Opus 2024-391: What Is Man?

Why in the world is God so interested in human beings?  He created us in His image.  Why?  It’s a question that comes to my mind on a regular basis.

God may be bored and we supply the same entertainment value that a new kitten has.  Our antics probably amuse Him as much as kitten flips over nothing and chasing a red dot.  That’s one thought but that doesn’t really work.  If that were the case it would certainly be unnecessary for Jesus to die on the cross.  It would be unnecessary to pay for our sins if we were just toys.  The cross, actually becoming sin for us, Jesus would take a pass on these if we were on the level of a new set of Legos.

So what is it?

Now we cross over into pure speculation, but my mind goes to those promises about us reigning with Him.  

(Rev 5:10 KJV)  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

As my attention went to that concept, it occurred to me that our egos get involved when we read something like this.  We also have this strange idea the people in power, if they are doing their job right, just sit around giving orders and eating bonbons all day.  Not so.  Effective rulers work very hard.  When it talks about us reigning and ruling, we need to put aside the idea that we’re going to be top level executives in a corner office with an executive secretary, an expense account and private bartender and think instead of being the lieutenant who’s out in the field checking outhouses to make sure they’ve been dug in the right place.

God is planning on being around for a long time.  Eternity goes on forever.  It’s very possible that we are not His only creations.  It could be that what He has in mind for the long term is a whole additional expansion of what He’s done now.  It’s very possible that He is grooming us to be on board as His assistants.  You might say, “I didn’t sign up for that.”  Maybe not, but you should have read the fine print.  It did say you would be reigning.  Reigning is not a party, it’s not just a privilege, it is a responsibility.

You were warned.  I am speculating.  It’s not heresy if you’re just speculating, is it?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-390: Time to Deal a New Hand

Years ago, I spent a little bit of time playing poker.  I found that I enjoyed the game. I found that I enjoyed the game too much.  Going along with that I found that whatever it is that you call luck had nothing to do with me.  I concede that my skill was not the highest, but there are times when pure luck prevails and I repeatedly came up on the short end of the stick.

Poker is an ongoing game.  You have hands that are dealt.  Each time you deal a hand you take all the cards, shuffle them, and then ask who wants to be in that round.  If you want to play, you are expected to ante up.  What that means is if you were serious you had to put something out in the middle of the table as an opening investment, an opening bet.  It was usually established at a level that everybody could participate even though they had no idea what cards they were going to get.  And then you would proceed through the game, dealing the cards, being able to discard once and ask for replacements.  And then you would go around and people would play psychological games.  You would bet more and dare others to match your bet or a increase it.  You were doing a couple of things when you were betting on the cards you had in your hand.  At one point you are betting on the possibility of getting better cards in the draw.  You were guessing what kind of cards the other people had.  Each step required you to up the ante, make a bigger bet, put your money where your mouth was.

Politically, we have come to the point where it’s time to deal a new hand.  In the past those of us with traditional values would take the win and leave the game.  We can’t afford to do that anymore.  When we do that they take over and run things.  They win by our default.  They go back to business as usual.  The swamp once again starts to spread and pollute.  We walk away with the couple of nickels in our pocket that we got from that hand, think we are fine fellows, and they sit there laughing, knowing that the game goes on.

We need to stay in the game and up the ante.

Keep in mind that those we are playing against us are not just the left wingers, the mindless Democratic machine, the administrative state, or any other label you want to put on them.  We are also playing against the Republican establishment, the Rinos.  They are by far the largest danger.  We won elections.  We sent a message.  The Democrats know that we sent a message.  But what they are counting on is that the Republicans who have a vested interest in keeping things as they are, will undermine the message.

We need to stay alert, stay in the game, up the ante and, metaphorically of course, go for the jugular.

Don’t rest on your laurels.  Pray harder than you ever prayed.  Speak up louder and more often than you ever did in the past.  Stand up for the things that you know are right.  Put aside fear and speak boldly.  Risk conflict at the Thanksgiving table.  Write letters.  Make phone calls.

To change the metaphor, we’re only in the first inning of the game and we can’t go home just because we’re ahead one to nothing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-389: Always Never

It always amazes me how people who seem to be so intelligent eventually emerge as “Never Trumpers”.  It shows up in the most unexpected places, but it’s very real.  It is not a mental condition that surprises me because I run into a parallel inability to think on regular basis.  You’ve seen it too, but you just don’t recognize it.

I’m talking about the “Never God Syndrome”.  Relax.  I am not making a parallel between Trump and God.  I do not believe that Trump is the savior. That role is reserved for Jesus.  But the train of thought is similar.  You take a category and no matter what the situation you rule it out.  It cannot be possible.  Even if it is the only logical conclusion, never!

Right now I am in the middle of a four hour interview between Joe Rogan and Eric Weinstein.  Weinstein is waxing strong on all kinds of physics.  As he says, it’s his language.  It’s the language he speaks the best.  And it’s a language that means I have no idea what he’s talking about.  He will throw around words that you understand but when you put them together, they’re just so much jargon.  Are they real?  Probably.  Do they mean anything?  There’s a good chance that the answer is, “No.”

The topic that generated enthusiasm on this podcast was UFOs.  They have gone into many deep holes and down many rabbit trails, and there are no conclusions coming out except the government is deceiving us.  Whether they’re deceiving us because they have some secret program developing a secret weapon, or whether they have actual evidence of extraterrestrial life, we don’t have a clue.  Or at least they don’t have a clue.

That’s all well and good, but they are leaving out one of the explanations that I have heard, and that is demonic forces.  No, I’m not a big one for the spectacular, emotional, panic over demons and such.  I believe they exist.  I believe they’re active.  But they are limited.  However, it makes good sense to say that these sightings might be supernatural.  I’m not saying they are, I’m just saying that there is this mental block to even consider the possibility.

Another topic this comes up is the beginning of the universe, what is called the Big Bang Theory.  For you Democrats out there understand that I am not talking about the TV program.   It was originally resisted by science because if you believe in the Big Bang theory, one of the possibilities you would have to consider was the existence of a God.  Since these uber-wise scientist know there is no God, that whole train of thought is ruled out.  It’s kind of a form of never Trump.

Real science, real intellectual pursuits, real philosophy, all of these need to be open to all options if they are to be true investigations.  You may rule out many things, but you can’t say they are no possibility.

You can get along without Trump.  You can’t get along without God.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-388: More Than New Math

If you’ve been to the doctor’s office recently you may have noticed that everything has to be on the computer.  It makes you wonder what the doctors know and what they’ve simply learn to react to on the screen.  When you talk to them about things you’ve read, they don’t seem to have any idea what you’re talking about.  What they give you might generally relate to what was talked about and you’re reading, but doesn’t seem to be up to date.  It could be total ignorance on their part, or my part.  But it doesn’t give a satisfying feeling of knowing you’re talking to someone who is paying attention.

I think part of the reason is that in the new way of doing education there is less emphasis on actually learning the field of study.  We hear about medical students now having to spend time on gender studies, equality studies and multiculturalism.  Who knows what other kind of nonsense instead of actually studying medicine?

I experienced this in my own life in preparing to preach.  I went to seminary many years ago. When I was in seminary we had a requirement for a year a Greek.  That was much lower than previous generations of seminaries.  They were expected to actually know Greek.  We just had to get through a class.  We were expected to take a certain number of Bible classes and classes in theology and preaching.

Fast forward to modern seminaries, to the one I attended.  They have reduced drastically the number of classes in Bible and theology and instead of taking classes in sociology, psychology, counseling, and all the other things that are currently in vogue.  Is it any wonder that modern pastors are so into heresy and reviving pagan practices?  What can you expect when that’s what you prepare for.

So don’t be confused when your auto mechanic has no idea what that noise means.  Don’t expect the man who sells your groceries to know which type of apple will age better in your refrigerator.  Don’t expect your pastor to know anything about God.  And unfortunately, I’m not sure that your doctor knows much about medicine.

Results may vary.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-387: Creation and Additives

God designed the human body.  Of course that assumes there is a God.  I would imagine that the idea of creating included coordinating all the body systems and assigning tasks to the organs.

What do we know about this God?  I believe God exists outside of time.  That is a concept we can parrot but not necessarily understand.  We are locked in time.  What does it look like to be above it, to be the one who created time.  It would at least imply that this God could be in the past and the future at the same time.  We of course only experience Him in the present.  

That tells me God knew what was coming.

Which starts to get me to the point.  Was our immune system built-in before the fall or added afterwards?  I don’t believe disease existed in the garden of Eden.  Disease is part of sin intruding and breaking down the original creation.  So was our immune system OEM or after market?

