Happy Ground Hog Day To You

I know you have been looking forward to today for weeks. It is a special time of year; a magical time. After one has been asleep all winter, toward the end of the hibernation, one must get up to pee. Yes, nothing spells relief like a good midwinter pee.

And really, that's what started it all. Sun or clouds, we really just needed to get up to take a leak. Shadows or the lack thereof are really irrelevant. You will get six more weeks of winter either way. Maybe more. It's why we always go back to the burrow. Those last weeks of sleep are the best.

But do not be concerned. We will be digging up your foundations and living under you decks soon enough. All things in good time.

In the interim, just continue to observe your superstitions. It will give you something to do while you wade through the snow everyday. Fools.

I'm so sleepy. I'm going back to bed. See you in April!

Cruz and Clinton in Iowa

 CLINTON 617 SANDERS 610
*CRUZ 28% TRUMP 24% RUBIO 23%

I am reliably informed that the clown show in Iowa is over. They can all get back in their clown cars and drive off to New Hampshire now. I have to say, I'm a bit surprised though. Bernie got within 7 votes of the Whore of Babylon.. if I was him, I'd demand several recounts. There's got to be away to put a foot on her neck. I wish we could still burn witches. Bernie tried. Oh well. He may take New Hampshire.

Cruz just enjoyed his only victory of the primary season. Once boredom sets in for Trump, he will suspend, drop and leave his votes to Rubio, then it will be over. Marco will be the next president, the Witch of Endor will be under indictment and Bill Clinton will move to England.

I just love America.  

Yesterday, The Day Before And This Week

Sunday was good. I really enjoyed my 0800 Sunday school class yesterday. We are in the gospel of Matthew and we have started the final week of Christ's life on earth. Yesterday we did the triumphal entry into Jerusalem - Palm Sunday (Matthew 21). I would really like to have been there to see that. I am not sure what side I would have been on. Knowing myself as I do, I probably would have been a Pharisee. I would like to think I would not have been one of those adamantly opposed to Jesus, but you never know.

Some have said that this event in Christ's life is contrived - planned, either for continuity in the gospels or for show purposes. Usually this gets pointed out with some negativity on the part of the critic. For my part, I would say these things are true, but only coming from the most positive intent. These events of Jesus' last week were controlled by Him and in His Father in such a way as to make only the most consistent reporting possible and to ensure events played out exactly as they were supposed to. This is, of course, my believer's point of view. You may have another. That's all right. All things in good time.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I did not attend a 1030 Sunday school class because I had to pee. So why did I not urinate at church? Truth? I am uncomfortable using the restrooms at church. I can not explain this to any satisfactory degree to the casual reader, so I will not, but I left after the service and went to the grocery store to pick up a few things, but not before I stopped at a convenience store to utilize their facilities. I then went home and made pizza for lunch. Dad was fairly lucid yesterday and enjoyed the pizza. In the afternoon he got a bit confused, but we got it straightened out. I finished my day watching episodes of "OZ" on Amazon. The show fascinates me. It's about a maximum security correctional facility and the lives of the prison staff and inmates. There is not much actual correction going on, but there is crime and punishment and an exaggeration of reality that could only happen inside the close confines of such a disturbed community. I do not know if it's an accurate portrayal of the prison environment, but it is entertaining. The character development is incredible. Enough about that.

Saturday was a weird experience with Dad. He decided he wanted to get ready for church on Saturday night. He has never done this before and it was a good idea, but he is an Alzheimer's patient, and it crossed my mind that he would not remember that he had showered Saturday night when Sunday morning rolled around. Whatever. I gambled and we got it done. He did remember on Sunday and it made Sunday morning go much more smoothly. He has been less combative of late and so I try to cooperate with his whims when I can to keep things smooth. It seems to be working.

Today starts a new week and a new month. February is upon us. I live in Iowa so today is also caucus day. We kick off the 2016 campaign season for the nation tonight. The truth is that the campaign has already been going on for a year here, but no one else has to suffer through that. I am of the opinion that we here in Iowa delude ourselves about our importance to the national political process. We are not, in any way, a valid cross section of the US electorate and what we will do tonight will have very little meaning in terms of who becomes the next president. The Iowa Caucuses are much ado about nothing. I am not sure why we are first. It's ridiculous. I do know there is a lot of money generated for the state by all this attention, but there are no valid reasons for Iowa to be first. It's a highly overrated contest. Many a candidate that has won the Iowa contest has gone on to lose and lose and lose and eventually become forgotten. We are the last stand for many that are hopeful. One might even argue that a win in Iowa is a political curse. What does a bunch of aging, middle class white people know about what our country will need in the future. We are more concerned with social security and Medicare than we are with immigration and cultural change. Many of us will be dead in 20 years. Large portions of our population are on the public dole in some way. For this reason, politicians must tread lightly here. The farmers like ethanol. Others of employment age like wind energy. Both of these are heavily subsidized by federal programs that even Republicans support. It's the dole. Bread and circuses for the masses. If you pay taxes, these 'would be' presidents are competing to give those taxes to others. Ever wonder how many people you support. Come to Iowa and have a look. We are a state on the dole.

Tomorrow there are two things happening, nay three. It is Ground Hog Day. I am pleased. Second, it is supposed to snow in yet to be determined heavy amounts. No shadow for me tomorrow, but also a very inhospitable day. and finally...the campaign calls, ads and polls will be over for awhile. Washingtonians and the press will forget they were ever here and Iowa will return to normal - boring, white and mildly moral.

I am ready for more 'boring'. It is the absence of tragedy. It is why I live in Iowa.     

If Republicans Still Believed...Like Barry...I Would Be One

Barry was a man before his time. He rent the Republican party in two in 1964 with his belief in American liberty and freedom from the intrusions of the federal government. The result was a landslide for Lyndon Baines Johnson. If we had listened then, we would not have the present mess and debt and corruption in Washington DC. It was Johnson and the moderate Nixon after him that gave us the monster that is the present US government. In 1964 we still had a chance to turn from the path of empire and live as a republic. Instead, Americans voted for their welfare check. So be it. Now you are paying through the nose.

All of you flower children that fought so hard for social justice are still blind to what it has cost you, your children and your grandchildren. You will be dead when the empire expires. Your progeny and legacy will be living on the streets in poverty or in prison camps. Socialism always ends this way. Ask the Russians. Eventually the bills have to be paid morally and actually.

