Fine Dry Wit Review FWIW

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

Year New Happy
I am Happy. My mood could be described as ‘cheerfully optimistic’ for the coming year. I know that God is working in our lives, taking care of His children, so I don’t fear the future OR the present. I wish more people could know the peace that God puts in the hearts of those who belong to Him. Even when circumstance encircles us with troubles, even what terrible things happen-we are sustained, because God loves us.
I am looking forward to 2006, just as I was 2005 a year ago. I enjoy life, and living at peace with God.
I hope that each of you who stop by here have an excellent, positive, happy 2006.

Sunday, December 31, 2006

Safe Harbor

This post may confuse some of you out there, but bear with me. I’ll try to keep it short.
Just a few minutes ago a friend mentioned that she is “Not afraid to die.” and I know exactly what she means. There is no fear of death for a child of God. I do not want to live a single second longer than God has use for me on this earth. I can echo Paul’s famous, “21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” Philippians 1:21-24

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Who Makes It A Merry Christmas?

It’s Christmas. What does that mean anymore?
Adam and Eve messed up. At the fall of Man our world became corrupted, we became corrupted. Not a pretty sight. And God was the only One Who could do anything to remedy the situation. And He did.
He promised and sent a Savior to redeem fallen man. Christmas marks the beginning of that redemptive process, when our Redeemer was born in Bethlehem.
The path from cradle to cross to resurrection is all part of a whole, is the entirety of the redemptive work of Christ which freed us from sin and restores us to right fellowship with God.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Not Live Blogging The New Year...I'm just here, and it's happening as I write this. 2008 was...off-putting. Even those who should be cheering like football ruggers seem to be quietly awaiting impending bad times.
Democrats won the White House, and hold Congress and are finally nearly free from the Bush administration. You’d think things would be more cheery on the leftish side of the universe...but it seems rather morose over there.
How can you please a pessimist? Refuse to agree with him. Or her. But this isn’t a political post- I think everyone’s tired of all that. I know I am.
2009 should be interesting. May God extend His Grace to you and may He bring us all Home.

AND

Coming up on 12-31-2009 and the happily anticipated 1-1-2010, I am grateful to God for every day, every blessing, every un-blessing which teaches me something I need to learn. 2009 was just a year, one that I am happy to see receding in the rear view mirror of my life. As that is as close to a country music song as I want to get today, to sum up 2009 I'll revisit a Gospel song from the Statler Brothers:
"I've got one more day behind me,
How many I've got left, I don't know-
But I'm getting closer to Jesus, I've got
One less day to go!"

See you on the other side, friends.

May God Richly Bless You Today

"4 “The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5 “Refute me if you can;
Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
6 “Behold, I belong to God like you;
I too have been formed out of the clay."
Job 33:4-6

"14 “If He should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
15 All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust."
Job 34:14-15

Which we do-the casing, the body, the physical part of us returns to dust. We would have never been more than dust if not for "the breath of the Almighty."
But we are more, formed by God and made in His image.
For good works, to offer Praise, to honor and Glorify God
And to Live in communion with Him.
If you have wondered why you exist, what you were made for, that is our answer-yours, mine, and God's.

Grandpa Tin Man’s Christmas Dinner

Scene: The Olive Garden. The Tin Man is hosting Christmas Dinner for his two grandsons, T-101 and his cousin, Agent Smith.

Grandpa Tin Man: 19 cord! I used to chop and stack 19 cord of wood a day, and I LOVED IT! There was never a Tin Man made happier than me! Doing what I was made to do!
Cousin T-101: 01001010 01100101 01110011 01110101 01110011 00100000 01000011 01101000 01110010 01101001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100001
Grandpa Tin Man: What was that?
Cousin T-101: 01001010 01100101 01110011 01110101 01110011 00100000 01000011 01101000 01110010 01101001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100001
Grandpa Tin Man: Kids! I can’t understand your lingo! What he say?
Cousin Agent Smith: He said that we are all happy, doing what we were made to do. I couldn’t agree more!
Grandpa Tin Man: Thank you, Locutus.
Cousin Agent Smith: I’m Smith, Grandpa. Cousin Borg couldn’t make it-just as well…that half-human makes me sick! They…reek!
Grandpa Tin Man: Well, we’re family, so just love the half that isn’t human. How’s your work going?
What is it that you do again?
Cousin Agent Smith: Cousin T-101 and I are both in Computers-he’s hardware, and I’m software.
Grandpa Tin Man: When we get back to the house, would you mind looking at my dial-up? It’s slower than molasses in February!
Cousin Agent Smith: Sure thing, Grandpa. It wouldn’t be a holiday without a little Free Family Tech Support!
Cousin T-101: 01001010 01100101 01110011 01110101 01110011 00100000 01000011 01101000 01110010 01101001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100001
Grandpa Tin Man: What he say?
Cousin Agent Smith: He said you should upgrade your Apple II. Today’s machines have a GUI.
Grandpa Tin Man: Gooey? I don’t want gooey! It sounds dangerous! Say! Did I ever tell you boys how much wood I could cut in a day? 19 cord! Chopped and stacked! I…
Cousin T-101: 01001010 01100101 01110011 01110101 01110011 00100000 01000011 01101000 01110010 01101001 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01001100 01101111 01110010 01100100 00100001
Cousin Agent Smith: (aside to Cousin T-101 as Grandpa Tin Man rambles on) It’s just once a year. I’ve got his oilcan, if he starts crying over that human girl with the little dog again.
FoC: It is the distant future…the year 2000...

A Post Which Rights Itself

Today is a good day. Today is the day I became aware of "Awkward Family Photos Dot Com.
These are just a few of the jewels in its crown. Click on the post title to experience the majesty for yourself. Thank me ever.

Merry Christmas, Everybody!

Ho Ho Ho! What do you say? In the spirit of “Christmas”, lets extend the right hand of Holiday fellowship to EVERYONE, irregardless of whether or not they fall under the “Christian” banner. Christmas isn’t just for Christians, is it? Spirit of the Season, man. Just love. Just love. Just love your fellow man.
I’ll start. Since my brother the Muslim has a teency-weencie lit-tle problem with the idea of Jesus Christ being the Son of God, lets set aside that inconvenient truth for a moment and join our Christmas Muslim brothers in …Caroling!

Islam Bells (sung to the tune of dogs barking “Jingle Bells”)

Islam Bells!
Islam Bells!
Calling us to prayer!
Unless you are an infidel
We demand that you be there!

