Opus 2025-195: Lap Time

My son and I were having dinner, and we were talking about purpose in life and reasons for joy, and being blessed.  I always bring up my grandchildren.  That got us talking about memories because he remembers his grandfather in a very positive way.  He was talking about Grandpa reading to him.  My son would sit in grandpa’s lap.  Grandpa would read.  The boy would ask for another chapter and eventually Grandpa would say, “I think that’s enough for now”.

What I found interesting was he really couldn’t remember much about the story, but he remembered the experience of sitting and being read to.  We are building memories.  When you get to my stage the details may fade or disappear but there will always be those memories of lap time to add a glow to the day.

Spend time when and where you can.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-194: Not a Theocracy

This thought pattern started by listening to a short excerpt of a presentation by Steven Greg as he talked about the biblical command not to be unequally yoked.  He started with the Old Testament law about not yoking an ox and a donkey together and carried that forward to the New Testament explaining that it meant believers are not to be joined together with unbelievers.

Marriage is obvious but he also mentioned political action or trying to influence our society on moral issues.  He called them social issues, but they’re really moral.  Things like abortion, homosexuality, genders and marriage.  He said that we should not be joining together with pagans and non-believers and trying to achieve changes in society because in that case the glory went to the cooperative organization and not to God.

He had a good point.  The cultures of the Old Testament law, and the New Testament church are totally different.  The OT law was not given for personal redemption.  It was given for national establishment.  It made Israel stand out from the surrounding nations.  It told them how to live.  It gave them experience in things like etiquette and manners and simple every day behaviors that we take for granted.

Under the old covenant Israel was to be a nation.  They were to keep themselves pure and separate from everyone around them and function as not only a religious organization, but a civil one.  There are certain similarities to what we see in Islam today where the religious aspect and the civil government aspects are not separate.  It could be that it is an old idea for old times.

The new covenant has the church being salt and light, but not being a government.  We are to remain pure within the pagan culture, but there is no command that we purify the culture.  We have a different role.  That’s under the new covenant.  We don’t have any demands for stoning adulterers, or executing children who talk back to their parents.  The change that we experience is an inner change, not a cultural change.  The cultural change comes, but it is a reflection of what’s going on inside of us.

We are not called to set up a theocracy.  The Christian life can be lived in many historic types of government.  The big exceptions would be theocracies like Islam and political-socialist cults like Marxism.  That is part of the reason why those two religions are targeting Christians.

Be salt.  Be light.  Get involved as a citizen in a free country while you still have the opportunity.  Leave the results up to God.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-193: Vows

I am sure that you are either married or have been to a wedding.  An important part of the wedding is the vows.  It used to include for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, for richer and for poorer and even finished with “Til death do us part.”

Cool modern couples add their own wording and concerns but there are usually some kind of vows given.  If I were still pastoring and doing weddings, there are certain things that I might want to add just to prepare these folks for what is coming.

If I were doing it again, I might want to add a few things:  in chatter or in discussion and in neatness or in mess come to mind.  I was blessed because it never occurred to my wife that I might have something to say or, to me, that I would never get to say it.

This kind of thing may be the real reason the number of marriages is shrinking.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-192: God in a Corner

I think that God is an introvert.  I am sitting thinking about how blessed life is and some of the great conversations I’ve had with friends and family.  And I think about how I don’t need it as much as other people do.  Don’t get me wrong, I can enjoy a good conversation.  The thing is I can also enjoy a lack of a conversation.  Find me a corner and a good book and I am happy as an introvert in the library.

As I was thinking along these lines, I was more and more aware that I could not really have an in-depth debate with God.  He knows it all.  He remembers it all.  He knows what I think.  In a sense he would be cheating in a discussion.  Those are the ground rules. I  got to thinking about how God was talking to Joshua.  I am currently reading Joshua slowly and I am only a few verses in.  I don’t see God sitting down with Joshua and having a discussion of the best way to study the book of Romans, or trying to figure out why women are the way they are.  What I see is God giving Joshua directions.

There’s a sense in which I think we must really bore God because we cannot interact with him on His level.  Not to worry, He has the Trinity.  That gives them all the fellowship He needs.  That means that He is metaphorically quite satisfied to sit in His celestial corner, and read His books on infinity.  He’s an introvert.  Like most introverts, He is quite capable of interacting with others.  Some introverts can be the life of the party, but that is not their default.

