For unto us a child is born...

And her name shall be called Sarah Abigail.  (What? You were expecting a Christmas post?) 

Our first grandchild entered the world Wednesday night (Dec 23) at 23:10CST.  She is a 7#4oz, 20" bundle with lots of curly hair, like her mother had.  Mother and child are doing well. 

And here she is:

Why celebrate Christmas?

Got this in an email.  While I am not much for promoting "Christmas", I promote Christ crucified whenever I can.

Twelve Reasons for Christmas

1. "For this I was born and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth." (John 18:37)

2. "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8; cf. Hebrews 2:14-15)

3. "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:17)

4. "The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." (Luke 19:10)

5. "The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45)

6. "God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:5)

7. "For God so loved the world that whoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16).

8. "God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him." (1 John 4:9; cf. John 10:10).

9. "The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." (1 Timothy 1:15).

10. "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against . . . that the thoughts of many may be revealed" (Luke 2:34f).

11. "He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed." (Luke 4:18)

12. "Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy." (Romans 15:7-8; cf. John 12:27f).  [Taste and See, 2002, John Piper]

HT: Mark LaCour

Talking about the weather

When I Grumble about the Weather

"The Lord has heard all your grumblings against Him!" Exodus 16:8

Does God really hear every discontented word I ever speak? Does He hear when I grumble about the hard winter, about the late spring, about the dry summer, about the wet harvest?

Does He hear when I grumble about the frosts, about the drought, about the high winds, about the storms?

Does He hear when I grumble about my circumstances, about the hardness of my situation, about my losses and disappointments?

If we could get into our heart, and keep there continually, the consciousness that God hears every word we speak, would we murmur and complain as much as we do?

We are generally careful to not speak words which would give pain to the hearts of those we love. Are we as careful not to say anything that will grieve our Heavenly Father?

"I tell you this--that you must give an account on judgment day of every idle word you speak." Matthew 12:36

"He who complains of the weather is complaining of the God who ordains the weather!" -- William Law

-- J. R. Miller

 

HT- Mack Tomlinson

All I want for Christmas...

...is a 12 bedroom, 12 bath house on a hill overlooking the Caribean Sea in Puerto Rico.  And in the three car garage, a convertable, a mid-sized motorcycle and an extended cab pickup truck.



Seriously, with all the greed associated with the modern celebration, I do not think I want anything this year.  Every year I am asked (especially by the relative that draws my name) what I want.  Every year I cannot think of anything.  So I get some article of clothing or a CD I listen to three or four times.  So this year, I am asking for donations to one of the ministries or charities listed below.  So, if you are the relative who got my name this year, take your pick.  Make it anonymous- you don't even have to give in my name.


Heart Cry Missionary Society.  This organization finds native missionaries and supports them.  From the website:

Our greatest concern is that His Name be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun (Malachi 1:11), and that the Lamb who was slain might receive the full reward for His sufferings (Revelation 7:9-10). 

The Wounded Warrior Project, which desires “...to provide tangible support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally.”  They provide things like counseling services for servicemen wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan, and other things like backpacks with toiletries, etc, for their hospital stay.

The Salvation Army.   I know it is more of a social than spiritual ministry in modern times, but this organizatoin does more to help the poor than anything Washington does.


Your local food bank.  The economy has caused so many to loose their jobs that many former donors are current users.


There are several other worthy causes out there.  This year, instead of piling up more useless stuff, why don't we all give to those more needy than we are?

Morning glory to God

 

(Photo from flikr )

Last week as I was driving to work, the sunrise was beautiful.  I wish I had a camera, or that I was not in a hurry to meet my carpool.  What really made it even more wonderful, was that I had just put the first hymns CD by The 2nd Chapter of Acts, and the first one, “All Creatures Of Our God And King” came on, right as the sun popped over the horizon.  I was moved by the moment, especially the line: “Thou rising morn in praise rejoice” seemed to be written exactly for a time as this.  I wonder if the hymn writer saw a beautiful sunrise and wrote that line.  The photo does not quite capture it.  It was one of those days when the sky was cloudy except the horizon, so the sun reflected beautiful red and orange light over everything.

Diversity

I heard on the news the other day that the Illinois governor appointed someone to make sure that there is diversity in state government contracts. Tonight I heard that the Naval Academy had to change who was on the color guard at the World Series so there would be a group representing the diversity of the academy. Every week or so we hear about diversity in the US, or discrimination against this group or that group.

Ah, diversity! That wonderful idea that every race, gender and orientation must be represented in order for something to feel right. Do we really need something like the Illinois Diversity Council, which “...is committed to fostering a learning environment for organizations to grow in their knowledge of diversity”? A council which values leadership “that values diversity and inclusion and stimulates the potential of each individuals to contribute and achieve their goals (sic)” (but not necessarily good spelling and grammar)? Really?

What happened to colorblindness? What would Martin Luther King, Jr., the patron saint of the diversity movement, say about such things? He said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” His now grown up children are still waiting.

And so am I. When I get in my car and drive across the Mississippi River, I do not care who owned the construction company who made the bridge. I don’t concern myself that the owner be white, black, male or female. I just want the bridge to be built by the best possible work crew. Now, in Illinois and other places, watch out. The state may have hired a company because the owner was a minority female, since there were already contracts given to the white, male owned companies. So the bridge you are about to cross may have been built by a company with almost no experience in building quality bridges. It just happened to be owned by the politically correct person. I hope your car and life insurance are current!

Driver’s education

Youngest daughter turned 15 last month. She now has a learner’s permit to drive. Of course, that means dad is a driver’s ed teacher for the next 12 months. So far, no accidents. Just some frayed nerves. Like when she was taking a turn on a gravel road with the rear tires spinning and the nose headed for the ditch. Or when she made a left turn onto a highway and we both forgot to look the second time. There was suddenly a car in the rear-view mirror with one unhappy looking driver.

Thank the Lord for traveling mercies.

Kudos and "Whatever"

First, I want to publicly (at least as publicly as this blog is) express  “kudos” to the junior senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill (Dem).  Most of the time I do not agree with her.  But she, along with several other senators “called for greater transparency as the health insurance reform debate moves to the Senate floor.”   Basically, they want “legislative text and complete budget scores from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to be posted on a public website at least 72 hours prior to the first vote...”  Sounds like a great idea for any legislation.