Did God design our body knowing that someday the food industry would be putting additives and substituting artificial ingredients in the foods He provided?  Is your body already prepared to deal with these intrusions?  We freak out over the chemicals used and some people think they are the source of all ailments from obesity to mother-in-laws.  My interest would be in whether God already built in the mechanisms to deal with what we consider artificial.  

As an example of Providential planning think of the big oil spill that occurred in the gulf.  The environmentalists were making hay while the sun shined.  It was the end of life as we know it.  Life along the gulf coast would never recover.  Suddenly they went silent.  It seems that there was some kind of microbe that nobody was aware of that appeared and started eating up the extra oil.  It had been there all along.  It had been dealing with the seeps from the bottom of the ocean for millennia.  It was ready to go when the crisis came.

I wonder how much of our concern is because we have been taught to be victims and look for the source of our problems outside ourselves.  We want to be relieved from responsibility for our decisions.  We want the government or one of the doctors making You Tube videos to ride to our rescue.  I will accept that there are a few people who have physical conditions that bring on obesity.  I have seen the videos mocking the concept of  “calories in, calories out”, but it is still a matter of biological physics.  If you eat more calories than your body uses then it will store the excess.  It is much easier to look for a pill or an injection rather than leaving that Twinky in its wrapper.

Does God know about sweet and low?

Asking for a friend.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-386: So, What’s New?

In listening to Eric Weinstein talk to Joe Rogan on his podcast it’s been fascinating listening to the speculations that they have.  Most of the physics I don’t understand and it’s obvious that Joe doesn’t either.  What is not so obvious is that I don’t think Eric understands either.  But their stories are fun, and the ideas they throw back-and-forth are entertaining.

One of the stories or points of view that I thought was interesting was when Weinstein was talking about the possibility that there is an intelligent species that is so far above us we aren’t aware of them, and they are observing us.  He uses the illustration of how biologists and other scientists will study the lower animals and often set up an environment in which the lower animal doesn’t know that the humans are there . They find ways to disguise their presence.  He suggested perhaps there is a superior alien life form observing us.

My response to this is, “So what’s new?”  I have been living with this all my life and others have been ignoring it.  This strange, alien life form is called God.  He’s been watching us and evaluating us and trying to decide whether He should wipe us out or not.  He got so involved that He actually came to earth and disguised Himself as a human being.  We killed him.  How’s that for alien intervention?  Yes, he’s been watching a long time.  Yes, he’s been intervening.  And manipulating.  That’s what God does.

Aliens?  I doubt it in the sense of people in flying saucers with big eyes and high foreheads.  I believe it in the form of the omnipresent, omniscient, everlasting, holy, etc. God.

On whom will the joke be?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-385: The Wrath of Kind

One of the rabbit trails I follow in my thinking is that if God is love then I Corinthians 13 and its definition of love should give us some insights into God and His actions.  It starts off well then you get down to the verse, that says that love is patient.

(1Co 13:4 NAS77) Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,

Patient is literally defined as long suffering, which is how the KJV puts it.  It’s not just the idea that you have a one in three chance of hitting something you throw a baseball at, so you keep throwing until you hit it.  It is not waiting for the water to boil.  Those are superficial examples.  No, long-suffering means that you put up with things far beyond what they deserve and what anybody could expect.  God is long-suffering.  He sets the example for us.  Think of how He was going to destroy Israel.  He was that angry with them.  Think about the flood.  God is capable of wrath.  Instead, he usually extends mercy, grace, long-suffering, and the second word in this list, “kindness”.

We take words like “kind” and put some kind of warm, fuzzy bubble-gum-wrapper emotion around it, and somehow it works out as something you extend towards wiggly puppies or new babies.  That’s true perhaps but that is not what Corinthians is talking about.  As I was contemplating this, it occurred to me that the opposite of kindness, when we’re talking about God would be expressed in His wrath.  We know that God has the potential to destroy, to obliterate, to sweep away that which is in His way which you had expressed often in the prophets.  We see what He did to Pharaoh’s army as they were trying to sneak across the Red Sea.  We see what He did to the Korah and the ones that were swallowed up.  God is capable of some pretty nasty actions.

But they’re only nasty in our eyes.  God has His side where He allows his wrath to be exercised, but it’s not wrath in the sense of losing your temper.  It is a controlled expression of the holy fire of His character against evil, disobedience, rebellion, spit-in-your-face behavior.  God does not extend his wrath lightly.  He does not sweep people away as often as they deserve.  His patience, long-suffering, is incredible.  But when He does respond, He does respond.  And to be honest, if God‘s wrath touches you, you have one of two results.  Either you are destroyed, or you were invigorated.

Let me give you an illustration.  When I was working in the Sequoias one summer I listen to a park ranger talk about the bark of the redwood tree.  I don’t remember exactly what he said, or claim to be totally accurate but the point he was making was that the bark of the redwood does not burn.  He said when you see the big scars on the side of a redwood tree, it’s not because the bark burned away, but because the wood behind the bark was turned into carbon by the heat.  The bark peeled away later.  It does not burn.

OK.  Now supposing you were to go into a redwood forest with a torch and you were to come across a pile of leaves that were supposed to been raked and removed.  Someone had not done their job.  And it’s your job to clear out the forest.  You take your torch, apply it to the pile of leaves, and they immediately burst into flame.  They are consumed.  You take that same flame over to the redwood tree and apply to the bark and nothing happens.  When I personify things, I tend to think that the redwood bark kind of stretches his arms and says “Oh, that feels good.”  If you move on all is good.  If for some reason you hold that fire to the redwood bark, the bark itself is not affected.  For that which is behind it though it’s another story.  My point?

I’ll keep in mind that this could be total heresy, it’s my opinion, but I think that God’s wrath is quite capable of striking down the rebellious elements of society and letting His people stand unaffected.  I was watching a video on volcanoes, and although it had a lot of nonsense in it, at one point it showed how in the middle of a lava flow there would be a little islands of green life.  That’s because when the lava flowed down the mountain there was an elevated spot where it just flowed around it, and it consumed everything in its path but let that little island survive and do quite well.  I think that’s the way it will be with God’s wrath.

Just a few thoughts on how first Corinthians 13 and love reflects the character and actions of God.  I’m sure there will be more some other time.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-384: What is the limit

I find the voice recognition software on my devices to be very helpful.  Sometimes as I’m out walking, like I am now, I have a brilliant idea.  When I was just hanging onto it until I got back to the house, it would sneak away when I wasn’t paying attention.  Now I can put it down at least in rudimentary form.

But what happens when the dogs are barking in the background?  What happens when a yellow school bus drives by?  You can see how this goes.  What is the line which I cannot cross in background noises.  In the past I’ve kind of just let it go but now I’m getting curious so I may start doing some experiments.

I should avoid doing it in the car though.  I don’t think it would be a problem just the dictating if I had someone there to push the buttons and set things up for me but what happens if a kid stepped out in front of you just as you look down to look for the button.  Then I’m getting older and probably getting less attentive.  Those things work together to say don’t do this on the road.

Life is full of adventures and new things to learn.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-383: The Game of Telephone

One of the trails that my mind chases down is the different people that God has had conversations with throughout scripture.  I would venture to guess that we do not have a record of every person He has spoken to or every conversation with the ones we know about.  That would be way too much to write down as I think John says in his gospel about Jesus.

But we see at the beginning there were only two people and he went and actually walked in the garden with him.  We have Him speaking to Cain after he killed his brother and eventually speaking to Noah.  Anyway, it seems that God tends to talk to people one at a time and let them speak as prophets rather than speaking to everyone all the time.  Yes, we have the Bible.  Yes, the Holy Spirit does speak to us in our hearts and minds.  But God has very few open, direct and verbal conversations with people anymore.  I think He stopped that long ago.

Why?  If He is capable of communicating with the entire world one on one why has He refrained from doing so?  I’m thinking that one of the reasons is illustrated by the game of telephone.  I’m sure most of us have played it even if we don’t remember.  It’s where you sit in a circle and the first person will whisper a short sentence to the person next to them.  Then that person turns and whispers it to the person next to them and so on around the circle.  When you get to the other end of the circle the message that you started out with is almost totally unrecognizable.  Even assuming that everyone in the circle is playing fair, and not just making up a totally new sentence, it gets destroyed.

Imagine God talking to everyone and the disagreements between them about what He said.  It’s bad enough now when we have just one Bible.  We argue about the original languages and minor variations in the text.  We argue about which translation is best.  We have the Calvinist and the Wesleyans and the Catholics and the Orthodox and the ones who believe they are the only ones with a true word.