I would be Republican again if there were a man or woman like Barry in the party that would look directly into the camera and say, "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice...and moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

I get chills thinking about it.

Donald Trump, you are no Barry Goldwater. I miss him.

The Schumann Resonance

Did you know our planet has a "heartbeat" of sorts - a frequency that has been constant for tens of thousands of years? That frequency was discovered by Mr. Schumann to be 7.83 cycles per second. It has remained at this constant since it's discovery, then something weird happened in 1980. It began to increase. Some people think that this increase is due to our expanding universe, and further, that time itself is actually passing more quickly than it once did. Others see an interesting possibility in the ever increasing frequency of our planet. There is this from The Esoteric Metaphysical Spiritual Database 

"Scientists discovered many years ago that the earth gives off a pulse. This pulse or frequency which has been likened to a heartbeat has been stable at approximately 7.8 cycles per second for thousands of years. However, since around the year 1980 the earth’s heartbeat began to speed up. The most incredible thing is some scientists believe the earth will actually stop rotating when this pulse reaches 13 cycles per second. When the earth stops rotating on its axis it is believed that it will remain still for around 3 days and then start spinning in the other direction. This will cause a reversal in the magnetic field around the earth but what will happen after this point is unclear. At this point you are thinking one of two things. Either you are thinking this sounds pretty amazing or you simply cannot believe it. I’m kind of in the middle myself, I think it’s hard to believe but I’m prepared to keep an open mind. Since I have become interested in spirituality I have seen wonderful things happen in my life and because of this I believe almost anything is possible."

So, suppose for a minute that the rotation of the earth did stop for three days. What would happen? Would not the dark side freeze up and the light side burn up? I'm just thinking out loud here, but would this not be an ELE - extinction level event? Suppose the powers that be (TPTB) are aware this will happen in the near future? They cannot plan for this, except on a small scale. They cannot save the masses, so they will probably save themselves in order to restart civilization. This would be an incredible opportunity for them. I they can preserve the present knowledge database, they would be able to run their new civilization with robots and computers and very few others would be necessary. It would be a breakaway civilization of sorts and could represent a quantum leap in human advancement.

Interesting. We will need very deep shelters to survive 3 days of cold or burning heat. If we prepare now, we could give the TPTB quite a start on day 4. Might be fun. Then again, if Jesus came back on day 4, all bets would be off. The new earth would be His and we would be His people. That could be the real plan. TPTB would get neutered in an instant. Here's to hoping it works out that way.

Time to build a new basement (:^ )))))))))))))))))))))))  

Cervical Spondylosis

Here's a disease you never want to have. Cervical Spondylosis. It's osteoarthritis of the neck vertebrae. For the last two days I have had a headache and numbness and tingling in my left arm because of it. It's been like a two day hangover and I certainly did not do anything to deserve it.  Alcohol has not touched my lips.

The pain will start in my lower neck on one side or the other and gradually move up the back of my head eventually reaching the front. I am not sure what brings on the pain. Is it something simple like sleeping in an incorrect position? Is it related to how I sit at work? Or is this just going to happen from time to time regardless of measures I take to prevent it.

There is not much in the way of treatment for it. I am lead to believe that surgery can actually make it worse. Aspirin and acetaminophen will somewhat manage the pain, but it is always there lingering during the event. I have some residual numbness this morning in my left hand, otherwise I feel much better. Getting old is absolute hell you know that? The flesh is broken in more ways than I care to think about. I blame Eve for this. If I knew where she was buried, I'd dig her up and slap her. That might make my neck hurt though and I don't want to start that up again. Whatever. Maybe I can get some better drugs from the doctor. I wish this was Colorado. I would know exactly what to do.

The Last Debate

Let me say at the outset that I am not going to caucus or vote for Donald Trump. I will say this though. I admire his courage and his strategic manipulation of the establishment media. He stands as Reagan in 1980 before the quagmire of the Iowa caucuses and refuses to participate in the last media circus (debate) and even possibly lose here rather than be manipulated and framed by the establishment media in an irrelevant debate. President Reagan did lose in Iowa and he did refuse to participate in the last debate in 1980. He lost to Bush 1, but he went on to take the nation in an electoral landslide. It was a brilliant ploy and here and now The Donald has done it again. There is no shame in losing in Iowa and there is no virtue in winning. Indeed, many Iowa caucus winners have gone on to the dust bin of history, relegated to ignominy.

Trump is not smart like a fox. He is smarter than a FOX. He refuses to allow network talking heads define for us what conservative and liberal mean in our times. Neocons and business elites are scared to death right now that the American electoral system may actually work this time and give us a popularly elected president rather than media elected or one appointed by business interests as the least worst choice.

As a Libertarian, there is no one that I can support and despite whatever Trump's intentions are, he will be crushed by a congress that is tightly controlled by neocons and socialists that share many of the same goals. My thought is revolution and not election. The cupboard must be emptied. All the cups are filthy and cracked. It's time for some new china. Let the Empire fall and the Republic rise again from the ashes. I could say more. Maybe I will. It's going to be a long journey to the first Tuesday in November of 2016. I hope it ends well. Maybe at least we can get the Bolsheviks out of Washington DC.

Sometimes you win a debate by just not showing up.

Ten Strategies for Alzheimer's Caregivers

I got these from a friend at church and thanks again Beth!. Being five years into taking care of my Dad who has Alzheimer's, I really appreciate some of these items more than you will know. There is also a sort of bill of rights for Alzheimer's patients that will follow the strategies. It's easy to lose sight of these things when you let yourself get caught up in the delusions of someone with Alzheimer's. If you are wondering how that can happen, do some care giving yourself for a couple of weeks. It happens. Anyway, here you go...

STRATEGIES FOR LIVING WITH AN ALZHEIMER’S VICTIM: 

Being reasonable, rational, and logical DOES NOT WORK!!!  Neither does arguing, pleading or manipulating, Keep communication simple and direct.

They don’t have to be grounded in reality.  There’s no need to re-live their pain.  Distraction works.

We don’t know what they can or cannot do; all we can do is guess at their abilities.  We can let them try, but must be alert for frustration, agitation and anger.

Making deals doesn’t work.  THEY FORGET.  Just do what needs to be done.

TELL, DON’T ASK!  All that choices do is confuse and agitate them.