Now for something light.  The other day, the AP (Associated Press) reported that “Whatever”, especially when pronounced “WHAT-ehv-errr”, is the most annoying slang in American conversation.  About twice as annoying as “you know”.

It got me to thinking about other annoying speech habits we have.  One I have heard a lot recently that drives me batty is “long story short”.  It is a shortrened version of  “to make a long story short”, which usually is said after the speaker has rambled on and on, telling too much minutiae of the story already.

Saying “No”

The fool has said in his heart there is no God (Psalm 53.1).

Some commentators I have read say that this verse can be translated as The fool has said in his heart, “No, God.” To me, that means we have all been fools at one time or another. Every time we do not do what God commands, we say “No, God.” Every time we act un-Christ-like, we say “No, God.” When we offend our brothers and sisters in the Lord, we say “No, God.” If we try to do things our way, we say “No, God.”

Let us repent and say, “Yes, God.”

Lest we forget.

May we never forget what happened eight years ago, 9/11/2001.

In September, 1983, I took my lovely bride to New York to meet my relatives (grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins). We went up the World Trade Center, even though she was afraid of heights. I convinced her to go up to the observation deck on the roof. It was very windy up there, but the view was wonderful. I asked a ranger how high we were. He said 1365 ft. above sea level, or 1354 off the ground.   I was awed by the smallness of everything below, even the Empire State building just a mile or two away.  We could not look straight down from the roof, as the deck was some 30 feet or so from the edge.  But the 106th floor had a museum of commerce with indoor observation windows.  One could sit on a bench and look almost straight down from there.  Other than being on a mountain top or the rim of the Grand Canyon, I have never been on land and seen such a view.   As seen from there, the people were smaller than ants.  The cars on the streets below were miniature toys. 

Too bad I cannot take my children there. We went to New York City in 1990 with them, but did not have time to go up the towers. I wish now we had, because the next time we went was in March, 2002. All that was left was the hole in the ground and a lot of rubble.

It doesn't happen often

It only happens twelve times per century, to be exact. I am referring to the date and time stamp on this post. It happened on morning of January 1 of 2001, then again on February 2 of 2002. Then, every 13 months and one day since then. The last time will be early afternoon on December 12, 2012. Have you figured it out? Look carefully at the date and time stamp. September 9, 2009 at nine minutes, nine seconds past nine o'clock in the morning.

Okay, perhaps is not as obvious to some: 09/09/09 09:09:09, or the moment when the month, day, year, hour, minute and seconds are identical. I say in the morning, because on the 24 hour clock, 9:09 PM is 21:09. 12:12 AM is 00:12.

If I were in that union...

The news today reported that the Rhode Island governor wants to have state employees go on 12 days of unpaid furlough in order to save the state some $17 million. But the union representing the state workers says no, because that effectively would be a 4.6% or more pay cut. The union has joined in a lawsuit to stop the furloughs. So the governor may have to lay off 1000 workers, starting with the most recently employed. Seems to me the union is not serving those 1000 workers very well, is it. Now I know unions usually take care of their members when they lose their jobs, but does it cover more than 96% of their salary?

Were I one of the chosen 1000, I would be on the phone with the union representative: "Excuse me? Would you mind asking us workers what we want? I think I would rather take the pay cut than lose my job."

Another year of school has begun

Here goes. Ready or not it is here. Last Monday, the bell rang at 8:10AM, and thus began another year of school. I get Freshman 7th hour this year- 21 of them, along with 8 other students. It is the first time I have 14 year olds in the afternoon for six years. So far so good. They are eager and cooperative. It must be the water. Of course, not the water at the school. The drinking fountain down the hall has rusty pipes, and for the first several days the water came out brown or yellow. Not very inviting.

It is strange starting the year two weeks before Labor Day. But then, we started about the same time this year, but Labor Day is later.

The school schedules early release days for the first week since it is usually too hot in our non-air-conditioned building. But the Lord had other plans this week. Thursday was the only "hot" day (85° and humid). The rest were low 80s, and today was 70! Now that we start our regular schedule on Monday, it will probably get too hot. But looking at the forecast, I guess I don't have to worry.

New blog you might want to read

My daughter and a friend have started a blog based on one of my favorite subjects: chocolate! Go on over and see Morsels of Chocolate. Now, if they would add coffee to the mix, that would be wonderful!

Health Care and Clunkers

Then, along comes Cash for Clunkers. I heard an interview on NPR
yesterday that disturbed me. The interviewee was a mechanic at a car
dealership who was about to make an old Ford undrivable. He said
most cars die after ten seconds when the caustic solution is poured
into the oil tank. Then they try to restart the car to make sure
they are dead, and again an hour or so later they try again (I guess
the solution does not always work the first time). The reporter
asked him if he thought it strange that he was destroying engines
when his usual job was repairing them. Of course he thought it so.

This got me thinking about the health care debate. It seems Obama
Care is not going to be good for the elderly, as the President seems
to have meant that they would be given a pill. Hopefully he meant
that his health care plan would make their last days comfortable, and
not that they would get a poisonous pill that would end their
lives. Imagine a few years down the line when NPR interviews a
doctor giving a an elderly patient the pill that will end his or her
life. It could happen. The elderly might be thought of as too old
to continue using health care resources, and therefore only get
terminated. You think it far fetched? Remember Nazi Germany.

ADDENDUM 8-8-2009: Someone sent an anonymous post, which I would rather not accept. I did accept the one below, as Monty signed his name. I will put the link the anonymous poster left (from PolitiFact.com), as it may or may not clear up what President Obama was saying in his "take a pill" statement. I say it may not, because the statement he made "I don’t want bureaucracies making those decisions" can be interpreted as "I alone want to make those decisions." Not that I think he meant that, I'm just saying it could.

Tax the fat

Health care reform seems to be the cause de jour among the Democrats. And of course, this means finding ways of paying for it (i.e. more taxes). Senator John Kerry has proposed taxing “gold plated” (his words) insurance plans. These are the ones most of us cannot afford, but pay for most of medical costs. My thought? Does that mean Kerry is proposing that federal employees, including the President and Congressmen, are going to be taxed for their health care plans? They have one of the best in the country called the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Talk about “gold plated”! According to the website, the program offers “...the widest selection of health plans in the country.” This plan is just what we need, if we are going to reform health care insurance. Let all of us use that plan, and no one would be complaining, except perhaps the Socialists of Congress who want more control over the masses.