So I think God has stopped talking to everybody simply to make it easier for a simple human beings to know what His words really are.  They are written out and don’t change based on the direction of the wind.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-382: Headlines: Cute

Some headlines don’t even raise my eyebrows let alone ruffle my feathers.  The announcement that woke women are going to shave their heads, wear blue bracelets and refrain from sex and having children does not even register on my SHTF meter.  It might even include woke men.  I can’t tell from the photographs that are displayed unsolicited on my screen.  Does this mean that Joe Rogan will have to let his hair grow?

This dynamic statement will make no change in my life.  Even in my bachelor days I would not have been interested in the kind of women who would shave their head because someone in favor of aborting babies did not win an election.  I can say without qualification that I would never have hung around their watering holes be they sleazy bars or swanky parties.  I did my mate locating roving at prayer meetings and Sunday school.

I pledge to attempt to prevent my grandchildren from pointing and laughing if they ever see one of these creatures.  I will attempt it at least once but then I might start pointing and laughing also.

What a world we live in.  I salute their freedom to cut their hair any way they want and wear their choice in jewelry.  I don’t expect them to return the favor because being woke does not work that way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-381: Half a Loaf Philosophy

I think there’s a page from the liberal play book with conservatives should adopt and that is the philosophy of half a loaf is better than none.  Sounds simple but these are liberals.  They push that on and repeat it after they win.

So the liberals meet you halfway.  You have an agreement.  That is well and good.  And then they look at the half loaf that you have and start saying the same thing, “Half of what you have should be mine.”  And they start working on that philosophy.

This never stops and, half at a time, they gradually get down to where they have the entire loaf except for a few crumbs that were in the bottom of the bag.  We as conservatives and people of ethics, standards, and believing in the rule of law need to adopt that philosophy.

One place where this is clear is the area of abortion.  I believe that abortion is murder.  Murder is when you take the life of an innocent person for your own personal convenience.  That is the vast, vast majority of cases in abortion.  That having been said I am willing to be satisfied with half a loaf, today.

Tomorrow I’m quite willing to pass the ball down the field and try for another half loaf.  If we would adopt this philosophy in pursuit persistently we would end up winning that debate.

It might also encourage God to forgive us for some of our other evils.  I keep wondering how God would have dealt with Sodom if the 10 righteous had not been out of town on vacation.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-380: Go Ahead and Laugh

I caught God laughing at me this morning. I was recording and getting ready to post some great wisdom and insight that I had.  I waxed eloquent.  It wasn’t bad.

And then as I closed my iPad, shut down the application, and went back to considering the majesty of God, I caught Him laughing at me.  Since I don’t take myself too seriously, I would say He was laughing with me rather than at me.  The point is that we can take ourselves so seriously that we lose all contact with reality and balance.  We get so excited about things.  We worry so much.  We grab an idea and we chew on it until it’s like nothing but an old slipper a dog got hold of.

And God heaves a big sigh, shakes His head and if He’s in the right mood has a good laugh.  It is a good thing that God has a sense of humor.  It would be terrible if He took everything we did seriously.

I hope to keep Him laughing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-379: Prayer Details

One night in church the following verse was referred to,

Matthew 21:21-22 (KJV) 21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this [which is done] to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

The pastor announced that this meant that anything we asked for we would receive.  I found that very unsatisfying.  We played the spiritualizing game with, “What is the mountain?”  People came up with all kinds of things, such as our sin.  Still very unsatisfying.

This is not the first time I have wrestled with this nor the first time I have written about it.  It struck home again.  I got to thinking about how there are many places in the Bible with prayer talked about and in each place it seems like there’s some kind of qualification.  This is one of those topics that requires a gestalt view.  

Take this verse,

Matthew 6:33 (KJV) But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Is this referring to prayer?  And is it a qualification?  Are we required to be making righteousness a priority for answered prayer?

Then you have the case where the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  His answer was what we know as the Lord’s Prayer.   There is no guarantee of answer there, just directions.  I think that is significant.  Of course there are very few typical prayer list items mentioned.

And you have two examples of non-answers to the main people in the Bible.  One is when Paul pleads three times that his thorn in the flesh be removed.  The answer is “No.”

(2Co 12:8-9 KJV)  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Then you have Jesus Himself in the garden praying and asking that this cup be removed.  Then He finishes with those lines that are so unpopular, “They will be done.”

Let’s go there next.

1 John 5:14 (KJV) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

Prayer is not a free for all.  It is to be focused.  

Then we have something that has become a ritual or mantra.  We tend to finish all prayers with this,

John 14:13 (KJV) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Then there is the ultimate limitation which, when joined with praying in His will, really narrows the requests down.

John 15:7 (KJV) If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

So don’t base your ideas about prayer on one verse.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-378: Label Alergy

I like labels.  I find them very helpful if used properly and with awareness.  If someone is a Calvinist, tell me.  Don’t be afraid of it.  If someone is a Progressive, admit it.  I won’t say it is nothing to be ashamed of but it is an honest evaluation of who you are.  If someone is a Rino on eight out of ten topics then call him a Rino.  It is close enough.  

After you affix the label be courteous enough to listen to their defense.  It could be that what they mean by “Progressive” has nothing to do with the history of the word.  They may not know that the Progressive agenda, before they became “liberals”, before they became “Progressives” again was based on euthanasia of the low lifes of America.  For Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, that meant killing off black Americans.  Maybe they don’t know.  Tell them.  Then it is on their shoulders.

Use labels.  I am trying to fix a label on the mysterious cabal that is running the United States government from the shadows.  “Administrative state” is loaded and accurate but almost totally misunderstood.  “Shadow government” is again accurate but seems like the imagination of a fantasy writer.  I am ready to go with “Deep State”.  Whoever these people are they have a lot of power that was not given to them by the Constitution.  

Use labels.  Stop fixating on whether it is your favorite and go with what the person meant.  We need to stop wasting our energy and and sacrificing our unity on definitions of something that cannot be defined.  

The Deep State is the enemy not the person who prefers to call them the unelected elites.

If someone is on our side and uses a term you don’t like then give them the benefit of the doubt, buy them a cup of coffee and when you are finished planning the next get-out-the-vote drive talk about labels.  Plan on doing a lot of listening and laughing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-377: Bring Back the Difference

There is a very significant difference between the concept of the American Republic, and the empires and democracies of history.

Historically governments have been established to maintain the power of the upper classes.  This is true obviously of monarchies, but it’s also true of pure democracies.  Historically democracies have been limited to allowing only the propertied classes to vote and have a voice.  Traditionally women were excluded.  Slaves obviously had nothing to say.  And the poor were not allowed to participate.

The American concept of a constitutional republic is totally different.  The goal was to include everyone in the process and to give everyone a voice while avoiding the dangers of pure democracy.  Originally women were allowed to vote in some of the colonies.  Blacks had a voice.  Slaves were excluded but that was temporary and was eventually worked out.  People were aware of that problem.  But the idea was that the upper classes would not rule everything.

We had this thing called the Checks and Balances.  We had the House of Representatives elected by popular vote.  Every vote counted.  Winner take all in each race.  This insure that the lower classes would always have a voice.  The House of Representatives controlled the pocket book.  The House had the power to impeach.

Originally the Senate was established to maintain the power of those who were more wealthy.  Senators were appointed by the state legislatures and governors.  This was to insure that the majority rule would not be able to destroy the rights of people simply because they were wealthy.  In a constitutional republic, even the rich have rights.

Now it gets a bit sticky and we have to bring in a bit of Bible.  What is the purpose of government?  In monarchies it was to keep the elite in power and anything advancing that was allowed.  The Constitution limits the power of government, however it does make allowance for enforcing the rule of law.  And here we need to look at what Paul said in the book of Romans. Yes, he said we are to be supportive of the government.

Romans 13:1 (KJV) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Keep in mind when you read this that we do not live in Empire.  We do not have a king, emperor, or local Lord, who has the right to tell us what to do.  For us the emperor would be the Constitution, not the president.  That is why our military take an oath to the Constitution, and not to the head of state.

In light of this, you need to also understand a key purpose of government.

Romans 13:4 (KJV) For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

The government is to bear the sword.  The government is to punish evil.  This is a very important distinction.  Are we to support our government?  Yes.  Does the government have a responsibility also?  Yes.  The government is not there to suppress what we call freedom of speech.  The government is there to punish evil.

So when the government goes after those who have been performing evil acts, don’t go all pious on me and start saying, “Oh my goodness let’s be forgiving.”  No, it doesn’t work that way.  Murder, extortion, coercion, crony capitalism, treason, rape, child trafficking, sex trade, this is only the beginning of the list of crimes against us as citizens and supporting evil in society.  It is not just the governments power to punish this evil.  It is government responsibility.

Keep in mind the difference between vengeance and punishment.  Vengeance is you taking out your personal anger on someone for a wrong you believe has happened to you.  Punishment is a just reward of those who have broken the covenant of society and committed evil acts.  That is the role of the government.

