Perseverance

"Perseverance" is an interesting word. What I notice immediately is that it has the word, "severe", in the middle. This kind of puts me off. When I think about something "severe", I think of it as being dangerous or painful or strict in that disciplinarian sort of way. I want to run away from it, avoid it and hide. Who wants this kind of trouble? Not me.

But James, the Lord's brother says that if our faith is real, it will develop in us perseverance to withstand trials and temptations. I am a man of faith, therefore I must, in the spiritual scheme of my life, develop perseverance. 

James 1:2-4
 
² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Is he nuts? Am I really supposed to consider it a pure joy? I have a problem with that. I want perseverance as part of my spiritual character, but is there not an easier way to develop it? Trials and temptation involve discipline, self denial and sometimes outright pain. These things are not joyful to me. They bring anguish and second thoughts.

Really?

If I have faith as I claim, why should this be? Why would I fear the development of perseverance in my life? My faith should lead me to visualize what I could be as opposed to what I am and so be willing to tolerate the severity of the moment in pursuit of perseverance which will last me a lifetime.

He also says, 

James1:12-15
 
¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
¹³ When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James makes the choice clear. If we learn perseverance with all its severity, we will receive a crown of life. Who does not want that? A little severity for awhile and then a crown of eternal life - is that not a joyful thing? It will also require some patience and long suffering, and since I am shopping for spiritual items today, I may as well get the 3-pack. It will cost me some severity, but it's worth the investment and it will also be better than the alternative.

James says that if we fail to develop perseverance, then we will have to deal with the consequences. If we fail to persevere against the trials and temptations in our lives, the result will be death. Is he talking about spiritual or physical death? I'm thinking maybe both.

I do not consider that a pure joy. Nope.

So Lord, Please teach me to persevere. Help me to get to the place where I can enjoy it. Renew me daily from the inside out. Walk in front of me so I can see and watch my back so I do not become a victim. Please help to finish the work You started all those years ago. Thanks much. I love You. My crown size is 8 by the way.    

Philippians 4:13
 
¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

The Cruelest Cut of All

This is something that I have never understood. I have heard about it, read about it and even had a friend that did it, but I never understood what drives it.

Did you know there people that cut themselves?

Ya, they do it on purpose. My first thought is that it's a cry for attention, since large numbers of these people are teenagers experiencing the usual adolescent angst. I have to say that I was no stranger to seeking out ways to get attention when I was that age. My motto was that even negative attention was good attention.  There was, however, no attention worth the pain of slicing an arm open with a good old Gillette Super Blue.

I have also been advised that there are adults do this. I do not know if it's a hold over habit from the teen years, but I know it occurs.

The literature on the subject indicates that self mutilation and cutting is not an attention seeking device, but when it happens repeatedly and is brought to the attention of counselors by the self identified victim, one has to wonder. My thought is that there is a real pathology to this and their are the copycat attention seekers.

Let me offer this advice to the attention seekers. Find another way. Create something. Build something. Involve yourself in a relationship. Explore your talents. Try just showing off. It works for me. I'm really good at it and in a self effacing way. Adventures in self butchery will eventually wear thin with those whose attention you are seeking. Try something else. Crying wolf once or twice with new cuts is not the way to go. Any counselor worth their credentials would report you in a minute. Don't end up on the 6th floor at Lutheran Hospital just because you wanted a bit of attention. Just knock it off OK?

You may have real issues. I understand that. Try talking about them with someone you trust. That will get you some attention and you might actually develop a friendship or relationship that does not require the drama of self mutilation. Now if you like the drama, maybe this is the issue? Life is not a television show. Frankly, it is boring most of the time. I have grown to appreciate that in ways you cannot imagine. Boring is good. It's the absence of tragedy.

Go for a walk. Think. Pray. Throw away the razor blades and the anger with mommy and daddy.

If you are a Christian, remember that your body does not belong to you. You gave it to Jesus. Don't abuse it okay? You were bought with a price. You are an expensive and highly valuable human being - even if you're an idiot that cuts themselves for attention - so just knock it off. I think I said that already.

Breaking News From The Onion

There's breaking news from The Onion. Apparently President Obama has already compiled his short list to fill the SCOTUS vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia.