Neal Boortz, radio talk show host (yes, I listen to a variety of different view points), proposed the Fat Accumulation Tax (FAT). The more you weigh, the more you pay. It makes some sense to me, since caring for the problems of obesity cost $147 billion last year (Wall Street Journal online). That's nearly 10% of health related costs! Now, many of the overweight in this country are poor, so Uncle Sam would probably step in and not make them pay. But why not make them pay part of their costs, since they are part of the problem of Medicare not having enough money? That would be a sure way of getting them to lose weight!

I like the concept Boortz has proposed, but I believe a better way would be to tax us based on our body-mass index (BMI- a number based on both height and weight). This would be fairer, because I, at 5'11+" and 190lb, am not much overweight. (Using this BMI calculator shows that my BMI is 26.5, which is 1.5 points into the overweight category). However, someone 5'5" and 190 is obese (BMI=31.6-- 1.6 over the obese line). So, make that person pay a higher health care tax to encourage him/her to do something about the weight problem.

However, knowing the current Democratic leadership, they will do everything to make sure no one can fully comprehend whatever plan comes out of Congress.

Living on “less”

While driving home, I was listening to “All Things Considered” on NPR (I know that makes me a closet Liberal). There was an interview with an actress who plays on TV shows as a guest star or secondary character. The gist was that even those actors are feeling the economic pinch, as fewer opportunities are arising, due somewhat to the trend toward “reality” shows (supposedly unscripted). She said her salary has dropped from around $500,000 to about $70,000 a year. I agree that this is a serious pay cut, but then she complained that she could not live on $70,000. What? That is a lot more than I have ever made! I guess living in LA-la land (Los Angeles, CA) is expensive, but not able to live on twice the salary of a starting teacher? This is evidence that we are a nation which values entertainment over necessities. (See “Bread and Circuses” below.)

What's the hurry?

I have to wonder why President Obama is in such a hurry to push through his legislative agenda. He said he would have a transparent administration, and let people have time to read every proposal before it becomes law. So far, that has not happened, has it. The "Stimulus" was written and passed within a few days, and it was so long not even the Congressmen read it before voting on it. Now he is trying to get the energy and health care bills passed before the August recess. Yet each one is hundreds of pages long, and will change our economy more than FDR did in his New Deal. Slow down, please!

I really think Obama wants all this done before the 2010 elections, because he knows the average American has a short attention span and will forget the damage the Democrats are doing and reelect them. He also knows that during the summer, a lot of people are not paying attention to the news, because rarely does anything of significance happen between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

I am glad that God is in control, as it appears the US as we have known it is no more. Time to learn Chinese!

Bread and Circuses

While Rome (the US) burns, figuratively, of course, the Fourth Branch of Government (the mass media) offer us fluff for news. This morning I was listening to the radio while getting ready for the day. Neal Boortz was talking about the Congress getting ready to vote on the energy bill, with all its new fees (hidden taxes) on the middle class. Then came the news on the hour (ABC, if you care, it could have been any of them). What is the top story that took up over a minute of the 5 minute (minus advertising)? Michael Jackson! Do you think we are declining as Rome was?

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses (Juvenal, Satire 10.77–81).

Great letter on Glenn Beck program

I listen to Glenn Beck on occasion. Last week he read a great letter from a woman in Arizona who is tired of the two political parties. What she says is fantastic. Here is the first paragraph:

I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Read the whole thing here and an interview he has with the author here.

Lawn woes

Last week my mower died. It took several trips to various mower stores, but I finally found a push-type lawn mower I can afford. Man, those things cost a lot. My mechanic told me to get a John Deere because they have a Kawasaki overhead valve engine, but all the ones I saw had regular old Briggs & Stratton side valves, and cost $100 more than other brands. I even had a JD salesman tell me they did not reorder the J series because they had too many returned last year. So I got a hardly used Lawn Boy. It even has an oil pump. I need that because I mow an embankment. Now I know why mowers did not last long for me, because when I mow the embankment, only one of the cylinders was getting any oil! Now, off to do the job before the next rainfall.

Something fun!

Over at World Magazine Blog, several of us have been keeping a fun thread alive for over six months. But alas and alack, it died last night because no one added another word for two days. It is a game of Cyber Scrabble with these rules:

* We’ll start off with the word “Pray.”
* The first player should change one letter of “Pray” and post it in the comment section.
* Subsequent players should work off the last word published in the comment section.
* You can’t add letters.
* You can’t use foreign (or foul!) languages.
* You can only change one letter.
* You can’t repeat a word already used.

I know the list of 2129 words below contains some not allowed in the board game, but they are all according to the rules. If you wish to play along, go for it! I am going to add one word each day until I run out of usable words. In order not to repeat, use the "find" function of your browser (usually under the "Edit" on the menu bar). Or, copy and paste the list into Word or another word processor with a "find" function. If you are stumped for words, do what I do. I go to Dictionary.com.

Let's have fun!