I think God is an introvert.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-191: The Impossible Dream

Will we ever be able to penetrate the time barrier?  I would ask, “How do you know we haven’t?”  This is one of the themes that science fiction writers have played with.  When you cross the time barrier and, say, go back in time, you’re very presence changes what was there.  It may just be the butterfly-causing-a-tornado effect, but those changes may make it so you never discover how to go through time again.  That way the discovery stops itself.

Eventually, science will reach a point where a scientist can pursue his dreams no further.  I don’t know where that is.  I don’t know if we’re even close to it now.  It does seem that the theories that the scientist keep coming up with are more and more bizarre and less and less realistic.  They are based less and less on facts, experiments and real science, and more on speculation and dystopian fiction.

Does God have a barrier in mind?  Will He keep changing that barrier?  If you don’t believe in God, then just fill in whatever it is you would substitute.

If there is a barrier, whether it’s God created, or just the limitations of possibilities, how long do you keep bloodying your head by pounding against that wall and when do you change direction and start looking for other approaches?

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-190: Starship Troopers and Creation

Years ago I read the science fiction novel Starship Troopers.  To be honest I don’t remember much about it but I do remember enjoying the story.  They made it into a movie, which I did not see.  I generally would prefer to read the book than see the movie because I can use my imagination in the book.  I could also stop and take a nap when I want to.

I recently read that they are going to remake the movie.  I don’t have much of an opinion on that.  Since I didn’t see the first movie, I probably won’t watch the second, but I might see if I can get a copy of the book and read it again.

I thought of this as I was contemplating Genesis 1:1, and genesis 1:26. The first deals with God createing the universe and the second with the creation of man in His image.  As I was contemplating on these awesome events, my eyes ran down the verses in between.  In the course of the rabbit trails that occur in my mind, I thought of all the criticism that comes out about the creation account, and I asked myself, “Self, why don’t you ask the modern critics to do a remake?”

So I ask of you who criticize the creation account, how would you present it if you were writing it?  A couple parameters are necessary.  First of all, you’re limiting yourself to a page or two, you have to write it with primitive tools, on primitive paper, with a primitive language.  Keep in mind that the people you would be writing to had no idea about what a big bang was.  They did not know anything about the speed of light.  I would challenge you to find a word in an ancient language for relativity.  So not only do you have primitive tools, but you have to deal with a primitive language.  And you also need to get it on just a few pages.

When you get to the part about how life was created remember you have to explain to them what amino acids are.  Good luck on finding a word for Neanderthal.  Keep in mind that they were not stupid, just primitive.  

I anxiously await the product of your creativity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-189: Root Causes

I have begun watching a panel discussion from about a year ago presented by the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC), chaired by Jordan Peterson.  He asked a question of a panel member, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, in response to a comment she made.  She spoke about at times feeling very pessimistic about the future and another time as being very optimistic.

I am just beginning to get into her response, but it brought a thought to my mind.  I also go from times of despair, possibly even depression, to times of great optimism.  At times I think I’m manic depressive.  What causes the difference?

I came to the conclusion that the difference in my case is caused by my focus and what I am hoping will provide answers and help.  When I am in my cycle of inner examination andfocusing on me and my abilities, on my dreams and my potential, the end result is depression.  When I lift my eyes up to heaven, and reflect upon the awesomeness of God, and who He is, it doesn’t take long for my attitude to change.

It’s not enough to think.  It’s not enough to be clever.  As in building any edifice, the shape, strength, and even beauty depend upon the foundation.  If the foundation does not go down to bedrock, or at least undisturbed soil, as we said in Southern California, the chances of avoiding a collapse, or at least a building that’s uninhabitable, become very slim.

Work on the foundations.  That won’t make your spires come out beautiful, but it will keep them from falling in when you’re looking the other direction.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-188: Monkey Wrench Philosophy

In theology you have the two extremes of the legalists and the antinomians.  Among denominations you have the Armenians at one end and the Calvinists at the other.  What is interesting is that even in secular culture we have this division going on.  At one end do you have the quantum physicists, and at the other end, you have the behaviorists.

Two mistakes I might be making here.  First of all, I’m not sure that quantum physics is the right area of study.  What I’m talking about is this awareness that has come to the world of physics that there is an element of unpredictability in the laws of the universe.  They talk about some small bit of matter and you have to choose, you can know where it is or how fast it’s moving, but you can’t know both.  There is speculation about how you can cause a particle to vibrate in your lab, and there is a spot somewhere on the other side of the universe where another object responses in exactly the same way.  This totally defies the concept of the speed of light and such.  