WASHINGTON—Moving quickly to begin the process of filling the unexpected vacancy on the Supreme Court bench, President Obama spent much of the weekend compiling a shortlist of gay, transsexual abortion doctors to replace the late Antonin Scalia, White House sources confirmed Monday. “These are all exemplary candidates with strong homosexual values and proven records of performing partial-birth abortions, but am I missing anyone?” Obama reportedly asked himself while reviewing his list of queer, gender-nonconforming, feminist Planned Parenthood employees, all of whom were also said to be black immigrants. “I definitely have enough post-op transsexuals on the list, but it is a little light on pre-op candidates. And I should probably add a cop killer or two on here just to round out my options.” Sources later confirmed that Obama was attempting to rapidly narrow the list down to the single best nominee to submit to the Senate in hopes of wrapping up confirmation hearings before his choice had to leave to attend the Hajj pilgrimage.

Satire is a wonderful thing, but one must wonder how close this is to the mark and how quickly senate Republicans will cave to executive pressure to confirm whoever the happy homo will be. Mitch McConnell lacks the firmness of a tower of gelatin even with the bananas. The other Quisling Republicans in the senate are not much better and will bow to the pressure of their leadership. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz will fly back to Washington to feign opposition prior to folding like a deck of cards.

We live in interesting times.   

If there is anything wrong with the constitution of the United States, it is the section regulating the  US courts. SCOTUS members should not serve life terms and they should not be allowed to create law where none existed before. Still, they do this with great regularity and they go unchallenged. The legislative branch could reign them in. There are several ways in which they could counterbalance the extremism in the judiciary, but they do not do it. They could also reign in executive overreach, but again, they are a lazy bunch, refusing to serve the function for which they were elected. We are living in a functional dictatorship that's being operated by appointees and bureaucrats and rubber stamped by legislators that live in luxury while they entertain unelected influence peddlers, accepting their favors. 

Rome in the 21st Century.

This Body of Sin

I trot out this old chestnut every time I sin or think about sinning. I think it's the way I justify my own thought life and behavior so that in some way my guilt is mollified in my own mind.  I mean, if even Paul had issues (see below), then me too. It's kind of a miserable attitude eh?

Romans 7:14-25a

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

That last sentence sums up what it is that I am always looking for - deliverance. The questions then arises, "but have we not already been delivered and if so, what's wrong with our conversion?"

The fact is that we sin. The flesh is broken and we sin. It's why we need a Savior in the first place. The difference "should" be that as Christians, we now have a power to resist sin that we did not have prior to our conversion. This power is given by God. He actually gives us part of Himself - it's The Holy Spirit. This is why Paul says in,

Romans 8:5-13
 
⁵ Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[d] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

So the challenge for us Christians is to live by The Spirit. How do we do that to such a degree that we are free of the things of the flesh that still plague our mortal bodies? Paul also discusses this in,

Galatians 5: 13-18.

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

So how do we walk by The Spirit; how do we follow His lead? 

That's a fair question that I always end up answering with more questions. How much do you love Jesus? How much do I love Him? I ask these things because the answer is pivotal to our success in the battle against sin in our mortal bodies. How so? What does our love for Jesus have to do with our fight against our own sin? 

If you love someone, do you not find yourself submitting to them in ways that you would not submit to someone else? Think about it. It's true right? Love is motivational in that it moves us to act selflessly toward the one we love. If we love Jesus, we will join Him in the fight to eradicate sin. After all, He suffered to set us free from the bondage of our own desires. Some like to say that He died for our sins. I prefer to think that He gave His life to set me free from the power of sin which is death. If we truly love Him, is it not incumbent on us to yield all our desires and urges to sin to His will?

So, again, how do we walk by The Spirit? 

It's not magic. There will be no mighty, rushing wind every time the desire to sin stirs. Instead you have to listen. There will be a voice. Sometimes it's a whisper. Other times its a loud scream to flee or get the heck out of whatever situation you have gotten yourself into, but He is there. He is trying to guide us. We have to listen. Some become deaf to His voice and that is unfortunate. Don't let that happen. Do not ignore those inner promptings and so become callous to His call to God's righteousness.

You will also find that spiritual discipline is required. We have to participate. We have to submit and subordinate our will to His. This is not easy if you've spent your life being a wild and untamed thing, but it has to be done. The result will be sanctification if done properly.

Are you ready to submit? Are you ready to yield and bend your will? Are you ready to grasp the power available to you and wield it in such a fashion that you always win? It's up to you. It really is up to you. Give Him your life so that you can live in victory, never wallowing again in the ashes of defeat.

