Opus 2021-354: Thanksgiving Day, New Year’s Style

It is a good thing that I am not God.  If I were there would be lightening bolts flying everywhere.  
We know that God got rid of most of the human race with the flood.  In what must have been a moment of weakness He spared Noah and his family.  Later, out of the survivors, He chose Abram to be the father of a new nation which became Israel.  If you read the narrative of the Exodus and the travails of Moses as he tried to lead them to the Promised Land you will notice that Moses had to talk God out of destroying Israel and starting over.

This came to mind as I was reading in Psalms.

(Psa 95:8-11 NAS77) Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness; When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work.  For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.  Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest."

These people had seen God work.  Remember the movie made on this called The Ten Commandments.  Remember the plagues.  Remember the Red Sea parting and then swollowing up the pursuing Egyptian army.  As you follow them through the wilderness you see miracle after miracle.  They were not just reading about them or watching a YouTube video.  They experienced it.  They knew He had taken care of them in the past yet they still complained or “hardened their hearts”

I tend to judge them a bit but then I stop and realize that we tend to do the same when we worry about current events.  Don’t tell me I am the only one who have moments so despair and discouragement.  I have struggled with depression over the years but by now you would think I have the blessing of hindsight.  I am afraid that my hindsight tends to need glasses.

So I give it glasses.  I have learned that if I give God the time of day when my mind is freshest and my heart is willing to listen then He meets with me and improves my vision.  I start with a bit of contemplation of the infinite nature of God.  Have you ever tried to wrap your arms around the concept of infinity?  It keeps slipping out of your range.  God understands it.  How about the creativity of God?  Look around at the complexity of creation.  Try to understand how a woman thinks.  Look at your grand children and be consumed with how wonderful they are.  

That brings me to thankfulness.  I have 365 Thanksgivings year, more if you count the afternoons when I am stopped in my tracks by a cloud formation or a memory.  When is the last time you thanked God for the people who picked your coffee?  If you don’t like coffee then pick something you do like.  Don’t be difficult.  

Does that mean that we close our eyes and ignore the corruption, perversion and fearmongering we are faced with daily?  Not on you life.  We have to engage and be involved.  We are not blind.  We are not allowed to be naive.  At the same time we are to be the sound of joy in a world that has become a wallowing pit.  We are to be the encouragement that makes them wonder what they are afraid of.  We are to be Jesus in a pagan world.

It is a fine path to follow that keeps our minds aware and our hearts encouraged.  We can do it.  It always amazes me how spending time listening to God through silence, reading and pondering can change my whole day.

Join me.  Don’t despair.  Rejoice.  Sing the Christmas carols, in or out of season.  Have another Thanksgiving.  Contemplate your blessings.  Look around and find someone who has more reason than you to give up and try to encourage them.

Now I am off to grind my coffee and get it set up for tomorrow.  Did I tell you about the guy who picks my coffee?  I did?  How about the lineman that keeps my electricity going?  It is going to be a blessed day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-353: Jobs Diet Plan

I am not sure if it is boring or amusing to listen to different theories about what we should eat.  One thing we should have learned by now is that all the latest insights are not necessarily new nor do they make sense.  Does salt make things taste better or is it just a cultural norm?  Is salt bad for you?  If salt kills you this is being written by my personal ghost writer because I died a long time ago.  Are eggs good for you or unhealthy?  Recently I went down to breakfast in our hotel and the offering was some wannabe omelet made with only egg whites.  It had a special sort of name and the taste was as special as it’s handle.  I find certain statements from the Bible to be good guidance.  

(Job 6:6 NAS77) "Can something tasteless be eaten without salt, Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

And add to that the fact that believers are called the “salt of the earth” and that is a good thing.

Common sense is a rare commodity.  It would help if we would turn it on when we listen to the latest guru or read the current diet book.  I find that common sense and simple observation is usually better than the most impressive scientific research.

Results may vary.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-352 (numbering correction): So Shoot Me

If you like memes check out Georges’ Grouse.  He does a daily gathering from various sites.  Better him than me.  One of the themes that comes up involves pictures of famous actors caught in real life.  What caught me today was John Wayne shaking hands with someone at a dinner.  As I looked at the picture I realized that I would not recognize many modern day actors without their makeup or costumes.  I don’t know if that is good or bad.  Does it say that they are great at their job or that there fame is a result of good PR?

I have been forced to watch a lot of TV as we traveled across the country.  My wife is into Hallmark movies.  My problem is that I can’t tell the actors apart.  To me it is not just the plots that are the same but it looks like the same people in each one.  I am so far out of it on pop culture that I am also starting to care.  It can be embarrassing being culturally illiterate.  The other day I heard someone talking about the Simpsons making a Christmas album.   I was not aware that Homer had a daughter named “Jessica” or that she had a sister.  It is a good thing that I kept listening rather than sharing my ignorance.

Actually I am quite happy about being ignorant in certain areas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-251: Retro Shopping

Have you seen pictures of old time grocery stores and drug stores?  Merchandise is behind the counter and you are waited on by a clerk.  We may be moving back to that.  It may even get worse.  We may become like some banks.  We may install bullet proof glass with trays that move the purchases through the wall.  We may become like fast food locations with our dining rooms closed but the drive through working and delivery available.  It will be from Covid terror but because of the way in which the Proregressives* have undermined the rule of law and the social values that held us together.  

The snatch and grab going on in high roller stores is a result.  The looting jumped from riot demolished down towns to neighborhood drug stores and then to the sheltered world of the elites.  They thought they were immune.  They were wrong.  As the spawn of Democratic rulers take over the streets they will begin to hit all the stores in between.  They will travel to the suburbs to do their grocery “shopping” because the variety has not been decimated there yet.  Don’t expect them to pay when they check out.  

Amazon Prime may begin to use armored trucks because we have already seen some of their vans waylaid and emptied.  Grocery clerks may require armor and weapons to do their job.

I expect such nonsense in the blue states any day.  I am hoping that the red states will allow their citizens to arm themselves and show the thugs the error of their ways.

We live in Chinese interesting times.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-250: Parable or History

Are you ready for a question?  Maybe you have thought about it.  Maybe you wonder what I am talking about.  Maybe you wonder if I have been in the rhubarb again.  The question is, “Is the book of Job history or a parable?”  Is it a literal event that took place in a land called Uz or is it a story written to explore the problem of evil?  

If you are a five point Calvinist then you have to believe it is a parable.  Consider the first verse,

(Job 1:1 NAS77) There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God, and turning away from evil.

I say that because such a person could not exist in their theology.

I meddle.

Back to the question at hand.  I go back and forth on this.  I don’t think the book itself gives us the answer.  I don’t think the answer changes the message of validity of the message.  The arguments are true either way.

As I began to read Job it struck me that this must be some kind of parable.  If you have a Bible handy read through the opening scene of the book.  Look down to verses 6-7.

(Job 1:6-7 NAS77) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.  And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it."

It doesn’t go into much detail but I get the idea of the classical stereotype of God as an old man with a long beard sitting on a throne with others gathered around.  It is a nice picture but it doesn’t fit the actual statements about God such as,

(Joh 4:24 NAS77) "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

and

(1Jn 1:5 NAS77) And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

Then you have the understanding that God is not just your everyday deity.  He is a bit more awesome than that.  Solomon understood this thousands of years ago.

(2Ch 6:18 NAS77) "But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee; how much less this house which I have built.

Think about what it would have been like in the presence of God as it is described in Job.  I think the story is given in order for us to understand the events that are going to happen.  I don’t think our minds could wrap themselves around the visual of Almighty God in conference with the Angle of Light.

I could be wrong.  As they say, you are entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it is.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-249: Timing

We are now faced with a big question:  When do we stop listening to Christmas music.  

The beginning is obvious, when Thanksgiving dinner is over.  But what about the end.

I can remember one year being in bed and waiting for midnight to come so the radio station would switch their programing.  Now I go to bed too early for that.  You could stretch your enjoyment to January 6, Epiphany.  The Western Church looks at that as the day we remember the coming of the Wise Men.  The Eastern Church looks at it as Christmas.

You can see there is some flexibility.  I will put mine away on the 26th but if you still have yours on I will not hold it against you.  I still like to sing “Joy to the World” in June.  But then I have been know to pick “Victory in Jesus” as an altar call.

Merry Christmas

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-248: A Day of Big Words

Years ago I was in a theology class and the professor introduced the theological terms imminence and transcendence.  One speaks about the omni nature of God.  The other term reminds us that God is with us.  For some reason I have remembered the terms for over forty years and I still don’t know which is which.  