We can’t do it all by ourselves.  It’s OK to ask for and receive help and support.

WE’RE NOT PERFECT.  Forgiving ourselves and them makes life much more serene.

Separate the PERSON from the DISEASE!  Be grateful for the good times; learn from the bad.

Therapeutic lying may be necessary.  It can prevent much stress.

Doctors don’t see the whole picture.  We have to tell it like it is.  Then, they may also have to lie.

REQUESTS FROM AN ALZHEIMER’S PATIENT:  

BE PATIENT WITH ME:  Remember I’m the helpless victim of an organic brain disease which is out of my control.

TALK TO ME:  Even though I can’t always answer you, I can hear your voice, and sometimes I can comprehend your words.

BE KIND TO ME:  For each day of my life’s a long and desperate struggle.  Your kindness may be the most special and important part of my day.

CONSIDER MY FEELINGS:  They are very much alive within me.

TREAT ME WITH HUMAN DIGINITY AND RESPECT:  As I’d treat you if you were the victim.

REMEMBER MY PAST:  For I was once a healthy, vibrant person full of life, love, and laughter; with abilities and intelligence.

REMEMBER MY PRESENT:  I’m a loving person, a spouse, a parent, a grandparent, a relative, or a dear friend.  I very much miss my family, friends and home as I knew them.

REMEMBER MY FUTURE:  Though it may seem bleak to you, I’m always filled with hope for tomorrow.

PRAY FOR ME:  For I’m a person who lingers in the mist that drifts between time and eternity.  Your presence may do more for me than any other outreach or compassion you could extend to me.

SMILE AND HOLD MY HANDS:  This gives me a feeling of well-being.  Never underestimate the power of a touch or a smile; for they pass on energy from your heart to mine.

LOVE ME:  And the gift of love you give will be a blessing which fill both our lives with light forever.

Is This The Church?

The opposition was fierce. Jesus was healing people and doing so on the Sabbath, calling Himself the Son and claiming authority that the elders among the Jews doubted He had. He stood firm in His resolve and taught them the truth. Truth can be a relief or seem like utter falsehood if it grates against the way one lives. John 5 is replete with this.

Two verses stand out here to me. John 5:39,40.

  ³⁹ You study^[c] the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

This seems to be life in the church today. We cling to our Bibles, we are rule keepers, we condemn others among us when they step outside of these bounds and we try to control each other.

Wouldn't it make more sense if we all just submitted to Jesus? He is the source of life for us; the source of Scripture. He is our Lord and our God. So often we use Scripture like a hammer to pound out resistance to agendas. The only agenda we should be interested in is Christ's. If we each work on our own submission issues, everything should work itself out. 

I am not saying we should ignore our Bibles. I am saying we need to put them in context. We have to love Jesus and each other then proceed from there. Scripture is not a weapon to bend people to our wills. It's not even a tool for building a church in our own image. It is the living Word of God to show us the way back to Him and nothing else.

Trump

I had an intuition about The Donald today. It may be completely off base, wrong, and everything else that goes with that, but here is is. I believe that sometime in the next two to three months Donald Trump will suspend his campaign and withdraw from the race. The reasons for this are unclear as yet. It may be health or family or even a scandal, but I think it is going to happen. There will be a reason that he will have to return to his semi private life as just another billionaire.

Given the current climate - his feud with Cruz, his hatred of Bush and his general disrespect for the others, I believe he will throw his convention delegates to what he considers to be the least distasteful remaining candidate. That man will be Marco Rubio. Despite Marco's waffling on the immigration issue, which is one of Trump's house causes, I believe he will choose Rubio as the only one with real possibility of beating Hillary in the general election. In this he may be right. Marco could conceivably bring in the Hispanic vote which is a very big deal, he would satisfy establishment types, his candidacy would "prove" that Republicans are not bigots and he would be a tasteful choice for swing voters and Reagan Democrats. He's da man!

My conspiratorial side also tells me that he is secretly in the pocket of the Bush's. This would make him near perfect for the establishment. He is the wild card that will be played to "trump" Hillary.

I will not make any wagers over this intuition. I will be happy to be wrong and I do not support Senator Rubio.. But if I'm right...you read it hear first...OK?   Behold. The next President of the United States, Marco Rubio.

Also, in the interest of fairness....The Whore of Babylon

Do you think there was ever a time that Bill Clinton actually loved her? It would be like being married to a Klingon.

Sundowning With Dennis

Most of you know that Dennis is my Dad. Some of you know he has Alzheimer's. It is a bazaar disease. He is at a special stage right now where he goes a bit crazy after sunset. In Alzheimer's parlance, it's called sundowning.

I think I miss out on the worst of it through the week because I do not get home from work until 8 or 9 PM, but I see the results and I get to experience it on Saturday nights first hand. It's strange stuff.

One night last week I came home and he had removed the cable box to his TV and unscrewed the plate on the cable outlet on the wall. I had to hook it all up again. I am not sure what that was about and he could not explain it. On other nights, and this happens several times a week now, he takes all the items (which he uses regularly) that are on his end table next to his chair and will put them in a box and place them in the back of his Toyota Highlander. This will include his TV remotes and the telephone. The telephone is a land line that he physically has to unplug from the wall outlet.

When I asked him why he did that he would say he was getting ready to go home or he was moving out. Tonight when he did it, he told me he was worried they would get stolen. Earlier this week, he was putting his remotes and a toothpick holder in a Corning ware ceramic baking dish with a glass lid. When I asked him if he was going to bake something, he said 'no', he 'just needed something to carry them around in'. Weird.

Tonight he also called me 'dad'. This is new. He was getting himself some ice cream and cookies and he said , "Dad, do you want any cookies?". Now it's conceivable that he thought his Dad was really here, but I am the only other human in the house. Whatever is going on in his head, it's not right. There are other times when he confuses me with his brother Dick. He talks about "our dad" and asks me if I remember things from back in the 1940's. Last Sunday when I got home from Church, he asked me where Dad was.

It's all just a very odd experience. I tried an experiment tonight to see if I could calm him by praying for him silently. I believe it worked to a certain extent. He did not get argumentative as he usually does and he seemed to settle down from his packing behavior and his phone is still plugged in at this hour.   