pray, play, plan, clan, clap, flap, flip, flit, flat, blat, beat, seat, seal, peal, pear, peat, meat, heat, hear, dear, deer, doer, dyer, dyes, dyed, died, dies, pies, hies, hits, fits, bits, zits, pits, pots, pats, path, bath, math, moth, mote, mite, site, sire, hire, mire, mere, more, fore, fort, tort, sort, sore, bore, bork, born, torn, morn, corn, horn, worn, wort, wore, lore, lyre, pyre, tyre, tyro, pyro, piro, lure, cure, core, cord, curd, card, bard, bird, bind, wind, wins, wink, wine, line, lone, pone, pong, pond, pony, puny, punt, runt, hunt, hint, hind, rind, kind, mind, mild, mile, mill, till, tilt, silt, silk, sill, will, wilt, welt, weld, meld, melt, molt, dolt, jolt, jilt, hilt, halt, malt, salt, sale, sole, sold, bold, told, gold, good, food, wood, mood, mold, hold, cold, cola, coda, code, cope, cape, care, pare, pane, wane, cane, café, cake, cade, made, wade, wale, male, pale, pace, race, rate, fate, face, fact, tact, pact, part, past, fast, last, list, mist, most, must, bust, bunt, bent, cent, lent, vent, went, wend, send, sent, tent, gent, pent, dent, dint, dirt, dart, cart, curt, hurt, hurl, burl, burn, burd, barm, bark, back, lack, lark, lurk, turk, tusk, rusk, risk, rise, rice, nice, mice, nite, note, rite, rote, robe, rube, cube, cute, lute, late, date, mate, maze, haze, hate, hare, harm, hard, herd, head, heap, reap, real, read, lead, bead, dead, fear, feat, neat, next, nest, best, west, test, jest, just, mush, hush, hash, gash, gush, push, bush, bash, cash, lash, lush, rush, ruse, rude, ride, hide, bide, side, tide, time, dime, mime, lime, like, link, sink, pink, pine, fine, find, fink, fins, pins, sins, sing, ring, rink, tink, tine, mine, mile, mule, mull, bull, full, fill, fall, tall, gall, ball, hall, haul, hail, jail, bail, wail, tail, fail, foil, fool, foot, hoot, toot, moot, boot, soot, root, coot, coon, loon, moon, moor, door, dour, four, foul, fowl, foal, coal, coat, goat, boat, boar, bear, gear, tear, tsar, csar, char, chap, chip, chit, chic, chin, shin, thin, than, that, what, chat, chad, chap, phat, prat, plat, plot, slot, slog, slug, smug, smog, shog, shot, spot, spat, spit, spin, span, spun, shun, shan, scar, scam, scat, scut, scug, snug, snag, snap, swap, swab, stab, star, soar, sour, soup, soul, soil, toil, roil, roll, toll, moll, tool, cool, pool, poll, boll, bowl, rows, cows, sows, sews, news, pews, hews, haws, hags, hams, hats, cats, bats, rats, mats, vats, vets, nets, bets, gets, lets, sets, pets, wets, wits, with, kith, kite, bite, bike, pike, pile, file, rile, bile, bole, mole, role, pole, poke, joke, loke, roke, rose, tote, cote, note, nose, lose, dose, pose, pope, rope, nope, hope, hole, hale, gale, bale, bake, hake, take, tace, mace, dace, lace, lice, tice, tike, hike, mike, nike, dike, dine, done, dome, dote, dope, dupe, dude, duke, dune, tune, tule, tale, talk, walk, wall, mall, mail, maid, said, paid, raid, rail, nail, sail, pail, pain, rain, main, gain, gawn, lawn, pawn, dawn, darn, dark, hark, mark, mare, make, sake, rake, fake, fare, dare, dame, fame, fume, fuse, muse, mute, mure, murk, musk, dusk, desk, deck, neck, nick, pick, pack, tack, sack, suck, sick, lick, luck, huck, tuck, buck, duck, dock, mock, monk, mink, minx, mint, lint, lino, dino, dink, ding, dong, long, gong, gone, hone, none, nine, kine, king, ping, wing, ling, lung, rung, sung, song, tong, tone, cone, come, home, hose, host, lost, cost, colt, bolt, belt, felt, pelt, pert, cert, cere, were, here, sere, Serb, herb, hero, herm, berm, beam, bean, wean, lean, leap, leak, peak, peas, pens, hens, lens, dens, deny, defy, deft, daft, raft, rapt, rant, pant, can’t, cast, cask, mask, task, bask, bank, tank, rank, sank, sunk, dunk, punk, puns, pang, yang, ying, zing, bing, bine, zine, zone, bone, bote, vote, vite, vise, vine, vane, vale, dale, kale, rale, rule, rune, runs, guns, suns, sums, bums, rums, rams, cams, dams, damp, ramp, camp, lamp, lamb, lame, same, tame, tams, tabs, cabs, cubs, hubs, rubs, rugs, bugs, hugs, hogs, dogs, pogs, pigs, figs, rigs, digs, gigs, wigs, jigs, jugs, mugs, tugs, pugs, pubs, pups, sups, sops, sots, tops, tots, mops, maps, caps, saps, naps, daps, taps, raps, laps, yaps, gaps, gape, gaze, raze, rage, rags, zags, bags, tags, tans, tang, dang, sang, fang, fans, fads, bads, bids, bins, buns, bunk, lunk, tunk, tonk, bonk, honk, hunk, hulk, sulk, bulk, balk, balm, calm, palm, pals, gals, gads, cads, dads, duds, buds, suds, subs, tubs, tuba, tube, tobe, tope, tore, gore, pore, port, mort, moat, doat, dost, post, wost, wast, wasp, gasp, rasp, rash, dash, mash, mast, hast, bast, vast, vest, rest, pest, lest, fest, fent, rent, reit, rein, reim, ream, team, teal, teat, teak, teas, seas, seam, slam, sham, shag, stag, swag, sway, swat, swan, swam, spam, spay, spar, slar, sear, rear, roar, road, load, toad, goad, goal, soal, soap, slap, slip, slop, stop, stob, stub, stun, stud, spud, scud, scum, slum, glum, glue, blue, clue, slue, flue, flub, flab, blab, blub, blob, slob, slub, club, chub, chug, chum, crum, cham, cram, gram, grim, grip, trip, trim, tram, trap, tray, fray, gray, grey, trey, prey, drey, dreg, drag, draw, craw, crew, crow, grow, brow, brew, blew, blow, slow, slew, stew, step, stem, seem, seed, seep, keep, peep, peel, reel, feel, feed, heed, heel, keel, keen, been, beet, beep, deep, jeep, veep, veer, seer, beer, bier, tier, pier, pien, lien, linn, lion, pion, poon, noon, nook, look, kook, cook, book, boon, soon, goon, gown, down, town, mown, mows, tows, toys, boys, buys, guys, goys, joys, jays, pays, cays, days, bays, rays, lays, says, saws, paws, jaws, jabs, jobs, joes, foes, roes, toes, ties, lies, lips, hips, sips, tips, tins, tint, tift, sift, soft, loft, loot, loop, coop, poop, hoop, hood, hoed, coed, toed, teed, deed, weed, reed, peed, pend, lend, tend, bend, fend, rend, mend, mead, mean, meal, veal, deal, dean, dern, tern, pern, porn, pork, fork, dork, cork, work, word, worm, warm, ward, wars, warn, barn, tarn, yarn, yard, lard, lord, lorn, loan, loam, roam, foam, form, norm, dorm, doom, room, boom, loom, zoom, coom, coos, boos, boas, bogs, bods, bode, rode, node, nude, nuke, puke, pure, sure, dure, dire, fire, wire, tire, tare, tape, type, tope, lope, lobe, lobs, logs, loge, doge, dove, love, live, hive, hove, move, wove, wave, have, pave, save, sane, safe, sage, sate, gate, gave, game, came, cave, case, cage, page, mage, mane, mase, mise, miss, moss, boss, toss