They come together when we celebrate Christmas.  This is expressed many different ways in the Bible.  The Gospel of John has none of the birth narratives but deals with the theological undergirdings.  John starts with the eternal nature of Jesus.

(Joh 1:1 KJV)  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

And then he points out the incarnation,

(Joh 1:14 KJV)  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Matthew got down in the dust and put it in language even children can grasp.

(Mat 1:23 KJV)  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

If you want to get distracted by the date, have a good time.  If you want to complain about the materialism that dominates Christmas gift giving, I can understand.  It we think that traditions like the Christmas tree spring from pagan roots, I won’t argue with you.  All I ask is that you then take a deep breath and remind yourself,

(Gal 4:4-5 KJV)  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

You have had almost 2,000 years to get over it.  So Merry Christmas, Festive Fullness of Time Day, Emmanuel, or whatever you need to hear to get in the spirit of celebrating the Incarnation.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-247: Job on Our Leaders

The book of Job is not a discourse on political science but I keep coming across things that announce, “Today”.  Guess what I was thinking about when I read this.

(Job 12:24-25 NAS77) "He deprives of intelligence the chiefs of the earth's people, And makes them wander in a pathless waste.  "They grope in darkness with no light, And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.

You got it first time.  Have you ever wondered how people can be so oblivious?  It is the darkening of an already dark mind, like God did to Pharaoh.  

I think this effect can be magnified by prayer.  Take one example, Hitler losing World War II.  Any student of history would know that didn’t work too well for Napoleon.  Hitler must have figured that winter would not come that year.  You have him making repeated mistakes like this and the elite German army was driven into the ground by citizen soldiers.  Millions of Christians were praying the equivalent of the toast, “Confusion to our enemies.”  God responded.

Pray for our president.  Pray for those in power.  Pray that they would be tools of almighty God even if they are not aware of it.  In other words pray for confusion on God’s enemies.

And have a merry Christmas.  Remember we could not say, “He is risen” on Easter if He had not been born on Christmas (or whatever day you think it happened).

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-246: On the Street: Is That Spelled with a “K”?

While spending Christmas and New Years in Virginia I went out with my son for the day.  It wasn’t a pre-planned father/son event.  It was a “Get out of the condo while I cook” moment.  We found plenty to do.  One event was visiting a used book store.  It was massive and had a lot of stuff that was not books and a lot of books that were not used.  At one point a boisterous employee asked if I needed any help and since I could not find aisle 2A I was willing to ask.  She couldn’t find it either and substituted taking me to her computer to see if they had what I wanted.  Since I didn’t know what I wanted that presented a problem, but I rose to the occasion.  I have recently read The Communist Manifesto and was feeling my oats to try Das Kapital.  It was a depressing search.

It wasn’t depressing because the computer was so slow or that they didn’t have anything I was looking for.  What was depressing was the ignorance of the employee.  She was a pleasant young woman.  She had a daughter old enough to have a Kindle but with the mask it was hard to figure out much more than that.  What got to me was she had no idea who Karl Marx was.  She had never heard of the Communist Manifesto let alone Das Kapital.  She had never heard of the Gutenberg Project.  

You wonder how the public schools are doing?  Go into a book store and talk to someone who has never heard of possibly the most destructive book in history.  It is a planned result.  An ignorant population is much easier to control than an informed citizenry.

Travel really broadens your understanding of our culture.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-245: Idle Thoughts

What gets you thinking the deep thoughts?  I drift into contemplation from many directions.  It can be while watching my grandson check out to see if gravity is still working.  It can be trying to grasp how long it has taken some starlight to get to me.  It could be that I marvel at people’s stupidity or creativity.  You can get to wander into wonder from almost anywhere.

At one end of the spectrum I contemplate infinity.  It is a concept that we cannot grasp.  If you think you understand it add one.  Double it.  Halve it.  Try to convince yourself that you are not going insane.  I sometimes wonder about the mathematician who came up with the idea.

Or about face.  At the other end of the spectrum I see how every physical unit is made up of smaller units.  I think the smallest concept we have currently is the neutrino.  At least that is what the internet tells me and if you see it on the internet it must be true.  I somehow think a smaller unit will be discovered or postulated eventually.  

We are in between those extremes.

This is what it is like to try and understand God.  When you cast your eyes to the heavens and consider that God is what made it and holds it together you move in one direction.  When you think you are getting close to a definition then multiply by one million and start over again.  It is this infinite nature of God which gives Him the capacity to make sure that my neurons keep synapsing.  It is what makes it possible for Him to keep track of each human being and what is going on in their inner being.  If men operate in DOS and women in Windows then God is an operating system that can have limitless aps open and never crash.

In the midst of that we have the words of the God,

(Rom 5:8 KJV)  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

I hope you get bored enough to look around you and contemplate the miracle of it all.

Merry Christmas where we celebrate the birth that lead to the death, that lead to the resurrection, which offers us hope.  At one end a cradle; at the other, eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-244: On the Street: Where’s the Beef

One of the great traditions of Christmas is the lights.  When I was a kid in Southern California we used to go to Hasting’s Ranch and cruise.  The entire community had taken the deep dive on Christmas lawn candy.  Even in regular neighborhoods you could find pockets of creativity and magic.  One of the regular features was a nativity theme.

Then came the blackout.  I don’t remember the year but in California there was a taboo on lights because we were short of electricity.  Although we have somewhat recovered we are seeing more and more commercial and official displays and fewer in the front yard.  We have seen the same thing on the Fourth of July.  Instead of having a front yard celebration or a street party with fireworks we are expected to let the city do it.  It is for our own good.

In the process of the takeover we see certain changes.  We witnessed an example this week.  We are visiting grandchildren in Virginia.  Locally they have a community organization that takes over a golf course and turns it into a Christmas festival of lights.  We loaded up the van and did a drive through.  It is very impressive.  It shows a lot of work and a lot of imagination.  The kids loved it.  Just one thing was missing.

Jesus.

We saw flowers, bears, penguins, ships, castles, sea serpents and even a Santa Claus with reindeer.  There was no reference to the reason we were taking the drive.  The closest it came was a sign that said, “Peace on Earth.”  Since I am used to the secularization of Christmas I enjoyed the kids and watched for Jesus.  The kids were a joy.  Jesus was not invited.

It feels like the veggie burger I had the other day.  The description used the word burger and listed the exotic ingredients.  I had to ask if it had any beef.  The waitress said, “No,” but told me it was really good.  In fact she said it was her favorite.  Since I would never have a chance again for this delightful treat, I went for it.  It was not horrible.  It was not disgusting.  It was not beef.  I enjoyed it as a one time event in my life but I did not leave feeling like I had what I came for.

Don’t leave the beef out of your hamburgers.  Don’t leave the Savior out of your Christmas.  You may have fun but you won’t get the blessing.

Merry Christmas, the day we celebrate the incarnation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-343: Job on Fauci

It is always fun to quote out of context.  As I was reading through Job I came across a place where I could swear that Job had been to see Dr. Fauci.

(Job 13:4-5 NAS77) "But you smear with lies; You are all worthless physicians.  "O that you would be completely silent, And that it would become your wisdom!

Job was talking to his friends.  They, like our elites today, were only there to help.  Imagine how he would have phrased it if he were talking to his enemies.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-342: Second Verses: Curses

One of the great joys of Christmas is the music associated with the holiday.  I enjoy almost anything that was written by the time I was growing up.  That means I can embrace “Rockin’ around the Christmas tree...” as well as “Angels from the realms of glory....”  One end of the spectrum is simply fun and the other brings eternal insights.  

I was in the midst of Joy to the World.  I know the words well enough to know what comes next, only it didn’t.  They left out a verse.  I was thinking it was the second verse but it was really the third.  It is probably the verse that our world needs to hear the most.

No more let sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground.
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

It is funny how people leave out the vital guts of the message.  Christmas as portrayed on the Hallmark Channel and other popular mediums is some strange hybrid of corporate America, warm fuzzies and pagan ritual.  I have noticed that the Christian message is being filtered out of the holiday more every year.  I used to be able to find several stations that would begin playing the carols associated with the incarnation for days ahead of Christmas.  Lately when I have found any station trying to do that they were loaded with the nonsense romantic frustrations expressed by the Christmas albums that every recording artist feels is an obligation to be part of their repertoire.  

Christmas carols are loaded with theology and the message of salvation.  Notice the reference to sin and redemption in the second verse.  It was left out.  Don’t leave it out of your Christmas.