That’s on one side.  On the other side I have the behaviorists.  In my mind this is a school of psychology that claims that if we had a computer big enough to input all information we would be able to forecast everything that happens from here until eternity with no mistakes.  All events can be predetermined.

So the division is not just theological.  It is also philosophical and possibly scientific.

In between you have the actual Biblical view.  The biblical view says that there is a sovereign God, who, in his sovereignty, granted human beings free will because they were created in His image.  This threw a monkey wrench into the inner workings of the universe.  It’s all very well to say that quarks and all the other little particles of matter that physicists have come up with act a certain way.  I don’t know if anybody is trying to say that the rock in your front yard has free will.  But when you add in a little boy who picks up that rock and tossed it through a window suddenly the universe changes.

You are that little boy.  You have the ability to ignore the rock, throw it through a window, use it to pound acorns into dust, or put it in your rock collection.  The thing about free will is that you could go any direction with that rock based on just a whim that you have.

Welcome to the biblical view of the universe.  You are the monkey wrench that is designed to be stuck into the spokes.  Have fun.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-187: Witch Reality

Was the witch of Endor really a witch or was she just a reporter for the New York Times?  Or let me put it another way, was the witch of Endor really capable of raising the dead and thus demonstrating great power or was she just a charlatan living off the foolishness and gullibility of other people?

Take a look at the account in I Samuel. It begins,

1 Samuel 28:7 (KJV) Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, [there is] a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

At this point we can assume that Saul and his servants believe there is something to being a witch.  One thing follows another, Saul meets the witch and she agrees to raise Samuel.  Here is where it gets really interesting.  It works.

(1Sa 28:12 KJV)  And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

I could be totally wrong but every time I read this I get the feeling that she is really surprised to see a genuine specter.  My opinion is that she usually had time to prepare her stage and her mark so that they saw what she wanted them to see.  

C.S. Lewis had a comment on how our culture deals with the demonic powers,

p. ix, “There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils.  One is to disbelieve in their existence.  The other is to believe, and feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.  They themselves are equally pleased by both errors,...”  

Ever since the Garden of Eden mankind has been involved in a war between Almighty God and Satan.  Everyone picks sides whether they know it or not.  The battle is coming out in the open in our modern era.  Satan feels like the citizens of the world are ready to join his team.

Don’t be one of those foolish enough to go in that direction.

Lewis, C.S.  The Screwtape Letters.  Norwalk, Connecticut:  The Easton Press, 2002.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-186: Time in

Does God exist inside time, outside time, a combination of both or in some relationship that we can’t even conceive.  I think the default answer is the last.  As finite human beings, there is no way we can understand what it would mean to be outside time.  As an infinite God I can’t picture Him being locked inside.

It may be, that the only reason we are even able to conceive of the idea of the God of the Bible is because at some point in the past He chose to enter time.  This would still allow His eternal existence.  It’s just that the essence of who He was or what He knew or experienced would change when He entered time.  Obviously that must have been before creation.  Also obviously, understand this is pure speculation.  I’m not trying to make a theological point to establish a new doctrine.  It’s just in my mind goes on these rabbit trails.

As I go down this burrow I come to another junction.  The one that looks most interesting is the one that asked the question, “If God came from outside time and into time, was that transition on the same level of pain as the crucifixion?”  I think of Jesus on the cross, crying out, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”  If God came from outside time as the only God to inside time, would He have cried out something similar, or let out some kind of divine primordial scream?  Obviously, since He is the only God that would leave no one to hear Him.

If you haven’t given up on me, stay with me for a little longer. Would He at that point have been aware of where He was going with this?   Would He at that point known that He was going to not only create a universe but creatures in His own image?  Would He at that point known that the sacrifice of the Son would be necessary?  Would He have known?

Who am I to ask such questions?  Perhaps a creature that was created in His image.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-185: Click Bait: California Miracle

I was checking the headlines at Citizen Free Press and clicked on one titled, “'Fear and anger': California town halls are not going well for Democrats, either”.  Now if you read a headline like that you might, like me, think that finally California was waking up and getting after their Democrat overlords.  You would have thought wrong.  The article came from something called SFGate.  I imagine they are getting extatic over CFP giving them national exposure.  I wonder if the people at CFP even looked at what they wrote.