, loss, less, fess, fest, fist, gist, hist, hiss, kiss, kips, dips, dins, dons, sons, sobs, gobs, mobs, toms, tomb, comb, bomb, boob, boor, poor, pour, pout, tout, tour, hour, hoar, hoer, hoes, goes, does, dots, cots, rots, robs, bobs, bibs, dibs, ribs, fibs, libs, jibs, nibs, nips, rips, rims, rime, rife, life, wife, wipe, ripe, pipe, kipe, lipe, sipe, sine, cine, cite, cate, pate, bate, base, babe, bade, fade, jade, hade, lade, lode, mode, mope, moue, roué, rout, bout, lout, loud, laud, baud, bald, band, bond, fond, fund, funk, sunk, gunk, junk, June, jube, lube, luge, lugs, lags, legs, kegs, begs, beds, bees, sees, seek, seen, teen, tees, tens, Bens, Kens, Kent, Keno, kino, kink, Kirk, kick, tick, tics, Tims, aims, dims, doms, moms, mome, some, soma, sofa, soda, coda, coma, loma, lima, limb, limp, gimp, wimp, wamp, warp, carp, harp, tarp, taro, tars, tart, mart, hart, wart, want, wand, land, lane, lake, wake, ware, rare, rave, lave, lava, lama, rama, raga, riga, ruga, yuga, yoga, toga, togs, tobs, toby, Tory, dory, gory, Cory, lory, Lori, loci, lock, cock, rock, hock, pock, puck, muck, yuck, ruck, rusk, busk, husk, cusk, cusp, cush, cuss, fuss, buss, bass, bars, cars, carb, garb, barb, barf, bare, Bari, Bali, Mali, Magi, mags, sags, wags, nags, nabs, Labs, lats, eats, ears, Mars, oars, oats, gats, gabs, dabs, dais, daws, laws, lows, bows, vows, pows, wows, woes, woks, woke, coke, cove, rove, jove, Rome, Nome, name, nape, rape, Raye, rabe, rase, lase, ease, east, oast, oust, rust, lust, gust, dust, duct, duet, duel, fuel, furl, curl, curb, curs, furs, firs, firm, farm, marm, marl, maul, waul, gaul, guar, gaud, gaum, geum, germ, perm, peri, perk, park, pard, para, parr, pars, jars, jams, gams, gums, guts, juts, puts, ruts, nuts, buts, butt, putt, putz, lutz, futz, fuzz, fuze, faze, daze, doze, dole, doll, dell, fell, well, tell, sell, self, delf, dels, gels, delf, geld, gild, gilt, lilt, lift, gift, girt, airt, airs, sirs, sits, nits, kits, kids, lids, Lido, Fido, fids, feds, fees, pees, peer, weer, week, meek, leek, peek, reek, geek, beek, beck, bock, sock, nock, yock, jock, jook, took, rook, hook, hoof, goof, roof, loof, loaf, leaf, deaf, neaf, near, wear, weak, weal, heal, hell, hill, yill, yell, bell, bill, pill, dill, gill, rill, kill, kiln, Kirn, kern, karn, earn, Earl, carl, cark, nark, nary, Navy, nave, neve, nene, gene, gens, fens, yens, mens, mess, mass, pass, pads, lads, lass, sass, tass, tase, vase, vasa, visa, vita, pita, pika, puka, puma, duma, dumb, dump, pump, hump, bump, lump, rump, rums, hums, huts, cuts, cues, sues, dues, hues, rues, ryes, ayes, eyes, eyed, eked, ekes, ukes, Utes, uses, used, user, Umer, omer, oner, over, aver, Acer, aces, Ares, ages, ales, Alps, alms, elms, elds, ends, ands, ants, arts, aits, acts, alts, alto, alas, Alan, Klan, flan, flag, flog, blog, clog, Clow, glow, glop, plop, plow, flow, flaw, slaw, slab, slay, flay, flam, flak, flax, flex, flea, flee, glee, gled, sled, fled, flew, fley, Frey, fret, free, tree, Cree, bree, Brie, brim, brig, grig, grit, brit, bris, bras, brat, bran, brag, bray, brad, bred, bled, blet, blot, clot, clod, clad, clay, cloy, clop, clou, chou, chop, chow, show, snow, stow, scow, scop, Scot, swot, swob, swab, scab, scad, shad, shod, shop, shoe, shoo, shmo, sumo, sump, gump, gamp, samp, simp, sims, jims, mims, mums, tums, tuts, tits, tats, tads, Taos, Laos, naos, nays, ways, wads, weds, Reds, Keds, zeds, meds, megs, pegs, regs, refs, rifs, rins, vins, hins, huns, duns, nuns, nubs, bubs, burs, ours, outs, orts, orbs, arbs, albs, alls, ally, illy, ills, ells, Elks, Elko, Esks, asks, arks, arms, arcs, arfs, ares, awes, axes, Abes, Abel, abet, abed, aged, aced, acid, arid, grid, grin, gein, vein, vain, lain, loin, join, coin, coil, boil, moil, noil, noir, coir, coit, Voit, Toit, twit, twig, twin, tain, fain, fair, pair, lair, laid, laic, lais, lams, yams, yaws, caws, cans, cons, cobs, cogs, cods, cops, bops, bors, bots, mots, lots, jots, jogs, jags, gags, dags, fags, fogs, fogy, dogy, dozy, doxy, dopy, copy, copt, COFT, toft, tuft, tuff, buff, huff, puff, duff, guff, puff, muff, miff, tiff, biff, jiff, riff, rifs, rids, aids, ails, awls, owls, owns, owes, ores, ones, odes, odea, idea, Ikea, ilea, plea, plew, pled, plod, prod, prom, prop, crop, drop, trop, trow, prow, frow, frog, grog, grot, GRAT, grit, gait, wait, whit, whet, when, whew, chew, chaw, Chas, chis, this, thus, thud, thug, trug, true, grue, grub, grum, gaum, GAUS, gars, gays, geys, keys, leys, leds, peds, teds, tews, Jews, mews, dews, dewy, demy, demo, memo, meme, deme, heme, hemp, hems, gems, rems, reps, ceps, cups, tups, tupi, tipi, Topi, tori, tors, mors, mods, muds, cuds, cuda, Cuba, Suda, Sura, surf, turf, turn, curn, carn, Cain, Caen, Haen, taen, Jaen, Jael, jarl, farl, fard, nard, nerd, need, meed, meet, feet, deet, deem, derm, dere, fere, fern, hern, hers, herp, Hera, Bera, Bert, Bern, berg, burg, burp, burr, bury, fury, jury, Jura, Bura, bora, bort, bott, both, doth, loth, lota, rota, rotl, roti, Roth, ruth, rath, Gath, Goth, SOTH, Seth, meth, Mets, muts, muss, muns, mans, Mays, maya, mayo, kayo, Karo, Faro, Fars, fats, nats, SATS, SANS, bans, bams, Sams, Pams, paps, pans, pons, mons, eons, tons, ions, inns, inks, irks, ires, ides, ices, iced, Icee, inee, knee, knew, know, knob, knot, knit, snit, slit, skit, skim, swim, slim, shim, ship, whip, whim, whom, whop, whap, wrap, crap, crab, drab, dram, drat, frat, fiat, fiar, liar, Lear, year, yeas, yean, yead, yeld, held, helm, help, yelp, yelk, Belk, bels, eels, eens, wens, wans, vans, vang, hang, gang, dang, rang, bang, lang, lans, Hans, haps, hops, hobs, nobs, fobs, foss, doss, docs, dors, Dora, Mora, Cora, fora, forb, ford, fold, folk, polk, yolk, yold, wold, wolf, golf, rolf, roff, doff, daff, gaff, guff, goff, coff, coif, coof, poof, woof, wool, mool, Kool, Lohl, koel, Joel, noel, noll, Nell, cell, call, cull, cult, celt, delt, gelt, geat, gean, pean, Kean, keas, leas, yeas, leal, geal, feal, zeal, Beal, baal, baul, Raul, Paul, pall, paly, poly, holy, holt, holm, holp, halp, hasp, hase, hame, mame, mama, mara, Mary, miry, wiry, wary, Gary, Cary, carf, zarf, Zara, Zada, nada, dada, dado, dato, NATO, Nate, Tate, Kate, yate, Yale, nale, Nile, wile, tile, vile, vice, dice, dece, duce, puce, pule, pull, pulp, gulp, gull, dull, lull, loll, lall, lill, sall, sull, wull, woll, woul, joul, jowl, cowl, coll, cole, tole, toke, hoke