Merry Christmas, the day we celebrate the incarnation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-341: Plow and Crown: The Conflict Keeps Popping Up

I am reading a lot of books produced by dead, white males.  I don’t have a screening process on physical condition, skin color or sex at birth.  It just works out that way.  This year I have read works by Edmund Burke, John Bunyan, John Steward Mill, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek, Winston Churchill, Eusebius, C.S. Lewis, Francis Schaefer.  And I am currently working through  Lord Acton, Adam Smith and Thomas Aquinas.  When I look at that list I am impressed even if you are not.

Many of these authors were consulted by the Founding Fathers when they were struggling to produce a new type of government.  Those on my list who wrote too late for the Founders to know do a lot of quoting from the documents that were available.  One of the things that I see as I read is the constant theme of the common man wanting liberty and the elites wanting power.  I call it the Plow and the Crown.  

One of the recurring truths seems to be that pure democracy is guaranteed to produce tyranny and oppression.  I am currently beginning to read Lord Acton.  He is the one who wrote a line most of us have heard,

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

I have not come across it yet but I will keep an eye out.  He did write a lot about the problems with democracy and how it has been tried at many places and times.  It always seems to end in disaster.  He uses the term, “tyranny of the majority”.

“The one pervading evil of democracy is the tyranny of the majority, or rather of that party, not always the majority, that succeeds, by force or fraud, in carrying elections.”  Kindle location 1919-1920  (Page 16)

This is from an book review called "Sir Erskine May’s Democracy in Europe" published in The Quarterly Review, January 1878.  

I don’t know about you but I am feeling that sentence today.  The Founding Fathers set up a republic, not a democracy.  They did that on purpose because they had read their history and they knew that democracy doesn’t work.  They went with a Federal Republic with a Constitution that was designed to make it very hard for the kind of shenanigans we are seeing.

I am sure I will have more on this as I continue to read.

Acton, Baron John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton (1834-1902).  The History of Freedom, and Other Essays.  Project Gutenberg, First Edition,1907.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-340: Onward Non-White Christian Soldiers

I have a couple of more questions generated by our constantly changing cultural milieu.

Will Target stores now allow the Salvation Army to make collections in front of their stores.  You may have forgotten that they banned them.  They had some milk sop comments about equality and such but the real reason in my opinion was that they represented a positive image of Jesus.  With the current woke version of the Salvation Army being revealed they may need to rethink that.  The Salvation Army and Target are now joined at the hip.

Will I now be able to resume shopping at Target.  The reason I quit giving them my business was the banning of the Army.  Now that they are not worth banning maybe I can check out the stores again.  Then I remembered that Target also embraced the transgender bathroom idea.  To be honest, I have never seen a Target that has transgender bathrooms.  It may have been all talk.  I would notice because the only reason I have been in a Target is to use their bathrooms, which are usually right by the entrance.  

I will have to think this one over.  When I stopped going to Target I still had Walmart.  Now Walmart has gone “I hate white people” and my options are severely limited.  

Life never promised to be easy.  At least these are first world problems.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-339: On the Road: Again

I am on the road again.  The grandchildren and Christmas are calling.  Last Tuesday my wife informed me that it was 3:25 A.M., yes that A.M., and she could not sleep any more.  We were on the road by 4:15.  We made about 750 miles.  It was a long day.

It was not as beautiful as the trip before Thanksgiving.  The colors had done what colors do and faded into shades of gray and green.  It is still a spectacular drive.  What a big, beautiful and bold country we live in.  The sense of freedom that comes from getting in a car and driving long distances without border checks and required ID is something that I think few liberals ever experience.  They need to get out more.  The vast tracts of almost empty countryside with obviously thriving forests and fields would disrupt their sense of overpopulation and fear of the destruction of our natural resources.  Maybe they know that and stay in their gated communities for that reason.  It makes it easier to tell people what is good for them when you are sheltered from reality.

I digress.

We took a different route this time.  Instead of heading north through Mississippi and Alabama we went east along the coast to the Florida Panhandle before we headed north.  I was really impressed by Mobile.  The city skyline was unique and the vistas presented of the bay and ocean were almost breathtaking.  I say almost because I am a hard sell.  After an overnight in the Pensacola area we headed north through the secondary roads of Georgia to Savannah.  We saw a lot of small towns we would like to go back to and roam what the tofu class would call “old town” that were still functioning.  We talked to a lot of great people and saw a multitude of small businesses and factories.  America is still alive and well when you get away from the Democrat run fest-pools.  

Signs are everywhere telling us masks are required.  For every sign there is a crowd of citizens who are ignoring them.  It was refreshing.  I almost felt like I was in the middle of a revolution.  It wasn’t until we got to Virginia that we began to see large numbers of people wearing muzzles, even when they were not required.  Virginians need a vocabulary lesson.  Recommended does not mean the same as required.  They also need to be reminded of the difference between citizen and subject.

I am delighting in my grandchildren.  It is nice being around my daughter and her husband but that pales compared to the little ones.  My granddaughter informed me that she did not put the balls on the Christmas tree but she did help hang the ornaments.  When asked if she was excited about her grandparents coming she shared that it would be wonderful.  

Merry Christmas.  Since we are now installed in our condo I may get around to writing and posting.  If I don’t do much I am sure that all of us will still enjoy the blessings of the Incarnation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-338: Love in Action

I seriously question the sanity of animal lovers.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not an animal hater.  I am an animal tolerator.  That has become necessary because my wife and daughter are cat lovers.  I attribute it to the taint of French blood.  It gets really serious because my granddaughter is also a cat lover, at three and a half.  I am resigned to my fate.

I watch this cat I am tasked with.  It belongs to my granddaughter.  We have it with us to make their move from the east coast a bit easier.  There was no question of caring for it.  The little one wants it.  It is done.  The cat seems to have adopted me.  It follows me around and sleeps on my bed.  It seems to think I actually care about it.

Yes, I pet it and scratch its chin.  I feed it and now I am responsible for the litter box.  It pays me back by throwing up on the carpet and yowling at the most irritating times.  I thought about adding cat allergy to my prayer list but the one to go might not be the cat.

Animal lovers probably leave the baking powder out of their cookies too.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-337: The Original Hate Criminal

I recently listened to someone sharing an experience one of their friends had gone through.  I don’t know the friend so I can only go so far in my observation.

This friend had God speak to him.

Evidently he was cruising down the freeway at 70 MPH when God spoke.  No, it wasn’t about his speed.  Evidently God said to this man, “I love Ahmadinejad as much as I love you.”  This was supposed to have brought the man to an awareness of his need to love the evil people of the world.  I can accept in a general sense that but I draw the line at Proregressives*.  

I have heard things like this before.  The man was described as a devout believer so I assume he was not high on drugs.  He believed it was the voice of God speaking to him.  I cannot argue with what he heard or what he believes but I do have some concerns about voices saying things like that.

The assumption is that because the Bible describes God as love (I John 4:8) then we are to assume that such love loses any sense of discernment or priority.  The common belief is that because God so loved the world (John 3:16) everyone is equal in His sight.  You may have sung “Jesus love the little children...” as a child.  We know we are to love our enemies.  The problem is that we don’t seem to understand that love doesn’t mean what Hollywood and our liberal seminaries tell us it means.

God hates.  Let me give you an example.

(Psa 11:5 NAS77) The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, And the one who loves violence His soul hates.

That is not a mild statement of criticism.  God’s soul hates people like this.  Does Ahmadinejad meet the criteria of loving violence?  In my book he wrote the standards.  Thus it would make sense that God hates him.  You can add a lot of people to that list.

And the Bible even gets specific.  This is not just a general statement.  Look at this,

(Mal 1:2-3 KJV)  I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob, And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.

You need to be careful when you think God is talking to you.  You need to be careful when someone who considers themself a prophet shares a revelation.  You need to be on the alert when someone has a teaching you have never heard before.  God gave us the standard to compare.  It is called the Bible.  If someone shares something that disagrees with the Bible then it might be time to spend some time consulting the Book.

And you might want to lay off the pepperoni pizza.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-336: Immortal Quotes: Idiots

I keep coming across a statement that has at least two forms.  On is “What kind of idiots do they think we are?”  The second is in the same family, “Do they think we are that stupid?”

The answer to the first is, “compliant idiots.”  Maybe a better adjective would be “complete.”  You may not have noticed but people are still watching the elite networks, NFL and You Tube.  They are still tweeting and shopping on Amazon and at Walmart.  Coke still gets bought by white people.  Those points should answer the question.  They know their audience.  Americans who go to work every day could stop their nonsense in a few days if they would just change their behavior.

The answer to the second is, “Yes.”

