finding the beauty in the storm

I've not been a regular church attender for a couple of years, due mostly to hearing issues, then falling to laziness. Along the way, however, my communication with God, has been profound. I find Him every minute of the day, looking over my shoulder, pinging me when I'm weak, encouraging me when I'm faithful. He never wavers.

This recent discrimination by elected officials against church attendance has been interesting to watch. I'll let you have your opinions, pro or con, that's not my point of this essay.

The beauty I've found has been in Zoom, and YouTube, I can now go to church wherever i desire, or not at all. A plethora of services have opened online, and the choices of style, wisdom, teaching, and foundational exposition has been fun, enjoyable, on my dime, and in my time. I'm liking it.

I do miss seeing my church family, but even there, after a two year absence, I'm reconnected with old and new family. I'm smiling.

I'm getting fed, which is the single purpose of the Christian "church", to awaken, prepare, and make disciples. I have no idea what other religions serve up in church, and really don't care. The purpose of "church", to me, is to loosen, not bind. I'm loose, and four walls are not essential to my faith.

That being said, I am strongly opposed to elected officials determined to define "essential". That's not their job, or their privilege, and, in this case, is a direct infringement on the First Amendment.

I've found beauty and spiritual feeding in the absence of four walls, but that's me. You may be otherwise inclined, seeking the freedom to "run and hug" in a church building, and I say, "Go for it!" , contact your elected officials individually, and make your voice heard. They might actually listen to a ground swell.

Reading "The Pursuit of God", by A.W. Tozer, has been refreshing and beautifully enlightening.

Look, seek, blend, bend, hearken your ear to truth and wisdom, found all over the planet.
Get loose, and seek beauty.

God loves you. I love you.

squeaky wheels

A movement started in the 70s with "the loudest squeak gets the grease".  The "feminists" and "gay rights" protests marched and shouted, and conformity began shifting, steadily, to deaden the noise.  The smallest segment of societies became the loudest and "political correctness" started to take speed.

Television and entertainment culture shifted to include all manners of perversion as normative.  The wave to silence morality grew to drown out what was once considered "right thinking".

In the eighties, MTV captured the minds of a generation, and the wave grew, in the nineties, the internet exploded  to offer overwhelming amounts of immoral and "free thinking" to the masses, cheap, unstoppable,  and ubiquitous.

By 2000 everyone, everywhere had the ability to immerse themselves in whatever manner of "comfort thinking"  they desired the minds of two generations were captured to the idea that "right and wrong" we're relative to the individual.  Those generations now "lead" us, and here we are.  It started with the removal of God from the educational systems in America, was followed with Roe v Wade", and now the minds of Americans have become individualistic and everyone screams for attention instead of listening to wisdom,  "I'm right and you're wrong".

In the 60s  God was removed from the educational systems and the marketplace , in the 70s we demanded a twisted version of "freedom" to protest an immoral war, and now we are getting what we demanded then, the freedom to "be" individuals without restraint.  And all along the way, our minds became enslaved.

Those  with "the power" are determined to keep it.  They have the generational masses trained, and an army of individuals, shouting down anyone who raises a voice to protest the insanity., Censorship through the cheapest, most effective tool ever devised, social media.

"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."  — 2 Timothy 4:3-4 KJV

That time has long been with us.

daily bible reading

Long ago I learned an easy Bible reading plan that preceded in depth study, and avoided confusion for new learners.

There are 31 Proverbs, one for each day of the month; start there with the Proverbs of the day.

There are 150 Psalms, follow your Proverbs reading with Psalm of the Day, then add 30, then 30 again, then 30 again and again.

First, pray and ask God to show you something. Let Him guide your thoughts.

Example: Today read Proverbs 6, Psalm 6, 36, 66, 96, 126

Somewhere in there, The Holy Spirit will likely stop you and show you a particular verse for deeper meditation. Let that verse guide your thoughts for today. Mark your Bible (underline, highlight, book mark, etc.) when you see something you want to come back to later for deeper study.

“My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. Keep their words always in your heart. Tie them around your neck. When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you. For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6:20-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have a thoughtful day! 😊

police are not "your" employees

The police in an incorporated city do not “work for you”, they work for the city.  They are not beholden to you in any regard.  Their job is to enforce local laws as directed by their employer, the city.  You do not “pay their salaries”, you don’t.  You pay taxes, which are spent at the discretion of your elected officials, according to the laws of that city to, theoretically, serve the needs of that city, as determined by your elected officials.  Keep that in mind the next time you meet up with a police officer.  You are not “their boss”.  If that was true, no one would ever be cited or arrested.

What’s your role?  Pay your taxes, and vote wisely for your elected officials.

Should a civil servant act in a courteous, intelligent, knowledgeable, compassionate, honorable, expeditious manner, according to the scope of their employment and the laws of the community?  Certainly.

