Opus 2023-199: The Power of Dreams

All these socialists who want central power and wisdom to direct every area of our lives see themselves sitting on the committees and behind the power desks.  They see themselves telling us we need to take the bus, ride bicycles and walk while they travel in chauffeured limousines and fly in private jets.  After all, they need to be sharp to make the right decisions and they do know what is best for us.

I am reminded of the countless junior high boys who felt they did not need an education because they were going to be the next Michael Jordan or Shak.  It didn’t do any good to point out the total number of professional basketball players was smaller than the number of future Jordan’s that dreamed just in our school district.  The modern socialists have as much chance of being behind that desk as the ignorant little boy who is too lazy to practice has of being in the NBA playoffs.

But they keep hoping.  That is why they continually say, “That wasn’t real socialism.”  What they mean is, “I was not in charge.”  When you are in charge of the police state then you are free to consider it a success.  Anyone who disagrees with you gets a ticket to the gulag or a chance to be a target at the CRT shooting gallery.  

It reminds me of my granddaughter when she gets in one of those moods.  They come more regularly as her vocabulary grows.  She sets out to tell the adults in the room just what should be done and how it is to be done.  It was kind of cute the first time but we recognized that it was an attitude that needed to be nipped in the bud or we would have an ex-Twitter employee on our hands one day.  That won’t work because we don’t have a basement for them to live in and I am not known for my compassion.

I think the best solution is that brilliant suggestion I have seen in memes.  Socialist dreamers should be given a one-way ticket to the socialist paradise of their choice.  Give them a few candy bars to tide them over but search carefully to make sure they don’t have one of your credit cards or any traveler’s checks hidden away.  They will be welcome back when they have saved up enough for the ticket, first and last month’s rent and food until their first pay check.

I would be glad to drive them to the airport.

homo unius libri

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-198: Stop Insulting the Pagans

I am constantly searching for words that project my disgust with the modern Proregressives*.  My red-neck, fundamentalist, born-again ethical standards don’t allow me to use many of the four letter expressions but they are getting so common they have lost their punch.  

I have called the current Proregressives pagan at times.  I might have said “barbarian”.  I don’t think I have used “heathen”.  Other times I might use anti-God which is probably the most accurate.

It may be time to apologize to the pagans for misusing their label.  It is not an insult to call someone a pagan.  It simply means someone who worships many gods.  The modern left certainly worships many gods but they mean themselves, not Zeus, Apollo and Pan.  Pagans would include people like Marcus Aurelius, Plato, Confucius and possibly Buddha.  It is an insult to include Sorros, AOC, Pelosi, Shift, Schumer and the rest of the gang in such company.

I have been searching for a better word than pagan.  Sewer brain seems too childish.  Froward paragons might be too highbrow.  Recently I suggested “Canaanites”.  Any suggestions?

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

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-197: Headlines: Splits Appearing in the Banana

Is America starting to stand up?  It is always a hope I have.  One bit of positive movement I heard about was the departure of 5,000 congregations from the United Methodist Church.  I saw it a few places and finally read it at Christian Post.

I has happened over the last two years.  Evidently more would leave but some of the conferences are playing hard ball and telling them they can’t take their property with them.  I don’t have much hope for denominations like the United Methodists but if the faithful in their midst will get moving they may have a chance to be part of the solution instead of supporting the problem.

A word on reporters and lack of reporting.  One of the questions that came up was the total number of congregations in the UMC.  The article did not say.  Was 5,000 a significant number or a drop in the bucket?  I did some searching and I think I came up with around 29,000 so the 5,000 that left was a large minority.

Good news.  Maybe John Wesley can stop spinning in his grave.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-196: New Terms: Canaanite

I watched part of a discussion between Eric Metaxas and Jordan Peterson.  They both love to talk but they also have a lot to say.  At one point Peterson got off on how the story of Cain and Abel had made a big impact on him.  

One of my mental searches involves what to call the people who seem to be taking over our world.  On any level you want to go they seem to be against the things of God.  They reject truth and in one form or another think they can become gods.  I have been searching for a name that fits.  There was a time when “liberal” worked but it has gone beyond that.  Many who would call themselves conservatives are in the mind set I am looking at.  I have been using my term “Proregressives” for awhile and will continue to use it.  