The government needs to accept that duty.  Don’t stand in its way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-376: Danger, Rinos Ahead

We made it past the election.  Although there are some disappointments as the vote counters continue to play their games it seems like enough Americans showed up for work to bring in not only the president but majorities in both houses.  Now we have the problem of Rinos.

We already see the games going on in the Senate.  The president was elected with a mandate to do certain things but the Establishment Republicans want to make sure that they are the ones in control rather than Donald Trump.  They are trying to make sure that the Senate is controlled by someone who is agreeable to the entrenched minority, rather than someone who is responsive to the elected president.

Part of that is the dance that goes on with the balance of power.  I understand that.  Part of the Senate’s role is to make sure that the president doesn’t get too puffed up with himself.  At the same time, there are things that need to be taken care of.  There is business that must be done.  We only have a short time to bring back the constitutional republic and get rid of the deep state theocracy of evil.  We don’t have time to play games at this point.  In three years if they want to goof around, more power to them.  Right now we need to make changes.

I find myself in a weird situation.  One of the problem people in the Senate is the senior senator from Texas.  I am convinced on the other side is the junior senator from Texas.  So we have a foot in both sides of the battle.  Calling Senator Cornyn really won’t do much good because he is the problem not the solution.  Senator Cruz is already on board.  I would encourage those of you who live in states that might make a difference to get on the line and talk to your senators.  Let them know that we are not satisfied with business as usual.  I understand if you live in California, this is like I a downpour in the desert.  It will just runoff and disappear.  There isn’t much you can do.  But there are states where your voice might be heard if you call the office and leave a message.

Now is the time.  The Rinos are in the wings.  The future is at stake.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-375: Middle Class Morality: Fathers

The Bible gives us the right to call God, “Abba”.  That is a term for father, which is an endearment.  The closest I can think of an English would be “daddy”.  It speaks of familiarity and all of the wonderful attributes of the relationship between a loving father and a trusting child.  As I was thinking about it today I wondered how much of our concept of being a father is unique to a culture that is rooted in Judeo Christian values.

Most of my ideas of what it is to be a father in another country are based on movies and books and such as that.  I don’t know how accurate they are.  I know in some cultures that the boys are raised with the women up to a certain point, and then are moved over into the men’s hut.  There are probably many other variations.  How many of them reflect the kind of God that could be called father?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-374: Deserving

In a previous post I talked about how people get what they deserve.  In that I was talking about You Tube videos and government.  As I put away my iPad and started looking up and thinking about God again I began to wonder if people don’t get the eternity they deserve.

Like many statements and propositions, there are two sides to this.

In one sense, we don’t want the eternity we deserve.  Theologically we are all sinners, and bound for hell.  Theologically there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves.  We are totally dependent upon the grace of God.  All of that is true.  We deserve an eternity in hell.

But also theologically, we have free will, and we make choices.  The Bible is full of references to the fact that some people choose righteousness, and some people choose evil.  It also has statements to the effect that the vast majority of human beings will choose the way of evil.  It may be a very low-key evil, just simple self-centeredness, but it is still evil.  And that self-centeredness is the seed that grows into the gross evils of our society.

So yes, in terms of eternity God gives us what we choose.  In the big picture it may not be what we really deserve because we’re all sinners, but it’s what we choose by either accepting or rejecting God’s offer of salvation.

I have a theory about how and why.  I can’t remember if I have shared it before here, but it says that most people, if given a choice, will go to hell on purpose.  The reason for this is that they find the righteous glory of a holy God to be so offensive that they would prefer the fire of Hell.  They will flee an eternity with the righteous one because it offends their sense of being god themselves.

Might be heresy.  Might be true.  Remember God knows our hearts and minds better than we do.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-373: A Good Reason

I think all of us recognize that the current educators and academics have done everything they can to destroy patriotism and love of country.  Many of them actively hate America.  Others are just kind of sheep led along by those who do the hating.

Sunday we celebrated Veterans Day and part of the celebration was singing patriotic songs out of the hymnal.  It didn’t take very long to understand why these people hate patriotism.  All of the songs dealing with patriotism and love of country also dealt with love of God and giving God credit for the blessings we have.

Take for instance the Battle Hymn of the Republic.  The last verse has these words,

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.

Now that is a thought you would not want precious young woke minds to hear.

Or,

America!  America!  God shed His grace on thee,
And crown they good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

So if you’re looking for part of the reason why the songs are not popular ,why they’re not sung, why the whole topic is avoided, it’s because people who hate America also tend to have a hatred for God.  They may cover it up.  They may call themselves Christians.  Don’t believe it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-372: Veterans and Veterans

I want to thank all those who recognized veterans this weekend.  They had us stand at church.  They said some nice words.  That’s very welcome.

Having said that I think that we need to have an understanding that there’s a difference between guys like me who put in their time and were either in the states or in the rear echelons and never came under fire compared to those who actually went out into the field and not only were shot at but might have been wounded and had to shoot back.

It’s a whole different world.  If you’re looking for someone to thank then give double thanks to those who actually put their lives on the line.  I was in a war zone.  I went places where people have been killed at other times.  I on the other hand never experienced what it was to actually risk my life.

Thank you, you’re welcome.  And I thank those who actually served as warriors.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-371: Meek and Mild

One of the twists of truth that we find in some peoples minds and some books is that Jesus is a different God than Yahweh.  It is almost a mantra for God haters.  I don’t believe it.  God is consistent through eternity.  What might give people that strange idea?

As I was pondering that in the dark this morning, it occurred to me that Jesus only had to be patient for three years.  That’s what we think His ministry was between His coming out and the crucifixion.  If you look at God in the Old Testament as He dealt with Israel, you find that there was amazing patience, which eventually would erupt into punishment.  That punishment at times would get very violent and a purge would be upon the disobedient.

But consider how long God waited before He acted.  It might be generations.  It was always much longer than three years.  If Jesus’ ministry on the Earth had been longer than three years then we might’ve seen many more examples of the wrath of God coming from Him.  If you look at prophecy, and the end times, you see the other side of Jesus.

Just a speculation and a thought.  In three years the only time coming close to violence or wrath that I can think of was the cleansing of the temple.  Maybe something else will occur to me.

Be ready for when He returns because you won’t want to be on the wrong end of His wrath.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-370: The Measure of Success

If they keep doing it, it must be because it works.  If it works, it must be because we keep falling for it.

I speak of Clickbait.  Even worse than Clickbait is the dangling promise that is never fulfilled.  There are many headlines that look interesting.  On occasion I will fall for it.  Click.  Sometimes after I click at the beginning, it seems like this is going to be interesting.  But as the short video winds on, I keep not hearing what I’m listening for.  As it approaches the end, I realize what’s going on.  They are trying to get me to subscribe to their channel by grabbing my interest with something that is worth being interested in.  They do a good job of keeping my attention.  I sometimes watch to the point that they say something to the effect, “if you want to know the answer to this puzzle, subscribe to our feed.”

Now, as I said at the beginning, if it didn’t work, they wouldn’t keep trying to do it.  The other side of that is the only way it works is that there are enough people who keep falling for it that it pays them to deceive.  In a free country they can do this.  I salute them.  If it supports them and advances their agenda in life, and doesn’t do any real harm to those of us who hang up, more power to them.  At the same time, it wouldn’t work if we weren’t so gullible, and if we did not refuse to see what’s written on the wall in front of us.

This is another form of “people get the government they deserve”.  I have family members who don’t like me saying that.  The fact that they don’t like it does not make it any less true.  We got Joe Biden.  I admit the election was stolen.  I think it was a hideous crime by the Democrats and the deep state.  At the same time they would not have gotten away with it if the people in those states did not put up with.  It shows that they did and continue to like it.

You get the YouTube videos you deserve.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-369: Orange Feelings

I’m responding to the son of a friend who says that he could never vote for Donald Trump.  I’ve never had a conversation with him on the topic so I don’t know where he would go with this but I’m guessing that he would focus on what we Trump supporters call TDS or “Trump Derangement Syndrom”, sometimes expressed as  “Orange man bad”.  It would be an attitude about Trump that comes purely from the media hype and from all of the things that we’ve heard from the media about how nasty he is.  I’m sure his tweets would come up and his affairs from the past.

What came to me as I was thinking about this today was that if we took our attitude toward Jesus Christ based on the same sources, then we would say we would want to have nothing to do with Jesus.  Think about what the media and the academic world tells us about the God of the Old Testament.  Think about the watered down version of the Savior that they like to portray.  Would you want to base your opinion based on such blatant lies and distortions?  Coming at it from the other side, I recommend people read the entire Koran and not listen to the insipid nonsense that you hear from “influencers”.  