Do they owe you anything more than that?  No, in my opinion, they do not.  Take it up with your elected officials and their delegated management if you have a complaint, not with their employees.

Have a peaceful day.

good friday

I heard someone on the radio this morning wishing another a "Happy Good Friday", as if it was a day of celebration.

There's nothing to celebrate here.  Jesus died on the cross.  As a Christian Believer, I know that this was the ultimate sacrifice, purchasing my eternal freedom with His blood, and offering that gift to any man, woman, or child who would receive it. but that's no cause for celebration, it is instead a time for remembrance, for meditation, for acknowledgement, for gratitude.

On Sunday we celebrate His resurrection, but today we look deeply within ourselves and contemplate that sacrifice, the pain, humiliation, degradation, and torture that Jesus endured for us.

"As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.  But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” "

Matthew 27:32-54 ESV

care for others, in peace

For my Christian brothers and sisters, a timely message that I encourage you to watch to the end, and share the message.

Christians in Crisis - How to Respond to the Coronavirus Outbreak - March 15 - Scott Christenson

john 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”  ~ John 16:33 NIV

Jesus spoke these things to His disciples, just before going to the garden, where He would be betrayed by Judas, led to the court of Pilate, and given to the Romans for crucifixion.  He knew what was to come, for Himself, for His disciples, for the world.  His thoughts were on us, to comfort us in our turmoil, even as His was to begin.

Jesus died, was risen, and reigns forevermore.  We can trust Him; He alone knows what is and what is to come, for all of us, for each of us.

If Jesus is your Lord, trust Him, lean on Him, seek peace and joy in Him.  Praise God.

If you have not yet trusted in Jesus, not yet received Him as the Lord of your life, He's waiting for you now.

Go here, study the text and scriptures, let me know what you think, or how I can help, or just if you want to discuss.

not eating the "pork"

Even if I considered voting for a Democrat, which would not likely happen (never say "never"), I can safely say that I would never vote for anyone who stood for stuffing a disaster bill with "pet pork". It's just wrong, and any politician voting "Yea", deserves a huge "Nay" at the ballot box. The American people deserve far better than this.

I know, I know, this is business as usual in The Swamp, but it is times like these where you see humanity either step up, or step out. IMHO, every elected official in this country, from local Magistrate to President, and everyone in between, must have their determined game face turned "on" and their partisanship posturing turned "off".

In November, remember who served you, and who wanted you to serve them. There is a difference, and it shows.

Democrats’ Coronavirus Bill Includes $35 Million for John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center

trust god

Yesterday the world changed, our lives changed, we were “put on hold”.

Everyone, everything, entered a paradigm shift; we have a new reality.

None of us like it, but here we are.

Now what?

For me, I was on the last steps of starting a new life, a great adventure that I had formed in my mind for years, the fourth quarter, goal in sight, ready to score.

Flag down, play under review.

Millions of you, billions of us, can say the same thing. Now what?

Shelter in place. What the heck is that? What just happened?

Reset the clock.

“Hey, Coach, what’s the next play?”.

That’s the hard question. What is the next play, for me, for you? What’s next?

Most of us, I think, are scrambling. The playbook has been blurred, the next play obscured, and we look around us to see confusion on the faces of our team, the other team, the fans in the stands, the folks watching remotely.

No one has a clear answer, at this point, no one can diagram a clear path to the end zone, at least not to the score we anticipated yesterday, because the opposing team just became something new, something different, something unanticipated, something we’re not ready for.

What now?

The past few days, I’ve been reaching out to my oldest Friend, asking that question repeatedly, expecting an answer, and getting nothing in response.

I try to work in logic, weighing alternatives based on facts, historical knowledge, anticipated results based on structure, design, planning, steps to achieve a desired goal, a given outcome following that course of action, a play book.

Out the window.

What now?

Take a break, gotta take the trash to the curb for pickup. Are they coming? I can't say for certain that they are, my city's on lockdown. Lockdown? What the heck is that?

Get the mail out of the box, go back inside, close the door, toss the mail in the corner (for at least 7 hours), wipe down the door knob, the light switch, my glasses that I touched, (Did I touch my face?) wash my hands, sanitize, wash, rinse, repeat, repeat, repeat. What the heck is this?

I have (had) plans, I have (had) a goal, I was right there! What now?

The A/C repairman came yesterday, looking like, and sounding like, Darth Vader, massive respirator on his face, gloves on, for his safety and mine. We had to go outside so he could talk to me, I could understand nothing he said with the respirator on, so he had to remove it, six feet away, fresh air, safe distance, for both of us. What is this?

Hundreds of movie scenarios are flashing back, we've seen this in the movies, fantasy, science fiction entertainment. "Wait, wait, this can't be real!" It's real.