The discussion gave me an idea.  Cain as described by Jordan Peterson gives me a good name for the evil people in the world:  Canaanites.  The two words are different in Hebrew and only have the homonym quality in English.  At the same time there is a philosophical connection.  It is historically accurate and descriptive.  It would include Cain, Sodom, Moloch and such failed-in-the-ends as Solomon.  The Canaanites were an evil bunch.  Among other things they practiced was child sacrifice.  The concept is bad enough but they had a tradition of throwing their screaming children into a fiery furnace in the bowels of an idol to Moloch.  

Nasty.  Maybe it isn’t fair to drag them into this but they are a good match for the anti-God forces of today.  Their societies were as advanced as those around them.  They were not the odd balls in town but we know enough about them to know the evil nature of their culture.

So watch out for the modern day Canaanites.  They are everywhere and have plans for you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-195: A Nefarious Review

I don’t know if you have seen the movie “Nefarious”.  It was well done and stimulates the mental synapses.  Biblically and theologically it had a lot of rough edges and holes but it gives insight into what is happening in our country and what the two sides are like.

If I were a demon trying to bring down the United States I would stage a demon possession that would look just like what we have in president Biden:  An empty suit with a past that deserves possession, often himself but with key moments of announcements and signings where he is taken over to advance the agenda.  It would explain a man who can on occasion actually complete a sentence and other times just wanders around looking for Jill.

Reversed, it might be like the filling of the Spirit in the OT.  There you had the Spirit bestowed only on selected individuals and for a period of time.  Saul is a good example.  That changed at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit became available to all believers.

We are in a spiritual battle in this country and we are finding out what would happen if they had a war and nobody showed up.  The one side that came late has the whole field to themselves.

I am not worried about the type of encounter in Nefarious.  Why would the devil waste his time manipiulating people who are already doing his will?  Believers don’t need to worry about demon possession as much as the drunk coming toward us at night.  Remember,

(1Jn 4:4 KJV)  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-194: Weird Night

Like many nights there were an assortment of vaguely remembered dreams.  What was unusual was that two of them I remembered.

The first took place in a dimly lit restaurant overlooking a beach sunset.  I was seated at the bar.  I remember that Lee Marvin was the bartender.  I ordered diet Dr. Pepper and when it arrived I could have sworn I saw a tab of $3.50.  I gave him a $5 and said, “No change”.  He then handed me a bill for around $30.00.  For one soft drink!  I quietly paid up.

It left we with a feeling of hopelessness.  It wasn’t the price but that I paid it so meekly.

A second dream had me involved in some way with a column of desperate people.  Think Trail of Tears or Bataan Death March.  I felt responsible for them.  I had no resources.  I didn’t know where I was.  Suddenly strange things started happening that began to take care of the people.  Windows would open up and sandwiches would be handed out.  Someone showed up and asked if there were any farmers in the group and they went away to a vacant farm.  What was recurring was it seemed like every time I tried to take leadership a voice would say, “I got this.”  

It left me with a feeling of hope.  And the hope dissolved the frustration of the first dream.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-193: We Need More Rock Piles

The Bible endorses and commands the death penalty.  The places that it is commanded reflect the behaviors that are of greatest concern to God.  You might not agree with the death penalty at all or with the hierarchy of infractions that lead up to it, but no one is really asking you, or me.  It is simply what God declared.  

The most common form of that death penalty was stoning to death.

(Exo 19:13 KJV)  There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.

There are frequent statements that a person will be put to death but don’t designate the method.

It seems today like a cruel and unusual punishment but that is not the message of stoning.  The message is that it is an act of the community punishing the most heinous of crimes.  No one is proposing stoning for leaving your trash can out on the street too long after pickup.  It is for culture threatening actions.  The community is so outraged at the outrage that they come together to administer the cure.  It would be almost impossible for one person to stone a criminal without at least a lunch break.  

The recidivism rate is very low, just like other forms of capital punishment.  Occasionally there is a target that fools the stone throwers, the apostle Paul did it at least once, but it is fairly effective.

The citizens cannot pass on the duty to the state.  You have to be serious and take responsibility.  Most people would think twice about a verdict of guilty if they were required to throw the first stone.

The Bible is clear.  There are some things that are so evil you should die for them.  Got a problem with that?  Tell God about it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-192: The Old Switcheroo

As I was being thankful for God’s protecting hand, Providence, and came to guardian angels it occurred to me that the device of stage and fantasy novels, Deus ex machina, god in the machine, is a reality.  It is a good thing.  It is a part of what we actually believe.  It is another concept, like justice, that the Proregressives* have taken and perverted.  They have made it an object of mockery rather than a promise of hope.