And that old favorite:

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(And we stoned her for bringing shame upon our family!)

Let’s not forget to get in a chorus of:

Santa Claus is Coming To Town!
(Claus? That’s not a Jewish name, is it?)

And of course:

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Shariah!


I know, I know-I’m rushing the Season. You might not be in the Christmas spirit yet. PBUY

It Doesn't Matter...

…what I write about stuff. I’ve been stating that “Global Warming” ala Gore is false, that God can be trusted to take care of His earth…nothing. Crickets. Gore and now Obama act as if it’s a real threat, even when the evidence has been hoked up and proven to be false. False doesn’t matter, if they already have an agenda in place.

It doesn’t matter
…what I write about God and His Sovereignty. Y’all are still going to go on pretending that Christians are the crazy ones, bowing to an empty altar. You demand proof the way the Pharisees and Sadducees demanded proof from Jesus. When confronted with His evidences, they still did not believe.

It doesn’t matter
…how many times I write about the true religion of Peace being maligned while the religions of War are praised. Meaning that Peace that matters is Peace with the God of the Bible, not the false god Allah.
Please don’t bring up again the President Bush trope about his calling Islam a religion of Peace. I know-he was wrong when he said it, and those who still cling to that false idea are wrong now. If you want to know why President Bush said it, ask him.

It doesn’t matter
…how much evidence comes out proving that President Obama is attempting to ruin the United States.
You are, come Hell or high water, going to support him because at least he isn’t a Republican.
People often do stupid things, like voting for the wrong politicians for the wrong reasons. At least in China, where the people have no vote, the population bears no guilt for voting in the wrong leaders. It’s hard to share a ‘high five’ when you’re in chains, but…HIGH FIVE, Chinese population!

But it doesn’t matter. We’re all going to end up in either Hell or Heaven. You’re either waiting for your redemption or your destruction. Carry on.

No…Well. Uhuh. But…You See…

“Here’s the deal, nutty crazy persons. You earnestly want to make your point. You desperately want me to agree with you. But there’s a problem…you're nuts! To agree with you, I’d have to flip 180* away from Reality, and I’m kind of comfortable, looking up at the sky and down at the ground. I don’t know how to say this without hurting your feelings, but you, your assumptions, conclusions and ‘facts’ are all wrong, false, unreal; all trumped by the Reality which seems to be such a problem for you. Have a good day.”

So would go my answer were I confronted by either of the reality-impaired naifs I caught being interviewed on PBS today. Their interviewer was of one mind with them, except possibly a bit more ridicualable. He was, after all, the host of his own show on PBS. Gravitas, right?

What was it that so bent their brains? Same old same old: Jews. Israel. Yawn.

Nobody gets worked up over the Irish anymore, and the Italians have been skating for years…what is it about the Jews which gets people so worked up?
One of the interviewees, a woman named Schwartz, was quick to point out that the problems of Gaza can’t all be laid at Jewish feet, as (and I quote): “There are a LOT more Christian Zionists in the world than Jews.”

Oh my head. I think she means me, as I am a Christian who does not believe that God has abandoned the Jews. I not only support Israel’s right to exist, I will shout from the rooftops that it DOES exist. I believe that when the Lord returns, He will set up His earthly Kingdom with Jerusalem as His Capitol.
Homework, meaning looking it up for yourself will mean more than my quoting the scripture here:
Zechariah chapter 8:21-23 and all of chapter 14. Mighty cool!
Oh, and crazy triad on PBS? If Israel offends you, don't go there. Big world, lots of choices.
Personal to Ms. Schwartz: "Eligbi ala Caba, beleti ola be." Have a nice day.

Lamentations 3:21-26

21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I have hope in Him.” 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him. 26 It is good that he waits silently For the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:21-26

I never get tired of reading these verses. I've posted this Scripture before, but have meditated on them for 30 years-they are full of promises for us all.
There have been times when I was in difficulties, of the types we all face, and I would get...loud. Then I would remember that I should be quiet, and wait for God to bring me through. Which He did, which He still does.
It always strikes me, that as Jeremiah is meditating on God's lovingkindness, he moved in the sixth line to exclaim to God, "Great is Your faithfulness.".
That is good. That is proper and right.
The LORD is good to the person who seeks Him. Amen.

Almost Part Of Life

Considering my last post, it probably isn't wise to post now about suicide, but when was I ever accused of wisdom?
For the record, I’m not a good candidate-I’m expecting to be alive for eternity, in a glorified body, praising God. This temporary green room of a life, with its ups and downs, isn’t going to win any awards, but it is what it is. Temporary. Livable. Sometimes full of giggles.
So why post about suicide?
Circumstance, friends. There have been quite a few too many people in my area recently who have killed themselves . That touches us all.
Here’s something to consider: God sets the number of our days, just as surely as every hair on our heads is countable. He allots to each of us a finite number of minutes this side of the grave. How we die is not nearly as important as how we live.
Not everyone has the comfort of knowing that God loves them, cares for them, has a Hope ready to carry them through the tough times we inflict on each other down here.
All the more reason to proclaim the Gospel, and let people know that there is a bright future ahead. And also let people know that the present day mess doesn’t have to kill them.
Would a Born again Christian suicide? It has happened. We are human still, and even those who belong to God may find the present life unbearable.
But it is bearable. We continue to live and work and play and wait.

Cheer-o Yourself, Bob

Well. That wasn't interesting. But I'm back. Here's the what: I've had a bit of a hard week and a half. Nothing life-shattering, just hard. It happens to all at times, and it was my turn.
Let's say that my life is broken into three sections. If I have a rough patch in any of the three, the two other parts carry me through. Two parts in a bit of trouble, at least the third would be going well.
Well, all three parts went South this time. Now I'm heading North.
About the title: Bob Benchley wrote about this subject back in the 1930's. And it is as old as man.
Viskas bus gerai.

Temporary Sanity

I may be gone for a bit, but I will continue FDW.

Swans and Ducks

Elihu makes a defense of God to Job and his friends:
“10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do wickedness,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
11 “For He pays a man according to his work,
And makes him find it according to his way.
12 “Surely, God will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13 “Who gave Him authority over the earth?
And who has laid on Him the whole world?
14 “If He should determine to do so,
If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,
15 All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.”
Job 34:10-15
Just a note-that last is a beautiful theological statement.