There is little we can do wth people who’s excuse for a mind is made up.  Fossils are once living organisms that died and had the cells replaced one at a time with rock.  You cannot breathe life back into a rock.  You cannot get a Democrat to think.  One advantage of the rock is that if you needed a paperweight it would not shift with every wind that blows by.

Do your own research.  Trust when you have to.  No one has time to investigate everything.  But don’t use it as a substitute for thinking on your own.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-368: Is God a Literalist?

Does God always speak literally?  Does He ever use figures of speech?  I’m referring to such things as the words “never”, “always,” “forever” and such expressions.

In my every day life my wife likes to say that I “never wipe the counter”.  She likes to say that I “always forget ______.”  I think you get the idea.  Just because I didn’t do it in the five minutes before she gets excited, that means I never did it.  

We all do this.  For some of us hyperbole is a way of life.  That itself is possible hyperbole.

So the question is, “Does God speak this way?”  When He says to David, that the covenant will be forever, does He mean literally forever or figuratively forever?  Take this as one example,

(2Sa 7:16-7 KJV)  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

That would seem straightforward.  What complicates the issue is other places where He seems to put “if” statements into the proclamation.  Here God is talking to Solomon.

(2Ch 7:17-21 KJV)  And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments; Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.  But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them; Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.  And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?  And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

Solomon is the direct descendant of David.  He is the one to whom the throne must pass.  Notice, though, that with David the “shall be established forever” becomes an “if” statement.  Is God confused?  Does He change His mind?  Or is it simply a figure of speech that everyone who was not committed to a theological position could understand?

Of course this could be another one of those both/and situations rather than either/or.  I don’t have an easy answer but I am aware of the question.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-367: Pigs and Pearls

There’s a verse that came to mind because a phrase came to mind.  The phrase was “throwing pearls before swine”.  The verse was,

(Mat 7:6 KJV)  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

I was thinking about this because I was reflecting on being gaslighted so often in my life.  One of the things that makes some of us susceptible to gaslighting is that we have a low opinion of our opinions.  I took very seriously the idea of turning the other cheek and the mental attitude behind that.  I took it so seriously that I applied it to much of my thinking and my opinions.  So I’ve always doubted the conclusions that I come to.

As I grow older, and I hope finally grow up, I’m beginning to realize that God has been able to speak to me over the years and show me things.  I would listen, but then I would get gaslighted and things would slip away.

What has caused me to think is a small bit of reading I did recently out of the Works of Wesley. He was writing to an unidentified correspondent about love, and throwing it around in the way that Wesley likes to do.  It seemed kind of strange to me because it didn’t get down to the actual meaning of love.  He quoted things in a way that seem to be out of context, and not quite accurate.  And thinking about that I realize that he was trying to convey to people who did not acknowledge the Bible as the word of God or God as the creator of the universe truths that are sublime.  They were wallowing in the mud and he was offering them pearls.

Tie that together with a YouTube site that I came to from listening to Andrew Klavan.  It’s called the Young Heretics.  As I was sampling, one of the videos to see what it was like the host, Spencer Klavan, was going on about how hard it is to understand words from another language.  I got as far as to understand that he felt it was impossible.  What he was trying to get out is that there are nuances in words in Greek and Hebrew but we just can’t get in the English and you can’t get in one spot of translation.

Good example of that would be this word “love” that Wesley was referring to.  In the New Testament, the word is usually agape in the Greek.  It is a complex and deep word.  It is a word that we need to get in context so that we can actually understand what he’s talking about.  That’s when people like Wesley quote the verse, “Perfect love, casts out, fear” (I John 4:18), and then try to make it refer every experience you have the rest of your life.  They are really losing their reliability.

Which brings us back to throwing pearls before swine.  I need to look up the context and see if it agrees with what I’m saying.  What I’m saying is that throwing pearls before swine doesn’t help the swine at all and could damage the pearls.  That throwing out deep theological truths in front of unbelievers is really a waste of time.  It doesn’t help them.  It waters down the truth.  I guess if the swine eat too many pearls it might even upset their digestion.

Save the deep truths for the open hearts.  Stick with the simple stuff for people who are not listening.  Better yet, live in such a way that they ask questions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-366: The Deception of Upgrades

Did you get the recent digital upgrade of the book 1984?  Neither did I.  In fact, I have suspicions that somehow it was removed from my iPad and my Kindle.  I can’t find it anymore anyway.

Have you noticed that probably never happened if you had a paper copy of the book?  Digital devices are really wonderful.  I enjoy reading on my Kindle.  I enjoy using my iPad.  The problem is they make it impossible for us to be serious about long-term learning and retention of information.

I have books that I will pass on to my children.  I have other books that will either go into the dumpster, yard sales, or to a local charity.  Ultimately, it will be up to the children what they keep and what they don’t keep.  It will not be up to the government or some high-tech monopoly to decide what they want to keep or throw away.  Books can be handed down for hundreds of years if they’re carefully taken care of.  Digital devices can be wiped clean in seconds.

While the publishing industry has developed papers that last longer and longer by being acid free the digital industry has made it easier and easier to deny us information.  Have you noticed that if you want music you have to download it.  Physical discs are becoming harder to find.  That way if they want to remove the music from your world it’s not a problem.  Don’t even think about owning your software.  We do not understand how powerful and devious digital masters can be.  They do have the power to go into your computer without your knowledge and change things, remove things and add things.  You may not know what they added until the Gestapo (biggest apple) shows up to arrest you forbidden knowledge.

Digital information in the long run will probably be as useful as the virtual arsenal you have in one of your computer games.  Start building a library of hard assets that will be able to be read in the future.  Aquire the kind of things that can be read in firelight.  Build a pantry of information that will not change while you sleep.

Wouldn’t it be nice if I was totally wrong.  Feel free to label this a conspiracy theory.  Keep in mind that most of them prove out in the end.  One example of what computers can do in their infinite wisdom you see above.  I told the voice recognition software “Gestapo” and it wrote “biggest apple”.  Don’t trust the cyber world.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-365: Make up words

As I was thinking about how hard it is to describe God I had a couple of thoughts.  I know that surprises you, but that’s the way it goes.

First, I had a thought that our attempts to describe God as feeble as they are, might bring him pleasure.  Yes, I know God is complete, and doesn’t need our input.  Yes, I know that we cannot add to him.  But somehow I believe in His creation of creatures who are made in his image part of what He is looking for is that voluntary, spontaneous, free-will praise and adoration.  That can only come from us as human beings.

Second, I’m thinking that when we get to eternity, we will spend a lot of time making up words in order to try and describe God.  We will speak/write a book, trying to describe something that we have observed, or experienced about God, and then we will make up a word to go along with that book.  The word did not exist before but all of the ideas in the book did.  We just put them together and make it so that instead of having somebody present “an entire book” every time they want to talk about God, they simply use that word.

What a life that will be as we add in a sense to the vocabulary of eternity.  Of course, we won’t even be coming close to describing him.  But as two times infinity still equals infinity, there will be a sense in which we are closer and yet just as far away.

What a journey that will be.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-364: The Descent into Philosophy

I started off thinking about the profane.  That was the old statement of Bill Clinton about the meaning of “is”.  It has a lot of implications.

Remember the declinsion of the verb “to be”?

I am        we are
you are   you are
he is        they are

We take this for granted but there are languages that don’t use it much.  If you are ever reading the Old Testament in the KJV or NASB you will notice that usually the words “is” and “are” are in italics.  That is because the word appearing in English is not in the Hebrew.  Because of how we talk it is implied and thus used.  For instance we might say “The sky is blue”.  Writing that in Hebrew would be “the sky blue”

It might very well matter what the meaning of “is” is.

From there my mind jumped to theology.

In the Bible we have what are called the “I Am” statements.  It is rooted in God talking to Moses and explaining who He was.  Moses asked what name he should use for God when he went to Pharaoh.  

(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.

God spells it out that His name means that He exists as contrasted with the idols and false gods of the pagans in Egypt.  This is where we get the name of God as Yahweh.

And from there I crossed the vapor thin barrier to philosophy.

I love philosophy on the experiential level.  Every time you disagreed with someone it ultimately comes back to your philosophy.  We are all philosophers, but we refuse to admit it.  We think of philosophy is being some kind of vague ivory tower nonsense that only over paid college professors talk about.  That’s part of philosophy, true, but that’s like saying that the meat in a great hamburger comes from a different cow than the meat in your steak.  Two different things, but the same idea.

Believe it or not one of the questions that Philosophers ask is, “Do we exist?”  Or maybe a better way of expressing it is, “do I exist?”  Or you would think that being able to ask that question would answer the question.  In fact the famous philosopher Rene Descartes came up with a summary, “I think, therefore, I am.”  There’s also the speculation of something called the Boltzmann brains.  Actually, the question is, “Do they exist?”  This philosopher came up with the idea that the universe, as we know it, is just our imagination and we are just these mental beings floating around in space and thinking great thoughts.