I came across this as I was reading the discussions about evolution and creation.  One of the pejoratives that the secularists use was something like this.  I think they called it the God box or some such thing.  Their attack tried to say that because we thought the Prime Mover of the Big Bang was an intelligent designer we were turning off our minds and reaching into the God box for answers.  The inference was we did not have an answer so we blamed God.

Actually that is a good insight.  The only variation I would have is that blaming God is an answer.  You see, they don’t have one that works for science either.  They keep coming up with more and more theories that are more science fiction than science fact and more fantasy than science fiction.  They don’t have a clue so they reach into the Scholar box and make something up.  At least we reach a point where we say science and research probably can’t go.  We call it metaphysics rather than physics.  It is not avoiding the hard questions.  It is having an answer to the hard questions.

So far it is better than theirs.  

Welcome to the left.  Keep thinking on your own

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-191: Boggles

As I was in worship and contemplating that which cannot be contemplated the phrase “boggles the mind” came to me.  It is not a technical scholarly phrase.  I can’t find it in my theology books.  As you know it is not original.  It is appropriate in some contexts.

There are many things that almost boggle the mind.  When I consider the blessings of my life it is not beyond imagination, just hard to believe.  When I looked at a new born grandchild I almost got boggled but I knew others who had been there and I was one myself.  The beauty of a spring morning in wildflower season can make your sox curl.  If I ever did it, a hole in one would make me think I was alseep.

But contemplating God goes a step beyond.  It is like a math formula, ∞ * ∞.  Our minds can only approach it because we were created in the image of God.  Our dog will never even know there is an idea past his food bowl.

I don’t expect to get unboggled in this life.  Even in eternity it is doubtful.  In the mean time I have the joy of getting a glimpse of glory.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-190: St. George and the Horse

Alicia Childers had some click bait about Trojan horses invading the church.  She was interviewing someone named Dr. Erwin Lutzer.  It was a short and generally accurate examination of the way pastors and churches have swallowed the anti-Biblical nonsense of CRT and other woke philosophies.  He explained the problem and the general point was the churches needed to read their Bibles and put its principles to work instead of trying to conform to the world.

I noticed a point of genuine irony as Dr. Lutzer was talking.  He said something to the effect that George Floyd’s death was tragic.  No it wasn’t.  It was a case of justice coming home to roost.  That was one of the talking points of the left wing city burners.  Floyd was a violent thug with a long history of brutality.  On the night in question he was heavily overdosed on illegal drugs and was vigorously resisting arrest.  The policeman was following the policy set out by the police department.  Was he supposed to let Saint George jump up and go running off down the street?

This is an indication of how the values and vocabulary of the God haters is infiltrating the church and we don’t even see it.  We want to fit in so badly that we repeat their talking points instead of speaking truth.  Yes, the Trojan horses are in the church.  There are more of them than we want to admit.

I hope we wake up.

Pray.  Speak up.  As Paul repeatedly tells us, reprove, rebuke, correct.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-189: Time for a Change?

Maybe theocracy is the answer.  Don’t panic.  The thought is not as scary as it is made out to be.  The God haters would have you think that a theocracy would produce a resurrection of the Aztec way of tearing out human hearts, throwing the bodies down the temple stairs and having a pot luck with what hits the bottom.  Actually that was a monarchy.

Again we run into false definitions of our secular society.  They envision a ruling elite of priests with all the powers of coercion of the modern police state.  That is just another form of the totalitarian state with a different group of the better people in charge.

It must be Biblical theocracy.  Picture the time of the Judges in the Bible.  There was no priestly hierarchy.  There was a high priest but he had no army or SWAT team.  When needed a judge would be raised up.  It seems that the judge could rule for life but had limited power.  People farmed and made wine.  Merchants traveled and traded.  For long periods of time life was good.

And it was not anarchy or arbitrary.  There was always the law.  A nation ruled by the Ten Commandments would be better off than the administrative state we live in.  Do you really think you need a government that is concerned about how much water your toilet uses?  If things ever start to fall apart and you are on a committee to restore civilization, don’t rule out the theocracy.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-188: Unholy Moses

I first saw click bait that claimed the WEF was going to rewrite the Bible.  It was a podcast over an hour long so I didn’t get to it.  Recently I saw it in another format.  An article in The Stream discussed some of the activities going on to have computer AI rewrite the Bible.  I could read instead of listen.  That was doable.  