Oh, and if you want to see the original thread, complete with comments about what some of the obscure words mean, click here.

ADDENDUM: June 9- I've been busy, so have not gotten to this. New word: JOWL.
Since tomorrow I leave for a short vacation, here are a few more words: COWL, COLL (to embrace), COLE (besides a name, it is a kind of mustard), TOLE, TOKE, HOKE

Current count: 2143.

I'm feeling older

Last week the phone rang. Mrs. L. picked it up. I overheard her say “Yes, he’s here. Do you want me to get him on?”

I pick up the extension. Oldest Daughter (D1) is on the line. “So, Mr. D1 and I were discussing what to get you and Mom for Christmas and wanted to see if you would like it.” (Or something along those lines.) Must be something big, I think to myself, since they are talking about it seven months ahead of time. “So what is it?” I ask.

Her answer: “How about a grandchild?”

I was surprised. I mean, at her wedding a couple of months ago I had said that I was looking forward to grandchildren, but not so soon! Playing along, I asked “A grandchild? Where are you going to get one of those?”

It was only a little bit before D2 was on the third extension, having overheard my response. She was more than excited. I guess I am too. I’m just feeling a little older, now that my first grandchild is due to be born before the year is over.

Jesus alone

The other day, I was reading John chapter 16, verse 32 caught my attention: “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me” (NKJV). We know that being God and Man, that God had to be with Him, so indeed, He was never alone. However, compare that to what we read while Jesus was on the cross, just before taking His final breath, when He cried out: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46) It is not a contradiction to say that the Man part of Jesus felt totally alone for the first and only time in His life. Totally forsaken by God, which is what Hell is like, according to some authorities. All for us. Glory to God! I don’t have to suffer the separation from God in Hell because the Son of God experienced that separation for me on the cross. Thank you Jesus!

Three Mountains

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Psalm 121. Here are the first two verses from the NASB:

1I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
2My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

Growing up, we had a view of a mountain range some 7000 ft. higher in elevation. It was a lovely sight, especially in winter when it had snow cap. At any rate, I have always had an interest in mountains, having spent a lot of time in them before moving away from Arizona. This passage caught my eye when I first read it many years ago. At first I thought the second line was a statement, since in the KJV it does not have a question mark. I always imagined a soldier in battle, seeing the enemy getting the upper hand, looking towards the mountains to see if reinforcements were coming. Then I got a NASB as a gift and saw my error. My help comes from God.

There are many references to mountains in the Bible, and one look at a map of Israel tells us why: it is a very mountainous land. While several are mentioned, three come to mind for their significance, either in what happened there, or their symbolism. One can think of Mt Carmel, where Elijah challeenged the priests of Baal to prove which god was real. There is Ararat, where the ark rested and Noah and his family began the rebirth of the human race. But I want to focus on these three: Moriah, Sinai and Golgotha.

We read of Moriah in Genesis 22, when God told Abraham to take his only sin Isaac and sacrifice him "in Moriah, on a mountain which I will show you (vs 2). I believe this mountain is also in Jerusalem, where the great temple of Solomon was built.The event is a picture of God giving His Son as a sacrifice in our place. Rather than putting His wrath for sin where it belongs- on us- He placed it on Jesus. Moriah represents also the sacrificial system established in the Law of Moses and carried on today in the Roman Catholic mass. It does nothing to rid us of sin, but makes us feel good anyway.

Sinai represents the Mosaic Law. "Do this and live," says the Law, but there is no way anyone could ever meet the requirements. Yet men continue to try. How many say that we just need to follow the Ten Commandments to be saved, fialing to read James 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all (NASB). What do these people do to atone for their sin when they break one of the commands? Do they also realize what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount about adultery and murder? He says: "...I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart " (Matt 5:28) and "...I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty" (of murder) (Matt 5:22).