So do you exist?  According to the philosophers I must exist because I am asking the question, but I can’t be sure about you.  I might be the only aware creature in the entire universe, and I have created all of this circus of reality just for my own amusement.  I guess in a sense you might say that I am what some people think of us God.

Perish the thought.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-363: A New Contrast

I have several times made the statement that I am not a cynic, I’m a skeptic. I stand by that.  I have no trouble with it.

A new contrast came to mind as I was thinking about my children and the children of friends.  They are all very bright young people.  OK, they’re not so young anymore but compared to me they are.  They are wonderful, warm hearted, compassionate.  In a word they are what anybody would want his children to be.

But where I am overjoyed with how my children are turning out this others area bit disappointed.  My children are more conservative than I am in many areas.  We have our differences but that mainly in areas where flexibility is an asset.  My friend has children who have become Never Trumper’s with a lot of values consistent with woke progressivism.

Why the difference?

Obviously I am not God and I cannot give you a definitive answer.  One of the things that came to mind as I was making comparisons and contrasts is that people would think we were both a bit out of the box, shall we say.  We don’t just go along with everything.  So why the difference?

I am wondering if the difference is that where I am a skeptic and refused to accept things just because someone says so, he is a rebel that refuses to accept any authority that doesn’t go along with what he wants.  There’s a real difference there.

I think that perhaps the difference comes out in our children.  Mine are rebels but they are thinking rebels.  They know why they are rebels.  They refused to go along with the crowd.  His children have done well for themselves.  Money is no object.  They are successful professionals. In the process they seem to have sold their souls to the devil.  I exaggerate.  Consider that hyperbole.  But the principle is there.

So think for yourself.  Don’t accept whatever people tell you just because they are authorities.  But don’t fall into blind rebellion.  Set your  course based on your compass, not the direction of the wind and current.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-362: Armpit Healing

Yesterday I went through a time of, shall we say, low spirits.  Something happened, and I responded like a child who just realized that his nose was dirty, or some such thing.  I went outside and stared at the horizon.  In my heart, I knew that God was there because I meet him at the spot every morning.  However, I was not in the mood to be encouraged.

God gets really good at patting me on the head and distracting me.  The thought occurred that it’s like a little child who has got an owie.  Their whole world is focused on that stubbed toe.  It’s like the end of the world has come and the screams and lamentations have no end.  How do you deal with that?  I guess you could just ignore it and walk away and figure they’ll get over it eventually.  There are times when you do that.

There are other times when you reach out, wrap your arms around them, and squeeze.  When they get to the point where they’re having trouble breathing, you start tickling their armpits.  You may have a whole list of other things that will distract them and irritate them to the point where they start laughing.  Once you get to that point, the terrible injury is forgotten, and life goes on.

I am not sure that God doesn’t treat us that way at times.  He does that if we let him.  Sometimes the child is just so stubborn and their pain so real that they don’t want to be distracted.  They don’t want to be healed.  They don’t want to get well.  They love the attention.  We get that way with God too.

So next time you stub your toe, being serious, or not, make sure that you’re willing to except the attempts of God to reach out and tickle your armpits.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-361: Expectations

As I write, it seems that the presidency has been secured by Donald Trump and at the moment it looks like there will be a majority in both the Senate and the House.  Whether the Senate will get better, I have no idea.

Based on past experience, what are some of the things we can expect from the opposition?

First, we need to expect the rhinos to come out of the closet, and perhaps even takeoff their masks.  Don’t be shocked when several senators who have been elected as Republicans suddenly declared that they are crossing over to the other side.  Or they may just quietly boat where their pocketbook is rather than where their responsibility is.  Alaska I’m looking at you.  There could be more than one.

Expect extensive and unending lawsuits.  Expect the press to go on lying the way they have as far back as I can remember.  Remember, it was Walter Cronkite that surrendered for us in Vietnam, not the soldiers.  This is been going on a long time.  It will take even longer to correct it.  I would suggest that if you are doing anything that would direct money towards the mainstream media or the complicent corporations, you seriously consider other options.  Don’t wait for others to do it.

Expect National Enquirer style exposes against anyone who’s trying to keep the republic alive.  Perhaps JD Vance will be declared a voodoo priest.  And perhaps Ted Cruz will be accused and being warm and charismatic.  Remember the picture of Bill Clinton in the blue dress?  Photoshop Trumps face on that.  The options are only limited by the imagination of the America haters and believe me when it comes to hating America they have very vivid imaginations.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-360: Election 2024: One Step at a Time

There is a gospel song sung by Christy Lane, which goes, “One day at a time, dear Jesus….”  Let me assure you again those of you who are very insecure, I am not equating Donald Trump with Jesus.  What I am saying is that we have to take this one day at a time, one step at a time.  At the present moment in the darkness of the morning it looks like we have won the actual election.  Rejoice.  Celebrate.  Have a party.  But don’t turn off your radar.  Don’t turn your back.  Don’t stop locking your doors.  Keep in mind that the deep state is there and they have at least until inauguration to keep playing their games.

So we can take deep breaths.  We can heave a sigh of relief.  We have more reason to hope for the best.  But now is the time to keep praying.  Now is the time to keep raising your voice on issues.  Now is the time to keep moving forward.

We now start the long trudge through the court system.  The corrupt judges are still out there.  They will still need to be battled.  If we can’t put a fear of the Trump in them, we need to put the fear of the Lord in them.  Keep within the law and keep your powder dry.  The battle continues.

And assuming that we make it to inauguration, Trump is installed, and the republic continues; So does the battle.  We will need to continue to extend the control of the patriotic Americans to state houses, courthouses, and ultimately, what’s the homes of America.  Keep talking to your family and friends.  Start pointing out to them the good things as they happen.  They certainly won’t hear about it on the evening news.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-359: Election 2024: So What

Two headlines had me shrugging my shoulders and at the same time seeing a little bit of red.

The first was the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire endorsing Trump.  The second was Joe Rogan endorsing Trump.  You might ask, “What is the problem?”  I would think it would be obvious, but let me explain.

Too little, too late.

Assuming that the reports are accurate, which is a flying leap into the darkness, the timing means that any such endorsement won’t make much difference.  A week ago I heard at church that almost 50% of our county had already voted.  I am sure the percentage is higher today.  Since most people will have already voted how will these announcements make any difference?  I hope that the ones most likely to have voted early are the ones who would not be impressed by such endorsements.

It all comes down to whether the Democrats have enough middle level flunkies that are too afraid to cheat like they are told to do.

See you on the other side.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-358: Liberty Ridge

I noticed recently on the Weather app that I was theoretically able to see 29 miles.  It called that perfectly clear air and I would have to agree.  I don’t think I could see that far because the ridges of hill country intruded on the sweep of the vista.  I could see for miles though.  And what I saw, and what I heard was the sound and sight of liberty.

I see people living with the unrestrained freedom to pursue their lives as they want.  I watch the people across the street is they rise early in the morning, in the dark before the sun even begins to suggest its presence, and they one by one get in their cars and drive to work, or school, or whatever else their day plans for them.  It’s not the government mandating where they work.  It is the freedom of choice that comes in our country.

I can’t see all the cars that go by on the roads nearby but I can often hear them.  They come in all sizes, makes and shapes.  They make all kinds of different noises.  They are trucks, huge 18 wheelers, and small pickups.  It’s a matter of choice.  It’s a matter of exercising your liberty, your resources, and your willingness to work.  The whole world should look like this.

And I think much of the world could live like this if they would choose the right priorities and the right values.  If they valued free enterprise.  If they would get rid of the government regulation stifling their lives.  If they had the values that are found in the Bible about honesty, fidelity, and basic morals.  If they could learn to trust because they knew that cheating displeased Almighty God.  It would make a difference in what they had for breakfast, how comfortable their homes were, the level they were able to support their families and so many other areas of life that we take for granted.

Be grateful for the founding fathers of this country, and the insight they had in the human nature and political wisdom.  Do what you can to stop the current crop of liberty destroyers.  Every time an unelected bureaucrat makes a new regulation with the force of law he’s whittling away your choices and your flexibility.  He’s trying to force you into a box of his design.  Rather, a box that he has forced you to build and climb into.

Elections matter. Prey hard.  Stand up and speak and make sure you vote.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-357: Removing the Dross

As I was meditating on how God purifies people, sanctifies them, matures them, and leads them to be what he wants him to be, I was thinking in terms of sanding off rough edges.  That is not the analogy that God gives us in scripture.  He tends to talk about refining.  He’s thinking in terms of making gold and silver pure.