I cannot imagine what it must feel like being inside of his head. I find myself wondering just how much is actually left of what was once my Dad in there. Dad was multi talented in his earlier years. He was a carpenter, an electrician and an auto mechanic. He could fix anything. He was a technician in that middle 20th century way that no longer exists. Now he is completely out of his element in everything and it makes me sad. It also makes me feel guilty because it makes me angry at the same time. I know we all have to die, but why should anyone have to die in this way, piece by piece, bit by bit, memory by memory? He was not the perfect father or husband and his personality may have needed some work. He could be a bit of a bully at times. But I do not think it merits a slow death from Alzheimer's disease.

I think the time has come for me to get him evaluated again by a neurologist to see how far the Alzheimer's has progressed. From there, I may need to begin looking for appropriate care facilities. We will see what the doctors say. My concern at this point is, should he be left home alone? I'm thinking no, but we will see. He did fall in the driveway earlier this week. It had just snowed a bit and he thought he was going to get the mail. When I pulled in from work, I could see the snow angel he had made while trying to get up. Since it was still snowing, I knew that it was fresh and he did tell me about it when I got inside. He seems to be unscathed with the exception of a small scrape on his right cheek bone. He also says his ribs are sore, but there are no bruises and he is able to get up and down and move around as always. Had he hit his head that night and become unconscious, it could have been more serious. It was very cold and he is on blood thinners.

I worry. Is this transition going to be forced on both of us? It's looking like it. If he forgets how to catheterize himself, that will be the clincher. I will do many things for him, but inserting a catheter into his penis is not one of them. He has not been able to urinate without one since his knee surgery. So far, self cathing has gone well for him with few UTI's (even though he will reuse them from time to time). I suppose it's only a matter of time before he forgets how to cath or forgets to urinate all together.

One has to wonder how this need will effect how he is placed in a care facility too. Can an Alzheimer's patient be place in general population in a care facility because they cannot pee on their own? I do not know.

When I was an orderly in a nursing home back in the mid-seventies, all the old folks were together, crazy and otherwise. I found myself pitying the dementia patients because they could not die and feeling sorry for the quick minded because they were trapped in bodies that did not work so well anymore.

My grandpa told me once, "Jeff, getting old is a terrible thing." I believe he is right.   

Sports

Or 'sport' as the Brits call it, is something that I cannot wrap my mind around in any effective way. I know it constitutes entertainment for many people. They will buy season tickets to be physically present just to watch their favorite team play or they will watch it for hours on television at home. I just do not understand the fascination with it. I have actually enjoyed playing various games and participating in competitions, but watching it is just boring.  It is, to my mind, an incredible waste of time. Watching multi millionaires with hormone issues playing grab ass in pursuit of a ball is just ridiculous. Most of what passes for sport is not sport anyway. It is just a game. As John Irving pointed out in "The World According to Garp", if it involves the use of a ball, it is not a sport, it's just a game.

Activities like running, swimming and wrestling are true sports. These involve one on one competition as well as competition against one's self. These are the greatest measure of a man's athletic prowess - continually bettering one's own numbers is the healthiest competition of all. This is true from both a physical and spiritual point of view.

I can remember wrestling in gym class in high school. It was fun. I do mean fun. I never cared much whether I won though. I enjoyed the process. I hate to admit it, but it was a lot like foreplay to me. This should be understandable if you know me and I'm sorry if I offended you by being out front like that, but I did like it.

Even so, watching wrestling does nothing for me. It is like watching paint dry...that might have more interest for me. Whatever.

These days I wrestle with God. I know I will never win, but I know He loves me and He would never hurt me in any spiritual way. He is gentle.

I like to teach others how to do this, mostly because there is so much to learn from the process and I do enjoy watching others grapple with their Maker. It is the single best way to get to know Him.

Get out there on the mat with Him. He's tough, but you will learn. 

Words Of Encouragement From Simon Peter To The Church

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ...you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy...Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."

I rearranged it a bit, but I think you get the point. Do not forget who you are, who you belong to and how much all of that cost. We were an expensive bunch and we are marked as His now. Keep that in mind today as you go about His business and yours. See ya Sunday.

Truth Revealed Under Cover of Darkness

In the gospel of John, chapter 3, a Pharisee that is also a member of the Sanhedrin, approaches Jesus at the place He is staying. He comes by night. His name is Nicodemus.

This is interesting. Why at night? Does he want to talk privately with Jesus or is he fearful of what the other Jews in leadership will think? Whatever the case, Jesus seems undisturbed by this intrusion into His privacy. He welcomes the questions that Nicodemus presents and there does seem to be a genuine interest on the part of Nicodemus in what Jesus has to say. Perhaps he just wants to talk to Jesus without the interference of his other more skeptical friends. This is good. It is the way we should all approach Jesus - one on one and without guile and pride in our heart.

Nicodemus was an educated man. He would have known the Law of Moses backward and forward. He would known the traditions of the Pharisees in the same fashion. His honest but covert Christ seeking is commendable. Even so, he is confused. He has never seen or heard a rabbi do or say the things that Jesus does and says. It is other worldly and spiritual in a way that the Jews were only beginning to grasp and Nicodemus does not understand. And yet...you get the impression that he is almost a believer.

   Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.^[a]”
⁴ “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
⁵ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^[d]
9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
¹⁰ “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? ¹¹ Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.^{[e] 14} Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,^{[f] 15} that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”^[g]
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.

Nicodemus asked one question, and an innocent one at that, and what he got was a Sunday school lesson. I am not sure that he understood what Jesus was saying, but I am certain that he thought about it for a very long time. 

This is supposed to be very basic stuff for us Christians and yet I wonder, if we really understand what this means? We say we are born again, but we continue to live lives that reek of death born in fear and darkness. If we believe, then we need to move into the light.

Once in the light, we have to live as if we were enlightened. We have to bring the grace and truth of Christ to a fallen world so they can find their way back to God. Jesus started this process with the Jews. Most of them rejected His ideas and ultimately He moved on to the Gentiles through His disciples. The idea that God would seek man was a new idea in the Gentile world. It caught on very quickly. 

I believe it also caught on with Nicodemus. He was one of two Pharisees that tended the body of our crucified Lord after His death and placed Him in that now empty tomb.

Join Nicodemus and I out here in the light. Get yourself born of the water and the Spirit and come into His glorious light.  Someday everything will be made known. There will be no more secrets, no stealthy night meetings to seek truth or anything else. 

