Opus 2022-365: Glory

I was at worship and put on some music.  I don’t do it often but today it seemed right.  The hymn “Oh, That Will Be Glory for Me” came on and I stopped to listen to the counterpoint and harmony.  I was struck by the repeated mention of the joy of looking at Jesus’ face.  In my everyday thinking that seems strange.  How can I understand?  

As so often happens when I am thinking of the questions of life I thought of my grandchildren.  I reflected of the joy of looking at my grandchildren, just sitting and watching them.  This joy can multiply when they are in an attentive mood.  If you don’t have grandchildren then maybe you can think about a spouse or a favorite pet.  

That is just a taste of eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-364: Christmas Controversies

I learned a lot this Christmas about what happened back in the day.  The problem with most of what I learned is that it wasn’t necessarily true.  It also may have not been false.  It falls under the title of speculation, which can be helpful or damning.  God gave us curiosity and imagination.  They are to be used but used with care.

The sources of this knowledge were varied.  One was the media presentation of the life of Christ called “The Chosen.”  Another was a podcast.  Another was a book being sold through a podcast.  Then there were You Tube clickbaits.  My biggest problem is that I did not personally view, read or listen to any of them and the reports I was getting were a bit confused.  Still, it was food for thought.

Take, as an example, the questions about the wise men.  The name “wise men” brought up some discussion, most of it superfluous.  The term “magi” is more accurate according to the Greek and this is a term for what would have been considered scholars in the civilizations east of Israel.  They were not “wise men” in the sense of gurus sitting on the top of a mountain or living in a cave and humming a mantra.  They were the closest thing to scientists that those civilizations had.  They studied the stars in what we would consider two modes, astronomy and astrology, but to them it was all the same.  They investigated the natural sciences but because they did not have the scientific method it was mainly speculation.

All we really know about them is that they saw a star in the east, interpreted it as a special king in Israel and brought gifts.  We don’t know how many there were.  There is no mention of camels.  We have no evidence that they represented three different races.  

The real controversy in my house was the timing of their arrival.  The current analysis is that they came two years after the birth.  The basis for that is that Herod killed all the boys two years and under.  Further evidence that they were not at the birth is the different words used in Matthew and Luke.  Luke talks about a baby in a manger (Luke 2:12).  Matthew talks about them going to a house and seeing a child (Matthew 2:11).  They are different words that seem to be used of a newborn and an older child.  These are interesting talking points and the evidence points toward the magi not being at the birth but since it is not clearly state we should not make it a matter of doctrine verses heresy.

Then there is the issue of the location of the birth.  What is meant by “manger”?  The marginal notes say it means “feeding trough”.  That works for the three times it is used in Luke 2 but it is also used one other place.

(Luk 13:15 KJV)  The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?

In chapter 13 it seems clear that it refers to a stall.  The Greek word is the same.  It is only used in these four places.  It would seem safe to say it was referring to a compartment in a place where the animals were kept.  Again, intersesting but not an issue of doctrine vs heresy.

Another topic that never would have occurred to me involves whether Mary was alone with Joseph or whether there were others there to help with the birth.  The women in my life say that Mary would have never had the baby without other women present.  That could have been a midwife or possibly relatives of Joseph who lived in the area.  Again, interesting but not theologically significant, at least to me.

So have I learned any thing?  I am not sure myself.  I have been forced to consider some issues that I was either aware of or were new to me.  All of it helps us build a picture of an event that happened in history involving real people and the Word becoming flesh.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-363: Thanks Thoughts: Live Like There Is a Tomorrow

I was reveling in the blessings of 21st century America.  I thought about all the benefits of cheap, abundant electricity.  I marveled at the dependable transportation and all the doors it opened for a rich life.  I had not gotten around to the miracle of books and reading when I got side-tracked by the thought of abundant food with all of the variety available to me.

That got me on the squirrel trail of having an adequate pantry.  Some would call it disaster preparedness.  Some would call it common sense.  I have seen the shelves in people’s homes on which there was little thought for the future.  I am not talking about people who could not afford to stock up when there was a sale.  I am talking about people who would rather order a pizza delivered or go out to a local fast food place than spend any time in front of a stove or behind a grocery cart.

I would have thought that by this time people would realize that even if the world as they know it continues to exist there are events that might shut down the app they use to order food or cut off the power to their local hamburger chain.  I have lived through several.  I have read about others.  Life went on a few miles away but for them the water was gone and the microwave would not even ripple.

I do not prepare for hard times out of desperation but out of obedience and an awareness that there are bumps in the road.  I might be a good motive for you if you are one of those with only a can of soup and some hardened peanut butter on the shelf.  Another motive might be that you don’t want to be a drain on someone else.

Start being part of the solution rather than the basis for the problem.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-362: More Legalism, Please

The dark side is very seductive.  

We see it in life long Democrats who reject the moral values of their youth so they can be cool, for want of a better phrase.  This of course is referring to those old enough to remember that the good guys wear white hats.  Believe it or not people like Nancy Pelosi were raised in a day of sanity and morality.  They got sucked in.  Or have they been evil from their youth?

We see it in the Never Trumpers who are coming out of the woodwork.  It is amazing to me how people have such selective memories.  I refer not just to the empty minds at the accomplishments of Donald Trump but the way in which they don’t seem to remember all the vile and nasty things that have come from the Democrat talking heads.

We see it in people who are slowly sucked into compromise on almost any issue.  They seem willing to give up anything in order to be accepted.  They will send their children to schools that they know are going to pervert them.  They will shop in stores that are out to destroy their way of life.  They will attend churches that blatantly distort the teachings of the Bible.  

We need more legalists.

I know that legalism has gotten a lot of bad press.  The stereotype is the hate filled preacher talking about love.  Literature is full of them.  They do exist but they are not the problem today.  We are faced with a lack of laws and standards, not an excess.  I had a discussion recently with someone about raising children.  I don’t remember who it was but he must have been another old fart because he agreed with me that as bad as abuse is, a child raised in a very strict home has a better chance of coming out mentally balanced than one that was raised in a permissive atmosphere.

Resist the darkness.  Embrace the light.  Let the Devil be the one that flees.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-361: Advent Calendar: Day 25, At Last

Behind the last door you find the baby Jesus, but He is not made of chocolate.  He is molded of pure gold.  This is the moment called “the fullness of time”.  This is when “the Word became flesh.”  This is the incarnation.

Christmas season is a glorious time of year.  The day chosen to celebrate becomes almost mystical.  When we went to a Christmas Eve service yesterday I almost came to tears.  

Embrace family and friends.  Lift praise and thanks to God.  If you are one of those who is alone then embrace in your heart.  I rejoice that it is easy for me to say.  I feel no guilt but my heart goes out to you if you cannot join me.

Merry Christmas.  Joyful incarnation.  The Lord is come.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-360: Poor Options

At a very early age the admonitions in the Sermon on the Mount to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile pierced my heart and mind.  It was years before I had my first experience of pushing back against a bully.  It was a lesson I learned but still find difficult to apply.  On a broader scope the Proregressives* that are trying to turn our country into a socialist paradise know that I am applying it so they are free from the consequences of their actions.

I fear that violence may be the answer.  It is not the only answer.  It is never a good answer.  It may be the best answer.  A sad truth is that the best is not always the good.  The evil forces in our society will not settle for less that our destruction.  They may force a response.

The basic American attitude is to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile.  We have been manipulated into war but our basic fall back is to walk away from a fight.  Even if you want to play John Wayne you would need to learn to try the peaceful route first.  I never watched the Rambo movies so I don’t know if his violence was immediate or after much duress.  If you are not familiar with the context spend a few moments reading Matthew 5 from the Bible.  

God seems to be telling us to let Him deal with the evil in our lives.  We see this as God stepped in and dealt with Pharaoh and Nebukanezzer without His people being violent.  But sometimes historically violence was the answer.

Sometimes God said get your swords and resist.

Sometimes God said open your gates and submit.

The point is that God is a living God who makes decisions based on the situation, not a pat formula.

We want a formula God instead of a living God.

It is time to listen and be obedient.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-359: Advent Calendar: Day 24, Mid Advents

Behind the door you will find a little Jerusalem surrounded by clouds.  Technically I believe that what most of us call the Christmas season is actually Advent on the church calendar.  The events in the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” begin on Christmas and proceed to Epiphany, the coming of the Wise Men.  What Christians look forward to after advent and Christmas is the second coming, or the return of Christ.

The Bible is full of prophecies about the return of Jesus.  It opens a whole raft of things to argue about and involves things like the Tribulation, the Rapture, the New Jerusalem, lakes of fire and all kinds of excitement.  In the midst of it all is the promise that Jesus would return.

The first advent is behind us.  The second advent is ahead of us.  Make sure that you have things in order in between.  Jesus came so you could have eternal life.  When He returns He will put all of that in motion.