God talks about the dross being removed.  I am not a metallurgist.  I am not an expert in any way in the process of making pure steel, gold, silver, or any other metal.  All I have is kind of general ideas I picked up here and there, some of them from the Bible.

I have this picture of ore being refined to a certain point, and then in order to really purify it you have to make it even hotter and let it sit over a fire for a long time.  The picture I get is that the dross, impurities, slowly rise to the surface.  As the metal is continually heated and the dross continues to rise, the worker will skim off the impurities from the top and discard them.  He will then continue to refine the metal.

My thoughts at this point went to politics rather than theology.  I was thinking about our hopes that Donald Trump would be elected.  One of the common topics of discussion is that he has to get rid of the people who have been polluting our government for so long.  We know that the top ranks are corrupt beyond imagination.  We know there is a self-centered seeking for power in riches that is destroying the liberties of the masses.  One of the ways to reform is to get rid of the impurities.

I think it’s interesting that there seems to be a parallel between purifying gold and getting the government into the condition it needs to be.  It seems that the pollution, the corruption, the dross rises to the top.  At that point, it must be skimmed off.

I would urge President Trump if elected to skim off the dross.  At this point it has been very consistent in rising.  Skim it off.  Wait a while.  Skim it off again.  And as the dandruff shampoo label tells us, repeat.

There will probably be a steady supply of impurities rising to the top.  Keeps skimming.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-356: Is God a Nitpicker?

I’m still on the porch.  I’m still looking at oak trees.  I’m wondering just how God is involved in the formation of these trees.  I have about six trees close enough to notice details on and it’s obvious that you can’t find more than a couple inches that might be the same on any two trees.  I’m not even sure you could find that.

Now comes my question.  Does God oversee and direct every single cell that forms in these trees?  Does He get out that device we used to have in my drafting class that was called the French curve and carefully craft every bend?  Or is there some process that God has put in place that allows random chance in the formation of oak tree trunks?  And what does that say in regard to human beings?

I can go either way on this.  My God is big enough that He could be directing the twists and turns of every leaf that falls off the tree.  He could be directing the formation of each cell and the location of each little bit of mitochondria that is found in it.  He is that big.  Forgive me for the smallness of the word big.  At the same time He’s also big enough to set up random choices and allow them to run.

I tend to lean toward the random choice side of things because I believe in free will.  I believe that is part of being made in the image of God.

You can go for being a robot if you want.  It doesn’t make sense to me.  I don’t understand it.  But then I don’t claim to understand God either.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-355 Dark Thoughts: Leading the Blind

I was sitting in the dark enjoying the morning, and suddenly there was this noise.  I couldn’t figure it out.  Was someone sneaking up on me?  Was there an animal trapped in my attic.  It kept knocking and making this sound, and kept moving around.  I turned on my flashlight and couldn’t find anything.  I sat down in the dark again and kept hearing the sound.

Finally, I was determined to figure out what it was.  It turned out to be a giant mouth as big as my thumb, I exaggerate not.  And I have a big thumb, trust me.  It seem to be wanting to knock against the roof in the corner of the eve of the roof.  It was totally disoriented.  Eventually I decided that I would take the broom, wave it like a magic wand and help it to escape from the porch and get out into the open air.  I turned on my flashlight and fixed it on the moth, thinking that it might be drawn toward the light itself.  That didn’t happen.  Instead when I targeted the beam on the ceiling, the moth was drawn toward the light on the panels, and so I gradually led it out and to the point where it was able to fly out into the open air and embrace its freedom.

I may not be Harriet Tubman but I certainly hope this month find its way into the freedom of the open sky.  A job well done.  Thank you.  I couldn’t have done it without you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-354: Click bait: Suckered Again

I was caught by the headline that gave any indication that Douglas Murray was going to share something about the problem at the heart of Islam.  Douglas Murray has good insights.  I’ve read a couple of his books.  I thought it was worth a try.

The podcaster started off with some comments which didn’t take too long and then he went to a clip with Douglas Murray speaking.  What Murray had to say was well put and worth hearing, but we were only a third of the way through the video when the host came back on and started giving his opinions.  At that point, I paused and went on with life.

I noticed that there is a parallel here between podcasters who want to go viral thinking that they can expressed the thoughts of good thinkers better than the good thinkers and some Bible translators and Bible teachers.  We have Bibles translated with what is called dynamic equivalence.  They take the literal Hebrew and Greek and then try to find modern parallels of thinking that they can express it in.  In my opinion, they seem to know what God wants to say better than God did.

If you have a clip for your podcast from a deep thinker, don’t try to go deeper than the thinker.  I’m sure that your opinions are valuable.  But they aren’t valuable to me.  If you are a Bible translator don’t try to go deeper than God’s original word to tell me what He would’ve said if He had  been around today.  God is outside time.  He knows how we think today.  He gave it to us in a form that would last through the ages.

I don’t think you can improve on that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-353: Do Mighty Oaks Really Exist?

As I sit on the porch, contemplating the glories of nature and creation, I have to look through the branches of a number of oak trees.  They bring a lot of different thoughts about God’s methods and priorities.  As I looked at the oak trees in front of me, I found myself wondering where does my oak furniture come from?

I was raised around California live oaks.  They seem to be very similar to the oak trees that I’m seeing in the hill country of Texas.  They can get good sized but nowhere near the height of Sequoia trees or pines in some of the forests I have enjoyed.  Another characteristic of these trees is that there are no straight branches.  As I look at the five, no make that six, trees I can see right in front of me I can’t see any portion of trunk from which my bookcases could have been made.  I hear they made sailing ships out of oak.  I have seen massive beams that they tell me are oak.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an oak tree from which this kind of wood could come.

Does that mean the giant oak trees never existed?  Does it mean that there are none today?  Are people just pulling my leg?  Just because I have not seen something, or was not aware I was seeing it, does that mean it never existed?  Does it prove they don’t exist now.  There are certain things I assume because I have seen the evidence right in front of my eyes.

Which brings me full circle back to creation, and the existence of God.  I see evidence all around me that there must’ve been a Creator sometime.  I see the results of this God.  I think I sense this God.  As the old saying goes, “Who are you going to believe, me, or you’re lying eyes?

As another famous quote goes, “Mr. Atheist, you’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-352: Slippery Slopes

At what point does exaggeration, spin, or even humor cross the line from being a means of communication to a blatant lie?  We all know that hyperbole is a means of emphasizing a point.  A good joke can get truth across to someone.  We are aware of this kind of thing.  But what about when the whole point is to manipulate and control for your own personal purposes?

I just experienced that.  I was told something.  It did not jive with my memory.  I confronted the person on it, and was told again the same thing.  I was told with the inference that I was wrong and was not living up to my responsibilities.  OK.  My memory is far from perfect.  Maybe I had the wrong things filed away in my mind.  I went on with life.

But the issue kept bugging me.  It was right in front of me.  I thought about what I knew to be true and as I put together events that were irrefutable to me it became very clear that the exaggeration that I was being confronted with was wrong.  It was a lie.  It was offered up in order to manipulate, control, shame, denigrate me as a person, so that I would be more compliant in the future.  It crossed the line.

Did the person know that they were lying?  I don’t know.  There would be no point in going through the details that I knew to be true that pointed out that their statement could not be right.  They would not listen.  I’ve been down that road enough to know how it would play out.  Did they care that they were lying?  Another question that I can’t answer.  I find it hard to believe that being in control is so important that you violate one of the basic 10 commandments that God has given us.

It’s a slippery slope.  I can’t keep other people from starting down it.  I can’t save them once they start to slide.  All I can really do is keep an eye on my own behavior, my own attitudes, my own motives, and try to keep them up there with the angels.  That will be hard enough for me and enough for today.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-351: High Ground Parasites

There are people we run into you feel they have the high moral ground.  They are doing wonderful things, heartwarming things, things which makes society better.  This could be anything from people in a religious calling to enemies of flouride.  The net is thrown very wide with this thought.

Many people who claim to have the high ground and are working hard to convince other people that they should join them in their convictions. are basically living off of the sweat and equity of others.  Sometimes your dream is not possible in the world we live in.  One thing that comes to mind would be those who are into organic foods with no pesticides and no fertilizer.  This is a wonderful thought.  It’s something which would be great if we could all live that way.  But there is a reason why those kinds of foods are very expensive.  It’s because there is a very high rate of failure in their crops.  Bugs and various diseases tend to destroy fruits and vegetables that are not protected by pesticides.  If you have enough money, you can pay someone to watch carefully to pick off the bugs and bring you only the stuff that is golden.  I don’t think that the peasants doing the bug picking will live with the same level.  These people have the moral high ground in their own eyes, and they are parasites.