As an example, when I went to surfing again I came across this headline on Gateway Pundit,

“81 Million Votes: Devastating Poll Shows Just 22% of Americans Want Joe Biden to Run Again”

I didn’t need to read the article to realize the basic problem is not the one proclaimed in the article.  They were gloating about how low Biden’s approval ratings are.  I am shocked at the speculation that there are still 22% of Americans who would vote for him again.  What does it take to make people aware.  It is like Americans are in a bar telling the bartender, “Hit me again.”

It isn’t a matter of do they think we are that stupid.  It is more an observation they make rather than a question.

I urge everyone to change their behavior, one at a time, and make them have a new epiphany.  They will be right until we change.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-335: Headlines: Grain and Birth Defects

I was reading an article by Dennis Prager at Jewish World Review and when I finished my eye fell on some click bait at the side which said  “Think twice before giving up grains”.  Since I eat oatmeal regularly and a lot of popcorn I felt an interest stirring.  So I clicked and read.

It had a lot of interesting points.  One that stood out to me was a comment made by Julie Miller Jones, PhD, CNS, LN, professor emerita of nutrition at St. Catherine University, St. Paul, Minn.  That sounds like an impressive list of credentials.  

“ Jones is especially concerned about the impact a grain-free diet could have on folic acid intake.
"’Since the mid-1990s, when it became mandatory to add folic acid to enriched grain products, the incidence of neural tube birth defects, such as spina bifida, has dropped by more than 50 percent,’ she says.”

The reason for enriching grain products is usually that things have been processed out of our foods.  The wording here does not say that this is the result of double blind research.  It is still an interesting correlation.  Correlation does not mean causation but it would seem to me that there is more research warranted.  Perhaps this could be a place to put some of those federal research dollars that are being used to buy scientists who will come up with the desired conclusions on climate change.

I might as well wish for the New York Times to become a newspaper again.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-334: On the Street: I Saw a Sunrise...

I was out driving earlier than usual and was impressed by the glorious sun rise.  The colors were encouraging and the clouds did not seem depressed.  I gave God my approval for His creativity.

My mind went to the days when I was driving to work with the sun behind me and home the same.  At the time I was grateful that I wasn’t living in constant retina attacks.  Today it occurred to me that I probably missed a lot of beauty.  Then it occurred to me that I also missed a lot of glare.  It seems like it is a trade off.

Isn’t that the way of life.  Everything seems to have a trade off.  If you want beautiful sunrises you need to be willing to put up with sun-in-the-eyes syndrome.  Think of how this works in real life.  If you want a Donald Trump to improve the economy, lower unemployment among minorities, bring peace in the Middle East, make us energy independent, keep us out of war, nominate conservative judges, etc., etc., etc., then you have to put up with spending too much, mean tweets and orange.  It you want a Joe Biden, or any garden variety Democrat, then you need to be willing to accept the opposite of all the things above along with pushing for a police state and one party rule.  I am not sure what the trade off is that anyone would like.  Maybe it is just the repeated chant of “Orange Man bad.”

The people attacking the United States over issues like slavery are Utopiaddicts.  They have this picture of perfection in their mind and are willing to destroy and kill to achieve it.  It is one of the differences between the government we got in 1787 and the one would have had if Thomas Jefferson was at the Constitutional Convention instead of e-mailing and tweeting his ideas from France.  

So enjoy your sunsets and remember that if it tastes good it is probably bad for you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-333: Worship Tangent: Between

I sat in the dark pondering the majesty of God and the cosmos He created.  My mind went “Tangent!” which is a spiritual version of “Squirrel!”

I was suddenly in one of my science fiction stories.  My starship had fallen out of warp drive and was suspended in the vast gulf between stars.  I was alone in the cosmos.  Don’t get hung up on warp drives and FTL travel.  Stick with me here.  If I were out between the stars in the “emptiness” of space, how would I respond?

Would I be overcome by the loneliness and emptiness?  I imagine it is quite an unsettling experience to be light years away from any fresh coffee or wi-fi.  Those thoughts would come later.  My first concern would be how long it would take AAA to get to me.  Talk about lonely.  It is worse than being without a date on prom night I imagine.  I would not know because I never went to a prom and, to be honest, I am not convinced I missed anything.

Anyway, loneliness and emptiness.  You get the picture and can understand the feeling.  It would be worse than trying to find your way through a strange airport with a change of planes.

Or, would I be able to sense the presence of God better?  If I can get excited about a sunrise or the glory of changing a diaper on a grandchild, would I see God everywhere I looked?  Would God be able to speak to me more clearly when I had fewer distractions.  That of course assumes that thinking I am going to die would not be a distraction.  On the other hand, I am ready to go so I am not sure that would be a big issue.

Would it be totally different for a believer than an atheist?  It had better be.

So if you get bored today and have nothing to do you can contemplate such impossible situations.  Of course you could meditate on angels dancing on a pin or where Cain found a wife.  Your call.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-332: The Fauci Fallacy

In third world countries one of the basic problems with medication is the ignorance of the population.  If they are given a bottle of pills and told to take one a day many think that if one pill is good then two are better, and if two are better maybe the whole bottle will work wonders.  I am sure there are people in this country who feel the same.  We see it in everything from Vitamin D to lottery tickets.  At best there are no side effects but if you are paying attention you can get a harmful result from an overdose of just about any thing.  

Panic driven Americans have been indoctrinated with the same kind of thinking on masks and chemical injections.  You remember when our noble Dr. Fauci suggested using more than one mask.  In logic twice as much protection is twice as safe.  I don’t know if it was a meme or if he actually upped the ante to three or more masks.  In real life it doesn’t always work out that way.  In math two times zero is still zero.  If you have observed the way people handle and re-handle the masks that don’t fit you can understand that only in a carefully supervised clinical situation would the masks provide any protection.  The way people treat them, that minimal is reduced to zero.  Wearing two masks that have been in your pocket and pushed around by dirty hands is a matter of two times zero.  It is like bailing water with a sieve.  We were at a crowded restaurant yesterday and I observed one couple sitting at the next table wearing their masks.  When the food came they put them in their pockets and dined like normal people.  When they got ready to leave they took them out of their pockets, covered their faces and walked out like they were protected.  I had to restrain myself from not going over and breathing on their food.

The foolishness is obvious to anyone who thinks.  Unfortunately there are too many people who don’t.  They are just fearing.  Their fear acts like a blood clot that has reached their brain and stopped circulation.  And they are fearing the wrong things.  Instead of fearing their loss of liberty and being led astray by artificial political science they worry about a viral infection that is not much worse than a strong flu.

Might I suggest that you take your mask and put it over the top of your head and pretend that it is a thinking cap.  If you do you might be surprised at the way in which the boogie man fades away into just a branch waving in the wind.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-331: Worship Tangent: Rocks

As I sat in the dark pondering the majesty of God some verses I had read came to mind.  They spoke of God as our Rock.  My mind went “Tangent!” which is a spiritual version of “Squirrel!”

Rocks.  God is my Rock.  What does that mean?  The irreverent part of my mind, which God appreciates by the way, started down the path that God rocks and God rock music but I quickly saw the silliness and shifted my tangent.

So I started with the pebbles in the exposed aggregate of our front porch.  That porch is solid.  It is not going to blow away and has a pleasant appearance but a collage of little pebbles is not what the Bible is talking about when it calls God our Rock.  It might endure a strong wind but I am not so sure it wouldn’t crack in a good earthquake.

My mind quickly went through a procession of rocks of increasing sizes and discarded them all.  My wife transported a rock to a friends child because they liked rocks.  It fit in our car so I don’t think it was a God rock.  We have a line of rocks on the front of our property that are big enough to sit on and keep cars out of the yard.  I would not want to have to move them but they still don’t qualify.  When I got to the Rock of Gibralter I wondered where to go next and I thought about Ceres, a giant asteroid.  That doesn’t qualify because God is the one holding it up there with a combination of centrifugal force and gravity.  

God is more along the lines of the rock that is so big He could not move it.  You are probably familiar with that question posed by cynics.  

I guess the main result of this tangent was the assurance that God could be dependable.  

But I knew that already.  Still, in the words of Tevye and Golde,      

It doesn't change a thing
But even so
After twenty-five years
It's nice to know

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-330: It Depends

The Bible is not a book of rules.  It is the book of life.  It does have rules but it also has principles.  The key in living a productive and righteous life is knowing which is which and applying them consistently.

I was thinking about Proverbs telling us that the wise man keeps his mouth shut and comparing it to Peter defying the Jewish council.  I was surprised to find that the NASB uses the word “mouth” 339 times, 46 in Proverbs.  It is expressed many ways by Solomon but I think the most amusing is,

(Pro 17:28 KJV)  Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.