See you there.

Merry Christmas

Opus 2022-358: The March of the Nanobots

Some scientists have a vision for nanobots that will course through our bodies attacking cancers and other dangerous invaders.  They have been a part of science fiction for years.

I have good news.  Those nanobots have been around since man left the garden of Eden.  They are called white blood cells.  We also have cells that custom make antibodies to counteract infections.  There are other tools that I can’t remember but they are already on the job.

When you think of the number of nanobots needed to do the same job think of a very fine sand being poured into your blood stream.  I am not sure that they could be made small enough to keep from clogging your arteries.  And then what would happen when people who don’t like you learned to send them a message to start dancing in your right eyeball?

Science loves to speculates and make promises.  Keep in mind that most breakthroughs come as an accident or a side effect.  And most do not come from the research labs.  When we do have the big breakthrough in fusion power it may come from someone’s garage or be a device that was designed to slice salami.

Just as likely it will be a breakthrough in cheap, clean energy that has nothing to do with nuclear at all.

Stick around.  If we survive the deep state it will be an interesting adventure.

homo unius libri

Secular End

Opus 2022-357: Advent Calendar: Day 23, The Big Picture

You will find the chocolate that was supposed to be behind door 23 out moving around the calendar.  In fact the door is already open and the space is empty.  This is to remind us that after Jesus died on the cross He rose again.  We have hope of forgiveness because of the cross.  We have assurance of eternal life because Jesus conquered death.  That is quite a Christmas present.

We need to remember that the purpose of the Bible, the church, the doctrine and all the holidays is to give people destined for Hell the chance of another itinerary.  

I think you will enjoy the Christmas holiday more if you keep it in the context of the plan of salvation.

Merry Christmas

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-356: Advent Calendar: Day 22, Purpose Driven Holiday

Behind day 22's door you find a cross.  This is a reminder of why Jesus came.  He did not come to give us an excuse for another holiday.  He did not come to boost the economy.  

He came to die.

That is not an easy thought.  Babies generate all kinds of positive thoughts except during labor and delivery.  They are cute and cuddly.  Sometimes they are planned.  Sometimes they are a surprise.  In this case the due date was established at the beginning of time and committed to in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned.  

I remind you the words of the angel to Joseph.

(Mat 1:21 KJV)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

While Emanuel means “God with us”, Jesus means savior.  A savior assumes someone needs to be saved.  Where there is a need, God provides and in this case the only provision worthy was His Son.

We are just days away from the celebration.  I trust that you will celebrate the promise by knowing it has been fulfilled in your life.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-355: Dark Thoughts: Stretching It

I was still enjoying the lightening and of course my mind wandered.

It struck me that maybe lightening was God stretching.  You know the feeling when you get up or have been sitting a long time and you reach out and grab some air while pushing and pulling with all your might?  Maybe God does that on occasion.  I know, God does not need to stretch but maybe He enjoys it.

It might be a cosmic stretching.  While He throws a few lightening bolts here in Texas He also could be starting a supernova across the galaxy.

Anthropomorphisms can be fun.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-354: Advent Calendar: Day 21, Over the Hill

The Gospel of Luke also records the witness of Anna in chapter 2.  If she married at 18 she would have been 109 years old, assuming my math works out.  A chocolate wheel chair might be in order here.  She is called a prophetess and had served in the temple for 84 years.  She recognized Jesus for whom He was and went out and spread the word.

God certainly picks a different cast of characters than we would.  Joseph was past his prime and Mary was barely an adult.  Zachariah and Elizabeth were old, boring and very establishment.  The wise men were rich foreigners.   The shepherd were defiantly lower class.  Here in the temple you have servants so old they would have been written off by just about any one.

God made them the people who witnessed the birth of the savior.  Have you ever felt like you did not fit into a niche for being useful to God?  He might have different ideas.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-353: Advent Calendar: Day 20, One of a Kind Promise

Behind door twenty you find a walker.  Old people sometimes use them.  You might need one after surgery.  Simeon would have had one if they were around in those days.  My guess is that instead of a walker they would have a young nephew or grandson walk around with you so you could lean on him.  He could also try to catch you when you fell or at least help you up.

With Simeon we move beyond the birth to the temple ritual demanded of all first born Jewish boys.  

(Luk 2:22 KJV)  And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

Simeon had a unique promise from God,

(Luk 2:26 KJV)  And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

That was for Simeon and no one else.  Often we take promises that are not intended for us and appropriate them.  There are promises of longer life based on such things as honoring our parents.  I don’t know of any promise that you or I will live to see the second coming.

Look around you and search for the blessings that God has earmarked for you.  Yesterday I had the privilege of rocking my grandson while he decided to wake up.  Each time I get the chance I know it may be the last time.  Then I will look for other blessings.

I trust that this Christmas season will be a time when you see God’s blessings.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-352: Advent Calendar: Day 19, A Place for Egg-heads

Day nineteen awards you with a chocolate egg from behind the door.  It is time for the Jewish scholars.  Herod may have been a Jew but he did not know his Bible.  How common that is.  So he called in the consultants,

(Mat 2:4 KJV)  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

This was a matter of prophecy.

(Mic 5:2 KJV)  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The Bible is tied to history and geography.  It is amazing how helpful these little, overlooked details has been to archeologists.  When they read the Bible as if it were true they kept finding references that helped them find what they were looking for.

Obviously that should apply to us during this season when we are focused on the incarnation.  Write your own sermon.

Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-351: Dark Thoughts: Intelligent or Sovereign?

As I sat in the dark enjoying the sound of the rain, lightning and thunder started.  I always enjoy a good lightening storm.  I remember on one road trip driving through the dark in a thunder storm.  The lightening was so intense that it rarely got dark.  I loved it.

As I watched one really nice bolt I found myself wondering if God created lightening on purpose or whether it came as a surprise, a serendipity, one of those things we are starting to call a feature not a bug.  Theologically I can’t really call it a surprise.  One of the reasons I can sort of deal with the picture of evolution is that I sometimes think that creation was an adventure for God.  I think of all the little tweaks He tried for the sake of variety.  Some He decided not to go on with.  Witness the strange creatures in the fossil record.  Some He was so captivated with that we still have a platypus.  

As genuine scientists investigate the ever more inner workings of the cell I marvel at the attention to detail.  As I watch the genuine astronomers reaching further and further into the cosmos I am impressed with the power and majesty of God.  I feel sorry for those modern alchemists who waste their time trying to ignore the glory of intelligent design.  Maybe because it points to what might be called sovereign design.

It is sad to limit yourself that way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-350: Advent Calendar: Day 18, Nursery Rhymes

Today you will find a plum behind the door.  The inspiration is the nursery rhyme which finishes,
    He stuck in his thumb
    And pulled out a plumb
    And said, “What a good boy am I”

This is Herod.  He thought he had the world by the tail then the wise men showed up.  That could have still been a win for him but he felt like he would be able to beat God in the game of history.  He was disappointed.  God is sovereign.  He may grant us free will.  He may give us many chances.  He may forgive.  In the end, He will get things done to His satisfaction.

Are you like Herod?  Do you think that you can dictate to God how your history will go?  I have news for you, it won’t work.  God knows where He is going.  He would love to have us along.  He might even slow down a little in hopes that we will get on board.  In the end it will be done according to His plan.

Embrace the Incarnation.  Enjoy that hope.  Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-349: Advent Calendar: Day 17, The End Is Near

Behind today’s door is a little star.  It obviously represents the Star of Bethlehem.

We are told in King James Version language that the wise men followed the star.  The wise men were a group of men who studied astronomy, astrology and natural science.   The Greek word for this is magos from which we get magi.  It is the astrology part that comes into play here.  It is common among cultures to think that the objects in the heavens influence life on earth.  The advanced civilizations east of Israel were no exceptions.

Years ago I read a book by Taylor Caldwell.  I can’t remember if it was the one about Paul or the one about Luke, but in the opening chapters she goes through all of the indicators that astrologers and sooth sayers were coming up with that something was going to happen and it was going to happen in Israel.  You can’t always tell when an author is making things up whole clothe or adapting what they find.  I got the feeling that Caldwell had done her homework and what she was recounting was historically accurate.  It would seem that there were spiritual forces moving to tell those who followed such things that a king was coming to Israelp.

Spooky.  

God does give warnings and indicators.  One of the common discussions today is the return of Christ.  One of the big roadblocks in the past was the existence of the nation of Israel.  That is in place.  The next big problem is the temple being rebuilt.  There are all kinds of rumors and gossip about that.  Who knows?  Maybe we will be around to see the end times unfold.