When you clicked the link it took you to an article that immediately started south.  Here is the first sentence,

“Americans are increasingly concerned about President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s gutting of the federal government, with polls showing a majority of people want Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cuts to be stopped or slowed down.”

I am willing to admit that I don’t know all Americans but I do read something besides the leftist propaganda machines.  To claim that Americans are concerned about DOGE means one of three things:  They are concerned things are not moving fast enough and there are no arrests yet, you are lying through your teeth to a captive and gillible audience, you are locked up in a padded room and sharing your delusions with the world.

I could be wrong but not as wrong as the author of this article.

If you can stomach further reading the hole they are digging just gets deeper.  If you have a lot of leisure time jump to the bottom of the article and look at the bio of the author.  It says that he is the “cannabis editor” for SFGATE.  What kind of a “news” source would need a cannabis editor?

That should be all that you need to know.  Maybe he was editing when he wrote this.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-184: Where Will I Find the Time?

I find myself with more books to read every day.  I just finished a two volume set that a friend sent me.  In order to really grasp what it’s saying, I am going to read them again.  I’ve already started.  While I’m doing that I am reading another book by Thomas Sowell that was given to me by someone at church.  On my shelf with just a few pages read, I have a new book by Jordan Peterson, given to me by another friend.  On the shelves around my room, I have books that I have started and plan to finish and others that I have not started yet.  I have a list of books that I am looking for in the library and if I can’t find them after a certain point I may be forced to try and buy them.

Where am I going to find a time?

Fortunately, I’m retired and still think that my mind is working.  It’s always possible that I keep reading the same book over and over again, and just don’t remember it.  That takes care of the problem in one way.  But let’s assume that I am actually aware of what I’m doing and my interest keeps expanding and my potential resources keep piling up.

Fortunately, I also have eternity.  Believing in eternal life certainly gives you a different perspective on reading all the things that you want to read and getting to what people tend to call their bucket list.  The problem is that when we cross that line into eternity it’s very possible that our interest may change.  I would say not only may change, will change.  I will have a whole new list of books to read that I never even knew existed.  I will have musical instruments that I can now learn to master having perfect coordination, perfect pitch, and a voice that works again.  I will have endless discussions and debates not only with all the people that I have not seen enough in this life, but with historic figures.  I would love to debate with the apostle Paul, and find out what he was trying to say in Romans.  In addition to that I think Jesus will be able to fit me into his calendar for lunch or breakfast or for a long road trip.

It brings new meaning for a paraphrase of a common vulgarity, “So many books. So little time.”

But of course, the number of books will increase to match the amount of time that we have.

Hell, on the other hand might be a place where you have piles of books, but all the light bulbs are burnt out or you can’t find your glasses.  You’ll be able to do is turn the pages and wonder what they might tell you.

Have a blessed eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-183: Up or Down

It started with questions about Samuel being raised up on his sleep by the witch of Endor.  

(1Sa 28:13 KJV)  And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

Samuel came up out of the earth, or so it says.  Does that mean that Samuel was in hell?  Does it mean that heaven is under our feet?  All kinds of questions came up and eventually we came to the Old Testament saints who seemed to have gone to be with God.  

We must admit that there are at least four individuals that we know were with God before Jesus went to the cross.  Start with Enoch.  Then you have Elijah who also was taken by God.  Then you have the story Jesus told about Lazarus and the rich man in which Abraham appears.  Finally you have the Mount of Transfiguration where we see Elijah again and Moses.  Whatever else you want to say about salvation and eternal life we have these four.

We also have very clear statements that the only way to the Father is through Jesus, that He was the Perfect Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world, that without the shed blood of Jesus there would be no forgiveness of sins.  Do you sense any problems yet?

Somehow in your theology, and your understanding of the teaching from the Bible, you must make a way for both of these to be true.  How did Moses end up on the mount of transfiguration, talking to Jesus before Jesus went to the cross?  How did Abraham end up talking to the rich man from Paradise before the shedding of the blood of Jesus?  

These are questions which you must deal with.  You can’t throw out or ignore much of the Bible just fit into a bit of theological tradition that you have been taught.  If necessary, lean on mystery. Mystery is a part of scripture.  A well know example is found in the clear teaching in the Bible that God is one.  We also have clear teaching that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.  They talk to each other and about each other, yet there is one God.  Mystery.  We call it the Trinity.  The Bible would call it a mystery.  Mysteries by their very nature are hard for us to understand or totally beyond our comprehension.