To my brethren I would say this. Learn what it means to be truly born again. Earnestly seek Him and His will. Faith and obedience - obedience and faith. This is the path to that answer. For myself, I find daily that there are things standing in my way to Him. We have to shift those obstacles and move forward. Personal pride, anger, hatred, prejudice, unbridled desires and self righteousness - it all has to go. These are the old self that must die if the new creation is to grow in the knowledge of this new life we must embrace. Seek the light. He will be waiting there.

Who Do You Love?

I was thinking about the woman at the well in Sychar yesterday. It's not like I'm so old that I remember her. I was not there and I would never go to Samaria anyway (:^))) However...

In John 4, Jesus finds Himself in Samaria in the town of Sychar at noon. His disciples go into the city to buy supplies and they leave Jesus at the town's well. This well is famous. It was one sunk by Jacob, the father of all Israel and it had not run dry even in the time of Christ.

Back in the day, people, usually women, would go to the local water source to retrieve water for the day. In desert climates this was usually done early in the morning. The people that would gather for water would converse. It would have been a social center for the town; a place for exchange of information and maybe even local gossip. And this last bit may be the reason why Jesus encountered a woman at the well getting water at noon. She did not go to the well when others did because she was not what you would call virtuous; adventurous maybe, but not virtuous. Her reputation probably did not sit well with the other hens in the chicken house at Sychar. She would have been the one about which the others gossiped.  She had relationships with more than one rooster.

Jesus, being God in the flesh, knew this about her as she approached the well and He engaged her in conversation. There are several reasons why this conversation should be impossible in Christ's day and the woman herself points this out.

1. Jesus was born a Jew. Jews do not associate with Samaritans. They would be considered like Gentiles, unclean sinners outside God's family.
2. A Jew and particularly a rabbi would not have accepted a drink from a Samaritan.
3. Any righteous Jew would not have gone through Samaria if it could be avoided and they would certainly not have stopped to socialize or eat.
4. An observant male Jew would not have spoken with any woman that was not his wife. 

So Jesus is breaking all the rules here. He is socializing with unclean sinners and His goal seems to be to enlighten them about who He is and why He has come.

The story kind of breaks my heart. I see the courage of the woman whose life is a mess addressing her Messiah without fear, but with respect. I see her hospitality as she invites Jesus and His disciples into town to meet everyone. She is amazed and enthralled by what Jesus knows and what He knows about her. Despite her sinful life, she is smitten in spirit by the gentle rabbi from Nazareth. She desires immediately to tell others about Him and she does. As a result of her enthusiasm, many in Samaria learned the Truth that day. Jesus took a harvest of believers among these Samaritans before He departed. 

I love this story. Jesus took what could have been a tense situation and turned it into an opportunity. While holding fast to the Truth, He presented Himself and His Father with the grace these people so needed and brought them into the fold. Grace and Truth, living in the tension between the two. This is what we as believers are called to do.

Do you know anyone like this woman? Is she at church or at work? Is she marginalized by the rule keepers and relegated to going to the well at noon? Strike up a conversation with her. She could introduce you to people that are just waiting for what you have. In our pursuit of grace and truth, sometimes we are called to go to Samaria. Is that time now? Well, maybe.

  

Crazy

"Crazy" is riding your recombitant bicycle to the grocery store when it's 2 degrees below zero and there is a breeze from the west. I just witnessed this behavior. The rider was a middle aged woman that appeared to be heavily insulated in sturdy winter wear. I can remember when I used to go outside and run every day; even on days like today. There are few things that make you feel more alive than working up a sweat in subzero temps. After that, even a cold shower seems warm. Cold showers are important. They get you just as clean as the warm ones and they also drive away the "urge". Yes, I thought you knew what I was talking about.

I need to get back into some form of exercise. I have fallen away from that church in the past 5 years and I need to get back to it. As I said, I used to run every day. I was usually out for an hour and on weekends I would run until I could not run anymore - 3 hours or longer. I would get quite the endorphin buzz. It would leave me feeling like I was floating on air for the rest of the day. Sometimes I would even come home from work and run again at night. I loved it. There is something sexy about running at night in July wearing only running shorts and a wife beater undershirt when the air temp is still 85 degrees and the humidity is 100%. It's like the atmosphere and the darkness are caressing you. There is pain and there is pleasure. The sweat flows like streams. You get soaked from head to toe and your natural aroma permeates the air. It's then that you become aware of how you are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully made". Running nude back in those days even crossed my mind. I was not such an eyesore then and I'm sure it would have felt wonderful, but I'm told reliably that one can be arrested for such activities and being known to the police is not my goal in life.

There is also a reason why the original long distance runner collapsed and died at Marathon on that fateful day when he delivered his message. 

Such activity does take a toll on the body and particularly the joints. I believe my knees have mostly healed by now, but my cervical vertebrae are kind of a mess. And since they have to hold up my head, I probably need to take better care of them.

So I'm thinking of some kinder, gentler means of exertion. Something low impact that will raise the heart rate and still make the perspiration flow. Walking is probably not going to cut it. I may start that way, but I will eventually have to ratchet up the burn. We will see what develops. I am told that wind sprints are better than long distance runs for the calorie burn. Maybe that will be the answer.

If you find my head snapped off my body like a dry twig, you will know my cervical damage is complete. Please try to get it to the crematorium with my body if you find them.

I love y'all. Thanks for stopping by.   

Yes, I will

For those concerned, I will be teaching Caleb Kaltenbach's "Messy Grace" in the spring quarter at church. The wrestling match is over and as usual, I lost. God remains undefeated. I do not know why I even try to challenge Him. If all else fails, He breaks my heart into a million pieces and says, There now...how are you gonna deal with that?" You would think I would have learned by now (as I sit here in my truck in the Hy Vee parking lot crying) that you cannot challenge the living God and expect anything but His will to come out of it.

So I will start by writing a few lessons, getting my head right and trying to anticipate questions and comments that I might not otherwise expect. I will prepare my self to love the unlovable and care for the broken. I will be obedient and love God and my neighbor.