Merry Christmas, maybe the last time.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-348: Simple Words

Words are important.  We don’t notice how many are used improperly and the consequences of that inaccuracy.  Take “Democracy” for instance.  Democracy is a form of government or organization which decides everything with a vote of the people involved and the majority, 50% plus one, gets to make the rules.  I recently saw a meme poster of Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion making a bonfire out of the scarecrow and saying they voted on it.  Another one is defining democracy as two wolves and a sheep voting on whom to eat for dinner.  We are not a democracy.  That was done on purpose.  We are a federal republic with checks and balances to make it difficult for the majority or a minority to ride rough shod over everyone else.  We have a democratic form of government but are not a democracy.

Words are important.

I get really tired of people claiming that the Bible contradicts itself.  Most of the times that is a simple lie but there are places where logic and science need to be suspended.  It can be called paradox.  The concept exists in science as well as literature.  If you do a search it comes up with all kinds of examples.  The concept is that you have two statements of truth that seem to contradict each other but they are still true.

Words are important.

If you can’t explain something is it a mystery or are you simply ignorant?  There are many things we will never know.  Some we don’t know because we limit the discussion.  For instance, what caused the beginning of the universe.  Yes, we have theories like the Big Bang but that doesn’t explain how or why it started, just guesses at the process.  Yet here we are.  Unless you go to metaphysics and get theological you will never have an answer.  

And theology doesn’t have all the answers either.  How do you explain the idea of the Trinity?  How do you understand the dual nature of Christ?  These are mysteries.  I personally think we are supposed to keep trying to figure them out but I am content with the idea that I will never arrive.  It is like someone who is color blind trying to understand a Monet painting.  It is a mystery.  I look forward to my first view of creation in a resurrected body.  I have no idea what stereoscopic vision is and the colors I see are not the ones you might see.  It will be awesome.

Or take the difference between the Christian understanding of hope and what the general public means.  For the Christian, hope is an assurance.  It is an attitude based on trust in God and His providence.  For the man on the street it is closing your eyes and wanting the genie to grant your request.

Words are important.

That is one of the reasons that the modern system of thought is into the philosophy of deconstruction.  They want to redefine words to mean what they are trying to achieve.  Thus racism becomes only something white people can exhibit.  Tolerance no longer means putting up with someone you disagree with but looking up to their nonsense.  This is why we are seeing online dictionaries rewriting their definitions.

We need to be careful to know what our words mean and when we are dealing with people who lack good faith, make them define everything.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-347: Providential Parallels

God seems to find a pattern that works and sticks with it.  That is part of the reason why there are so many varieties of humanoids and why mammals have so much in common.  If it works don’t try to fix it.  If the beginning steps can be solid and consistent then the glory of creativity and imagination can be saved for the final product.  There is a sense in which God’s creativity goes on with each individual.  But God is not like your computer, He does not run out of RAM or have his CPU slow down because of malware.

My mind began to see parallels between physical and spiritual health and the layers of protection that God has erected.  

Think of the techniques which God designed to protect our health.  Some of them we have been reminded about in the latest health panic.  These are the ones that are printed in the manual and require our cooperation.  One has been given a cool title of “social distancing”.  This is not a new concept to people raised in the Judeo-Christian world.  All you need to do is look through the Old Testament law about treating infectious outbreaks and you see the idea of quarantine and having a specialist check to see if you are over it.  In those days it was a priest who could tell the difference between a simple rash and leprosy.  

When you are sick, stay home.  Seems simple enough.  If someone else is sick, stay away from them.  If the sickness if moral or spiritual the same principle applies.  You usually know who is not up to any good and if you are listening to what God keeps telling us, socially distance yourself.  

There are simple and easy rituals that can help keep us well.  They only work if implemented.  It was amazing that during the panic you could walk into a rest room and see a chart telling you how to wash your hands.  Duh.  It is called simple, basic hygiene.  What is the message every parent passes to their children before a meal?  “Wash your hands.”  Simple, but ignored.  Did you experience the ritual of watching someone turn on the water, swing their hands through the flow once and proceed to the paper towels?  Micro seconds, no soap and totally useless, but if they were asked, “Did you wash your hands?”  They would answer, “Yes.”

Again we see the groundwork for this in the Old Testament.  They even knew that some utensils could not be purged of the germs and they were earmarked for destruction and the fire.  Washing was started in ritual and through tradition transitioned to the old hand washing routine.  Or should we say seemed to be a ritual.  Just because we don’t see the reason doesn’t mean their isn’t one.  How many children do you know who think it is perfectly fine to use someone else’s straw?

God has established protections for His people, both spiritual and physical.  The protections come from general to very specific but they span the whole spectrum of life.  General protections in the physical world could start with not climbing a tree during a lightening storm to being careful in how you cook your steak.  Mistakes in both can get you killed.  

Recently I read an article about new outbreaks of cholera.  They listed the countries and it seemed that all of them were in what we call the third world.  If you were going on a vacation you would probably not visit any of those areas because they are not pleasant places to visit.  It must be even worse if you live there.

I remember during a previous attempt to panic the population, I think it was over Ebola, I did a little research on where it was coming from.  It turned out to be West Africa.  As I was reading I noticed a “coincidence”.  The same area was the center of malaria, HIV and assorted other diseases.  Was it the location or the culture?  Maybe both.  If it was the location, why stay?  We are used to people moving because the neighborhood goes down hill.  Why would entire populations remain in areas that do little beside generate disease and poverty?

Maybe they have no choice.

It could also be a form of fear.  One focus would be fear of change.  Another might be fear of the unknown.  I find myself asking why people I know still in live in California.  I am talking about people who are otherwise intelligent and have the resources to relocate, but they don’t.  

And all of this is outward conduct.  They are learnable and require buy-in.  They have all been around for a long time but we tend to ignore them because we think pills, supplements and lotions will take care of everything.

Welcome to the wake up.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-346: Advent Calendar: Day 16, RSVP

Behind the door is a tiny chocolate gift.  There is a good case for the wise men not being at the manger.  It is clear that they came but it is probable that they showed up a couple of years later.

One reason we can believe they were absent is the age of the children Herod had murdered when the wise men did not come back to report success.  Remember he asked when the star appeared.  The guess is that the magi had been traveling for two years.  

The second reason is that when they found the child it says in Matthew that they went into the house.  In Luke 2 it says the shepherds found him in a manger.  The idea is that they stayed in Bethlehem and moved into a house before the wise men got there.

Don’t rush out and take the wise men out of your nativity.  They are part of the story.  Leave them there for the children to enjoy.  It also gives more parts for the Christmas Pageant.

Merry Christmas

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-345: Silence Can Say It All

Often the problem is not what is said but what is not said.

Part of this is based in our limitations.  For instance, does God ever condemn animals for their evil actions?  I was wondering about the unique position of human beings.  We were created in the image of God.  Part of that is making moral choices.  It isn’t that God does not care or pay attention to the animals, after all, we are told he notices when a sparrow falls, but He expects something different from us.

So I wondered about animals doing evil.  My problem here is that the Bible is so full of information that I can’t claim to know it all.  My feeling is that God does not condemn the animals but I could have missed it.  That is one way of something not being said.

Of course there is the deliberate ignoring of important facts.  A while back Tulsi Gabbard announced that she was leaving the Democrat Party and she gave a 30 minute presentation on why.  All my friends were impressed.  I was impressed.  She seemed to really cover the bases.  She seemed to be declaring she is one of us, but is she?  She did not mention the moral issues that separate us.  She never got into abortion or homosexuality.  My guess is that she avoided those because she knew her positions would have been show stoppers.  It makes me wonder what else she avoided.

It is not what she said.  That was all good.  It was what she did not say.

There are many other examples.  Did your pastor give a great sermon?  It is amazing how often those great sermons leave out the problem of sin.  I call it the “s” word.  You don’t want to bring it up.  

Keep listening and listen carefully.  It doesn’t hurt to have a few burrs under your saddle that keep me alert and focused.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-344: Advent Calendar: Day 15, Assumed

Behind door 15 we have a door.  This represents the innkeeper that is in some pageants, some Christmas cards and some posters but is not mentioned in the Bible.  All it says is that there was no room for the baby Jesus in the inn.  I would imagine they had to talk to someone if they were allowed access to the manger.  Maybe they had the “No Vacancy” sign on.

It always amazes me how often we assume things that are not stated.  The Christmas story is loaded with traditions.  Most of them are relatively harmless.  They add to the atmosphere.  The problem is when people find out they are not true and then think the whole story is a lie.

I think you can be honest and have fun at the same time.  I don’t think we had any Santa Claus visuals in our house since we had children.  That didn’t mean that we did not let them enjoy the stockings hung by the chimney with care.  Our story was that the wise men brought them and we stuck to it.  It doesn’t hurt to point out the parts that are tradition.  It can even open the door for some serious discussions about what Christmas is about and things like sin, redemption and the cross.

Merry Christmas

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Opus 2022-343: Inside Job

Beware the Fifth Column.  