Neither Moriah or Sinai, nor all they represent, are anything compared to Golgotha. It was on this mountain that the Lord of all creation, God as man, in the form of Jesus Christ, died once for all sin. "(W)ho, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil 2:6-8) Though I understand it, I cannot explain how the eternal creator would come down to us and give Himself in our place. Charles Wesley said it best: " 'Tis mercy all, the Immortal dies! Who can explore His strange design?"

Celebrate May!

April is almost gone. May arrives next week with all its importance. Several big days here at 3rd and College. My birthday and anniversary. The end of school for another year. Several religious holidays. In Missouri, state workers and some schools take a day off to celebrate Harry Truman's birthday on the 8th. Then there is Memorial Day, which has been proclaimed the unofficial beginning of summer.

And what month is not complete without its odd festivals. Pella, Iowa, celebrates its Dutch heritage with the Tulip Time May 7-9. It's a great way to see thousands of flowers in one place. My family and I went one year. It was cold and rainy, so there was not much enjoyment. the flowers were droopy because of the wind, and some of the events got canceled, so we did not stay long.

Many other communities around the globe have their special days, too. In a quick search, I discovered that England has two interesting ones. One is the Rochester Sweeps Festival, in which chimney sweeps have a big party with music and dancing. The other I found was the Cheese Rolling at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, England. From what I can tell, people actually win prizes for rolling a round block of cheese down a very steep hill. And this thing has been going on for generations! Sounds like fun. My problem would be eating the cheese instead of rolling it.

So, enjoy May to its fullest. Enjoy the warming temperatures before the heat of summer melts us away. Unless of course, you live South of the Equator, where you are entering the cold season.

Are there any interesting festivals where you live or that you have heard of? Tell me about them.

Passing thoughts

April has arrived. There were no major “April Fools” jokes around here, other than my son putting an “engagement announcement” on his Facebook page. We played along and emailed him that he needs to tell us such news before “going public”. He wrote back to tell us it was an April Fools joke. I wrote back that now I needed to send another email to everyone in the our address book the truth. He wrote back thinking I was serious. We fooled him! Our daughter had told us it was not real before we ever wrote him.

April is a good month to have a harmless day of jokes, as it is a crazy month weather wise. It was 60 and sunny last week. There were snow flurries earlier today, and tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50s. Welcome to Springtime in Missouri. I cannot find it, but Mark Twain is supposed to have said that if one does like the weather here, wait a little while and it will change. While that quote isn't necessarily his, he did say this: “In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” And this, in an editorial: “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.”

Two down, 46 to go

It has been two months since we inaugurated a new president. He has already proven himself a true politician in that he has broken several campaign promises. He said he would vet his appointments and not have any lobbyists. One of his first appointees was a lobbyist. He spoke against wasteful spending in government, then proceeded to sign the biggest spending bill ever, which included a lot of earmarks (if it has to be added at the last minute, it is probably wasteful). He said he would let the public see and review any spending bill for five days before signing, then signed the bill within two days of passage. I could go on, but you all know what the politicians in Washington have been up to. Unfortunately, it is not just the Democrats who are to blame, but most of them in both parties.

I am so glad this world is not my home. No matter who is in the White House, God is in control!

Thoughts from a wedding

Last Saturday, I had the privilege of attending a wedding- my daughter’s! Yes, I was the father of the bride. Many asked how I felt. I honestly cannot say for sure. It was with mixed emotions, as I knew the man she married before she did, and thought he would make a good husband for any young woman. Besides that, Daughter L left home for college four years ago, and has not been a part of the household much since then. Though we all miss having her here. She did honor my desire to see her again the weekend before the wedding so we could watch Father of the Bride.

Times sure have changed since my lovely wife and I wed 27 years ago. I suggested that she keep it simple. I guess it was much simpler than many weddings I have been to, so I will not comment on that further. That said, here are a few thoughts:

Even with a coordinator, there is some miscommunication. No one is perfect, so no wedding comes off without a glitch or two.

No matter how old children get (my daughter is 23) they still are our little girls and boys, in many ways.

Hearing all the great things people said about her during the toasts at the reception made me wonder if this really was my daughter. I thank the Lord that she turned out so wonderful. It was not my doing.

I am also thankful that her new husband is who he is, and trust that he will keep my daughter well.

Okay, now a question about a tradition: Why do we “give the bride away”? God lent her to us, she is His, not mine. So why did I say “Her mother and I do,” when asked “who gives this woman to this man?” Should I not have said “God lent her to us. So who am I to give her to a man?”

(Photo credit: Rachel Greene. Thank you!)

Chicken Little, your services are requested.

Whew! If we listen to the "Hope and Change" President, we would think economic disaster is waiting in the wings and will strike any minute. (Where's the hope in that?) So let's act now and not worry about the debt we leave to our great-great grandchildren. (Where's the change in that practice? It sound's like the last economic act of the previous president.) In the 1980s, we had Reaganomics, which GHW Bush dubbed as “Voodoo Economics”. This was followed by Bush’s “Read-my-lips-onomics”, in which he promised not to raise taxes, but did anyway. (Granted the Democrats in Congress convinced him they would cut spending if he raised taxes, but they typically did not follow through.) Then we had the socialistic ideas of Clintonomics in the 1990s. For the last eight years, we have been through the cut-taxes-but-increase-spending debacle of Dubyanomics. So, now that the new president got his plan through with dooms-day, the-sky-is-falling rhetoric about the whole economy collapsing, can we call Obamanomics “Chicken Little Economics”?

His Love

I guess I couldn't find the time for another post the last two days. At any rate, here is the second installment on the Love of God.

Another favorite song of mine that speaks volumes about God's love is called "His Love", but it is not a hymn. It was written about twenty years ago by a preacher named Mark Webb. I cannot seem to find an Internet site that he used to have with his music, so I cannot link to the song. But the lyrics are what caught my attention the first time I heard this song.

Oh the wonder of wonders, that God should love me!
Love a sinner so guilty, so vile and unclean.
To love the unlovely, how can it be done?
'Tis only in Jesus, in His blessed Son.

Long before I ever knew Him, my Lord first knew me.
Before I ever sought Him, my Lord first sought me.
When I was in darkness, His sworn enemy,
He purchased my pardon, on Calvary's tree!