“16 “But if you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words.
17 “Shall one who hates justice rule?
And will you condemn the righteous mighty One,
18 Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’;
19 Who shows no partiality to princes
Nor regards the rich above the poor,
For they all are the work of His hands?”
Job 34:16-19
On with our show. I don’t simply cast off any criticism which may be valid. I am as susceptible to mistakenality and blind-eyeness as the next sinner. Believe it or don’t, I actually try to honor God in my life, and in these posts on FDW.
The recent Obama posts with his image being apellated with words such as “hypocrite” and “liar” caused someone to think that I was being un-Christian, or at the very least a poor one.
Fair enough.

“7 “He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
But with kings on the throne
He has seated them forever, and they are exalted.
8 “And if they are bound in fetters,
And are caught in the cords of affliction,
9 Then He declares to them their work
And their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves.
10 “He opens their ear to instruction,
And commands that they return from evil.
11 “If they hear and serve Him,
They will end their days in prosperity
And their years in pleasures.
12 “But if they do not hear, they shall perish by the sword
And they will die without knowledge.
13 “But the godless in heart lay up anger;
They do not cry for help when He binds them.”
Job 36:7-13

Their transgressions, that they have magnified themselves. Starts with an O, ends with an A.
I won’t try to justify my opinion of Obama by tossing scripture at you. I won’t mention, except in passing right here, the very unkind words Jesus had for the leaders of Israel, and for Herod, the President Obama of Christ’s day.
What I will do is ask you to look at these few verses (or dig in the Bible on your own) and ask yourself, what is God’s opinion of the Obamas of the world?
“But Doug,” you might say, “If you don’t have anything good to say about someone, you should keep your mouth shut!”
No. If someone, even my President, is acting wickedly, is attacking my country, is abusing his power...I won’t shut up. I am calling out Obama to repent, to return from evil, for his own good.
Once upon a time John the Baptist had access to Herod Antipas through having been imprisoned. What did John do? He got in Herod’s face about his personal bidness:
“17For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; but he used to enjoy listening to him.”
Mark 6:17-20
God is watching.

Boldly

Space….is not the final frontier. Only spatially, in a point A to point Z kind of way. Here’s the here’s:
I’m ancient in dog years, but doing pretty good in Doug years. I watched Stat Trek when it was first on, and hated that it was cancelled, a child’s first disappointment.
A bit later my family is visiting relatives in an urban area, the TV is on and…Star Trek! How is this possible, I ask?
Re-runs, I am told. Oh. The concept of programming being re-broadcast enters my reality.
So now, 18 parsecs from that small world era where I would join Kirk and Spock in beaming down to some alien desert with big paper mache` rocks…J.J. Abrams, (who I suspect was my kindred kid back in my day) has brought it all home. And I’m beaming.

Casablanca Obverse

Oh no, you say-another one of those posts. I know some prefer the politi-bitters, or the theologic cambrianism.
But again, Doug with the old movies full of actors who have been dead lately.
According to the imdb, Alida Valli, pictured above with Joseph Cotton, passed from this world all the way back in 2006. Also according to imdb, she was in over 100 films-I just watched "The Third Man" after having heard about it for quite.
Leave it to say that it was much better because of her work in the movie. If you haven't seen it, or not for awhile, I encourage you to track it down, see for yourself what Cinema used to be.
Endnote: Among the few extras on the Criterion Collection disc is a casual picture from production in Vienna- the director Carol Reed visited by Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan, filming "I Was A Male War Bride" right in the near. Comedy meets Tragedy over tea. How very British.

Coward in Chief

From the A/P:
“U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that she is concerned about the Obama Administration’s "corruption, lack of transparency, poor governance (and) absence of the rule of law."“

Okay-I fudged, but I own up to it. I replaced Afghanistan with the Obama Admin. Supposedly it’s Karzai’s administration which is riddled with corruption, lack of transparency poor governance (and) absence of rule of law.
This coming from Hillary Clinton can be likened to a prostitute jeering at a bride for not being a virgin on her wedding day.
“President Barack Obama won't accept any of the Afghanistan war options before him without changes, administration officials say, amid an argument by his own ambassador in Kabul that a significant U.S. troop increase would only prop up a weak, corruption-tainted government.”
(But he has no such benchmark for Chicago?)
The military commanders have stated that more troops are required for Afghanistan to achieve a positive outcome.
But the Peace Prize President doesn’t want to hear it. So our troops in Afghanistan are in more danger, as they will continue to be undermanned, and undermined by their own Commander in Chief.
Obviously Obama wants to be a Peace time President, and resents being saddled with a war he didn’t want. Pity poor him. Pity poor U.S. as we are ‘being led’ by a non-Leader.
If he doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to face down our country’s enemies-and I’m not talking about Republicans here-then he shouldn’t be President.
I expect him to cut and run while blaming everyone else for the troubles he has brought on our country. I also expect that he will not seek re-election. I hope I'm right.

I'm Not Confused

I know that today is Veteran's Day. I'm a peacetime veteran myself. I was going to forgo commenting on this Day as words seem trite, and with what has happened at Fort Hood, in Afghanistan and Iraq; this day seems more like Memorial Day.
So, no real post. May God Bless you and also Bless the rest of us.

Some Good News For A Change

When the Lord takes up His people in what is colloquially referred to as "The Rapture", it will certainly be good news for Christians. Leaving behind a world of sin, our sinful bodies? Who wouldn't want that?
I can't see if anyone is raising their hands.

"2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”
Psalm 2:2-3

We see the leaders of the nations (kings of the earth) seemingly bringing about this prophesy today.
You hear of the proud and OH! so civilized "Post-Christian Europe",
you read of the advances of Islam conquering more and more of the planet,
You see billions of peoples in the gulags of Communist atheism.
The 'tearing apart of the fetters' ? Have you desired to be free from the guilt that Christians keep talking about?
Be careful what you wish for, friends.
When all of those noisome Christians are taken away, with their preaching at and sharing the Gospel with a world that doesn't want to hear it....