I was once told that the image was a city under siege and the surrounding army had a column of troops on each side of the defenders.  A fifth column was a group of seditious traitors on the inside of the walls working for the enemy.

The Fifth Column pretends to be on your side.  It isn’t.

It pretends to want what is best for the Republic.  It doesn’t.

Might I suggest that anyone working for the major voices in our country are part of a fifth column.  This would be the Progressives* of any brand.  They cover up and distort everything in order to destroy the country and culture that has done more to dethrone the elites and self-styled monarchs that thrive today.  Actually they have thrived all through history but the Founding Fathers tried to set up a republic that had safeguards against them ruling here.  

The Fifth Column is out to destroy that dream.  Like spoiled children they also would rather destroy everything if they can’t win.  Their desire is to push things so far and destroy the rule of law and civilized manners of Americans to the point where there is a violent response.  In reality they probably can’t win such a confrontation but, they would rather leave you with no toys than take a step back.  

I pray we can find a way through this.  Personally I believe it will only happen if the people who call Jesus Lord will start standing up and being counted.  We will see.

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

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Opus 2022-342: Advent Calendar: Day 14, Sheep Being Sheep

Today’s chocolate tidbit looks like a poorly drawn sheep.  Or it could be a fluffy dog.  Or a pair of mittens if you imagination is working well.  It is one of the sheep in the fields.

(Luk 2:8 KJV)  And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And that is it.  Talk about a bit part.  You can see why the toddlers and pre-school kids get this part in the Christmas Pageant.  It is also a good designation for most of the people in the country who walk around without any clue.  There is no indication of whether the sheep noticed the angels in the sky.  I would have thought that a sky full of angels in chorus would have caused a stampede no matter how well they sang.  We don’t know but I think it would have been referenced.

And then the shepherds went off and left them.  I would guess they were better off not knowing what was going on.

As my mind wanders I think about all the times I have come close to death.  Some I have noticed.  When someone is going the wrong direction on the freeway and barely misses you it is hard not to sit up a little straighter.  I often wonder how many times my guardian angels has headed off a drunk driver or blown a deadly virus out of the way.

Be grateful that you don’t get invited to all the parties.

Merry Christmas.

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Opus 2022-341: Advent Calendar: Day 13

I am putting a set of wings behind flap 13.  It is supposed to represent the Heavenly Host that appeared to the shepherds.  Then I had a thought, actually a question, “How do we know that angels have wings?”

So, since I don’t have much of a life, I did a search and did not find “wings” in the same verse with “angel” or “angels” anywhere in the Bible.  I found that the dawn has wings.  It talks about God having wings which I assume is figurative.  I seems to say that the king of Assyria has wings.  Again, I assume that is figurative.  And of course we have the cherubim who are thought to be a type of angel.

So, whether or not angels have wings, God made it possible for them to gather in the sky over the shepherds and give a glorious concert.  That might point out to us that even if we don’t think we have the “wings” we need to do the job, God will enable us.  If not, then He would not have assigned us the task.

May your day be productive and your Christmas be merry.

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Opus 2022-340: Which Chart Is Right?

I recently saw a meme poster that gave me an insight into prophecy.  You may have seen it.  It showed a scattering of disposable plates and bowls.  The caption said, “All but one are facing down.  Once you see the one facing up they will all appear to be facing up.”  

They were right.  It was strange and once I saw it I could not un-see it.  I didn’t spend a lot of time on it, just enjoyed the moment and went on.

It made me think of some of the discussions I have had with people about the end times as “revealed” in the books of Revelation, Daniel, etc.  One of the reasons I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure them out is that so many people with more knowledge than I have written books about eschatology and as a general rule, they disagree.  Their charts are wonders to behold.

I accept that Jesus is coming back.  I can see that a lot of events are being forecast.  The truth is given but like that meme poster, most of them are facing down.  I expect that someday, when it is too late to matter, we will see the one bit of truth that will bring it all into alignment.  Until then it is just mystery on top of mystery except for one fact anyone can see:  You need to be ready.

So have fun interpreting.  Have your own theories and be convinced that you have cracked the code.  Know the date but be ready in case you are wrong.  I plan on being ready whether you are right or wrong.  Meanwhile I remind myself that even a broken clock is right twice a day but I don’t need a broken clock to tell if it is day or night.

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Opus 2022-339: Pageant Discrepancies

Why do we have different messages at different places in the Bible?  Compare the gospel of Mark with John.  Why do we have different vocabulary, different details and even different parables?  The differences have to do with the personalities of the human writers and the target audience.  Need an illustration on how this works?

Consider the traditional Christmas program and the people involved.  I know that a lot of churches have abandoned this but the Christmas Pageant used to be an annual event that brought the church together and got everyone involved.  And of course like anything involving people it led to arguments about things like “Who gets to play Mary?”  Or in a fertile church, “Whose baby gets to be Jesus?”

Good times.

In case you never were blessed by this experience lets start with the cast of characters.  They tended to be age appropriate roles.  

The toddlers are dressed up as sheep.  Being in the “Squirrel” stage they need to have an older group leading them around and trying to keep them from straying off into the choir loft or running to see grandma.  That is where the 5th graders who play shepherds come in.  Three slightly older kids might get to be wise men.  

The teens will usually supply a Mary and Joseph.  

Everyone is frantically going through the closets for bath robes and dish towels.  Mom’s jewelry might decorate the heads of the wise men.

There might be speaking parts.  You could have kids moving props.  There might be a choir.

Then you have the one in the sound booth.

Now add the parents.  

What does this have to do with the authorship of the Gospels?  Imagine you got to read the mail of everyone involved.  All of them are describing the same event.  All of them are “accurate”.  All of them are different.  To get the whole story you need to consider what each brings to the report.  To even begin to get a feel for what happened you would need to read them all and do a lot of discerning.  

Or get the video, but in Jesus day they didn’t have that technology.  One of the angels may have had a camera but he is not sharing.

So start reading and learning.  What a great time to start.  Might I suggest the Christmas story?

Merry Christmas.

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Opus 2022-338: Advent Calendar: Day 12, Shepherds

What you find behind door 12 is not a chocolate candy cane.  It is a shepherd’s crook.  It is used to both beat and rescue.  It can push, pull and direct.  I think it was the main tool they had.

Everyone knows that the shepherds were told about the birth of the Christ Child.  Like everyone else that sees an angel they had to be told not to be afraid.  What is hard for me to wrap my head around is that they were at work and they left in response to the message.  It doesn’t say if they left anyone to take care of the sheep.  Maybe an angel volunteered.  Maybe they didn’t care.

Christmas is a good time to listen and obey.  These guys took off looking for the messiah with only two pieces of information:  Wrapped in swaddling clothes and laying in a manger.  Not much to go on but it was enough.  God will give us the information we need to find the promises He is giving.  

Merry Christmas.

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Opus 2022-337: Dark Thoughts: Because I Said So

As I was staring out into the dark of the morning I was reflecting on the complexity of creation and our bumbling attempts to understand it.  The phrase, “Because I said so” came to mind and how appropriate that can be.

God has given us certain standards of behavior that we call morals.  Why?  He gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai and added to it over time.  Sometimes things make sense.  I can understand why I should not murder.  Other times, not so much.  What is wrong with casting an envious eye on my neighbors ox?  Why can’t I mix fibers in my sox?

The answer ultimately is “Because I said so.”  That should be enough.

I have grandchildren who are at the age where they can understand a lot but still have no real awareness of the world.  If I tell the four year old she is not to go out the front door without me she might ask, “Why?”  I can explain but she does not want to understand.  She thinks she is quite capable of handling what the street will throw at her and knows she won’t get lost.  Often it comes down to “Because I said so.”

Get used to it.  God has his reasons.  The government may not but God does.

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Opus 2022-336: Wish Fulfillment

Have you ever had those times when you wish you could have talked to God about how He was putting creation together?  You know the kind of thing, “Lord, could we leave mosquitos out of the mix?”

There are times when I think the Bible could have been written a bit clearer.  We could have cleared up the conflict between Calvinists and Arminians.  

Or maybe we couldn’t.  

Maybe the depths of truth sometimes require seeming contradictions.

But lets go to those people who have wanted to rewrite the Bible.  Thomas Jefferson and his famous Scissors and Glue Version (SGV) come to mind.  Cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses are also in that camp.  If Jefferson were alive today he would see his dream becoming reality.  

We are in the process of finding out how the world would be different if these factions had been more successful.  The traditional foundations of our society are being powdered and diluted.  The family is on the rocks.  Sexual perversion seems to be in the driving seat.  The rule of law has become a facade.  The roots for this transformation are to be found in the way in which the Christian faith has been prostituted by people who know exactly what they are doing.  Some things the Bible is very clear about and yet these people claim to have a better wisdom.