Chorus:
His Love is a mountain, that I cannot scale.
As wide as an ocean, that I cannot sail.
I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see.
This love that in mercy, first laid hold of me.

Not that I first did choose Him, for that could not be.
Still this heart would refuse Him, had He left it to me!
I'd still fight that battle, that no man can win.
I'd still bar the heart's door, that letteth Him in.

Such richness in a few short verses, and more truth than in many modern songs. We can never attain the salvation on our own merits, and we will never be worthy of God's redeeming love without the blood shed on Calvary. "This is the love of God, that when we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" says Paul in Romans. Any child in Sunday school memorizes that verse, but oh, to really know it in our heart!

The Love of God

This Saturday, the world celebrates Valentine's Day, in which we all give little trinkets to someone we "love", whether it be school children sharing tacky cards with drawings of Cupid and red so-called "hearts" or adults buying chocolates and roses for their beloved. But is this really what love is? Where did it originate?

God.

We are told in the Epistle of First John "God is love" (1 John 4:8) The Bible tells us many ways in which God expresses his love to us, which you can find if you do a search of the scripture. (A good start would be at Bible Gateway.) Then, many hymn writers and other Christian musicians have penned words which express that love as well. This week, I will attempt to post my thoughts on several of those.

One of my favorite hymns is "The Love of God", which was found written on the wall of an cell at an insane asylum in the early 1900s. The author obviously has all his senses when he wrote it, or else he was inspired by God at the time.

Here are the words:

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Refrain

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Refrain


The first two verses define the love of God in as good a way as any definition ever penned outside of scripture. Cyber Hymnal says the last verse is a translation of a 1050 A.D. Jewish poem. I love that verse. Once, I was driving through Iowa on a sunny summer day. The corn was tall and abundant, and the sky stretched out as far as the eye could see. I was reminded of this hymn, thinking of how much writing one could do on such a huge page. Then I though of all the water on earth -- 75% of the surface of the planet! That is a lot of ink!

Oh the wonder of the love of God!

Will the spending ever end?

As I was driving to work listening to the news this morning, they mention that Republican senators are questioning the $900 billion spending bill when we have huge deficits. Then they broadcast for all to hear a quote from Pres. Obama, saying “There was a deficit when I got here.” Is that his reasoning for spending more, because we are already so far in debt that we will never pay it off, so let’s spend more? I wish I could run my household like that! I would buy a palace, buy that expensive convertible I want, take the trip of my dreams and all the while not even batting an eye at the cost, knowing someone else will pay it off. Talk about change!

I read today that if someone spent $1 million a day since Jesus was born, he would still have over $200 billion to go to get to $1 trillion spent. Can you imagine that? I remember when the government started saying billion and thinking that was an unfathomable number. Now it is a-trillion-here-a-trillion-there-ho-hum-when’s-lunch? We have been so desensitized to the amount of money, that we say “Tax the evil rich” to get what we want. If every “rich” person gave every penny of income to Uncle Sam, would there be enough for this “stimulus” package? I hope the Republican senators are as smart as the House members, and all vote no. Let the Democrats holler partisanship all they want. I hear Obama saying the Republicans need to get on board. That’s bi-partisanship? It is inviting unwilling crew members to board a doomed ship that is already up to its deck in water.

A new President

So, it begins. Barack Obama is officially the President of the United States (POTUS). Interesting last couple of months since the election. I made a few predictions on the coming term a few posts down in "We’ve only just begun". Since then, Mr O has sounded more like his opponent than himself, making a few proposals that sound like a moderate Republican. As much as I do not want Mr Obama to be president, he is for at least four years. I want the country to do well, so he needs to succeed in recovering our economy.

A few of thoughts:

-- He is only a man, and as such has no miraculus powers. All those promises he has made? Do not be depressed if they don't happen, because many of them will not.
--God is still in control.
--We survived Carter and Clinton, if the Lord wills, we will survive Obama.
--Bush made a mess of the economy, with the help of the Congress while controlled by both parties. Perhaps it is time to either totally redo the Republican party, or work towards strengthening the Constitution or Libertarian parties.
--Write the RNC and tell them to change the rules such that independents and Democrats cannot vote in Republican primaries, thus not giving candidates like McCain the edge.
--Pray! It is a commandment of Paul in the epistles, so it is not something to forget to do.

Personal blogging dead? I doubt it.

On my usual perusal of World Magazine on line, I found an interesting post about personal blogging “going the way of the rotary dial phone.” So I followed the link to Wired.com. The premise is that writing a personal blog has become “so yesterday”, and now the fad is Facebook or Twitter. I have only gone to Facebook once in my life, and have never visited Twitter. So, here I am behind the times again, along with my email and land line phone. I actually have a cell phone, but I only use it to make and, rarely [hint to my away-from-home children], receive calls. I would rather email someone or leave a voice mail than text, as the thumbs are not made for pushing tiny buttons several times just to get one letter. Usually I don’t get the button pushed fast enough, so I get the wrong letter and have to go back and delete. Or I push too many times and have to repeat.

But I digress. I post this comment to ask my few readers (and those I invited from Worldmagblog, to tell me your thoughts on this trend. Is our society so fad based that we have to go from one form of communication to another, just so we can keep in touch? Are we so technologically bound that we cannot keep a good thing going anyway? Is the day of posting pictures of the family for all to see now going to Facebook and its kind? I have nephews who post family pictures on blogs, and I like them, as I do not have to log in every time I want to see what the latest happenings in their households are. Since I do not live in the same town, I can see how their children are doing with the click of a mouse (1960s’ technology, BTW). If I want to comment, I can use my QWERTY keyboard (1800s’ technology) and post something. And if I actually want to talk to them, or get them some message “for their ears/eyes only”, I can pick up either phone and call (19th or 20th Century technologies), or send an email (1980s) or even get out paper and pen and send a letter (B.C. “technology”), put it in an envelope, get a stamp (1800s) and send it by postman (predates Ben Franklin in the 1700s, but he was the founder of the Postal Service, you know).

Anyway, is the personal blog a thing of the past? Or will those of us who prefer this form keep it going (at least until the Internet providers make it impossible, as the phone companies have done with rotary/pulse tone phones)? Please comment (but don’t let moderation stop you, it prevents the trolls and spammers, who, according to Wired.com article, are the only ones who will read this).