I think of the people in our country who are antiwar and nonviolent.  That is a wonderful position to take.  Some of them are thoroughly consistent and suffer at times because of their stand.  I salute them.  Others simply want to be more noble than those around them and when things get tough, they called the police.  Think of the citizens living in that exclusive community, I believe Martha’s Vineyard, who were very open minded regarding immigration until the governor of Texas sent a couple busloads into their neighborhood.  I only read the click bait headlines, but the impression I got was that they had the military called out and those dirty immigrants were removed from the upper class enclave almost immediately.  These people are parasites.

You can apply this logic to people in certain religious callings, who claim that they don’t worry about the physical things of life.  What they don’t point out is that their needs are met by the church, and by the common smelly working people who give to support the church.  It’s possible that they are parasites.  It’s possible that they are very genuine and serious and sincere, and actually producing more benefit to the community than they are taking.  The luxury of doing those noble things though is paid for by other people.  And a very real sense they are parasites.  Of course, I would be willing to accept the idea that there are some organisms which are like parasites because they live off of another organism, but give back in another way to balance the books.  I think it’s called symbiotic.

So think before you yell “parasite”.  Think before you refuse to yell it.  Examine your own life.  And don’t allow yourself to be put on a guilt trip because you don’t want to contribute to support their noble calling.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-350: Holy Chicken Wings

The English language is full of literary devices.  We get used to such things as hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and personification, anthropomorphisms, and a whole list of things that I can’t remember.  I would assume that other languages have the same devices.  I think ancient Hebrew is more full of these literary devices that we are aware of.

For instance, I’ve written about God being a chicken because of the reference to hiding under his wings.  That one is obviously exaggeration.  What about such terms as God is holy?  Do we even have the beginnings of understanding of what it means to be holy?  I’m not sure we do.

My suggestion here is that any attribute that we apply to God is really a figure of speech for us, because we cannot even begin to comprehend the magnitude of God.  We have thoughts about what holy is, and we apply that word to him.  At best it is a vague reference to something much more vital.

I guess where I’m going with this is that our theology needs to be tight enough to stick to what the Bible has to say but loose enough to make allowance for the fact that God is beyond all that we could ask or think.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-349: Buried Mysteries

What mysteries still remain to be uncovered?  Are there any significance?  Will they make any difference?

I’m thinking in terms of the quiet this morning.  It’s before 6 o’clock, still dark and I’m not even hearing cars drive by.  It’s almost enough to make you think the rapture took place and you got left behind.  I’m contrasting this with the incredible volume of insects that we had just a month or so ago as the cicadas came out of the ground and were going through their mating rituals.  It was incredible.  I’ve never heard such noise made by just insects.  Today there is nothing.  Who in their right mind would have thought of looking underground for an insect that grew for 13 or 17 years, depending on the breed, before it came out to reproduce.  Who would have dreamed of such a thing?

Yet there it is.

Does this knowledge change the way you live?  Does it make the world any different, really?  Probably not.  There may be some application that we haven’t thought about yet, another mystery.  But generally, no.

Which brings me back to the original question, what is still out there?  I believe there must be many, many things that we haven’t even begun to think about.  It will require some major thinking outside the box or just plain accidents.  Maybe it is buried treasure. Think of it is a buried city that the archaeologists are investigating because people digging a new sewer line, uncovered something they hadn’t seen before.

Think of how complex God is and how many things He has planned out, and the way the world works together that we’re just beginning to discover.  I think of that silly illustration about a butterfly, fluttering its wings and causing a tornado around the world.

Think.  Explore.  Investigate.  Wonder.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-348: Comparisons

Which was more of a shock for Jesus?  You have Him giving up his place in heaven, Becoming a man,

(Php 2:5-7 NAS77) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

And then you have Him becoming sin,

(2Co 5:21 NAS77) He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We focus on the passion.  Mel Gibson made a whole movie about it that I imagine much of America watched.  We see the pain.  We see the suffering.  We rejoice in thanksgiving because Jesus was willing to suffer and die for us.  But the pain started before that.

I can picture the suffering of the beating and the cross.  Because I’ve never been there, it may be that I can’t really get to it, but I can picture it.  What I can’t picture is being in the form of God and giving that up to become a human being.  The shock must have been tremendous.

Of course trying to compare that to God, who knew no sin to actually be coming sin so that we could have salvation is difficult.  But it bears meditating on.  It’s important for us to understand what John 3:16 means.

(Joh 3:16 KJV)  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now that is something to meditate on.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-347: Do the Math

I went to the meeting, even though I didn’t qualify. It was billed as a pastors conference, and as you went in there was a sign saying ,“Welcome, pastors, and leaders”.  I joked with people that I was the “and”.  It was actually open to anybody who wanted to come, so I was not trespassing or being offensive.

They were two speakers.  The first one was a guru on eschatology.  The second was a lawyer who is very involved in the political process.  The lawyer was one of two that I know that I believe are actually going to make it to heaven.  What he had to say was solid.  Believers need to be involed in the political process, their current government and in their society.  The guru, not so much.

When the guru got up to speak, I realized that I had heard him at this event last year and my general feeling was fuzzy neutrality.  When he started to speak, he turned me off a bit because he started off with a startling “gotcha statement”.  He said that 30% of Christians don’t believe that Jesus is God.  At best that is an oxymoron.  At worst it is deceitful.  If you don’t see the problem immediately then follow me here.

If Jesus is not God, then He was just a man.  And CS Lewis points out that is not an acceptable option because He was either God or a lunatic.  If Jesus was just a man, and let’s say He was a good man, then everything He said, was just the opinion of another human being.  All of the teachings that you find in the gospels is just another self-help book or a best seller, waiting to make it on the charts.  It’s just the opinion of another man.

In addition to that if Jesus is not God then He was no longer the perfect lamb.  That means that His death on the cross, assuming it actually happened, was just a tragic moment in history.  A man was killed who did not deserve it.  If He was not the perfect lamb then his blood being shed did nothing to bring forgiveness of sin.  If He was not God, then we have no hope in Him and the term “Christian” becomes nothing more impressive than being called a vegetarian.

So basically, if you do not believe that Jesus is God, you are not a Christian.  Now I would like to think that what the man meant was that 30% of those who called themselves Christians, or consider themselves Christians, don’t believe that Jesus is God.  That would be a statement that makes sense.  Of course, it wouldn’t be as startling and wouldn’t get peoples attention so it wouldn’t work very well.  Such is the dilemma of a public speaker.

From there he went on to speak about Israel and his love with the Jewish people.  I had heard it before, so it was nothing new.  He was very involved with the Jewish people and talked as if he was a member of the synagogue.  Having heard him before I knew where he was going, and a bit about where he was coming from.  He’s one of those who is big on Israel in the end times, and how God is going to reestablish Israel and how we have to pray for Jerusalem and so forth.

Being someone who has read the book of Isaiah and a lot of the prophecies that he talks about and historical books of Israel, I have my doubts that it will work out as smoothly as he proclaims.  Two passages of scripture comes to mind.  The first has to do with the remnant of 7,000.

1 Kings 19:18 (KJV) Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Then you have this prediction that you find in the book of Isaiah,

Isaiah 1:9 (KJV) Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.

It doesn’t sound like God is concerned with preserving the masses of people who considers themselves Jews, or even those who are actually in the lineage of Abraham.  Do the math.

Let me look at the passage from I Kings since it’s more specific in its numbers.  The statement is that after all of the butchery and damage bringing Israel to account there will still be 7,000 who are faithful.  We are used to hearing that number I guess and say “Go team”.  Most of us attend churches that are relatively small and 7,000 sounds like a big number.  I think in terms of gestalt.  What is the big picture and what do these numbers mean?

When Moses lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, there are numbers given about how many people were involved.  I am too lazy right now to go back and add them up, but let’s go with the number of one million.  I think that’s reasonable.  When they finally entered the promised land and conquered it, I would suggest that the numbers went up.  We are now 3000 years later.  Surely, that 1 million has grown.  But let’s go with that number as if it were the same.  Do the math.  If there were 1 million Jews, children of Israel, alive at that time and 7,000 are still loyal to God, that means that 993,000 have been sent on their way to hell.  Those are not exactly what I would call encouraging numbers if I were Jewish.  When the end times come and it says that all Israel will be saved in the book of Romans you have to say to yourself that means that the only ones still alive are the faithful ones and everyone else has been killed one way or another.  Not good odds.

Will God bring Israel back?  The prophecies seem to indicate that.  Will it be a great homecoming involving multiplied millions of people with Jewish blood?  Not only is that not consistent with a rational, holy God, but it doesn’t make any sense.

Stay tuned and you will eventually find out.

homo unius libri