I talk a pretty good game don't I? Let's see if I can play.     

 

Rich Mullins Home

The Hair Cut Lottery

I used to be quite vain. It was kind of obnoxious. Between the ages of about 16 and 23, I was obsessive about my hair. I had these long, god-like locks of red hair that were to die for. Women used to tell me, "I would die for hair like that". It was also a work of art from the stylist's point of view. It was cut in such a way that if I went out into a high wind and then came inside, all I had to do was shake my head back and forth and every hair would fall into place in an almost mystical sort of way. My hair seemed to have a memory.

My stylist at that time (1973-1980) was named Rick. He worked at the House of Sculpture on University across from Mercy hospital. He and his business partner Larry ran the place. Strangely, it was my Dad that hooked me up. He had been going there for awhile on the advice of someone he worked with so it was natural to take your kid there and see what would happen.

Never in my life had I felt good about how I looked or even having red hair. Rick changed all that for me. He turned me into a primping, vacuous, air head in front of the mirror. I really liked what I saw. I had confidence that I never had before. I actually thought I was good looking. Maybe I was. Both sexes would look at me, ask me where or who cut my hair and when the guys asked, they were always a little red faced. Being me, I always enjoyed that.

The pic above is of me and my Mom at Grandma's house. I was hot. I have to say, I think I would have dated me. Is that narcissistic? Most likely. We are talking about me here. I am prone to such.

Anyway, as life moved forward and I moved away, there was no one to style my locks and I had to move into the working world and be responsible and pay taxes. Even if I had stayed home, I would have lost Rick and Larry. They both ended up in prison for dealing cocaine out of the shop. The House of Sculpture became an architect's office.  It was a shame. It was the 70's. No one really understood shame.

Reality can be a bitch. So I went in search of the correct stylist/barber, but I never found them.

All of this went through my head today as I was getting clipped at one of those assembly line haircut places, paying more than I paid Rick and Larry back in the Day.

I actually came out looking pretty good considering there is not as much to work with these days. Today my hair is a kind of golden white color that I cannot quite describe and it's much shorter than it used to be. Life has humbled me, Jesus has taken care of me and I love Him for it and people no longer look at the hair anyway. It's OK. I am content and confident in ways I never was in 1979.

It takes more than a haircut to make a man..even so, I still think I would go out with me. It's no wonder I never got married. I've been in love with myself all these years. I guess I'm happy together.

Is this getting nauseating? :^) 

Maybe this summer I will go with a buzz cut. I haven't had one of those since I was about 7 years old.

I will probably look the same, but with wrinkles. 

Reflection

In Philippians 3:4b-14, Paul uses his prison time to reflect on his early life as a Pharisee, comparing it to what he has in his present time.

If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: ⁵ circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; ⁶ as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.
⁷ But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸ What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.
¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Keep in mind, he is a prisoner when he writes this. He is probably in chains. He has eye sight issues. He has endured a kind of persecution that believers today can only wonder about and yet...and yet he is not discouraged and he manages to encourage others throughout his letter. I find myself wondering if there would even be a Christian faith without Christ's choice of Paul as an apostle. Jesus relentlessly pounded the Pharisees of His day for their lack of zeal toward God and their failure to accept Him; yet He managed to turn Paul to His purposes on that road to Damascus and He created the greatest missionary in Christian history.

The central part of Paul's words here I add again below.
 
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in^[a] Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. ¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹ and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.

This is what is at the core of it for all of us that believe. The realization that all of our achievements in this life are meaningless in the great scheme of things; that we have no righteousness before God on our own, but only through our faith in Him. Knowing God through our Savior, Jesus Christ, should be the overarching goal of everything we do. Obedience to rules and merely knowing Christ through scripture is not enough - not for Paul, not for me, not for anyone that claims to be a Christ follower. We have to move forward and take hold of Him that gives us Life. He is our Brother, and Friend. We must take advantage of that relationship. He walks with us always. It behooves us to take advantage of His continuing presence and stay in constant communication.

Our invisible friend...well maybe. He Is Here.     

Something From Paul to Help You Through The Day

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
¹⁴ Do everything without grumbling or arguing, ¹⁵ so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”^[c] Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky

Ash Wednesday

If you are at least a semi-serious Catholic or some other perturbation of high churchian, you are probably well aware that today is Ash Wednesday. It marks the first day of what is to be a 40 day fast leading to Resurrection Sunday. The actual date of Ash Wednesday fluctuates with the phases of the moon as does Easter in the semi-pagan Catholic Christian calendar.