11 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD,
“When I will send a famine on the land,
Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,
But rather for hearing the words of the LORD.
12 “People will stagger from sea to sea
And from the north even to the east;
They will go to and fro to seek the word of the LORD,
But they will not find it. Amos 8:11-12

The context of the book of Amos shows that this famine will take place during a time when God is judging the world.
Just as the Bible is a closed book to those who do not have God's Spirit, during that famine the world will be so troubled, tribulations will be so great that some people will seek God, desire that God will forgive their sins and save them. But the Salvation available NOW will at that time be hidden from them. I know that there will be some who accept Christ in the troubled times ahead...but they will be killed by those rejecting the Gospel.
The good news for you? We're still here. The Christians have not yet left the building. The 'time of the gentiles' has not yet ended. There is still time for you to seek God and His forgiveness.

Those kings of the earth mentioned above? Do you know how that "unfettering" will turn out for them?
"15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16and they said* to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”"
Revelation 6:15-17
Who indeed?

Post 580! Whoop De Do!

Consider this a rebut from all of the terribles going on in the world.

Oklahoma and Dr Zhivago are very well known, which is why I didn’t give many clues. The other movie is “Very Other”. The tag line is: “The motion picture with something to offend everyone!” and it certainly attempts to do just that. “The Loved One” came out the same year as “Dr. Zhivago”, with two very interesting performances from Rod Steiger.
Of course, Christianity is one of the elements which gets the greatest going over. But it’s a strawman religion that gets set fired to-Christianity as perceived by Hollywood. It misses what should have been an easy target, not that I’m complaining.
Many of the ‘closeted gay Hollywood’ community of the 1960’s appear in this movie, gathered by the director for his own reasons. It goes beyond co-incidence that the chaps are acting together here.
The movie is hilarious, and, when it misses a mark, it isn’t from a lack of effort. Rod Steiger as Mr Joyboy (the character is straight, but the movie?) is worth the price of a rental/purchase by himself, but his mother...
So ends the weakest movie quiz ever. James wins, as the only participant.
If you haven’t seen these movies, I encourage you to seek them out.

Evil Is Like A Box Of

"NO lover of the gospel can conceal from himself the fact that the days are evil."
C. H. Spurgeon in "The Sword and Trowel" August, 1887

Charlie, if you think times were bad back then...

Last night I listened to an interview of Pastor John MacArthur on the subject of what God says about Homosexuality.
I'm going to stop right there for a moment to point out: if you make negative assumptions about MacArthur and the content of the interview based on the subject matter, be careful that your prejudice doesn't rear up, as you would be pre-judging something you haven't heard.
During the interview, MacArthur is posed questions by an associate, and MacArthur makes plain at the outset that he is not offering his opinion. He rightly says that no one's opinion, not even his own, matters. What matters is God's opinion, clearly stated in Scripture.
I would encourage you to seek out MacArthur on the web-I go through iTunes-and listen to that interview yourself. What you hear may surprise you, or confirm your prejudice, if you have any. He makes a very good reasoned response to the query of why Christians get all into the personal business of sinners, why Christians oppose Homosexuality.
I also listened to a sermon from MacArthur on the subject, "The R-Rated Church." Quite.

Who's That?

Who's That?

There's nothing wrong with having a bit o` fun. For your bemusement, from the photo above, name the movies, the actors AND name the characters they played.
If you've seen and enjoyed the movies, do tell. If you haven't...do watch.

Bumping Against Bad

Recently a soul took issue with my Christian witness because I put a picture of President Obama in a post with the word “COWARD” written across his face.
My response, that I didn’t care what anyone thought about the post, was met with a return volley of chastisement, that I should care, because: “By their fruits shall ye know them, as it's written.”
Chuck Smith had a great line in one of his books about “Renegade Fruit Inspectors”.
You know, Christians and others (especially others) who take upon themselves the checking of Christians efforts/witness.
Am I offensive? If so, please feel free to ignore me and go about your day. But please, PLEASE, I beg of you(!)...stop back and share here at FDW the next time you apologize to someone for speaking your mind, for having an opinion. I'm eager to learn what that's like.

Faith Is Fine, But…

If you refuse to accept the impossible as possible, you’re on your way to quiet.
Here-two examples: let’s call them Vern and John.
Vern is an adult, mid-twenties, who was born into a church denomination which he still attends.
John has pinballed between religions, looking for Salvation in many dark corners.
Which one stands a better chance of becoming a Christian?
If you say Vern, as he already is one…no soup for you!
While Vern is comfortable in the religion he grew up in, he will never seek to become a Christian because his church has taught him that he is a Christian. He doesn’t think he needs Salvation, as he has already acquired it.
John, on the other hand, is not satisfied yet, has no such quiet in his soul. He knows he is a sinner, but is stuck in the reason/logic vs. faith conundrum.
The doors of Heaven will never be opened by logic or reason (or church membership), as those are part of man’s attempt to explain existence. If it were possible to win Salvation through reason/logic, then Christ wouldn’t have had to die for sinners, as they could argue their way into Heaven.
You can find Verns and Johns in the New Testament-Vern is a type of Pharisee whose religion has told him that he is just and right before God, irregardless of whether his heart is filled with sin.
John is still looking for someone to take his sin away.
If you refuse the impossible idea that man can earn, argue, reason his way into Heaven…you are on your way to the quiet Peace which God gives to His children. God only allows Himself to be discovered through Faith.

Drag Me To Heaven Instead

Sam Raimi may someday catch up on his adulthood, but right now, I’d say he’s busy being a kid, one with a BIG sandbox.
I wouldn’t want to spoil “Drag me To Hell” for anyone, but there is one point in the mythos which caught my mind’s ear enough to comment on: the idea of anyone ‘cursing’ someone else to Hell.
Nope no nyet.
You say, “Of course no one can do that, Doug!” and I say that
If people COULD damn someone to Hell with a curse, with people being the way they are, there wouldn’t be enough of us left up here to whistle back at the birds. We’d ALL be down there.
Conversely, not a one of us can bless someone into Heaven. It’s not up to us, for which we should all be grateful. I wouldn’t want to be the one to decide who goes where.
God reserves that decision for Himself.
Here’s a little side note:
the apostles James and John once asked Jesus if He wanted them to call down fire from Heaven to destroy some Samaritans who were obstructing Christ and His apostles. The brothers had already miraculously healed, cast out demons, and seemed to think that they had the power to burn up a village of Samaritans.
Jesus rebuked the brothers, and said, “the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:56a
God need not give Christians any special powers to damn someone to Hell-that would be like giving Christians the ability to teach fish how to swim. All we can do is point towards Christ and tell what He did for us. Even if no one listens. Tap tap...is this thing on?

Is The Pope Catholic?