We are overwhelmed with liberal’s wearing the fleece of God:  Pastors, authors, scholars, general gurus have all gotten on board to destroy the faith of the Bible.  It is pure hypocrisy.  The names keep changing.  A few years ago the Emergent Church was denying Biblical truth.  As people caught on they did what liberals do and rebranded themselves.  They now like the handle Progressive Christianity.  

They want to leave out the harsh parts of God’s revelation.  They don’t like the fact that God hates sin and will punish sinners.  They have changed Agape into a woke version of The Little Mermaid.  They say we are all good inside.  They teach things that Christians should find as abominations.

The results?  Watch the headlines.  Look around you as you pass through your neighborhood.  Listen to the quiet conversations in your family and friends.  It is not a pretty picture but it is one that has been played out many times.

Pray for our country.  Pray for the church.  Pray that you would be part of the godly solution and not be seduced by the Satanic forces.  

See you on the other side.

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Opus 2022-335: Advent Calendar: Day 11, Enduring Illusions

Behind door eleven you will find a chocolate donkey, or you would have if there had been a donkey to find.  Most people don’t realize that there is no donkey mentioned in the Bible.  If there had been it is possible that no one would be riding.  It would carry all their baggage.

There is nothing wrong with having a donkey included in your nativity scene.  It is not a theologically important point.  Just don’t expect one behind door eleven.  There is also a lot of discussion about what Jesus was laid down in and where he was actually born.  The important point is that He was born at just the right time.

God has a sense of timing that is never off.  Accept it even if it is like the donkey and you can’t see it.

Merry Christmas.

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Opus 2022-334: Getting What You Wish For

There are times when I wish that America reflected the hate filled vision of racism and bigotry that is portrayed by the left.  They would have been the first ones to be lined up and shot.  Of course it would have never come to that because they would not be on their pedestals.  They would have been brainwashed and beaten into silence and cooperation long ago.  It is possible that they would not have even survived to grow up.  They would be in those photos of mindless sheep giving the Nazi salute.  

I am afraid that when they achieve their Utopia it will be the same.  We will be first but the commissars will eventually come for them.  

That is the witness of history.  In the spectrum of socialist philosophy they eventually come and eat their own.

What comes next is the question.  Will this finally be the last days before the return of Christ?  Are the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation just around the corner?  Is the Beast already gathering his disciples?  I am hoping for a pre-trib rapture, how about you?

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Opus 2022-333: Advent Calendar: Day 10, Jilted Joseph

Behind door ten you find a lawyer.  Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant and he knew he was not the father.  I can’t imagine the sense of loss he was feeling.  In spite of his pain and anger he was still going to do the right thing.

(Mat 1:19 KJV)  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

You think you got problems.  

God had a solution.  He sent an angel special to Joseph to explain the situation.  We hear a lot about what a wonderful young lady Mary was, I think Joseph was right up there in line for sainthood also.

If things are not going the way you expect then as the saying goes, grab hold, buckle up, hunker down and enjoy the ride.  Keep in mind who is in the drivers seat.

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Opus 2022-332: Advent Calendar: Day 9, Pentecostal Greetings

Today we have another little chocolate foot behind the door.  This is the other foot.  It belongs to John the Baptist who is yet unborn.  In spite of that, being just an embryo to the women’s lib crowd, he still had the awareness that the competing embryo of Jesus was getting close.  He just wanted to say, “Hello”.  Or maybe it was “Praise the Lord”.  It certainly sounds Pentecostal.  

Knowing the future in store for him I think it was a good thing that his parents were so old when he was born.  I think they had died before he was executed.  Their joy was never shattered.  

Enjoy the good things that God gives you.  It is possible that He has plans you are not expecting but trust Him to know what He is doing.

Merry Christmas

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Opus 2022-331: Put X Back into Xmas

You have all seen the signs, “Put Christ back into Christmas.”

I am sympathetic to the statement but it seems to me we are going the other way.  Recently I was listening to a discussion of the great theology that is found in the Christmas carols.  I would agree but Christmas carols are being shown the door just like hymns have been shoved aside.  The fact that they teach Biblical concepts is a big part of the reason.

I still love the Christmas season but I am forced to create it in my home.  It used to be I could set the radio to a certain station and be blessed by non-stop Christmas music.  Sure there was an occasional Jingle Bells and White Christmas but in the proper ratio that still adds something.  That changed gradually.  I finally did not bother any more because while they still claimed to offer the service it was now non-stop narcissism of recording artists who felt a need to put out a Christmas Album.  I am sorry that their current squeeze didn’t make them the center of the world but I am thinking in terms of the Incarnation.

So I thought that maybe we should go to the big X.  I heard someone once claim that the X represented the Greek letter that began the name of Christ.  That sounds pretty even if that wasn’t where it came from.  We might be able to work with it though.  We could have a contest to see who could design the most theological drawing of X.  It would need to be so blatant that no one could miss the meaning.  It might be enough to shock people into wondering just what is going on.

Until that happens I will continue to plug my Christmas flash drive into the USB port and create the atmosphere that leads me into worship for the reason we have the season.

Merry Christmas

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Opus 2022-330: A New Christmas Holiday?

Word has it that a joke went around Jerusalem back in the day.  They said that it took Elizabeth a week to realize that Zechariah could not talk.

(Luk 1:20 KJV)  And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

It might have taken longer but when he came out of the temple the people outside started asking him questions.  

It might be a theological point to debate that this shows God loves women more than men.  If he loved men more than it would have been Elizabeth who could not talk and we would have a Holiday in the Christmas season requiring all women to be silent.  Perhaps that is what Paul was getting at when he said,

(1Co 14:34 KJV)  Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

Just trying to put a little Merry in your Christmas.

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Opus 2022-329: Can You Teach Calculus II?

I love the enthusiasm of new home schoolers.  They are committed to having their children grow up with values and strong minds.  They are willing to commit to the time and change in priorities.

But they are somewhat fragile and need all the encouragement they can get.

They need to be told they can do it.  I had a conversation with a young mother who is on the program and she was wondering if she could teach the child.  I had to laugh because she had a double bachelors in chemistry and math.  Those are the subjects people are afraid of.  I did a lot of laughing, in a supportive way of course.  The next guffaw was when she said she would not be able to teach Calculus II.

I have news for her, neither can the public school teacher.

If you know anything about what is going on in our public schools and many of our private schools then you realize that home school students may be the hope of the future.  If you know someone involved in the adventure, encourage them.

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Opus 2022-328: Advent Calendar: Day 8, You Put Your Left Foot In...

Behind the eighth door you will find a little chocolate foot.  John is trying to break out.

(Luk 1:41 KJV)  And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

I don’t know if you have been around pregnant women or men who have wives going through their first pregnancy.  One of the great recreations is to feel the baby kick.  Having been there I find myself wondering what was so exciting about this.  I guess if I was as old as Elizabeth I might get excited also.  A previous verse tells us she was in her sixth month so maybe this was the first big jolt.  What makes it special was that the Holy Spirit moved in her and had her speaking out like a prophet,

(Luk 1:42 KJV)  And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

Some women just groan and complain.  Other women prophesy.  

It is amazing how attitude effects everything, even a baby kicking.  How you respond to this season also says a lot about attitude.  Be a blessing to those around you.  If you can’t find anything else to be happy about then consider that you are not six months pregnant.

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Opus 2022-327: Advent Calendar: Day 7, Maybe It Was the Water

First we had a virgin getting pregnant.  Now we have someone who is so old that she pulled a Sarah at the idea of having a child.  How old?  We don’t know, all we have is,

(Luk 1:7 KJV)  And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

I would suggest that being “well stricken” is old.  

At the same time you need to think outside the box.  Are there things that God cannot do?  In our understanding, yes.  God cannot make a round square.  There might be some deep concept in some future form of physics where such a thing is postulated, just like mathematicians talk about the square root of minus one.  But allowing an old woman to get pregnant is small potatoes after saying, “Let there be light” and deciding that a virgin would conceive.

Let Christmas be the time of the impossible for you.  I have reason to believe that I might have been conceived on Christmas.  It was not an answer to prayer because they were hoping for a girl.  There are no reports on whether they were reading Luke 1 and 2.

May this be a season of miracles for you.

Merry Christmas

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Opus 2022-326: Headlines: The Other Shoe Is Dropped

It is time to see how the shoe fits when it is on the other foot.  A recent post on Gateway Pundit shared the story of a restaurant in Virginia that turned away a Christian group.  They cancelled reservations for a event when they learned that the group was Christian and, horror of horrors, actually took Biblical stands on moral issues.  They were unwelcomed.

I have two conflicting responses to this.  First, as a rule-of-law, Constitutional patriotic American I salute their rights guaranteed, or at least promised, in the First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech and freedom of association.  If they don’t want to serve certain people then more power to them.  As much as I agree with the group that was rejected I accept the rights of others and would not want to spend my money at an establishment that rejected basic moral principles.