So if you can’t figure it out, call it a mystery.  Whatever you do, don’t deny the truth.  There are answers.  There are explanations.  Sometimes we understand them.  Sometimes we don’t.  But they are still true.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-182: Prime Time

We tend to be aware of the concept that there are four dimensions that affect us in every day life.  You have length, width, height, and the fourth dimension which is time.  I would like to suggest that, perhaps the first dimension, and the most important is time.  That’s my clever title that time is prime.

Why do I say this?  There was a book published in 1884 called Flatland.  It involves creatures who lived in only two dimensions – they had width and depth but no height.  I did not read the book.  I don’t even know if it’s still available.  But I never heard anybody mention the element of time.  Without time any creatures that might have existed in Flatland would have never moved forward.  There would have been no changes.  There would have been no life.

I don’t know if anybody’s ever written a book called Point. it would also be useless without time.

I am suggesting that the first dimension that we should talk about is time and not the other three.  It is time which makes the other three have any significance.  It is time that makes us into more than just oil on canvas.  Time is the essence of life.

When we think of God as being eternal, we always have to deal with this issue of how He relates to time.  Is God outside time?  If He is can He be classified as alive?  Is He inside time?  If so, could He be classified as God?  And so on. The questions keep coming.  We may not have time for the answers.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-181: Who Defines Whom?

Anytime you read theology or commentaries you come across big words that people like to throw out.  This morning I’ve been thinking about the immutability of God and the sovereignty of God.  I could add to the list I’m sure.  I think you get the idea though.  The key point I am making is that these are words that we make up or develop in order to try and grasp truths that are beyond our comprehension.

On one side that is healthy.  We look at something we don’t understand and try to find ways to grasp it.  Perhaps it requires a different angle.  Perhaps it requires a deeper dig.  Perhaps it needs more meditation and contemplation to get closer to what the actual truth is.  This is at the root of the scientific method which is given its foundation in the character of the God of the Bible.  It also has its place in the areas of study that deal in deeper truth than science can touch.

One side of that is sick and manipulative.  There are people who like to make a big words because they can then throw around their jargon and confuse the issue.  When I was teaching, I ran into this all the time in education.  They love their jargon.  They love to make up words.  They love to take old words and put new meaning on them that no one would suspect.  They love to change the meaning without telling you.  I expect that in a discipline that is so rooted in pagan values.  I watch it dread in a discussion of the Bible and theology.

Take the idea of immutability. What it really means is unmutable.  And what that means to most people is unchanging.  There is a very real sense in which God is unchanging.  There’s also a sense in which a rock is unchanging.  The two are not the same although the Bible does refer to God as a rock.  God is unchanging in His character, which would be defined in such phrases as, “God is love”.  It does not mean that God is not capable of responding to the free will choices of human beings.

God does not change the physical laws He laid down when He created the universe.   Gravity does not go away.  If He has a need for a miracle, He’s quite capable of stepping outside those laws, but I personally believe that most miracles are worked by God emphasizing different aspects of the laws of nature, and bring you about what looks like to us a miracle.  He does change His response to human beings based upon the free will choices that we make.  I love reading about Moses talking to God and supposedly convincing Him to change his mind.  We see numerous cases of this in the Bible, where God responds differently based on different situations.

Does that mean that God is fickle?  Is God capricious?  Heaven forbid.  It means that part of God’s character is a reflection of personhood.  He is not made up of blind equations and mindless formulas.  We may not understand the nuances but rest assured that they exist.  If a theologian tells you that God is unchanging then ask yourself, “Why does the Bible have Him repenting of making man?”  

Do your own homework.  Accept the words of “scholars” as the opinions of someone who has more knowledge than you do but not necessarily more wisdom or better ethics.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-180: Double Standard

I noticed in a meme that they were making a claim that the CIA had turned over some type of nuclear technology to Israel without the knowledge of the US government.  I didn’t read it.  I assumed it was slanted.  But the concern was that Israel was guilty of some terrible deed, because they took technology that was offered by the Americans.  It was also implied that the Israelis knew this was illegal technology.

OK.  That’s what they did, maybe.  What is the bigger crime here is that the CIA went over the heads of the president and Congress and did something that was for bidden by law.  They knew they were breaking the law.  They deliberately broke the law.  Overlooking whether it was necessary or good for world, peace, or any other contingency, they broke the law.

But it is Israel that seems to be condemned for accepting the offering.