On Ash Wednesday, tradtionalists will go to church and receive ashes from the priest on their foreheads, sometimes in the sign of the cross. It is to be a reminder of man's sinfulness and mortality as in the curse in Genesis 3.

   By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

For the next 40 days a fast is to observed. This is done today by giving something up like red meat or chocolate or sex or or or. In past centuries, they would starve during the daylight hours and eat at night - not all that different from Ramadan in Islam. The purpose was to commemorate the fast of Jesus in the wilderness after His baptism. 

As a protestant, I find the whole thing to be silly, but some would say that I am mired in my own traditions that are not necessarily biblical. So be it. I have known many Catholics over the years; some have been good friends or family. I will not judge them, though I might enjoy a spirited discussion with them.

For me this is another day of the week. I seem to get reminded regularly by the Holy Spirit of my sinfulness and mortality. I do not have the need for a public mark of humiliation to indicate this. I am not sure what drives the need for these ceremonies or rituals. Some people derive a spirituality from it. My personal opinion is that it is more of a feeling than anything spiritual per se, but who am I to judge? Had I been raised Catholic, I might feel differently. I can accept that.

So I hope you are having a good Ash Wednesday if you observe such things..may God empower you for the fast. Go for it.

For you other schismatic Christians - like me - eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we may die! See y'all in heaven.   

The Slump

I call it 'the slump'. It's something that happens spiritually to Christians that can have paralyzing effects. Many refer to it as spiritual dryness. Some feel it as a lack of connectivity with God or apathy toward the things of the Kingdom.  Sometimes it scares them. On other occasions I think it goes unnoticed.

My first advice for those in this situation has always been to seek out Christ. He is the source of life for all of us that believe. Sometimes this works. For some it does not.

Having thought about this some more, I have come to other conclusions that might be more to the point. Maybe it's not spiritual dryness at all that afflicts my brethren. Maybe it's just bad brain chemistry.

I am not making a joke here. And I am not trying to minimize the affliction, but sometimes something in our lives will change that creates this dryness. Something is gone that was there or something is there that was not there before the dryness. 

Let me be clear. I am not talking about myself here. I am always dry. I do not have the normal range of feelings and emotions that others do. I may have mentioned that I had to learn empathy, sympathy and other emotions to be able to function in life and as a Christian. I know this is weird and it points to my brokenness, but I'm OK with it. I seem to enjoy other abilities and I am learning to use them. This is good. Christ is helping me with my sociopathy. Also, for me, spirituality has never been connected to emotion. It can produce emotion and even point to what I should be feeling in a given situation, but for me it is not an emotional issue. For others, this is not the case.

How people feel is directly connected to their spiritual state. I am not sure why this would be. I think people mistake feelings as some sort of spiritual experience. If you are one of those, then expect a spiritual roller coaster. The key to spirituality in my mind rests in the ability to be able to separate the emotions from the spiritual. My prejudice here is that rationality rules spirituality. The ability to sort out the mess, compartmentalize an issue and deal with it rationally (even though what's going on may not be rational) is the key to spiritual success. For me, if I am content, I have achieved a spiritual state...but I digress

If you are a Christian out there today experiencing spiritual dryness, maybe there is another more organic cause that you have not explored. You may laugh at some of these ideas, but as a victim of bad brain chemistry, I can tell you, they all make a difference.

Has your diet changed. What we eat can determine how we feel and we can confuse those feelings for spiritual issues.

What has changed in your life? Is your partner perhaps not feeling well for whatever the reason? As part of who you are, your partner has a major effect on both your emotions and your spirituality. If their health or mental health or spiritual state is not good, yours will suffer too. Whether you realize it or not, their conditions effect your conditions because your lives are tied together in every way. If they suffer, you will suffer too.

Yes, it's true. I know nothing about that from a personal perspective, but I am a keen observer. I have seen the travails of partnered people. Y'all are like a two headed animal. I will say no more.

Lastly, mental illnesses can create spiritual havoc unless you learn to deal with the illness. For years I mistook my near bipolar state for a spiritual issue. It is not. Brain chemistry. Do not let it trick you.