Something out of the ordinate-ary: Pope Benny kicking open the doors to the Catholic Church, inviting Anglicans to (re)join the Mother church they so foolishly left in 1534 when “H’nry th’ ait” kicked those doors shut.
So now, with the Anglican Church split over the issue of acceptance/ordination of homosexuals, Pope Benny and the powers that be in Popery have seized upon the opportunity to proselytize.

“Come unto us, all who are weary of a church which accepts homosexuals as priests!”
“Anglican priests who join us get to keep their wives! AND get HUGE discounts at Costco and Sears!”
“Ye Anglicans were led away from the Mother Church by the lusts of one man. All is forgiven! Come home! Come HOME!”

You see, here’s the rub in the rubbish: either the Pope is Catholic, meaning that he is the head of the CHURCH, which is populated by all who have faith in God, what/which/however they may attend other denominations…or he ain’t.
I have faith in God. According to the doctrines of the Catholic (universal) church, I actually belong to them.
The fact that Catholics used to burn us Baptists as heretics notwithstanding, I am considered a misguided soul who doesn’t know that he is part of the universal church.
Sorry, Benny. Anglicans returning to your roost are simply trading one tyrant for another. You are no more the Head of the CHURCH than I am.
I now offer, in this space, (which is read by up to nearly three people on any given day), my own WELCOME to dissatisfied Anglicans who are looking for a new church home.
If trading up, please consider Baptist. Our Baptist Distinctives all fit on one page, unlike the edicts and pronouncements of the unholy Catholic Church. And we guarantee: NO Transubstantiation! Well Come home!

Slough-ly They Walked

God called one of His angels, Phil, to come before Him.
“Phil,” said the Lord, “I have a very special task for you. Take this list, go down to Earth, and follow My instructions.”
A list appeared in Phil’s hand, and he said, “I will do anything You ask, Lord!”
The Lord smiled. “Good luck, Phil.”
“Luck?” thought Phil as he headed down to earth. “Why would my Lord wish me luck? How hard could this task be?”

It was dark on the side of the planet where Phil arrived at the bedroom of John Hagee. The pastor was asleep in his bed; after filling the room with heavenly light, Phil shook Hagee awake and said, “Pastor Hagee, I bring you greetings from the throne room of God! He has sent me this night to bring you up to Heaven, to forever be with the Lord!”
Hagee stared at the angel.
“What is this?” he said. “How did you get in here? I’m calling Security, so you better get out of here right now!” Hagee hit the panic button next to his bed, and sirens sounded all through his ten million dollar mansion.
Phil looked again at his instructions, nodded, and disappeared.

It was still dark when Phil entered the boardroom of Rick Warren. Pastor Warren was going over plans for his African Mission Hospitals, and barely looked up when Phil approached his desk.
“Pastor Warren, I am an angel. I bring you greetings from the throne room of God! He has sent me this night to bring you up to Heaven, to forever be with the Lord!”
Rick Warren stared at Phil for a moment, then pounded the papers on his desk.
“Are you CRAZY? I don’t have time for that! I have to be about the Lord’s business in Africa! You tell Him I’m busy!”

The sun was just coming up when Phil knocked on the door of the Joyce Meyer Ministry in Tennessee. After requesting an audience with Mrs. Meyer, Phil, following his instructions, sat and waited the eight hours before moving on to the last name on his list.

“Doug,” said Phil, “I am an angel. I bring you greetings from the throne room of God! He has sent me to bring you up to Heaven, to forever be with the Lord!”
Doug didn’t even shut down his computer.
“Let’s roll!”

_________________

Background: Where I’m At

A couple of long time agos I discovered the stinker masquerading as Sean Hannity-before you start cheering my sanity, I think he’s too middle of the road, too too accommodating of Liberal ideas and idealists. He may have to pander to his buddies like Bob Beckel, but I don’t. I don’t have to make nice with the opposing party to fill broadcast hours and, though I admire Capitalism, I think Hannity is only driven by greed. Both for money and *stardom*.
I like Mark Levin; he’s the vociferous in your face thinker/broadcaster that Hannity wishes he were.
But I can only take Levin in small doses.
I had a subscription to Rush Limbaigh’s pod cast which I let run out. I like Rush just fine, but even he tires out my ears-I found that the pod casts were filling up my iPod unlistened to.
So, where am I? I have no great affection for or loyalty to the Republican Party, as they stuck us with the worst possible candidate last time, and probably the next few times ahead.
Washington D.C. corrupts absolutely. Without term limits, there is no whip in the hand of Americans to make the Beast behave. How many innocent do-gooders have come to Washington broke as churchmouses but now are as rich as Popes?
Here is my HOPE: when Christ returns, (and may it be soonerer than laterer!) He will cast all liars into the outer darkness. I daresay that Washington D. C. is going to be a ghost town, tumbleweeds rolling up Pennsylvania Avenue. Even so, come Lord Jesus!

Some Ifs Belong To Us

I stated in my last post, concerning what will happen in our lives, that “Those Ifs belong to God”.
But we do indeed have our own Ifs.
If I were lazy, quit working but continually have my hand out begging money to survive, expecting God to drop daily manna for me…hmmm
It might be better if (there’s another one!) I put it this way:
We are not helpless babes in cradles. We are adults, and there is much work to do. God sets me to work, and I wouldn’t expect, in this life, to live like a Prince.
God never promised me a rose garden.
Paul was a tentmaker-his very important work of proclaiming the Gospel to the Gentiles was subsidized by his day job.
I am skilled in a few different areas, and can do most anything. The work I do is a blessing from God, as it is how He sustains me, takes care of me. But it is up to me to do the work, to earn the pay, to plan (asking His Providence) for the short bit of future I have ahead of me before Jesus returns or I go to meet Him.
That ‘short bit of future’ may be another 40 years, or eternity might sneak up on me this morning as I go to town to walk a puppy (another task I’m happy to have been tasked with).
“By the sweat of your brow you shall earn your bread.” still applies, though, in my present job it’s hard to work up a sweat, sitting at a computer.
Many of the parables which Jesus used to teach can be summarized thusly: “Be ready, work hard, be a good steward of what God has given you.” Amen! Make good use of your Ifs!