The focus of this was PETA.  They were starting with rewriting the Genesis account and their goal was to elevate the animals to be more equal with humans.  The surprise was that they admitted there future goal was to redo the rest of the Bible also.  Might I suggest that they try the same thing with the Koran.  The results would certainly save Christians and Jews from having to worry about further attempts to pervert religious documents.

This is a matter of concern but not near as troubling as humans who have been rewriting the Bible for decades.  Progressive Christianity is doing enough damage without the help of a digital brain.  Pulpits and Seminaries across the country are already well on the way to perverting what Christians believe is the word of God.

We may need to go Amish.  People serious about their faith may need to only use printed Bibles and insist that they were printed the old fashioned way with hand set type.  

Is there anything that the modern garden serpents can’t mess with?

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-187: Another Slant on Liberty

You may have heard of the Liberty Bell.  You may be aware of the inscription, “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land.”  I would hope you know where that phrase came from but if you went to public school all this would all bring from you is “Huh?”

The inscription on the Liberty Bell is from the Bible.

(Lev 25:10 KJV)  And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

The bell makers took the part they wanted but there is more to the quotation than meets the editors eye.  A little background is in order.  I am not going to try to go through the entire chapter but I want to lift out some specifics of the verse.

There are several revolutionary concepts in this.  The first is the concept of “liberty.”  When the bell was ordered and the inscription agreed on the first thing that came to mind was the idea of political liberty.  Today we would think in terms of the Bill of Rights.  In the time Leviticus was written political freedom was a different concept than we have today.  Israel had no king or organized government.  The closest was in the person of Moses who had appointed tribal elders to assist him in running things.  It would have been closer to the original arrangement of the United States under the Articles of Confederation.  

The Hebrew word for “liberty” is consistently translated that way by the KJV.  The NASB more frequently uses the word “release”.  The underlying concept is flowing or free run.  From our Declaration of Independence you might get “the pusuit of happiness.”  That understanding relates to the other concepts in this verse and the rest of the chapter.

Involved in this statement is a concept that is anathema to the modern elites.  It is the concept of property.  Back when Israel moved into the Promised Land and divide it up there were assignments given.  That land was to stay in the family forever.  In most ancient and medieval cultures the land belonged to the elites.  In order to maintain this non-traditional arrangement, only under precise circumstances could it be sold and usually that sale was more of a lease.  It had to be returned to the original owner in the year of Jubilee.  A landless man was little more than a slave.  So every fifty years all land was to revert to the original owner.  That obviously meant the original Jewish owner, not the original pagan tribes that held the land, so don’t get excited about giving Manhattan back to the Indians, although I am not sure I would not vote for that.  

Also implicit in this regulation was that slaves were to be freed.  The seeds to destroy slavery were being laid by God all the way back in Leviticus.  It did not eliminate slavery, common to all cultures, it put a time limit on the servitude.  

Also notice the importance of the family.  When you are freed you are to go back home.  This is another foundation of Godly society that the Marxists and their followers are trying to destroy.

So happy 4th.  Celebrate with your family in your home.  Enjoy the liberty to travel and move around as much as you want.  The foundation for all that is in the Bible.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-186: Song for the Day

What should our song be for the day?  If you went to church on Sunday I am sure you heard some of the traditional patriotic songs.  Most of them are loaded with Christian theology, which is why they are not being pushed by our rulers.  There was one that was probably missing.

I am voting for, “God Is Bigger Than the Boogieman.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LK72_--ZsM4

The theology may not be nuanced too well but the foundation is solid.

I am sure that Jonathan Edwards and John Wesley would not appreciate the image but I think God has a bit of a smile on His lips.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-185: Trash Philosophy

We need to be cautious when trying to figure out motive.  Contemplating an unlined trash can opens the door to becoming a philosopher.  You seek truth if you can stop seething long enough.

I approached the kitchen sink, not being aware that I was on the verge of an existential battle.  The trash had been taken out but the liner had not been replaced.  I stared in disbelief, just as I had the multitude of times it had happened before.

My first response was irritation.  It was based on the suspicion that they are waiting for me to do it.  The ire began to build.  Who do they think they are?  Are they too good?  Am I the servant here?