None of this changes what I said originally. All life for us Christians comes from Christ, even when we are feeling bad or we 'think' we are in a spiritually dry period. Just remember....when you cannot depend on your spiritual mind to motivate you, do the right things anyway simply because you know they are right. Never mind how you feel. Feelings come and go. Motivation comes and goes. Practice some spiritual discipline. Do what is right.

I love you.    

Was Donald Trump's "Emergency Landing" A Final Warning to Exit the Race?

Y'all know how I love a good conspiracy. You also know that I believe at some point this spring, Donald Trump will pull out of the race for the Republican nomination. Now I have found someone that agrees with me.

Aaron Dykes over at Truthstream Media believes that the recent engine trouble on The Donald's 757 may have been a warning from TPTB to pull out of the race. I do not disagree. Aaron cites similar veiled threats to Ron Paul and Ross Perot who were also non-establishment candidates in their times.

Aaron's conclusion is that once Trump is out, Jeb Bush will rise to the occasion. As you are aware, I have chosen Marco Rubio for that role. Seriously though, they are both establishment golden boys and Rubio is firmly in the Bush pocket if Jeb does not pull through, so it's 6 of 1, half dozen of the other. Jeb, the joyful tortoise, could be it, but I still think not. We will see. Bernie or Hilly would get pounded by either one.

The more serious issue here is the alleged threat to Trump. If this is true, the Republic is long dead, voting means nothing, and the machinery is permanently broken. As you are also aware, I have thought this to be true for a very long time. I also think Iowa proved this. There was enough stink in both parties at the caucuses to cause scrutiny of the results and yet no one wants to lift that rock and shine the light of truth on what's beneath. It's an archaic method of choosing the parties delegates anyway, full of slipshod procedure that could be bent to the will of whoever is the real vote counter. The Iowa system is prone to abuse and the more people that show up, the more problems there seem to be. I never agree with the Des Moines Register, but today even they said something smelled. Their concern was on the Democrat side.

I will close with this. Donald, be careful. I will not be voting for you, but I do not want to be denied the potential choice. Bernie, watch yourself. There are many that would like to see you go away before November too. You know, both of you could throw everything open right now just by announcing 3rd party candidacies. A four way race in November would slap TPTB in the face and it might even force a run off in December. I love a mess that brings the power of government and money into question. This kind of chaos would just make my day. I say let them feel the fear. Speak truth to power boys. The people need a wake up call.    

This Might Be One Reason that The KC Chiefs lost the First Superbowl

I do not know who number 16 was, but there you have it. It's the way things used to be. People smoked and you had to deal with it....everywhere.


Notice also he is drinking a Fresca...it was, no doubt, sweetened with cyclamates. Do you remember cyclamates? They were the best artificial sweetener available so naturally they got banned. I always thought the sugar industry was behind it. Whatever. I thought the pic was funny. Thanks to Bev S for sending it.

What If Bernie Is The Nominee?

I don't generally waste much time on Democrat politics, but this campaign season has been interesting. The Democrat race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders has been particularly interesting. When Bernie first reared his ancient head as a potential candidate, I did not think he stood a snow ball's chance of getting any traction. He is not even an official Democrat. He is an independent Socialist that votes with the Democrats in the Senate. Now he is running on the Democrat label. He came within a delegate fraction of taking Iowa earlier this week and who knows? Maybe he did. Irregularities are being claimed on all sides. Now he is going to New Hampshire and he continues to gain ground in polls there. I wonder if the Democrats have considered that he may win the nomination?

Bernie Sanders is the logical next step up from Barrack Obama in the Marxist gradualism of the Democrat Party. Maybe he is the One...or next One as the case may be? Hillary is just too 'late 20th century' for today's progressives and Democrats. She represents what once was, but is no more. Never mind her criminal past, she is just old news. She is uncomfortable in her own skin and uncomfortable with the skin of others. She hates men...I wonder why?... and she hates other Democrats. The nursing home awaits her.

Either one of these will be inconsequential against the establishment favorite...Marco Rubio. Yes, I am still sticking with my prediction. Marco is the one. Whether he will win the big dance in November remains to be seen, but I think he will. Marco was not my candidate, but I still believe he is the real 'One'. Can you say 'President Rubio'?   

Finnish TV Releases Unintetionally Hilarious PSA on How to Protect Yourself From Rape

Apparently rape can be prevented in Finland by wearing huge oven mitts and swinging a 'bowling bag size' purse at the perpetrator. I had no idea it was that easy. Apparently American and European women have been doing it all wrong. Leave it to Finnish innovation to find the answer.