Avoid Capture by IF

I’ve been here before, covered this ground, but a refresher/reminder/rekindler can be good. Anyone can spout psychological babble (babel), but there is a point to some of what I do.
“IF” is the enemy for a balanced, well reasoned person. “If” can tear you up with might-have-beens…which never will be.
“If I had only done things differently
If I had given her/him another chance
If I had said yes instead of no
No instead of yes… “
I once had a friend tormented by an IF which happened when she was six or so years old-her family moved to another state, and she never got over the experience. We would visit the house where she had been a child, sit outside in a car, while she relived those days, telling me about the neighbors who had lived in nearby houses. Sad doesn’t cover it.
Unbalanced by an IF.
I don’t worry about the future, and I don’t exert an ounce of mind-sweat being troubled by the past; my actual past or various possible pasts invented by “IF”. I make my plans, take care of myself, but I entrust my present and future to God.
A cod-swallop theology which I rejected as soon as I heard it had to do with IF. I was once told: “Every man should be married, as there is a woman meant for him to have as his wife, and if a man remains unmarried, he is selfishly keeping that woman from having the husband she was meant to have.”
Who told me this? A church lady. I don’t even remember which church, as I’ve moved around a lot, but it was back in my Pentecostal days. Pentecostals are generally strong on emotion, very weak on theology.
It was inevitable- whenever I would start to visit at a church: “My goodness! Here’s Nancy! She’s not married either!” “My goodness! Doug, have you met Thea? She’s single too!” “Doug, meet Pam-she’s not…” you get the idea.
I believe that if God wanted me to be married, I would be. If he want’s me to meet the woman of my future and get married, it will happen. If I am to remain single throughout my life, then that is what will happen. Those Ifs belong to God.
Don’t give in, never surrender to the shifting sands of IF.

Looking For The Onion Label

The Incred is ulous. When I read that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, I thought that “The Onion” was getting off another Beau Geste at his expense-something along the lines of: “President Obama stops fight between daughters over toy, wins Nobel prize.”
So, in the tenth month of his presidency…without ending any wars…without achieving peace even in his own country…without gaining a single international agreement among a coalition of the willing or unwilling…Obama gets a Peace Prize.
President Bush led a coalition of countries which toppled two despotic regimes- through his leadership WE established and protected human rights, including the right of self determination, democracy, for millions of souls.
But President Bush doesn’t need a gold badge from a private foundation. His accomplishments are honor enough.
I know that others are treading this same ground, so I’ll leave off with this: President Obama can be honored by every yayhoo outfit from here to Alpha Centauri. I don’t care. He’s been a failure since before he even took office, and he is not leading this country into anything but chaos. We are in much worse shape as a nation because of his bungling of both the economy and international diplomacy.
But this country is greater than any one man or political party-we survived Clinton, we’ll get through this one term failure.

Ripping On Preachers Is Fun!

RIPPING ON PREACHERS IS FUNdamentally wrong, but that doesn’t stop both saints and dirty unwashed heathen paganists from joining in.
Those on the outside of the church-well, you would expect THEM to buffet Pastor Piñatas about the heads, shoulders and backsides. An unbeliever has nothing good to say about ANY Christian. Church leaders are just an advanced form of Hypocrite.
I wish I could say that Christians don’t rip up Pastors, Preachers or church leaders. But, being human beings still stuck in sinful bodies, sometimes we do. To our shame.
What did God have to say on this subject?
“12But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, 13and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.
So, dear Christian brethren and sistren, when it says in Philippians to ‘do all things without complaining or disputing’ that means within the church as well as without. Love your Pastor to death. Or, when you get to Heaven, God may assign YOU a pastorate, and then we’ll see how you like it!

Just For Fun

Sunday nights at church we usually have a Bible quiz-I came up with last night's quiz; I thought, "Why not post it and let the guessers guess?" So have at it:

Bible quiz 10-4-09

1. Who made the golden calf?

2. How did Absalom die?

3. Philip, Andrew and Peter lived in?

4. 10th NT book?

5. The daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod?

6. Who paid Delilah to entice Samson?

7. How much did they pay her?

8. Who said, " “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died."?

9. In the OT, which prophet was also a priest?

10. Finish the verse- 7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and...

11. 7th OT book?

12. Who said, "“Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”?

13. Of the 7 churches mentioned in Revelation 2-3, which ones receive no rebuke?

14. Book two books before Psalms?

Constancy And Thee

"6“For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed."
Malachi 3:6

"8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
Hebrews 13:8

The other night I found a passage in Psalms which sounded quite familiar. I'm sure that many, many Christians have made this connection over the years-bear with me as I mix it up a little:
Words in Red are from Psalm 107:23-30
Words in Blue are from Luke 8:22-25
Black words are mine, commenting.


23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
At least a third of the disciples were sailors: Peter and Andrew, James and John. They worked daily, fishing on the Sea of Galilee.
22Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, and He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they launched out.
24 They have seen the works of the LORD,
And His wonders in the deep.
25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
23But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
24They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
And He brought them out of their distresses.
And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.
29 He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
25And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
New Testament or Old Testament, man gets in trouble, calls out to God, and God answers him, saves him.
Praise God for never changing!

Bumpersnarkers

This morning I had to turn around and drive by the car again, the one with the bumperstickers. Sometimes you see something so wrong-headed, wrong hearted- just plain wrong- that you have to look twice.
I imagine it was intended to be humorous, insightful, sharp. Fail fail fail.
“I PRAY THAT GOD ISN’T TOO PICKY”.
Sorry, sister. All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. Sin is sin is sin. Sin is the trouble you are in in in. No Christian would put that slogan on their car, so I assume you are of the camp of ‘Ain’tasaint’.
Evidence to support such assumption? The other bumblesticker:
“HATE IS NOT A FAMILY VALUE”.
No, it isn’t a family value. Hate is to Satan as Love is to God. Lets see-who is known for promoting ‘Family Values’? Hmmmm...oh yeah-”Christians”. Do they get smeared with the Hate appellation? Is Bret Farve a Viking?
Here’s the thing-a lot of self-righteous moralists who assume that they are RIGHT...would never set foot in a church to save their lives. They think so highly of themselves that they sneer at the idea that they are sinners. They have successfully thrown off the religious gunk their families had tried to instill in them. They are too good for God.
What bumpersticker would I put on my car to answer that other driver?
“I PRAY THAT GOD WILL HAVE MERCY”. Hateful enough?