I retrace the repairman's steps after he leaves, wiping down everything he might have touched, might have coughed on, might have sneezed on. Did I get it all, did I miss a spot? Missing a spot could be deadly.

My Friend is silent, unanswering.

But I had a plan! What now?

"Ask a different question."

Ok, "What would You have me do?".

"Now you're getting somewhere."

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB

Oh, ok, so, my first step is to trust God. What's next?

"Get your house in order."

My house.

Body. Mind. Spirit. Borders.

"God has our days numbered, how we live them out matters, that's on us"

A dear friend just layed that on me. Dead on.

OK, I have my next step.

Step One - Trust God
Step Two - Get my house in order

"Then what?"

"See steps one and two."

Got it.

old dog can learn

Good morning; it's laundry day!

A few years ago, my mom was visiting, and while I was at work one day, she was tidying up about the house, scrubbing my floors, cleaning my kitchen, doing the laundry etc., being my Mama. One of the things she did was roll up all my T-shirts in their drawer while putting them away. I asked her later, “Why?”, and she told me they fit better that way. I chuckled and after she left I went back to my normal way of stuffing them in the drawer.

I have too many T-shirts (a blessing), and when all the laundry is done, that drawer is hard to close. It only takes removing three or four before the door closes normally again, so I haven’t paid it much attention, or any. In the back of my head, I kind of know that when the drawer becomes easier to close, that I either need to do laundry, or buy more T-shirts.

Fast forward to this morning, I’m finishing my laundry, I thought, “Why not roll up the T-shirts and see if they fit better?”. They did. “Huh”, I thought , “I should roll up my T-shirts so the drawer closes easier.”. Once again, mama was right. At 66, I can learn new tricks.

Mama also taught me, that when doing my normal grocery shopping, if I see something on a good sale, that I normally use, and I can afford it, go ahead and buy it. I’m going to use it anyway, the dollar is worth less tomorrow than it is today, and I save a buck or two today.

That works. I don’t need to rush out and make a mad attempt at hoarding supplies, because my pantry, over time, is fairly well supplied. I have enough laundry detergent, bleach, salt, spaghetti, dried beans, rice, toilet paper, etc. to last me a while. I’m sure many of you shop the same way. If you regularly use mustard, and you see mustard on sale, buy an extra mustard. An old kitchen manager once said to me, during my foolish twenties, "It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.". Words to live by don't come often enough.

I learned a few other lessons about shopping from prior generations, from stories about the depression, from past fuel shortages, from the panic buying that occurs every four years (Presidential election years), from societal shifts, from history books, from past recessions (It is coming, get ready now), about global situations, from friends and relatives that live in hurricane zones, from Jaycee projects, from my prepper friends, from the firearms community, from so many sources there are an abundance of repeating lessons that warrant close attention. These lessons are common, regular, real, and we shouldn’t be caught short, we shouldn’t need to panic, we shouldn’t need to elbow our friends and neighbors out of the way, to get that last chunk of meat. The generations before us learned these lessons hard, we are wise to listen.

I know; there are millions of Americans, millions, billions of people, all over the world, who simply can’t afford to stock up, for whom day to day, week to week, paycheck to paycheck, is a reality of survival. I understand that, I’ve been there myself a few times over the last 66 years, and filed those memories in my mental cabinet for later.

This current crisis, like all crisis's before, will pass away, that's the nature of a crisis. We'll be living in a, hopefully, different world. We learn from this one, to be ready for the next. We make a decision today, that tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow, we buy an extra cans of beans, an extra can of soup, or toilet paper, jug of soap, and we're ready for the next crisis, over time, little by little, step by step. We repeat that behavior week by week, and a year from now we have enough. We put back that bag of chips, high dollar coffee, designer socks, and we instead invest in tomorrow, not only for ourselves, but maybe also sharing to someone in real need. Fill your gas tank when it is 3/4 full, save $10 out of each paycheck, eat a sandwich from home one day instead of eating out, save a few empty water jugs, cancel Netflix, keep using that older computer (television/radio/tablet/phone/car) till it dies, super glue ($1) fixes a cracked $20 pot, read a book from the library.

Or, we can ignore the lessons of the past, count on someone else to "save" us, throw our hands up in despair, and point fingers. I'd rather be ready.

The same thing is going on in the firearms community. Over the past week we've seen a flood of posts, "Where can I get more ammo?", as the local store shelves were stripped, about the same time the TP rush was on. I've been buying an extra box or two, here and there, when it was on sale, when I could afford it, and my needs were met before I "needed" it. I could stop here and write a book about this paragraph, but, you've already heard that message; you either received it or didn't.

We learn from each other; old dogs can still learn. In my 60s, I discover that I’ve still got much, much more to learn from the generations before me.

"It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."

I'm back to the laundry, or to the t-shirt store.

May Almighty God bless you, your family, and the path before your feet.