A Weird Week

Work has been strange this week. I knew my boss was coming up from St Louis, but then the feces struck the oscillating wind device. Just as my boss arrived yesterday, two managers from human resources arrived, accompanied by an area security manager.  This does not happen on any regular basis and the combination of these departments seldom bodes well for the operation. When you get HR and security together, someone usually gets fired on Friday. It will be interesting to see what develops.

We have two operations in my building. My boss oversees both of them. We are are what's called a cohab. Two different divisions of the company sharing the same digs is not unusual. Yesterday, the manager of the other operation was placed on vacation while an investigation was completed. I do not know what is being investigated. No one is talking...to me. I do know that this man's operation is a money making machine and if there was any way possible, the company would do well to find a way to exonerate him or at least take disciplinary action short of termination.

It's true that he is not always politically correct and sometimes he will cut corners to get the job done. I know he has offended many people in our organization with his directness about what he thinks regarding the company and his employees, but he is very, very good at what he does. He could squeeze a dime out of his last quarter.

It would be a mistake to fire him in my opinion. I guess if my opinion mattered though or I knew what HR and Security knows, I might feel different, but right know I am firmly in his court. I know full well how things can happen based on circumstantial evidence and poor investigatory skills of those that pursue such matters. I have been on the receiving end of such witch hunts and I know they will tie you to the pyre with little proof unless you take action to defend yourself.

The company I work for is big. I mean really big. They regularly eat people for lunch. There is always a steady stream of employees being turned into ex-employees worldwide. There is also a corporate bureaucracy that can only be compared to the US government. The company employs too many people whose job it is to look for trouble where there is none and then make a big deal of it to justify their cushy jobs. My company could create a fortune overnight by putting these people on the street to find honest work. I'm thinking though that work is not what they want to do. They would rather fire productive people and replace them with politically correct rule keepers that produce nothing besides good feelings.

As you can see, I have my own opinions. I would also like to say that if any one from work is reading this, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Brian, if you are reading, and I KNOW you have before, this is my opinion. This is my space to share it. You would do well to leave it alone. I have not named the company or anyone involved in what's happening, so back away from your keyboard and keep your cool.

For the record, this may well be a righteous, well intended investigation involving serious charges that have to be answered. If so, let justice be done. I just have problems with the competence of one of the investigators. This person is more interested in closing cases than seeking truth. My experience with this person is that this person is incompetent. It's unfortunate that incompetent people rise to positions where they have power over the lives of others, but it happens all too frequently. Washington DC is an example of that.

If justice is done in this case, I will retract the things I have said here. I suspect I will not have to retract anything.    

The Coin Toss

The story is that 6 precincts in the Iowa Caucuses were tied on the Democrat side of things. The resolution to this situation here in Iowa is a coin toss. Winner take all.

My opinion is that this is absurd. Why not just let them be tied and go with the running total statewide? I am not a Bernie Sanders supporter by any stretch of the imagination, but I think Bernie got screwed by this methodology. Have you ever done any coin tossing? Try getting 6 straight coin tosses to go your way. It does not happen...unless someone is cheating.

Bernie, I don't like your politics, but you deserve better treatment. I also think you are much more honest about who you really are than your opponent. She is a two faced tool of the bankers and the defense industry. She is part of the War Party in this country that crosses party lines. A vote for Hilly will be a vote for more war.

Bernie, you have to find a way to take her down and send her to prison for her crimes in Libya. Gun running to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is pretty serious. If you do nothing else in the election, you have to take her down. We, as a nation, will be eternally grateful. It will be enough for me to stand and say a few kind words about the socialist from Vermont. Gitt'er Bernie. Take the Bitch down.

Oooo. Did I say that? Oh well. I'm sure that millions of other Americans are thinking the same thing this morning. The difference is that I said it. Send Bill's ball breaker to prison or at least back to her mansion in New York. She can write a memoir and after it comes out, we can have a book burning. This one needs to go. She's toxic. She's bent. She is a spiritual dead end. No inner life. Merely a lust for power and control.

I have to move. American politics is too much for me to deal with. I long for the days of the old Republic. I think I will secede. Wherever I go, the 20 foot circle around me will be sovereign territory. You will need a passport to approach. I will have no immigration problem within my personal space and no one else will have authority. I will be a nation and island to myself. I wonder if I should acquire nukes? They might be useful in the short term. 

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.