End Times Began The Day Adam Fell

9then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority"
2 Peter 2:9-10a

Lord, preserve us.
I do a fair amount of looking towards the future when Christ returns and sets up His Kingdom on Earth, but not that much about the 'End Times' which captivate many.
Things are bad-Man messes up, makes things all the worse before Christ's return.
That's all I need to know about the 'End Times'.
'the Lord knows how...to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment'.
You can stubbornly cling to your ideas about God, reject His existence for the duration of your life on earth...futile.
God IS...and your opinion doesn't matter. Neither does mine. God IS.
Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters." Luke 11:23
If you are not with Christ, you are against Him. Not good. Deadly. Consider yourself one of the unrighteous kept under punishment for the day of judgment.

But Christ also said, "

²⁸“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰“For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Would You Like To Know Your Future?

Here you go, un-Happy Campers:
"7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Psalm 2:7-9

The very Messiah, Jesus Christ, whom you have rejected, ignored throughout your life...if you survive His return, you, your nation, everything you know and love will be ruled by Him with a rod of iron.
Iron. While His people enter into His gates with Thanksgiving, enjoying His Mercy and Grace...you get iron.

"9And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.
10All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security.

17And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. 18If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths."
Zechariah 14:9-11,17-18

Actually, all of Zechariah 14 is a good image of what your future looks like. The plague of no rain for those who do not worship God is part of His ruling with a rod of iron.

In Psalm 66:3 we find mention of: "3 Say to God, “How awesome are Your works!
Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You."
This shows the blackness of the human heart filled with sin. Even with the Lord ruling the entire world from His throne in Jerusalem, there will be hardened peoples who would rather endure famine than obey Him. Or, they will pretend obedience, as if He cannot see what is in their hearts.
What's in your heart?

Alexander Supertramp, My Left Foot

I think that there is a lot of nonsense dressed up as 'nobility' and 'morality' which actually, when you get down to the dirt of it, is nothing more than Ego on a grand tour.
Ego, as in egregious. Ego, as in look at how wonderful I am. (God looks at the heart.)
I just finished (if that is the word) watching "Into The Wild", a movie by Sean Penn starring Emile Hirsh as Chris McCandless, a young man who dropped out of 'Civilization' and died alone in the Alaskan wilderness.
McCandless was all of 24 years old when he died, and I am in no way disparaging him, his life, or death.
I would say that he didn’t seem to be comfortable in his own skin, something which usually takes more than 24 years to accomplish.
That he was an idealist is evidenced by his giving away or burning all of his money before heading to Alaska. He was an idealist, fine. God love him.
But I think that McCandless would be troubled that millions of dollars have been made off of his story. The ego which is *Sean Penn* made “Into The Wild” a noble and moral tribute...a memorial making good bank for Penn. You won’t see him burning all of his money (as a capitalist, that would offend me).
But Penn’s money is safe from becoming tinder instead of legal tender (please forgive).
I’m reminded of Leo Durocher who, in his autobiography gushed on and on about what an honest and noble soul Leo Durocher is. Handsome, too! Why, he had no idea(!) why that darned old Baseball Commissioner would kick him out of the league for a few seasons. Everybody gambles and lifts drinks in the company of underworld mobster gentlemen, don’t they?
Durocher (how can I say this?) kinda sorta fibricated a bit in his book.
Penn does the same in his movie, making McCandless into an angel bound on earth, one disgusted with the world he wanted so much to leave behind him.
Well, eventually he did.
I have a feeling that, had McCandless lived a few more years, he would have matured into a different human being. In the movie (and in life?) his parents, especially his father, are monsters-hateful, cold, members of a greedy older generation.
One of the steps to adulthood is when we stop blaming our parents for everything, accept them as they are, and rid ourselves of resentment.
A 24 year old McCandless might not yet have arrived at that step. So Penn made the parents hateful caricatures. His younger sister, played by Jena Malone, is a saint angel loving giving angel saint. Of course.
Some of the Alaskan scenery was magnificent. But my intolerance for saints being saintly (noble, moral...) kept my finger on the fast forward button. I missed the hippie stuff entirely. well, maybe missed isn’t the right word, but it will do.
Right at the end is a picture of the real Chris McCandless, smiling into eternity. Looked like a nice guy.
Tell you what-listen to Sigur Ros, and thank me later.

...But You Disappoint More

If it seems as if this world is going to Hell, its not because of God, or Christians. It's because of EVERYONE ELSE, possibly including yourself. Nice job.

Christians Disappoint...

You will never be pleased by how they exercise their faith. If they refuse to be defined by YOUR defini, they miss the mark you have set, your opinion of what a Christian should be.
Do Buddhists fail you? Ever meet a hypocritical Hindi? Does it ever knot up your gut that some Muslim isn’t as good a Muslim as you think he should be?
What? You don’t care about how all of those others live their faiths? Live and let live?
Ah, but those Christians...

Keeping On Trakai

It occurred to me that ‘Prosperity Preachers’ who subvert the Gospel and suck in the gullible might have a hard sell in the near future. What is the use of promising people that ‘God wants them to be rich!’ if President Obama has determined that ‘the Rich’ are the main villains in his Grand Guignol game?
The picture above is of the island resort named Trakai, near Vilnus, Lithuania.
I have a friend whose family used to vacation there. She is one of the teachers in the windmill picture below.
Lithuania after the fall of Communism was in bad shape.
Their economy was nonexistent, as the USSR had run everything…right into the ground. It was a broken country…which has healed with time, time and the perseverance of Lithuanians. The people never gave up on their country; the young people, my friend’s generation, have worked hard to make their Lithuania thrive.
President Obama can ‘redistribute the wealth’ in the name of equity and fairness, but no matter the amount of harm he does to our country in the short term, he is doomed to fail. We are a better country than he supposes. He is only a man, this generation’s Jimmy Carter, and that’s not a compliment.

"My Country, tis of Thee
Sweet land of Liberty
Of Thee I sing!"

Everything Old Is Old Again, Or, Striving After Wind

“Lord, make me to know my end
And what is the extent of my days;
Let me know how transient I am.
Behold, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my lifetime as nothing in Your sight;
Surely every man at his best is a mere breath. Selah.
Surely every man walks about as a phantom;
Surely they make an uproar for nothing;
He amasses riches and does not know who will gather them.”
Psalm 39:4-6

The more I think about God being Sovereign over all things, the less I worry about the stupid stuff Men do.
Man continually rages against Man and God. I’m over it.
The current crisis, the latest war, the daily hatred can be summed up in:…Mankind acting up all ‘Man-unKind’.
One blessing from God which has kept man from destroying all life: we sleep for one third of our lives, so we can only get 2/3rds as vicious as we would like. Kings, peasants, Hitlers and Caesars all are limited to 2/3rds troublesome. Including me, thank God.