On the other hand, I am tired of the cherry picking that goes on under the disguise of justice.  If a baker can go through years of trials and intimidation because he does not want to bake a gay cake then I would suggest if we are under the rule of law that this restaurant needs to go through the same gamut.  I know, it doesn’t work that way.  Justice is a joke and the law is a one way door.

But I can dream.

My guess is that this will never make the front pages of the MSM and will certainly not be addressed by the DOJ.

I hope that I am proved wrong.

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Opus 2022-325: Advent Calendar: Day 6, Mary

Mary is one of the key figures in the Christmas story.  One of the things I like about her is that we are reminded that it is possible to live a life that God approves of.  Notice how Gabriel greeted her.

(Luk 1:28 KJV)  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

If this had been written by a five-point Calvinist is would have read, “Hail, thou that art lost in sin...”

The Catholics of course go to the other extreme and believe that Mary was born without sin.

Somewhere in between is the young woman that the Bible describes as “highly favoured” and “blessed”.

Mary was also a descendent of David.  This is the genetic track which puts Jesus in line for the throne of David and sets up all kinds of interesting prophecies for the crowd that loves prophecy.

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Opus 2022-324: Advent Calendar: Day 5, Gabriel

If the incarnate son of God is to be born of a woman then it would seem she would need to know.  To take the message, Gabriel was sent.

(Luk 1:26 KJV)  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

Gabriel’s name is only mentioned four times in the Bible.  Two of them are in the book of Daniel and the third is back a few verses delivering another birth announcement for John the Baptist.

Have you ever wanted God to send you a telegram?  He usually uses other methods.  The Apostle Paul experienced quite a few.  First, Jesus appeared personally to him.  Then Ananias brought him what we might call a prophetic message.  He talked about studying the scriptures.  You also have him meeting with the other disciples and getting their input.

And then there are angels.  Gabriel is one of his messengers.  In fact both the Greek and Hebrew words translated “angel” has a basic meaning of “messenger”.  I would not be too quick to want an angel appearing because I think they would scare the orneriness right out of you.  It seems that angels have a need to say, “Fear not.”  I prefer them in the role of guardian.

Angels are about communication.  Christmas is about communication.  It is a message of love and redemption.  It is a promise of the cross and forgiveness.  Take some time to stop and listen to what God might be trying to communicate to you this season.

Merry Christmas.

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Opus 2022-323: Dark Thoughts: To Be, or Not to Be

In the dark of the morning my mind wanders around the world, and off.

What would you say is the most important attribute of God?  

If you were an ancient Roman or Greek each god had a different characteristic.  One might be fun loving, another sneaky.  One might be the embodiment of sexuality or beauty.  Often their main attribute might be something the believer saw in themselves or wanted.

Christians and Jews would be coming from another angle.  They would be looking at the revelations God has made about Himself in the Bible.  They would have a multitude of choices. Recently I saw the phrase, “Everlasting to everlasting”.  I remember the class where the professor said there are three “God is” statements:  God is love, God is light, God is spirit.”  Sometimes the reference is specific, other times inferred.  But there is one that trumps all others, that makes Him different from all other versions of divinity.  

God’s major attribute is that He exists.

You might have some memories of the call of Moses.  He and God went round and round.  They came to a theologically central point when Moses asked who should he say sent him.  

(Exo 3:14 KJV)  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

There is a play on words going on in the Hebrew that we might miss.  The Hebrew used for “I am” is the verb form of the word “LORD” in the next verse.  The main Jewish name for God basically is saying, “I exist.”  God picked that name himself.

A good place to start.  

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Opus 2022-322: Advent Calendar: Day 4, Location, Location, Location

Behind the fourth flap you find a small chocolate cube engraved to look like a peasant home in ancient times.  It again brings up prophecy.  Not only was the virgin birth and name forecast but also the place.

(Mic 5:2 KJV)  But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem.  Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah.

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Opus 2022-321: Book Review: The End of the World...

I first came across Peter Zeihen on suggestions generated by You Tube.  I listened to at least one of his long presentations and tried some of his shorts which were just the big ones cut up to generate exposure.  I began checking out the libraries for books he had written and found his new one, The End of the World Is Just the Beginning on the New Books shelf.

I found him very readable and entertaining.  He presented broad sweeping vistas that seem totally believable.  Every once in awhile his feet of clay are exposed.  He also threw in footnotes that allowed his sense of humor to come through.  

He has a theme that permeates everything he says in what I have processed.  First, we have lived in a time of unparalleled peace and prosperity from the end of World War II to around 2015.  This was guaranteed by the United States Navy insuring the safety of the oceans for trade and travel and the opening of the American economy to the rest of the world.  Second, He believes that America is no longer willing to carry that load and is withdrawing from its overseas involvements.  Third, he thinks that there are big changes coming.  He repeatedly focuses on China and its demographic decline as well as its implosion as a world power.  He fears that the next stage will bring world wide famine and in many areas the end of civilization.  Fourth, at the same time he paints us as being in a good situation and American power will at least keep the Western hemisphere doing well.

I had a few areas of conflict.  A big one is his opinion that America is just a glorious accident of geography.  He has a point about all the benefits of North America but he totally ignores that the wealth and benefit to the whole world was not just the product of soil, rivers and coastland but was possible because you had a people driven by providence and the concepts found in the Declaration of Independence.  He totally ignores the American Creed and how it has molded the way in which we have used the natural resources.  

I was interested in the way he presented wheat as the wonder food.  He has it growing everywhere and being available to anyone who could farm.  I think he puts it in the class of a weed.  That goes against everything I have ever heard about the development of agriculture.  In fact I was just watching a presentation on how the peasants of medieval times ate.  There main food was bread but not wheat bread.  It was made of barley.  Poor people actually ate the ones he sweeps under the rug such as barley and rye.

He also made no mention of potatoes.  Adam Smith knew about potatoes.  He did an analysis and had potatoes presenting the highest food value per acre of all the crops.  It may not have been the first grown in Egypt but it eventually took a big place.  He does not even mention the humble potato.

He gives a rundown of coffee which is accurate generally accurate but I think he is sharing what he heard at Starbucks that morning.  

At the end he tells us where he is coming from.  No surprises there.  He is a greenie, an internationalist and a libertarian.  He works to overcome his prejudices.

All in all I would say it is a good read.  Just keep you thinking cap on and realize that most people who predict what is coming are 150% wrong.

Zeihan, Peter.  The End of the World Is Just the Beginning.  New York:  Harper Business, 1922.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-320: Advent Calendar: Day 3, The Impossible

)pen day three.  Inside you will see a small scroll.  On the back you will see a scripture reference:

(Isa 7:14 KJV)  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

We are now down to some basics.  We see the first indication of the name of this Person.  I would wait to explain the name but it is important to lift this from just a prophecy of Isaiah’s time to one that looked forward some 700 years.  Immanuel means “God with us”.  It isn’t like today where you pick a cool name or make one up.  In those days names meant something.  They meant double when Isaiah looked down through history and said “Immanuel”.  I know it is important because one of my early Nativity roles was Isaiah reading from a scroll.

Even more basic is the idea of the virgin birth.  If this was all we ever had you could make a case for the Hebrew word meaning young woman, but it isn’t, all we had I mean.  We have the clear statement of two gospels in which the Greek word is clear.  This is a prophetic statement about the incarnation, the Virgin birth.  

If you are a Christian it is hard to deny the virgin birth.  It is prophesied in Isaiah.  It is documented in Matthew and Luke.  To deny it is to deny the Bible as the inspired word of God.  If you have a problem with miracles then maybe you need to do a little more meditating on the power of a God who spoke the universe into being.  It was a fitting setting for the moment that God became flesh and dwelt among us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-319: Advent Calendar: Day 2, Fun Facts

Under the second flap on the Adult Advent Calendar you find what looks like a Venn Diagram made up of three circles.  If you have your reading glasses on you can see a word in each circle:  Father, Son, Holy Ghost.  We are talking about the trinity.  While the full doctrine is from the New Testament, we find indications hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus and what we call the Incarnation.

Take for instance the writings of Agur.  Never heard of Agur?  He wrote chapter 30 of Proverbs.  Fun fact:  Solomon did not write all of Proverbs.  Additional fun fact:  David did not write all of Psalms, but that is a discussion for another day.

Agur has this to say,

(Pro 30:4 KJV)  Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?

We are talking about creation.  Notice that in this discussion we are talking about the Creator, “who hath established” and also His Son.  

At this point I don’t think there was any knowledge of the name of the Son.  In the Jewish world there was a total denial of whom this could be.  We will find out what His name will be as we continue opening flaps.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-318: Advent Calendar: Day 1

Do you remember advent calendars?  They are getting harder to find.  My wife was at Trader Joe’s and saw some, grabbed a few and headed for the checkout.  I don’t know what made her look twice but on examination she found that they were for dogs.  Advent calendars for dogs?  What next, advent calendars for adults?