My second response was understanding.  How often have I gotten distracted and not finished the job?  That is a question you do not need to answer.  It often helps to pause a minute, calm down and do some application of love.  

(1Co 13:5 KJV)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

So, instead of stomping away I quietly pulled out a new bag and put it in the can.

Am I a good boy or what?

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-184: The Eternal Squirrel

What would it mean to speak of God’s glory as being impenetrable?

You can look at this concept from at least two perspectives.  A surface can be so hard that everything bounces off with no affect.  This would be the immovable object in response to the irresistible force.  Or the object can be so deep that you will never reach the other side.  This would involve the concept of infinity.  

Which would best describe God?  Both/either.  It depends on our motive and whether we can understand.

If you are looking for a foundation then an impenetrable surface would be ideal.  In regard to God this would reflect things like His power, trustworthiness and immutability.  You can build a life on His truth and be secure that the ground would not shift under you.  That is a plus in this life.

If your focus is on eternity then the depth image comes into play.  I can’t comprehend eternity.  It should be obvious that it is beyond my ability to grasp.  I find that exciting because it means that there will always be depths to explore and questions to be answered.  The word “boredom” will disappear from our vocabulary and if anyone uses it we will ask, “What is that?”

Maybe the big challenge in eternity will be trying to get bored.  That will be prevented by the Eternal “Squirrel” answered by the perpetual, “Where?”  

I hope to see you on the other side.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-183: Cornerstone Considerations: D of I, Banana Justice

As I read through the Declaration of Independence I came across this complaint,

“For depriving us, in many Cases, of the Benefits of Trial by Jury:”

There are a number of ways you can deprive someone of the “benefit”.  The most recent example is the accusations of the patriots who made the mistake of trusting the policemen who invited them into the capital.  I have not followed the events called trials but I can imagine how the jury would be selected, evidence manipulated and law interpreted by a judge that was interested in political show trials more than law and justice.  It was blatant in the Congressional hearings.  I assume that the courts had no more evidence so it must have continued.

Did they get a fair trial?

Or take the police that took down George Floyd and kept him from rampaging through the city.  With all of the media circus, threats toward the jury by the mobs, refusal for change of venue and other clown acts, do you really feel the trials had anything to do with justice?

Donald Trump has been harassed by everyone with a law degree and a government paycheck.  He is being dragged through the courts while the same judicial system ignores the blatant crimes by their Democrat handlers.  Does this have anything to do with any kind of justice except banana justice?

You know the kinds of things I am talking about.

Maybe it is time to read the first paragraphs again.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-182: In the Bubble

I get so wrapped up in my world view.  It destroys me.  It is based on the distorted information brought to me by corrupt sources.  There may be items of quality in it.  When I look at America I see all the good things it has done.  I revel in the freedoms we have known.  I rejoice in our prosperity.  The danger comes when I think it is common in history or that we deserve to live in the bubble of plenty.  That does not match up with reality.

What I need to wrap around me is my eternity view.  This allows for enjoying the blessings that God has given.  It provides a hope for the future.  It also assures me that the present is a time when evil is rejecting the things of God and persecution is a real possibility.  It gives me hope.  Think of it as being low on gas and knowing there is a gas station just around the corner or hearing that strange rattle in your engine and knowing you have a road side service plan.

Focusing on my world view is like contemplating an empathy pantry that I have failed to stock instead of the grocery store full of multiple offerings.  So much depends on what we are trusting and how we are obeying.

homo unius libri

Opus 2023-181: That Time Again

The Fourth is coming.  One of the things that we should all do at this point is find a copy of the Declaration of Independence and read it over.  I am in that process.  Pay special attention after you get past the opening paragraphs that we all know.  If you read carefully and pay attention you will see parallels between what King George III was doing and what our current governments are doing.

Notice how I worded that.  I did not say Joe Biden.  As I was reading through the document I kept coming across the word “he”.  To be honest, Joe Biden probably doesn’t even know what kind of ice cream he likes.  There is a mysterious “he” that is hiding in the wings.  It could be a committee or cabal that has grabbed the reigns and is careening into the future with reckless abandon.  Their favorite sound is “thump, thump” as they drive over us and our liberty.

Some of the issues in the Declaration are not on our radar.  As far as I know the Feds are not trying to board soldiers in our homes.  They are messing with us in other ways.

Read it and think.  Do it before you put the hot dogs on or open the potato chips.

homo unius libri