Lord, I hope you are going to support me. You know that things sometimes things come out of my mouth that are offensive to some. I know that sometimes offense causes thought and thought can bring surrender and submission to Your will. Perhaps you can use my failed articulations in that manner. So, along with opening my heart and soul to your truths, you might consider preparing those that you know will attend. A little cultivation prior to planting never hurts the crops. I want this to be an open forum Lord where people will not be afraid to speak there minds and discuss the relevant issues in an open honest way. I hope that is your goal too. I guess we will find out. This needs to be your undertaking more than mine Lord, so I will need your guidance in showing me where and where not to go. My personal thought is to overturn every stone in the yard, exposing what is beneath to Your light. If that is like taking an ax to a sapling, then show me a better way. I will listen for Your voice as carefully as I can, but You might have to yell to get my attention. You know how I am. It can be hard to break my concentration, especially when I think I am right.

Lord, I love you and if there are only 3 or 4 of us, I will do this. Ministry is ministry, even if it's only one on one. Some of the best ministry I have experienced has come from Your servants in a one on one situation. I thank You for them all. You have done well to put them in my way. It's time to go do something productive now. Jesus, in Your Name I pray these things...Amen 

Earning It

A rich man once asked Jesus, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

There are many that think this event is recorded here to illustrate the difficulty involved in saving the wealthy. That may be part of why it's in our Bibles, but I believe there is a deeper reason. There are many that think they can earn their way into God's good graces and the rich man in Matthew 19:16-30 is one such person. He has been obedient. His only real question is, "what do I lack?"
 
⁷ “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
¹⁸ “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, ¹⁹ honor your father and mother,’^[c] and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’^[d]”
²⁰ “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”


Is it just me that notices this or is this man arrogant to the extreme? Who among us has kept the law perfectly? Who among us is that righteous and that consistent in our righteousness? I may need to re-access my approach to righteousness, but I do not believe anyone is this good. Am I a cynic or an astute observer? You decide.

So when Jesus was rattling off commandments in verse 18, which ones did He leave out? I will tell you. He left out the ones dealing with devotion to God and also covetousness. Interesting no?

There are many of us that appear to be good. We do all the right things. We do not purposely harm others and we look good in our communities. Everyone likes us. That's important. You can't network and use your community for your goals in life without that kind of reputation. In our world, to look good is to be good. This rich man looks really good. He knows it. Jesus is about to wipe off the rich man's mirror so he can see what he really looks like.

²¹ Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
²² When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

There was something that the rich man loved more than God. Some would say it was his wealth. My assessment is that it was himself. His God was his ego. His sense of self righteousness and entitlement is just overpowering. One does not need to be rich to be like this, only deluded.

You cannot earn God's favor and He owes you no favors. We are His creations. He made us to love and serve Him alone. If we bend the knee to Him in faith, He will teach us what it means to love Him and love our neighbors. Those relationships are what determine our eternal status. These are not works that save. They are acts of love in response the love of our eternal parent. Our salvation is not dependent on good works. It is dependent on our relationship with Him.

Wrap your mind around the beauty of that. Incredible.    

Jimmy Needham on Porn Addiction

Oil Prices Are Bringing Down Stock Prices

This is just my guess, but I believe the collapsing world stock markets are directly related to dropping oil prices.  Saudi Arabia has been pumping oil like crazy. There is a glut on the world market. They are doing this for two reasons. First, they want to break the Russian bank. It costs Russia much more to pump and process a barrel of crude than it does Saudi Arabia and Russia is much more dependent on that oil money. Further to the point, the Saudis can afford to sell at a loss. These things are intended  to induce economic collapse in Russia and get them out of Syria. Syria is a Saudi enemy religiously and geopolitically. The Syrians are Shiites and the Saudis are Sunnis. The Saudis also want to run a petrol pipeline through Syria to Turkey and on to Europe. The cost of this petrol will be cheaper in Europe than the current cost of buying from the Russians. The whole thing is really a plot by the Saudi allies, Europe and the US, to bring down the Russians.

The second reason the Saudis are doing this is to shut down American oil production for a time. Like the Russians, it costs us much more to produce a barrel of crude than it does the Saudis. Places like the Bakken and Alaska will probably cease production soon. I believe this will be temporary. Once the Russian collapse takes place BRICS will collapse and the US will be firmly in control again.

Yes, I know...a conspiracy. It's a good one.

So how do oil prices effect stock prices. The US dollar is heavily dependent on the value of the petrodollar. The value of the petrodollar is plummeting right now and it is effecting the value of our currency. People are selling stocks that were overvalued to begin with for liquidity.

Once the current oil glut subsides and prices come back up again, so will the world stock markets. The pretenders to the US empire are being pummeled right now. A financial war is being waged. Let's hope it does not turn into a real and hot war.

My blog. My opinion. If you're an economist, tell me what's wrong with my theory.     

The Powerball

I am not a gambler. I have been to a casino once in my life. I did walk out with more than I left behind (USD 120.00 more), but I have not been back. I always considered multi state lottery tickets to be a waste of cash; a voluntary tax. The odds of winning are astronomical unless you're some toothless hillbilly in Dry Ridge, Kentucky with a major appliance on your front porch and at least one car up on blocks in the front yard of your double wide trailer with a still in the back.

However....for the last two Powerball drawings, a member of management (not me) in my office has been running a ticket pool among the employees in an attempt to increase the odds of a win. I was asked to join. I thought long and hard about it and then I chucked in three bucks the first time and six yesterday.

I will not be the last man standing. If I had not paid my lottery tax, they would win and leave me holding the broom and everything else in the building. If that happened, I would die before I had a chance to retire.  I refuse to let that happen, so I made a bad investment.

We will not win though. The odds are still against us. It is an impossibility. Some people believe in luck. I do not. Something either happens or it doesn't and it has nothing to do with some mystical ability to win or succeed or or or. I do not understand the forces that drive contests such as these, but I do believe that someone somewhere already knows what state and city and store the winning ticket(s) will be sold. This would mean that they had already derived the correct numbers through some calculus of gambling, the science of which few understand well. I do not think the algorithm favors Norwalk, Iowa where our tickets were purchased. It's a racket plain and simple. It's something only state governments can get away with. There is a lot of misery that comes out of state sponsored gambling, but at least in my office, no child will be left behind. I see it as insurance that will never get used.

I can rationalize anything. I should have been a lawyer.       

Teaching Messy Grace

I am in the midst of deciding whether and what I want to teach in the next Sunday school quarter. For me, decision making is usually a process of me initially deciding not to do something based on reasons that negate the need for whatever it is. From there, I try to get help - input from others to justify my immediate and visceral desire to back away from a proposal. Sometimes that help is immediately agreeable to my resistance. Other times I get a backwash of "what? are you stupid? how can you not do this". This time however, I am getting mixed input. Tomorrow may be decision day.