I digress.

This is why I believe the Bible and find it believable.  The two are not the same.  The Bible does  not teach legalism.  It is a book that requires thought and the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  It applies the “legal” with a God molded mind.

Wisdom is bi-polar.  It speaks out and shuts up.  It depends.  How I hate that phrase.  How freeing it is.  It reminds me that I am created in the Image of God instead of being a knee-jerk robot.  The Imago Dei is both a burden and a blessing.  Apply it with care.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-329: Fifth Column

I recently stated on my other blog that I don’t understand the draw of drugs.  It is an attraction which is real to a lot of people.  I suggest that the current panic and response is an example of this.  Some people seem to fall into it and others are not phased.

People get into drugs because they want their mind changed.  They are unhappy with life on some level.  It may just be a short term desire for diversion or total despair, but they want something to relive the sense of ennui.  Think of it as the fifth column of the War on Drugs

We hear this and understand it when it comes to things like LSD, heroin, cocaine and the likes.  By introducing a concoction into your system you hope to escape what restricts you.  What we miss is the same draw that pulls people to be vaccinated by untested and dangerous drugs offered by a drug dealer that stands to make money no matter what the results are.  Do you see the parallels or is it just my imagination?  They want to repulse the feeling of fear.  They want it to go away.  They think that a little bit of “vaccine” will make it all better.

It doesn’t work that way.  I can take a nap and when I wake up the problem is still there.  I can go to a buffet and try to eat my way to relief but all it does is make me more lethargic.  The one thing I need to do is what I don’t want to do.  

Ultimately we need to turn to realistic sources of encouragement.  If you are not a believer in the power of God then just start by using your brain.  Look at the numbers.  Ignore the hype.  Do a search on the Diamond Princess and the Grand Princess.  For a quick summary go to World Meter and scroll down to the bottom of the first long chart.  Skip the states and go to the two ships.  Keep in mind that each ship had about 2,000 passengers and 1,000 crew.  That comes to about 6,000 people.  They were predominantly old and based on the food available on cruises, probably overweight.  You will see a total of 7 people died.  Seven elderly people with poor eating habits and little exercise were felled by a virus, out of 7,000.

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

You really don’t need to look any further than that.  The numbers can’t be messed with much.  They tell you that you don’t need a drug to stay safe.

If you are a believer, a follower of Jesus Christ, then I would advise you to start with the numbers and then take the extra step that is not available to the pagans of the world.  You have God on your side.  He designed you body to fight viruses.  If you have been living a righteous life your Providential Immune system is on the job.  That means you have even less to worry about.  If you get sick, you treat it.  Leviticus is full of advice that was offered to the wandering Hebrews so don’t ignore common sense provisions.

Be of good courage whether you have God on your side or just the facts.  People die.  Your time will come.  Mine will come.  I don’t believe that drugs are the answer.  My general feeling is that many drugs accelerate the process.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-328: A Seuss Suggestion

Dr. Seuss wrote a book called The Cat in the Hat.  I am suggesting there needs to be a sequel called The Cat in the Lap.

When we returned from Thanksgiving on the east coast we brought back a cat.  This is not just any cat, it is the cat the brings great joy to my grandchildren.  They will soon be relocating so it became the job of the grandparents to move the animal.  Even though I don’t care about a cat more than about 20 seconds I do love my grandchildren.  So, we hauled an animal across country.  When we tried to stop for the night all went well, until 2:30 A.M.  At that point this albatross decided that it was time to protest all the injustice of the world.  We gave up and hit the road, and recognizing the pointlessness of trying it again, we covered almost 1,000 miles that day.

Since my wife has a cat of her own this one has adopted me.  It sleeps on my bed and is always clamoring for attention.  This would be an ideal cat for someone who can’t live without dependent, degenerate descendants of jungle felines.  I suggested we find a little old lady who is lonely and make a donation.  I got nothing but frosty stares in return.

There are times I wish I were allergic.

Until that change in my metabolism takes place or the grandchildren arrive I am destined to have a cat in my lap.  I guess there are worse things to suffer.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-327: Should-a-Beens: Business Opportunity

I sense a market developing.  

The thought was stimulated by a phrase in a post on Free North Carolina.  They were quoting a site called Your News.  The phrase in the spotlight is,

“Ivermectin tablets are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat humans with intestinal strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis, two conditions caused by parasitic worms. Some topical forms of ivermectin are approved to treat external parasites like head lice and for skin conditions such as rosacea. The drug is also approved for use on animals.”

This is not new information.  This is common knowledge.  At the same time we are also aware that the Proregressives* in the government and media are trying to make this an illegal drug to treat the China Virus.  Why?  Because it works and it does not make the drug companies a lot of money.

I have an opportunity to suggest to some enterprising entrepreneur.  Start marketing parasitic worms.  Make them freely available and offer them to people wishing to waylay their fears of this terrible, slightly worse than flu, virus.  They could ingest the worms, see their doctor, get a prescription and kill two worms with one stone.  I image you might also do a search on how to come in contact with such worms if you are into the natural approach to medicine.  

I am not a doctor.  I am not a lawyer.  I am also not a liberal.  This information is offered for entertainment value, not as legal advice.  That is also important information for liberals since they have no sense of humor.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-326: Headlines: Probably Ignored

I will not be spending a lot of time on the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.  It isn’t that it is unimportant.  It is.  We are dealing with blatant sexual crimes and perversion.  If justice is served then there will be a lot of rich and powerful people locked up for a long time.  Maybe there would even be executions.  If even a fraction of the accusations are true then there should be a lot of brown outs near the prisons.  If I thought my support would further those causes I would cling to the progress of the trial.  There are reasons I am not going to spend much time on it.

The system may be so corrupt that the outcome is already determined.  I am being generous and saying “may.”  It is possible that there are a lot of honest judges doing all they can to keep disputes fair and legal.  Those judges will most likely be relegated to municipal courts dealing with jaywalking and drunk drivers.  I do not expect to see a Rittenhouse result in this case.  I will hope for the best and serve on a jury when called.  I will advocate jury nullification.  Other than that, I will stay off the radar.

I can’t believe much of what I read and digging out the truth is very time consuming.  I know where the media’s heart is and don’t find that encouraging.  Even people on the side of liberty and the angels get carried away.  I will look past the obvious click bait but it is hard to find unimpeachable sources today.

It is sad.  Let justice be done.  In case it isn’t maybe we could start a new American Colonization Society.  I would suggest some possibilities.  We could load Proregressives* on rocket ships and send them to start colonies on Mars.  We could experiment with underwater bubbles and make them volunteers.  We could help them sneak into the socialist country of their choice.  I am open to anything that would remove the pollution from our country.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-325: Aha Moments: The Anti-Semitism Behind CRT

 

 

A few years ago I decided to start reading through the Bible, cover to cover.  It is not something I would recommend for new believers because you spend so much time on what amounts to genealogy and census numbers.  I am old enough in the faith to appreciate the overview aspect.  Occasionally I come across things that seem to relate to the day.  I will make an effort to share them.  It may not change your life but it helps me release what bugs me.

I am currently reading through the book of Esther.  In the third chapter we come across a man named Haman.  For reasons not specified Haman is given immense power.

(Est 3:1-2 KJV)  After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.  And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.

It seems that the king, whom you might know better as Xerxes I of the Persian Empire, gave the order that everyone was to bow down to Haman.  This was probably not the simple type of saluting that goes on in the military.  Bowing often meant prostrating yourself on the ground with your face in the dirt.

If you have ever been pulled over by a cop having a bad day you understand how power goes to the head of people in authority positions.  It is bad enough when it is a DMV clerk but picture a guy who has the power of life and death over you.

Mordecai refuses to bow.  Notice the end of verse 2.

“But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.”

It wasn’t a matter of ego or pride.  It was a matter of obedience.  He refused because he only bowed to God.  He was a Jew and ancient custom tended to bestow divine status on monarchs so that bowing was submission to a god.  As a Jew he was aware of the first commandment that he was to have no gods before God.  Jews took this very seriously.  

Evidently this went on for quite a time.

(Est 3:3 KJV)  Then the king's servants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment?

Eventually the word was passed to Haman, along with the reason,

(Est 3:4 KJV)  Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.

So the die it cast.  Mordecai is in defiance against the cultural god of the day and it was because of the community of faith he belonged to.  

Haman set out to destroy Mordecai and all of his people.