So I thought I would try to develop such a bit of merchandise.  I don’t know if I will be able to stick with it an entire 25 days.  I don’t know if it will become an annual tradition.  I do know that I am ready to begin with day 1.

When you open the flap on day one you find a gluten free, vegan, organic chocolate question mark.  This is to direct you to the first mention of the process that began with the incarnation and ended with the disciples looking up into the sky.  On the back you will find Genesis 3:15 engraved in Gothic lettering.  It is called The Protoevangelium

(Gen 3:15 KJV)  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

We forget the whole reason Jesus was to come.  It is first presented in Genesis.  The serpent has brought down mankind.  God has some special words for him and the woman.  This is understood to declare that Satan would see Jesus to the Cross and Jesus would emerge from it victoriously.

Christmas is the first step toward the cross.  Do not take it lightly.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-317: Thanksgiving +1

I was getting so blessed this morning I started to wonder what was wrong with me.  Surely, something must be wrong.  After reviewing my family, spiritual and physical rightness I decided I needed to spend a bit of energy wondering what was lacking.  I have a growing list:

I am not a millionaire.  Not yet anyway.  I have hopes that inflation may put me in that club.

I am not a Democrat.  That means I can’t just turn my brain off, believe everything The Party tells me and generally live off the hard work of others.  Bummer.  Life would be so much easier.

I am not 19 years old.  Of course that raises the question of whether I would want to be that young again.  I would have so little hindsight to guide me that it would be a very confusing condition.  I couldn’t say, “I told you so” near as much as I do now.

I don’t have a dacha outside Moscow, a ski lodge in Aspen or a bank account in the islands.

I don’t have a subscription to the L.A. Times.

I don’t need a hip replacement.  Yet.  Of course, there still may be time.

C/PM went out of business.  You don’t know what C/PM was?  It was awesome.

Hmmmm...  It does not seem to be working.  I still feel blessed.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-316: Laugh Track for 100

I am moving toward never watching anything that is evaluated by someone else.  This thought comes from my dipping into the offerings of You Tube.  The algorithm they use is constantly offering me things the processor thinks I would like.  

I get a lot of chances to watch clips that are labelled “hilarious”.  Out of curiosity I have clicked on a few and find that to me they are mediocre at best.  Or the ones that are supposed to have me rolling on the floor or falling out of my chair.  Not so much.  Humor is a very personal touch and some people don’t like to be touched.  

One of my problems with the video platform is that you have to listen so long to find out if it is worth it.  In a book I can glance ahead and get a feel but a visual recording makes you wait for it.  

The good side of it is there is a lot to explore.  There is certainly no need to be bored.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-315: On Your Mark...

As I write I look across the room at my small stereo and I can feel the anticipation.  Sometime this evening I will be able to officially turn on the Christmas music.  I have a flash drive loaded and ready to go.  It is in the proper slot and waiting for the button moment.

This year we are going to try to start a new tradition.  I am hoping to take the grandchildren around the yard and plug in the lights we have strung around the trees.  It isn’t much but in some things they are easy to impress.  Maybe when they get older we can talk them into coming over and putting up the lights themselves.

The moment is approaching.  My hope for you is that you had a glorious Thanksgiving Day and are ready for the celebration of the Incarnation.

Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-314: Thanks Thoughts: Interesting Times

This is an unusual Thanksgiving.  As we once again sit down to a meal celebrating our blessings we think about all the bad news coming in from around the world.  It is like reading Matthew 24:  Wars, famine, pestilence.  

We need to pray for those facing famine.  Focus on governments run by selfish narcissists.  In modern times most food shortage is a result of government malfeasance.  Policy has called for burning food on the docks.  Regulations keep farmers from doing their best.  Partisan bickering causes spoilage.  There is plenty of food to go around, or there has been.  That may change.

We need to give if we can find a trustworthy organization.  That is a tall order.  So many of the “charities” are fronts for people giving themselves big salaries.  Often your local church can be a funnel for funds.  

We need to begin focusing on the real blessings we have.  For a moment build a worse case scenario.  What happens if next year we are eating on paper plates with plastic forks?  What if the main course is what we call “Blue Box” macaroni and cheese and the desert is plain green Jello?  What if they are store brand instead of big name?   We can still be blessed and thankful if our families are together and the heat is still on.  If the heat is not on then we can be thankful for the coats and sweaters we have.

Most people I read who believe they know more than I do think that we may have shortages here but will not starve or freeze.  I am not sure they know more than I do.  What I do know is that God will provide for those who are His.  

I am blessed and overwhelmed with thanksgiving.  Blessings.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-313: Blessing Portfolio

I had the joy of being invited for Thanksgiving and being able to say, “No.”  Actually, the question was, “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”  I was able to run down the list of grandchildren and children.  It was a wonderful moment.

Think of it as taking an inventory of your blessing portfolio.  You always wonder if you have invested your life correctly.  I know as I have gone through the years there have been times when I had serious questions.  There have been times of doubt and even moments of despair.  Through it all I have pursued the goal of living by faith.

My portfolio shows a glorious return.

The numbers are not overwhelming.  I only have two grandchildren but what they lack in numbers they make up for in quality.  

I hope your life investments have paid off.  Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-312: First Step in Revival

Hey, you.  Yes, you.  Don’t look the other way.  Don’t pretend that you don’t hear me.

I am guessing that a few years ago you were faithful to attending Sunday Morning worship.  You might have even gone to Sunday school.

There are pastors out there trying to do it right.  Most of them are in small churches, working a side job, hearing about the big name preachers and about ready to throw in the towel.  I will admit that there are a lot of guys filling the pulpit that should be janitors at a local middle school.  There are still those who are genuinely called, believe the Bible is the Word of God and have a personal relationship with their Lord.  

So what is my issue?  

You.

You have given up on the church.  You have gotten used to sitting at home and if you feel like it watching a big name preacher on the screen.  Don’t blame it on the Covid lockdown.  You were there before all that nonsense started.  You are still there.  You might have heard someone complain about the state of the church.  You might have said a few things yourself.  Some of the big guns are doing a sterling job of proclaiming truth but you can’t sit there on your duff and think that you are doing your part.

I know one family of believers.  It is actually three families over three generations.  They are godly, talented people who have not darkened the doors of a church in years.  I take that back.  The elders went to church with me when they were visiting.  After the service I heard nothing but nit picking.

If you are waiting for the perfect church to pop up on your radar then get ready for a long wait.  Just as Utopia in politics does not exist, neither does Utopia in the church.  It doesn’t exist in marriage or in children, but you already knew that.  If Utopia had existed in the days of the Apostle Paul we would have none of his letters.  

The world is in crisis.  Our country is in crisis.  The church is AWOL.  Part of the reason is you are AWOL.  Go find a church where you can make a difference.  Make a pastor’s day.  Maybe with your tithe he can quit his job driving a school bus and actually put in the time to give you the sermons you deserve.  

Okay, maybe I was wrong at the beginning.  Maybe it isn’t you.  Then again...

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-311: Hold That Thought

“The Pause that refreshes”.  It is a phrase that popped into my head today.  It is from a commercial of some product.  I don’t remember the product but I remember the line.  Is that good advertising or poor advertising?  As with Covid:  don’t know; don’t care.

It struck me as I was admiring the morphing of the morning sky with the greys slowly changing their tones.  The grey of the sky was becoming a lively blue while the grey of the clouds was getting more serious.  It reminded me of the dawn sky I watched in Hawaii years ago.

It was refreshing.  Thank you, Ad Man, for the phrase.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-310: Benefits of Food Shortage

I have been on the road and spending time in airport waiting areas.  It gives me a chance to do some people watching in between reading and writing.  I am thinking that a bit of a food shortage might not be a bad thing.  People seem to have been supersizing it quite a bit.

Being overweight is not always a result of just eating too much but also of eating the wrong things.  If we are suddenly snookered by a combination of shortages and soaring prices, the foods we choose will probably change.  I was thinking about my diet.  I start the day with oatmeal and have significant portions of popcorn during the day.  That is not a bad thing.  Those food items are relatively cheap and have decent nutrition with reasonable calories.  It is the quest for protein that will be the issue.  

Meat will be expensive.  What I eat has already gone up significantly but so far I can afford my preferences.  If I am forced to go to things like beans and rice for protein the calories climb quickly.  The result, of course will be growing obesity in my life.  That could lead to a return of my diabetes and all the problems that go with too much weight.

Start checking out what might be substituted and begin to buy a bit extra every week.  Don’t worry, it won’t make you a crazy prepper.  It will make you a careful provider.