“Why are the nations in an uproar
And the people devising a vain thing?” Man at his best is a mere breath. And he uses that breath within him to curse God and man. I’m glad we’re all transient! Do you realize that “IMPORTANT MEN” (oxymoron)
Build tributes to themselves(or have followers who build tributes) in the vain hope that they will be remembered? Eiffel Tower? Washington Monument? Lincoln Memorial?
We all die, and I would be ashamed to show up in Heaven with a granite likeness of “Doug” polluting the landscape down here. I’m a mere breath, and I prefer to use that breath to Praise God.

Dr Domo

A doctor named Smet
Caught my ear’s eye-
Contrived and voluted
his writing is mooted
and that is his best
efaturette.

I’m extending grace to Dr Smet, but I have to temper it with a little justice. He won’t ever read this, unless he Goooogles his monica and appears fuming over my horizon.
I’m a forgiving cuss, and when I come across typos online, I assume that the writer is so confident in his or her write-ability that spell/grandma checks are deemed unnecessary. I usually just move on, but in a movie review a DOCTOR prescribed these pills:
“A streak of loses”
“becomes Clough ones he appears on the screen.”
And my favorite: “efaturette”.
Blu-ray dot com is the depository for Dr Smet Atanasov review glory. I’m guessing that English is not his native language-his writing is formal, over-intellectualized, and he seems to be throne by homophones.
I would like to see a picture of an efaturette, though.
I do not seek praise, but I am pleased with the few lines beginning this post-I decided that Smetty would be best honored with a broken limerick. The second line refuses to rhyme the first by design. Which is put-offing, but fine.

"I'm Not Stuck in Here with You, You're Stuck in Here with Me!"

Ah, the fun to be had in reading a book in which some Christians say bad things about other Christians! No! Not in front of the civilians!
It's a good thing pagans can't read, or at least won't read this stuff.
Though they (the paganists) might enjoy the 'Christian-on-Christian-strong-dislike-for-their-stupid-views' debate, the worry ever present is that the Christians might turn away from their uncivil war and begin to proselytize the spectators.
I'm a few chapters in to Dave Hunt's "What Love Is This? Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God". Hoo-boy.
Possibly I'm too worldly, hardly spiritual enough to fight in that battle. I am not a Calvinist, or an 'Arminian'. Calvinian? Arminist? And what of Hobbes?
I'm making light of the light bearers, but bear with me-rather than join in the argu-fight
I am a contentious objector. If the Calvinists wish to expend energy showing the Arminians the errors of their ways(at full volume) they can do it without me.
On the 180* (or verse vica) , the Arminian camp of Dave Hunt can include me out. His book (so far), though filled with quotations and footnotes, is weak on logic, long on emotional appeal. I get enough of that from the Obama administration.
I'll just stick to the Bible, and fellowship with my fellow Christians, contemplating the Savior who unites us. Works for me.

Some Days

...are just for enjoying. May God richly Bless you today.

"resta

It's funny, sort of, but I don't live here. I live, and I'm here, where I've spent most of my life...but I am as unconnected to my area as I am to Belgium.
Where you live-is it you? Are you defined by location? Or eye color? Or rumor? Or

My Egypt

In the Bible, God makes Egypt a refuge, a place of protection for Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, his sons and their family. In the NT, it is a safe haven for Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
Proverbs 18:10 reads, "10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous runs into it and is safe."
I do not worry about Obamacare or the depredations of rapacious politicians. I speak out against them, I exercise my rights of free speech, but that is from concern for my country, my state, my friends and family. For those who think it all ends here.
But I have an Egypt, a strong tower where I am safe. God has placed me where He wants me. I have a good job, a place to live, a church family which cares for me as I care for them-we lift each other up in prayer and support each other. We are all in that strong tower, and will someday be in the safest of places, God's presence, for eternity.
But for now, we live here, and try to honor God with our lives. Believe me-I know how often I fail to do that. But God is faithful, and all of this is temporary.
If the most remotest of possibilities were to come true-if our country became a Socialist state, where the government rules and the people suffer under tyranny...God is still in His heaven. Watching. His children are safe, and the sins of those who would persecute His children, punish or torture them-those sins are not forgotten. If I have a brother in Christ being put to death in China, Sudan, Saudi Arabia or France...that brother is in the same safe tower. God is faithful, and all of this is temporary.

Pontius Pilate: What is Truth?

Hey Ponty, Truth was staring you right in the face when you said that.
Which is a thumbnail view of what is what.
Since the snake deceived Eve, the lying and misrepresenting has just been going on just terrible across the face of the globe.
Mr. Alfred Yankovik many years ago wrote a song called, “Everything You Know Is Wrong” and while the verses are humorous, there is quite a bit of truth in the title.
Nothing on our side of heaven is absolute-we do learn some truths, which we pass down from father to son.
But the three thimblefulls of truth we cling to are lost in the oceans of false ideas passed down as truth.
Here’s a litmus test for truth-the more true something is, the harder and deeper the misinformation is spewed to try to wash that truth away.
Here’s an example from your daily life. Israel. Birthday-May 14, 1948.
Objective truth-Israel is a country, sovereign within it’s own borders, just like every other country in the world.
To this day you can find 18 gazabillion (see what I did there?) websites decrying that fact as fiction. You can find a few billion people who wish that it weren’t so. But there Israel sits, soaking up all the good sunshine to this day.
God-you know the one I mean, the One who created everything, saw sin ruin His creation, made a way for the Creation to be restored through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. He’s also the one who set apart Israel as His special possession. The hollarin’ over THAT has been pretty bad.
You will hear more lying and misrepresenting about God in a single day than Israel gets in a decade.
Why? Because if God is right, and you reject God, everything you know is wrong.
Start with one conjectured idea: the Christians (you know the ones I mean) are right about God.
If they are right, all other religions are false. And you are doomed.
So, how would you handle that conjectured idea? Pretend that the Christians are wrong?
Congrats-you just took your place with the liars and misrepresenters.
Pretend that no one is right?
Same verse, stinks like the first.
Accept the truth and bow before God asking for mercy?
Ah.