I had initially thought I wanted to teach from "Messy Grace" by Caleb Kaltenbach. I enjoyed the book for many self centered reasons and it was my thought to inflict it on others and I have already been trying to do this by giving away the books. It's been tough giving them away. I am met with skepticism and time issues. I understand both of those and I sympathize. There is also the lack of teaching materials other than the book. In the fall, those materials will be available, but if I do this now, it will be up to me to create the lessons. I am fairly good at that process, but it is time consuming. I also had the thought that maybe no one at my church cares about this stuff - the subject matter of the book. Then there are the usual questions about offending people. I am an opinionated man. I am very conservative in some respects. I am not graceless, but I am finding I am not nearly as graceful as I should be in regard to the issues approached in the book.

Maybe this last statement is the single best reason for doing it. Maybe I need the book's challenge and the challenge of others to push me towards a more graceful approach to my faith. In conversations with some of my brethren, I have found that some of them are more graceful than I am and perhaps I could learn from them. That has been one of the major benefits I have enjoyed as a teacher over the last 17 years. I have learned much and it has effected me in very positive ways. I am thankful I am allowed to teach for this reason. I will think some more on this and decide whether to move forward here shortly.

I told someone last night that maybe I just need to set down and see if I can prepare two or three lessons from the book and see what they look like and sound like. I could use my present class as crash test dummies. They always seem more than willing to put up with my eccentricities. I do love them. We will see what happens.   

See you in class.

What Did God Intend?

On Sundays in my class we have been going through the gospel of Matthew. Last Sunday we did Matthew 19. In this chapter, Jesus is approached by a group of Pharisees that are intent on testing Him. This is not unusual. They were always testing rabbis that did not adhere to their traditions and their approach to the interpretation of God's law.  "They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”"

The question in itself says much about who these men were and where their hearts were in regard to their families and in relationship to their God. In ancient times and particularly among the Jews, women and children were regarded as property, sometimes to the exclusion of any notion of love for family. There were two schools of thought among these men - rabbinical traditions handed down from rabbinical schools by men long dead in Christ's time. Rabbi Hillel and his school would have said, in answer to the question, that you could divorce your wife for anything you did not like about her...her cooking, her mother, her housekeeping skills. One of Hillel's disciples went so far as to say that if you found a better looking woman, you could write your present wife a certificate of divorce and marry the other one. It was awful. 

The other rabbinical school, founded by Rabbi Shimmai, had a gentler, kinder approach. The only reason you could divorce your wife was over some kind of sexual infidelity. Jesus, in His day would have approved this as a reason for divorce, but he would not have commanded it. You see, the Pharisees and their rabbinical schools before them, haggled over the meaning of a Torah passage from Deuteronomy 24. They did not take into account other Torah passages when they considered the issue of divorce.

Jesus in His reasoning, went back to Genesis 1:27 and 2:24. In the first passage, Moses makes clear that God created men and women for each other and in the second, he makes it clear that God intended men and women to marry - to leave their families, commit to each other and become one flesh, one mind, one soul; more than mere room mates or even partners. "Leave and cleave". Commitment and oneness. The two pillars of successful marriage. This was so far away from where the Pharisee were, that you have to wonder, were they stupid or what? Why would they not consider 'original intent' when debating this issue? There are things people do not want to hear when they consider how they should live their lives. The notion of marriage as a covenant or even a partnership would have upset their apple cart of control, therefore they could not even entertain the idea that Jesus was promoting.

God intended men and women to marry, have families and live lives committed to each other and to Him. He did not intend that you should be able to trade up if your present situation was not working out as you had hoped. Jesus gives us one valid reason for divorce in the gospels. That reason is sexual infidelity. Paul gives us another reason in I Corinthians 7 (verse 15 I think); that is if an unbelieving partner leaves the relationship. There is compelling spiritual logic behind both of these reasons for divorce. They destroy the two pillars of marriage; oneness in regard to the first and commitment in regard to the second. Does this mean divorce has to happen? No, but these would be justifiable reasons for it. 

So having said all this, I wonder how many Christians see their marriages in this light? I wonder how many have divorced because they wanted to trade up like the Pharisees? Buyer's remorse notwithstanding, this cannot be your attitude. It is not what God intended.

At this point, if you know me, you are probably thinking, "who is he to lecture us about marriage?".

It's true that I cannot speak from experience, but you know, I have heard any number of you complain about your situations. It is tiresome, but it is what it is. Work to change the freakin situation so that you do not violate there terms of your covenant with you wife or husband. Oneness and commitment should be your goal. 

This was God's intent from the beginning. His Word says as much. I do not need to be married to know this. It is not a Christian thing of a Jewish/Hebrew thing. It is an ordinance from God handed down to ALL humanity from the beginning of time. If you are married or making plans to marry, you need to remember how God views this institution and take it very seriously.

If you are like me, you might want to consider staying that way. As Paul would say, 
"But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this."

One more thing. If you are like Paul and me....not married...you must remember your covenant with God and the fact that He is living in your body. You must remain chaste in terms of sexuality. If you cannot do that, then find a suitable opposite sex partner and marry. 

Is chastity and celibacy a gift? Well maybe, but it's also a requirement if you are single. Do not forget that. It's what God intended.
   

Taking Dad To The Doctor and What I Did Sunday Afternoon

Every morning I wake up around 4 AM. I usually take a leak (wash my hands) and get Dad's meds for the day together. He is usually up and around and making some coffee by 4. This is the way old guys and farmers are about mornings. Dad is an old guy, pushing 80 and he used to be a farmer in his youth. His sleep cycles are all messed up because of the Alzheimer's, but he still manages to be awake at 4 AM.

This morning I gave him his pill container and reminded him that we were going to see the cardiologist at about 1000 today. He has afib and they like to check it out every six months. After that, I had intended to go back to bed for awhile. It was a long time until 1000 AM.

But alas, this was not to be. Once Dad knew that he was going to the doctor, he had to get ready immediately, even though he would be all dressed up with no where to go until 1000. It's easier to surrender to this than to fight it. Had I gone back to bed, he would have been visiting me every 15 minutes asking about when he should get ready and when we were going to leave, so I got him herded into the shower, rinsed off, dried off with his compression socks on and then helped him put on the sweat suit du jour.