(Est 3:5-6 KJV)  And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.  And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai

Isn’t history wonderful?  And of course you have heard about how history repeats itself.  This chicken is coming home to roost.  We see the same thing happening in the Proregressive* power grab of today.  We see an active campaign that is billed as an attack on white privilege and institutional racism, whatever that is.  The reason they are after the deeply rooted values found in European culture is that much of it is based on the Bible and we live in a culture where many people have lived in security putting God before government.  It isn’t because people are white.  It is because they believe in things like hard work, honesty, monogamous marriage, two genders, and the worst thing of all, our rights come from God not Washington D.C.  The fact that it isn’t white has forced them to come up with Multiracial Whiteness.  

It does not matter that much of “Christianity” has bowed down to the power of the elites, there are still a few who defy them and must be destroyed.  In the process of purification many of the warm fuzzy church attenders will be caught up in the grind, but the Proregressives* are big on the Marxists belief that the end justifies the means and you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.  

The big question is, “Whom do you serve?”  If the answer is anything but the state then you are not only expendable but a chronic liability.  

Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christian are based on the same root:  Acknowledging God as God.

So get ready.  Either fish or cut bait, whatever that means.  Or just put it the way Joshua did,

(Jos 24:15 KJV)  And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-324: The Time Has Come

You may be a holdout.  You may have been refusing to start the Christmas music.  It is now December.  You have no more excuses except channeling the Mr. Scrooge in you.  I don’t care how you do it but dig out the carols and get them creating the atmosphere of the Incarnation.  I am currently using a flash drive plugged into the USB port on my room stereo.  Pick your anit-poison.

While you are at it start saying “Merry Christmas” to people.  They need to hear it and you need to express a little rebellion.

Merry Christmas, or for you history buffs, an Incredible Incarnation Season to you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-323: On the Road: What Ever Happened to the Puritans?

As we have been traveling across the country we have had a lot of conversations with people who showed up for work.  Everywhere we go we see “help wanted” signs.  It isn’t just at your local fast food place.  Almost every truck that went by us had an invitation to come work for them.  There are plenty of jobs.  What is lacking is the old fashioned Puritan Work Ethic.

We had a great waitress at a Cracker Barrel.  She understood The Ethic.  She was working as hard as she could but it took forever to get our food out of the kitchen.  While people were rocking and gossiping on the porch, half the restaurant was empty.  She said that people didn’t come in to work today.  In the discussion she said they didn’t even bother to call, they just didn’t show up and they don’t get fired because the manager is so desperate for help.  The most often repeated comment we hear in these kind of exchanges is “Why work when the government pays you not to?”

There are solutions but there is no backbone to make them work.  Sooner or later people are going to have to suffer in order to get them moving again.  Proverbs puts it this way,

(Pro 16:26 NAS77) A worker's appetite works for him, For his hunger urges him on.

We as Americans are going to need to harden our sloppy hearts a bit or we will destroy everyone we touch.  We need to do that for theological reasons.  The church and Christians did not go woke this week.  They have been woke for decades.  It started with the desire to reform society using the rules and standards of the God-hating sociologists and psychologists.  It was augmented by a desire to be accepted.  The church stopped talking about sin because that made people uncomfortable.  They draw a big Sharpie line through the doctrine of Original Sin because their big donors didn’t like it.  Over the years they have abandoned the Bible as the measure of truth and in the process abandoned truth itself.  As they “grew” they not only sent the people around them to hell but earned the title Ichabod from God Himself.

We will not recover from the assault of the Proregressives* if we do not tighten our belts, harden our hearts and engage our brains.  Keep in mind that Socialist countries tend to starve and end up murdering anyone they don’t want to feed.

We need to get back to work, all of us.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-322: Still Brimming with Thanks

I am currently on the east coast getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Since I routinely begin each day with a time of thanks and praise this is not a novel experience but it is a great excuse to set aside other demands and focus on the blessings God has given me.  

I continue to ask God, “Why me?”  I ask it because of the blessings.  My children and grandchildren will gather with us in unity and harmony.  The grandchildren have opinions but those don’t count much.  My children are more conservative than I am.  They are walking in the faith.  It makes for pleasant conversations.  I don’t know why me but I am grateful in spite of it.

Remember that the point of Thanksgiving is that we know Whom to thank.  Knowing Him gives us a totally different understanding of what the future holds and a confidence that no matter how dark it gets we walk in the Light.

I hope that your Thanksgiving is blessed.

Grace and peace.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-321: Conspiracy Fun: The Power of Placebos

Let’s hear it for the non-vaccine vaccines.  They don’t seem to be making much difference on the health front, in fact, I keep reading about how things seem to be worse the more people are given the chemical cocktail.  It continues to be hard to know what is going on between the lies from the official sources and the anecdotes from the resistance.  

What if most people are just getting a shot of saline solution?  It is obvious by this time that the “pandemic” is mainly a political gimmick by the Proregressives* of the world.  It is designed to get people into the habit of doing what they are told without thinking.  When it is reported that “vaccinated” people have a milder response to the virus I would ask you, how do they know.  It is more likely that those who had a mild reaction would have responded that way without the jab.  There is a lot of evidence that placebos are very effective against some ailments.  Maybe the various jabs are versions of the placebo.  

What if selected individuals are given a real chemical injection to experiment with the results?  It would not be to difficult to identify certain individuals with some physical condition, say being color blind, and give them the real concoction to see what it would do.  Medical and scientific ethics are not on the fast track at any time and when the research money says, “Do it,” the men in white coats do it.

What if the whole mandate business is to cover up some perverted plot to experiment and try to force humanity up the evolutionary scale?

What if there is a common denominator among those who are having devastating reactions.  I have a circle of friends that is divided on whether they have had the experimental inoculation and those who are never planning on complying.  None of the people I know have had any violent reaction to the jab.  Few, inoculated or not, have had any awareness that the virus was in their system.  Of those who did get noticeably sick, none have come close to dying.  They are also a group that I can say confidently live lives that have little to do with the life choices that open their bodies to the attacks of the germ world.  There is little alcohol or drugs.  I would doubt if there has been any sexually transmitted diseases.  You get the idea.  If there is a common denominator other than age or obesity, my circle doesn’t seem to have it.

What if these are experiments trying to produce immortality for the elites?  What if it is a search for a chemical lobotomy on demand?  What if...?  What if...”

Like many things we face in life, we won’t know until it is too late.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-320: Headlines: Nothing Botched Here

I keep coming across references that the prosecution in the Rittenhouse case have “botched” their case.  I see it even in the conservative sites that should know better.  We need to realize that they have not “botched” anything.  They have done the best they can to frame someone with nothing to back their accusations.  I would say that they have done a supreme job of trying to nail jello to the wall.

Yes, Kyle Rittenhouse is innocent.  It has been clear since the videos have always shown it clearly.  He was hounded, harassed and attacked.  He simply defended himself when the people charged with defending citizens decided to take a coffee break, and then had an extra donut.  If he is not acquitted then the jury system is useless.

Every since the OJ trial I have had questions about juries.  I gave that group the benefit of the doubt because I did not pay much attention to the evidence.  I assumed they saw something I didn’t.  Then you have the Chauvin trial.  There was plenty of evidence that George Floyd was killed by an overdose of drugs.  The mobs in the streets made it impossible for the jury to be honest.  The comments by politicians did little but stir up the low information thinkers.  Again it was impossible for him to get a fair trial.  The Republic is under trial.  Will the citizens stand up or are we doomed to trial by riot?

As I write I wait for the results.  I have hope that justice will be done but also I have a low view of my fellow citizens.  By the time this is posted it may all be over.

Or it may be just beginning.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-319: On the Road: Again

We are off and running.  Thanksgiving, Christmas and grandchildren far away get us moving.  We drove half way across Texas and through Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia.  It is still a big beautiful country and we were able to watch fall develop as we drove northeast.  

To anyone locked down in the Socialist States of America you need to know that much of the country is breathing the air and enjoying the smiles of people around them.  Until we got to Virginia it was almost like being in the old United States.  Once into Virginia we started to feel like we had slipped back into Los Angeles again.  The mask generating fear is everywhere.  I went into a CVS and I think I was the only person in the store not wearing a mask.  I am hoping that the change in administration will help the people to wake up a little.  So far I have not talked to anyone who is unhappy about the way the last election worked out.

In the news it seems like people are starting to push back.  My hope and prayer is that we can get out of this perversion of the Republic without bloodshed, violence and chaos.  We need to keep in mind that those are the things that the Proregressives* are working toward.  And keep in mind that the Communist Coup did not start last November.  It has been going on at least since the attempted reign of FDR I.