Pray that the harvests will be great both spiritual and agricultural.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-309: Election 2024: Future Choices

You may have heard about the talking head that suggested Fetterman as a good candidate for president in 2024.  I saw a meme poster on the theme of Biden and Fetterman running as a team.  The clincher was, “It’s a no brainer.”

We laugh.  We shake our heads.  We need to be careful.  Depending on how honest you think the vote count was this time, keep in mind that the Democrats are in control of the process.  This election they not only elected Fetterman but a man who died a month before election day.  You should just wonder which one they will run a President and which as VP.

I am afraid the reality is too frightening to laugh at it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-308: Thought Walks: It Started with the Clouds: Part 4 of 4, Pagan Science

5.  Global warming is based on pagan logic not science.

Understand, the Arctic melting would not raise sea levels.  Go back to your basic geography and remember that the Arctic is floating ice.  Do an experiment with ice cubes.  Put them in a large cup, fill it to the rim and let the ice melt.  It will not overflow unless you  bump the table.  Remember that ice floats because it expands when it freezes.  It will take the same volume melted as it displaced while floating.  Logic panics, science investigates, Christianity investigates with assurance.

The Antarctic melting would be another situation but would need to be examined with square miles and volume if it all melted at once.  Of course it would not all melt at once but what if it did.  I did a little research on the internet.  The following is based on what the internet tells me and we know it is true because it says so.  I asked, “How much ice is in the Antarctic?”  The answer it gave me was 30 million km3.  They then proceeded to tell me that would raise the ocean levels 70 meters or about 230 feet.  Impressive.  I then asked what was the surface area of the earth and was told 510 million square kilometers.  Being a skeptic, I did a little math.  I divided 510 by 70 and came up with 17.  While 17 is still a big rise it is nothing like 70.  My thinking continued.

6.  Science is ignored when it comes to global warming.  One of the considerations of a good experiment is to limit the variables so you know what you are measuring.  Consider that warm air holds more water vapor which means global warming would suspend billions of tons of water in the atmosphere.  Then you have the phenomenon of phase change.  Phase change from solid to liquid would cool the air and ocean.  Then you have sublimation.  That is where the ice goes directly directly into the atmosphere without going through the liquid stage.

Antarctica is a continent.  What does that matter?  If the ice melted you would have some of it retained in lakes.  How many?  I have no idea what the actual surface would look like.  In addition there would be water retained in whatever served as soil.  With less weight would the continent rise and change the entire equation?  

Have all these factors been figured into the theories or is it just a matter of how much money was given to the researcher?

By this time my rabbit trail of thought was beginning to talk to itself and I was nearing the end of my walk.  I think Plato would have been proud of me.  I did a survey of all my straw men and they said I did a marvelous job.

Until next time Plato needs an outlet,

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-307 Thought Walks: It Started with the Clouds: Part 3 of 4, The Limits of Logic

4.  People don’t seem to understand that real science is not based on logic.  The scientific method was a revolution that knocked logic off its pedestal.  The scientific method grew out of the Judeo-Christian concept of God.  The God of the Old and New Testaments is bound by His holiness and character.  The basics do not change.  He is not capricious or temperamental.  The gods of the pagan world tended to either be impersonal forces or powerful teenagers.  Even the God of Islam was not a God you could depend on to keep His word.  He was free to do whatever he wanted any time.  Science is based on the concept that when you do something twice the same way and get the same results it is based in the nature of the universe which was based on the character of God.

That does not mean that the scientific method was not logical.  It does not mean that logic is not important.  It means there are limitations to logic because logic is based on human thinking not the immutable laws of the universe.  

Logic is subjective.  It is a lot like common sense.  What is common to one person may not be to another.  What is logical to one person may not be to their neighbor.  You can bring different priorities and conditions.  You can have different suppositions.  I remember a science fiction story where a space war had been going on for ages.  The problem is that both sides thought they were winning.  One side counted ships lost.  The other counted tonnage.  It seemed logical at the time.  

Logic can conflict with the scientific method.  If done properly the scientific method judges on actual results, not assumed results.  Of course the key word there is “properly.”  

To be concluded...

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-306 Thought Walks: It Started with the Clouds: Part 2 of 4, Welcome, Straw Man

3.  From there my mind wanders again.  This time I am thinking about how intricate the universe is and how everything works together in such harmony.  I wonder how people can reject the idea of God and creation and I drift into my first Plato dialogue of the morning.

I am in a discussion and my straw man, call him Tares, asks me how I can reconcile evil in the world with a belief in a good God.  After a discussion of the place of free will and being made in the image of God we get to a place where I ask myself a question that I can’t answer.  Oh, I can give an answer but even I am not satisfied with how complete it is.  Since I need to be honest with myself and Tares, I confess that I don’t have the answer now but I sure that somewhere in eternity I will find it.  He is obviously not satisfied with that.  In disgust he says, “How can you believe something that does not answer all the questions?”  

That is a good question and I have an answer for that too.  Isn’t it wonderful how these Plato dialogues work so well?  Using a technique I learned from other teachers, I answered his question with questions of my own.

“Do you believe in science?” I ask.  Since I am the author of this discussion he falls into the trap and answers, “Oh course I do.  What does that have to do with anything?”

Everything.

What most laymen who were not paying attention in 8th grade don’t remember is the scientific method.  Even when I taught history I had nothing but praise for the scientific method.  It is based on two rocks.  One rock is the belief that the laws of the universe are consistent.  The other rock is that there is always something you don’t know.  This leads to two bits of method.  First, you start with a question, a hypothesis.  Then you proceed to try to prove or disprove your statement.  Either way you learn something.  If you find that your hypothesis stands the test of experiment and evidence then you don’t stop and say, THE SCIENCE IS SETTLED.  No, you ask what that points out that you don’t know.  You assume there is something you don’t know.  You live with the reality that there are some things you will never know.

Think about all the “settled science” over the years.  Things like you can’t travel faster than the speed of sound.  We moved from Isaac Newton to Albert Einstein to Max Plank.  We have possibly gone beyond and I probably missed steps in between.  The point is that science always assumes the field is bigger than they are.  

This is the reason I can believe in science.  That is genuine science I am talking about, not the political grant seeking that is masquerading as science today.  It is why science and Christianity go well together.  Both are based on the concept of truth and the eternal questioning.  For science it is “How?”  For Theology it is more often “Why?”  But in both cases you never reach the end of the sequence.  Modern scientists are often little more than pagan necromancers or medieval alchemists.  


To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-305 Thought Walks: It Started with the Clouds: Part 1 of 4, Channeling Plato

I had a great walk on August 30, 2022.  The discussion was lively.  The logic was impeccable.  The grasp of facts and theory and their intertwining was genuinely impressive.  I was also by myself.  I decided that I was channeling Plato.  He liked to set up straw men and destroy them with a foreknowledge of the tame responses of his audience.  I was on a roll.  I was also on a walk so posterity may never grasp the flawless presentation.  Of course I can only remember it in parts but I will try to give you a feel for it.

Be impressed.

1.  At my age I have a certain reality that strikes me every time I start my route.  Gratitude.  Gratitude for mobility.  Gratitude for the absence of pain.  Gratitude to be in the hill country of Texas and not genuinely worried about my neighborhood.  That is a lot to be thankful for.

2.  Many people are familiar with and quote a verse from the King James Bible,

(Psa 121:1 KJV)  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

Since I am already in the hills that doesn’t work for me.  I also prefer the more modern translations that put a question mark in here.

(Psa 121:1 NAS77) A Song of Ascents. I Will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From whence shall my help come?

And then the answer flows.

(Psa 121:2 NAS77) My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.

So as I start out I get wrapped up in admiration of nature, or more correctly, God’s creation.  I admire the flow of colors, the contrasts and balance.  Today there isn’t much to get excited about if you are into first impressions.  Clouds darken the sky.  It is gray and grayer.  I see no blue as I walk but I believe it is there.  Part of that is a knowledge of the world I live in.  Part is memory of yesterday or even a few minutes ago.  A big part is that I can turn my head and see spots where the blue of the universe pushes aside the clouds of perception.

My mind wanders and I am aware it is wandering.  That reminds me of something else to be grateful for, I still seem to be able to think.  I found my way home again because I am writing this.  But the wandering of the moment has to do with living by faith and optimism.  It takes me to how we are to trust in God and His providence even when things look dingy.  

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-304: Immortal Quotes: The Most Famous Last Words

“You always have to have the last word.”

Have you ever had someone tell you that?  I find it an amusing statement.  Yesterday when I heard it I remained silent and listened.  After being told the fourth time that I had to have the last word, without making any comments in response, my mind drifted and I stopped counting.  Simple things amuse me but my simple mind has a hard time staying focused.

Generally such a statement is a tool of manipulation by people who want the last word and need to feel very righteous about it.

Drive them crazy.  Just smile and remain silent and start counting.  I would guess they will never get the irony.

homo unius libri