Now I have all this time on my hands before the appointment and he is still asking me when we are going to leave. So here I am doing something productive...ya right. I complain a lot on this blog don't I?

Really, I think that's what it's for. I vent. Strangely, it always, and almost without exception, makes me feel better. It's probably got something to do with putting it all down in words. It's my way of talking it out. Whatever.

Yesterday was relaxing. I skipped Sunday school after church and visited the grocer and then went home to prepare lunch. Dad seems to like those Hy Vee take and bake pizzas. I usually buy a medium with the hot Graziano's Italian Sausage and then add a couple of things like a box of fresh, sliced mushrooms and some green peppers for Dad's portion. After that, I took an accidental nap.

When I was younger, I could not fall asleep sitting up in a chair. Now it all seems kind of natural. I think this is a talent that is acquired as one approaches senior status. Anyhow, after that, I cranked out a few emails and posted some videos to my YouTube channel. I really had not done much with it since I started it 5 years ago, but it's looking a little better now. While I was on YouTube, I looked up some people from church and work to see if any of them were there. Yep, sure enough.  Creativity blossoms outside the sanctuary and cubicle.

It seems like everyone has some kind of internet presence. I suppose some people might think it borders on creepy when they find out they have been Googled, especially if they do not know you all that well. And if you leave your footprints in the form of a comment, that could be freaky too, but you know what? The internet is not a private place. If you plaster your name all over it, others will find you and is that not the idea to begin with? I think it has as much to do with who you want to communicate with and what your original vision was when you set up your internet presence. Managing expectations is hard to do in a public place.  There are people that come to this blog from all over the world. In most cases I imagine they were not even looking for TDGH, but they got here anyway through some word search on a search engine that landed them in the middle of a related subject that I wrote about. My thought is, "come on down". I can sort you out and ban your ass if you get troublesome. I suppose something of that nature is what happened to me yesterday. Sorry if you felt like I was on your turf. It's the internet man! Oh well.

Small talk was never my strong suit anyway. I wish you the best. 

That's funny. I can ramble on here, talking through my fingers with very little to say, but doing it in person is a whole other enchilada...probably chicken with some Monterrey Jack, but I digress. I think what I need to do is type out all my proposed conversations a day in advance. Then I can turn them over to the conversation victims for them to answer in kind. They can answer in person or in a typed format of their choosing, but I will only respond on paper or other electronic media and only when necessary.

That is just crazy talk (or typing as the case may be). But what did you expect from The Daily Ground Hog?

    

Through My Eyes

Tell Me What This Is About..

I've been sitting at Caribou Coffee in Pleasant Hill by the fireplace while eaves dropping on a conversation between two apparently Christian women. One of them seems to be in the place of the counselor, advising the other and guiding the conversation.

The other is a woman that seems to have a glancing acquaintance with the faith and is at a difficult place in her life and marriage. She seems frustrated by the fact that she has nothing to do since the kids are in school and her husband is at work. She wants to get a job but no one will hire her; she wants to home school her kids but her husband does not like the idea. She wants to be a motivational speaker and increase the family income despite the fact that she stutters and her voice tone is akin to fingernails on a blackboard. She complains because they have a combined income of less than 2000.00 a month and she also informs all within earshot that she and her husband have not practiced their conjugal rights more than three times in the last six months.

The counseling friend should be a diplomat. Without being offensive, she manages to inform the woman that she has to be willing to take jobs that may not be high paying or glorious to gain job experience and move up in the working world. She also advises frugality in financial matters and to set goals that are at once within capabilities and reachable. There is also an implication that both she and her husband need to support the efforts and dreams of each and do what they can, working together for the good of their family.

They share phone photos and humorous family stories and then they depart separately and amicably.

My thought is that the counselor left to do something productive and that her days are filled with activities like this and that the other went home to watch Jerry Springer reruns.

I think there are people in this world that have no idea what their capabilities are and lack the motivation to do anything other than what they dream about or what they heard about on the latest infomercial. The fact is that many of us are not fit for anything but the most menial jobs. Despite our delusions of grandeur, our capabilities limit us. Going for your dream is one thing, having the necessary IQ points and natural gifts to make it happen is quite another. Despite the politics of the time, we are not all created equal. We are all different and at differing levels mentally, spiritually and physically. I could not play for an NBA team. I do not think I would ever be able to do brain surgery no matter how much education I received. I will probably never be a diplomat either.

When we become adults, we get ourselves in to life situations that we sometimes regret after a few years. I believe this woman is reconsidering her options to explore the dreams she had prior to her marriage. This is unfortunate. She needs to find a job, even if it's at Walmart, and help to support her family and she and her husband need to support each other in these efforts to move forward. I think that this is what the counselor friend was trying to get across to her, but she seems deluded by her dreams.

A grasp on personal reality is the essence of 'other' centered life I think.

What would I know about any of this? I am not married. I have had unrealized dreams, mostly because I lack the capability or there were many others far better suited for whatever it is than I am. I just think it's interesting that there are so many of us that live a completely different life in our heads than we do in the world.

The Quality of My Mercy is Strained

You know how some former tobacco users become anti tobacco nazis?

My current situation is similar. In just a few short weeks, I have gone from being the most severe closet case to believing that everyone I know that is in the closet should come out.

Is this unfair? Ya, probably, but in that short time, I have come to believe that the "closet" effects everything else in one's life. It colors it in very negative ways. It can turn you into a liar, a manipulator, a hypocrite to the things you believe and it functions as an involuntary lens through which you are forced to view all of your life. If you are looking at life through the keyhole of the closet door, it is bound to give you a bent world view and if you are a Christian, I KNOW it gives you a bent faith view.

If you are out there and in a closet that you have built, I urge you to leave it. I do not care if you have been faking it with a family, wearing a wife like a beard or dating like mad to appear straight. Get it out. You will feel better in the end. If you have a family, they will appreciate the honesty and understand you better than they once did. They will most likely still love you too. The best part is, you will be able to change all those things you had to keep in place because of the closet door. You can let them go. You will not have to manipulate conversations to draw attention away from yourself and toward others. No more pretending.

At the very least, let me advise that you find someone to confide in that you trust so that you have some accountability. This should not be a fellow traveler. It needs to be a straight person. You need perspective.

Ya, I think I know everything now. But how is that different from before? Get yourself where I am at and we will talk.      

 

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour^[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

  and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.