I hope the country I leave my grandchildren still knows what liberty looks like.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-318: Paranoia or Perspicacity

There is a part of me that loves what we have come to call “conspiracy theories”.  My imagination can run wild as I conjure up unending versions of tragic plots.  Of course in my fantasy life they are all targeting me or what I hold dear.  And of course I am the hero that saves the day.  The steady diet of Zorro episodes brainwashed me that way.  I guess I like my conspiracy theories more than yours.

At that same time I realize that most conspiracy that we see is a figment of our imagination and paranoia.  Sometimes it is a momentary overreaction of the speaker.  Sometimes it is an effective marketing tool to increase audience.  One of the obvious that I have to deal with are my wife’s daily weather reports from the frantic people on her TV.  I will concede that the broken clock is right twice a day but that is more regular than the weatherman.  They want you to keep tuning in to find out if that tornado is in your back yard or if you trees are going to be blown down.  I also remember a radio program we used to listen to that would reveal some nefarious action in the public schools.  I am sure that what was reported actually happened.  I am not so sure that everything we heard was a national trend.

Two quotations come to mind on conspiracy theories.

“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”  

The internet tells me this is called Hanlon’s razor.  You could switch out a lot of different words for “stupidity”.  The point is that much of the so called organized enemy is just the case of people being people.  The Bible warns us about this.  Let me use the NASB.

(Isa 8:12 NAS77) "You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.

The KJV uses “confederacy” instead of “conspiracy”.  That is because the root word means an organized group.  That brings to mind the second quote.

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”  

This seems to be from Joseph Heller’s Catch-22.  I never read the book or saw the movie but I am aware of the story line.  

Are there conspiracies?  To quote Sarah Palin, “You betcha.”  Are they the ones you call by that name?  Unlikely.  The nature of conspiracy is that you don’t recognize it, at least the ones that make any difference.  The reason the book of Isaiah says we are not to be consumed by them is that God is bigger.  If you ever watched Veggietales then you may remember the song, “God Is Bigger than the Boogie Man”.  Hum that to yourself a few times a day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-317: Second Verses: Great for All Ages

In the opening moments of my morning worship a song popped into my head.  I started singing to myself, “When We All Get to Heaven...”  Maybe I will make it a request next Wednesday as our church gathers together.  

When I was young I liked it because of its vigor.  You may have attended one of those churches that have two speeds when they sing, slow and slower.  I firmly believe that one reason so many young people have turned away from the older music of the church is because it was always sung like it had arthritis.  It could barely move.  This is a song that is designed to be sung like you are an American soldier marching home from World War II, not like you were a German on his way to a holding field.  I was blessed with people who knew how to sing and how to lead singing.

As an old person I like it because of its promise.  I am not ready to lay down and die, at least not usually.  I still feel like I have something to contribute even if my world doesn’t agree with me.  At the same time I am getting close enough to the end to seriously consider it and, you know what, I can get excited about it.

Most people know the first verse but how many can sing the second without a book?  Here it is.

While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh!

Notice we are still walking.  Notice that the end is coming.  Notice that it is not a time for moaning and groaning, except when we stand up.

If you are into modern contemporary 7/11 songs I hope that they come to mind when life opens a new chapter.  I rejoice and offer thanks for the music of my youth that has become the music of my dotage.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-316: Why Carry?

You should be aware that reality as it is portrayed in movies and such is not.  In spite of the great graphics X-wings cannot do barrel rolls in a vacuum.  I don’t care what the politically correct want to tell you, as a general rule slender, sexy women cannot swing a heavy sword all day.  And the point I am going with today, everyone in the wild west did not pack iron.  You may not have noticed but when you see pictures from those days with a group of working cowboys, you usually don’t see any guns.

On the other hand if you see a working farmer on the frontier there is a good chance he had a rifle within reach.  The farmer knew he was alone and that there were many sources of danger from wild animals to wild people.  Being by himself might look like a weak target.  He had to take precautions.  

So, is it a good idea to carry?

Look at the world we live in.  We are used to Mayberry.  My family was blue collar but I had no problem relating to Leave It to Beaver.  In 1950 I would have said it was not necessary.  Things are changing.  What we are coming to is the first few minutes of The Walking Dead.  In Mayberry it was humorous that Barney was allowed one bullet.  In the movie every step presented a zombie that wanted to eat your brains.

Sometimes a meme makes sense and one that does is, “It is better to have a gun and not need it than need one and not have it.”  With the leaky southern border and a federal government headed by Joe Biden actually flying illegals around the country you might want to at least go as far as Barney.  Add the thousands of unvetted Afghans that are being given free trips to the land of the Great Satan and you might want to consider your options.

It is up to you.  Remember that an armed society is a polite society.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-315: Thanks Thoughts: Time for a Tune-Up

Now that we are past Reformation Sunday, to pagans that’s Halloween, we can start focusing on the real joys of this time of year:  Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Keeping things in order, I want to encourage you to get tuned up for Thanksgiving.

I hope that Thanksgiving is not the only day you are thankful.  Might I suggest a little tune-up, a little getting in shape?  I start each day with a time of praise and thanks.  The praise focuses on who God is.  Try contemplating a God who is overwhelming enough to keep each atom in the universe spinning and at the same time be a personal God that cares about you.  Thanks gets down to the way God has moved and sustained me and those I know.  It moves on to the long list of blessings that I walk through each day.  It takes some time to look around me and be thankful for what I see.  

One of our traditions on Thanksgiving Day is to pass out two kernels of corn to each person.  We then go around the table twice having people share specifics on what they are thankful for.  My biggest problem is there are so many things to be thankful for that you run out of corn.  Another is not repeating the great gratitude of others.  

A period of thanks and praise puts you into the position of remembering that you are not thanking the government, the party or Gaia.  You are, or should be, thanking God.  I keep hearing people talking about being thankful but rejecting the idea the God is the giver of all things.  I wonder where they are directing their thanks.

Keep in mind that it is not Turkey Day.  It isn’t Ham Day.  It isn’t Eggplant Parmesan Day.  It isn’t even Mom’s Best Casserole Day.  It is Thanksgiving Day.  It is Thanking God Day.  It is something that should not be only one day.

And of course after dinner you are cleared for take-off on the Christmas music.  Another thing to be thankful for.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-314: Declaration of Independents

I can suggest three types of people who register as Independents.  I am sure there are more but three is a good number.

One type has left the Republican party because they want perfection.  That would rule out re-registering as a Democrat.  Lets face it, the Republican party on paper, in their platform, is vastly superior to the Proregressives*.  That is in the platform.  In the flesh and on other papers, such as legislation, they leave a lot to be desired.  I accept that as reality.  As an example think of the genre of Republican represented by Mitt Romney, George Bush II and the late John McCain.  At one point they seemed to have some principles but they disappeared as we got to know them better.  If I leave the Republican party I will fit most into this category.  The main reason I don’t is I never earned my Pollyanna Badge in Boy Scouts and because I can still have a voice in primary elections.

On the inverse are the ones who left the Democrat party because they don’t want people to know they are really a part of it.  They are closet Democrats.  You find these inhabiting areas that have a lot of people who have conservative values but are not paying a lot of attention.  In politicians this would include Bernie Sanders of all people.  The reason he doesn’t want to be identified as a Democrat is that he is really a Communist and doesn’t want to alienate his base.  In private life it is a way of sounding like you are on the side of the angels while working for the forces of evil.  

The third group are the ones who want to stand back and look down on the bickering masses.  Often they don’t have a clue to what is going on.  They just don’t want to dirty their hands with “politics” and “partisanship.”  Often they don’t want to face up to the consequences of their nobility.  In the church these are the people who keep attending and paying their tithe even when the church has abandoned the gospel.  They would make nice neighbors because they would never play their music too loud but don’t expect them to step up if Antifa shows up at your door.

We live in times when people need to stand up and be counted.  Keep in mind that most of the time in life we have to pick the least rotten apple out of the barrel.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-313: Bubble Me This

I was praying for a family and was asking God to put a bubble of safety around them.  It came to me that maybe a bubble wasn’t the right term.  Bubbles are not known for their strength and stability.  Then I dropped into eternity mode and reminded myself that a bubble God created to protect part of His family would not be easily broken.  He can also make them selectively breakable.  I remember a time when I was a counselor at Junior High camp.  One afternoon the live wires decided that I looked too dry to be comfortable so they surrounded me with arm loads of water balloons.  The attack began and if you had been there you would have observed a miracle.  The balloons would bounce off of me.  Some would break when they hit the ground.  Some would not and those I would pick up and fire back.  When I threw them they responded to physics.  At the end of the episode we had one dry counselor and a circle of very wet young people.  I don’t know why it went that way but it did.

