellow Banks. I'm sure his wife will be missing him and his bifurcation.