Life is going to throw things at us.  Some may even hit.  The Bible is full of references to times when godly people were under attack.  King David, the man after God’s own heart, repeatedly lamented that people were out to get him.  One of my favorite phrases that David used was, “How long, O Lord?”  At the same time the book of Psalms overflows with statements of God’s protection and providing.  

Sometimes it helps to apply the gaze/glance principle.  I learned this at a prayer seminar led by Elton Gillum.  He told us that we get things mixed up.  We tend to gaze at the world and occasionally glance at God.  Because of that we are always focused on the problems and not paying attention to the promises.  He said we should be gazing at God and only glancing at the world.  That keeps things in perspective.  I have mentioned it in my writing somewhere else but there is a fun song on Veggie Tales called “God Is Bigger Than the Boogie Man”.  I think this You Tube link will take you there if you have never heard it.

So enjoy your bubble and keep you gaze on God.  It will make the adventure more enjoyable.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-312: Two Pronged Focus for Prayer

I said earlier that I don’t understand prayer.  I find much prayer monotonous repetition.  I like to refer to the Lord’s Prayer for examples of how I should pray.  I find it helps to use it as a template for my prayer adventures.  But there are other indicators on how we should pray.  Read the context of Paul’s admonition to pray which I quoted last time,

(1Th 5:16-18 KJV)  Rejoice evermore.  Pray without ceasing.  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I take this seriously.  When I have my morning day-starter of worship I try to begin and focus with those two ingredients:  Rejoicing and thanks.  Not only does it help my attitude but it reminds me of all the things that God is doing.

We live in a blessed bubble of history.  Compare what you have to do to get a sandwich.  After driving in an air-conditioned car to an air-conditioned grocery store, you walk into your air-conditioned house and put it all together.  Go back a few centuries.  You would need to start by plowing the ground to plant the wheat.  You can use your imagination to take it from there.  If you focus a little bit you can come up with a few material things yourself.

If you know what it is to trust in Jesus you also have the added assurance of God’s presence in your life and a blessed eternity.  As we anticipate Thanksgiving and approach Christmas you can focus on the forgotten message,

(Gal 4:4 KJV)  But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Be thankful that you know to whom we are thankful.  Be excited because you have heard about the events that Christmas celebrates.  Rejoice in the knowledge that if there are no toys to buy this year you still know about the greatest Gift.

Blessings.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-311: Time to Double Down

I don’t know if you believe in prayer.  I don’t understand prayer.  If God is omnipotent and omniscient, what difference does it make if we pray?  I don’t have an answer to that.  The question is on my list for my first sit down with Jesus in eternity.  But I don’t need an answer because we have been told to pray.  Paul sums it up for us.

(1Th 5:17 KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

I don’t know about you but I was pleased with the outcomes of many recent elections.  I will be even more pleased if the numbers hold up.  Never doubt the ingenuity of Democrats when it comes to stealing an election.  I like to think this is in answer to prayer.  I have seen God answering prayers in other areas.

It is time to double down.  We need to pray for those who have been newly elected.  We need to pray that they would follow the path of righteousness.  I don’t have any idea where they are spiritually but we need to pray that they move in ways that encourage righteousness.  The battle is not over for the soul of America and the future of the world.  We need to keep manning the ramparts of prayer.

And while you are at it, don’t just pray for President Trump.  We need to drown our current president and his cohorts in prayer.  Remember how God continually used the pagans of the Middle East to bring Israel into line.  He can use the pagans of modern America too.

So keep at it.  Pray without ceasing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-310: Last Chance Election

I am thinking that this election may be the last chance to stop violence.  I am not so much focused on the potential violence from the right and the total deafness of the left.  If the Democrats and their well oiled vote stealers manage to cheat their way through this election then they may not get another chance to show that they care about America and the experiment we represent.

As I write it looks like the Republicans have won a lot of elections, but....  The fear in the every law abiding citizens is they will keep finding ways around the law and bring in another series of miracles.  I hope they are smart enough to let them go.  Every time the average American sees them do an end run the thought going through the honest head it, “Why do I keep obeying the law and following the rules when they don’t?”

Proregressives*, you are running out of chances to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-309: Family Feud Science

Somewhere in the last ten years of my teaching marathon I started hearing a new phrase to explain all the nonsense the educational gurus were coming up with.  I think  the term I kept hearing was “experience based.”.  It seems like such a small thing.  It used to be our theories were “research based.”  They still like to say that “research shows” but they don’t mean research based on a rigorous application of the scientific method.  They mean a selective search for anecdotes that illustrate their desired result.  This change just another sign of the breakdown of our culture.

Experience based theories are based on personal experiences.  It is build on a foundation of anecdotes.  The researcher will spend time listening or doing internet searches looking for specific reports.  They will then claim that life experience has told them which way to go.  What really happens is the stories are carefully chosen to advance the agenda of the “researcher”.  Many of the new solutions are based on totally bogus data.  Take for instance the panic over plastic bags.  I remember when California started banning them and demanding reusable bags.  It didn’t matter that common sense as well as genuine scientific research had shown that reusable bags bring in a disease factor that crates significant problems in people’s health.  And my understanding, experience based of course, is that the entire panic was based on a paper some kid wrote with no facts to back it up.

Scientific research was based on the scientific method.  Note I said, “was”.  The scientific method is a careful testing of the known facts and your conclusions are based on data, not feelings.  When done properly it tests only one variable at a time and the results might be able to exclude that variable as the cause of a problem.  Assume your hypothesis was that men cannot get pregnant.  Current experience based decisions say that they say they can so it must be true.  If you did an internet search or recent experts you would find it is true.  The scientific method would do a study of males and females and determine how many males were getting pregnant without extreme medical procedures.  Current “research” is more based on the Family Feud Method, you know, “Survey says....”  It is based on the current opinions of a studio audience.

What is often overlooked is that the scientific method is based on a conviction that the universe is logical and consistent, a belief rooted in the Biblical concept of the immutable God.  The Greeks gave us logic and it is very helpful but the whimsical nature of their gods and the universe they presided over put severe limits on how useful that would be.  Following the Greek’s way of making decisions kept the world from progressing up until Christian theology began to invade the world of the intellectuals.  Because God is immutable the universe is not whimsical.  

Experience based is rooted in our senses and limited to our feelings.  It is a rejection of the God of the universe and says that all things are measured by man.  Be careful what you believe.  It may be a trap.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-308: Plugged in Brains

The division in our world views is not faith verses reason but opinions based on emotion as opposed to facts.  Facts and faith go just fine together but basing our life on the stories we hear or the stories we can tell is dangerous.

We all have emotions.  That is good.  Those emotions are based on our experiences.  That is natural.  The trap is that our experiences are usually seen through our myopic self-centeredness rather than the cold rational light of truth.  For years I could not stand the thought of peanut butter.  I wasn’t born that way.  The rejection was based on an experience I can still remember.  We were on a car trip when I was very young.  We had pulled over because someone was hungry.  My mother gave me peanut butter on saltine crackers with nothing to drink.  It was a horrible experience that marked me for decades.  Eventually, for a reason I can’t remember, I tried peanut butter again and found my emotional reaction was wrong.  Too often in life we don’t have those moments of enlightenment.

We are assaulted by a plethora of manipulative messages.  We are so inundated with emotional images that we tend to bypass our brains and go straight to our feelings.  You can trace it through books like Michael Crichton’s State of Fear.  He points out how the elites manipulated our fear of Communism, which was a legitimate concern, to support what Eisenhower called the Military Industrial Complex.  Crichton’s point was that with the fall of the Iron Curtain the elites needed a new source of terror.  He said they settled on the environment and thus we had the beginnings of the Global Warming panic.  Of course it was first the Global Cooling panic but why look at factual detail when you have a mass of sheep waiting to be led over the cliff.  The latest panic of course is the China Virus.

On most of these fear focuses all that you need to do is put your emotions on hold, turn on your brain and do a little investigating.  There are many people who would be considered intelligent who cannot do that.  Pick a topic pushed by the Proregressives* and consider the facts.  It can be evolution, gender, climate, health, guns or now the danger of free speech.

As a Christian who believes seriously I am not afraid of honest facts, real science or my fellow man.  I plan to keep my brain plugged in.  Join me.

*(Liberals, educators, the media, socialists, communists, crony capitalists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, Antifa, BLM, MSM, Deep State, etc.  Synonym for swamp dwellers)

homo unius libri