Fast forward to the DOGE activities.  Musk and his crew have uncovered repeated cases of people taking money that they knew they didn’t deserve.  In this case the media seems to imply that it is Musk’s problem for uncovering this and that the people who took money they knew they didn’t deserve we’re just doing what anyone would do.

Does anybody but me see the hypocrisy here?

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-179: Dear Judge

It is time for you to police your own house.  It’s time not only because you are endangering our entire legal system but the judicial branch is undermining the Republic.  And then there’s that aspect of the possibility of vigilante justice if enough American citizens become aware of your betrayal.

I offer a suggestion because I believe that the judicial establishment is like every other part of government or business.  Most of the judges and other people involved in applying the laws are probably decent, hard-working, good faith laborers in the field.  They might have even read the Constitution.  I accept the fact that most of you are doing the best you can in a difficult situation.  I accept the possibility that you were just as upset about what you see going on with these rouge judges as I am.

The possibilities for the average citizen to clean up this mess are almost nonexistent.  The fact that you have the power to issue judicial fatwas means that the established checks and balances listed by the Founders can be stopped in their tracks.  Reforming your system from the outside, becomes either impossible or an invitation to violence.

It is time.

For the good of the country judges need to start talking amongst yourselves and using the ability you have to censor your colleagues and get this thing back on track.  Much of the paperwork coming out of the judicial system against the Trump administration is blatantly partisan and going against the spirit of the country, let alone the letter of the Constitution.

If you don’t care about the Republic, at least start reforming for your own benefit.

I would say thanks for your time, but I doubt if you will give me any.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-178: God’s Needs

God doesn’t need more Pauls.  His real need is more Aquilas and Priscillas.

We all know who the Apostle Paul was.  He wrote much of the New Testament and spent his life spreading the gospel through the Roman Empire.  Keep in mind though that in many towns he visited there were already churches established and nourished by people like Aquila and Priscilla.  Most of the spreading of the gospel was done by nameless, ordinary people who moved to new towns and took their faith with them.  That faith resulted in people asking questions that brought them to a point of belief.  Paul did a great job but he was a drop in the bucket when it came to winning the world.

He thought of himself as the apostle to the Gentiles.  I think God gave him that title because it made him feel important.  His real contribution was the letters he wrote to the churches he knew.  Evangelism has been going on for two thousand years.  Writing the Bible had to be done in a short period of time.  

We all want be the Billy Graham, the Dwight, L Moody, the entrepreneur who builds an empire, the musician that writes the ultimate song.  We have big dreams.  Don’t give them up but keep them in perspective.  It is amazing how many of the godless, pagan musicians in our culture started out singing specials in church.  They became famous.  Many are on the road to hell and dragging others down with them.  

God doesn’t need that.  What He does need are more people who are willing to scrub toilets, give people a ride to the doctor, organize books in the library, and other inglorious tasks.

Actually, in a sense, God doesn’t even need that.  God is quite capable of doing everything Himself if He wants to take over and run the robot factory.  That’s not really His style. That’s not what brings joy to his celestial heart.  He created us in His own image for a reason.

Our task is to fit into that reason not to try to co-opt it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-177: Nightmares

Last night I had a nightmare again.  My nightmares are almost exclusively about being back in the classroom.  They’re not about teaching,  they’re about not being able to teach.  Usually they have a room full of kids who keep changing their names or have no supplies.  Usually, I have no role book and no seating chart, which means I have no way of knowing who they are.  Sometimes the class keeps changing as people wander in and out, not only students but also adults.  I’ve had nightmares where the room had no walls and the entire rest of the school was out partying in the quad while I was trying to get across some truth about history.

Last night was different.  It was about teaching.  It was about making up a test for my class.  It wasn’t as horrible as actually having to teach, but it was exhausting.  Trying to figure out a creative ways to see if the kids had heard anything can take it out of you even in your sleep.

It’s been eight years now and I still have this dread of having to go back into the classroom.  It’s not the kids.  I enjoyed the kids I worked with, and we got along well.  It’s not teaching itself.  It is the frustration of having to deal with all of the roadblocks to doing the job.  If I am ever desperate enough to go back to work I will apply as a Walmart greeter first.

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Opus 2025-176: The Danger of Donald

Donald Trump presents a real danger to America and Americans.  I say this as a Trump supporter.  I voted for him.  I wore a red Trump hat.  If the constitution allowed it, I would vote for him again.  I salute the sense of optimism and hope that he has brought to the country.

At the same time I think of him as being a real danger.

Donald Trump is not the messiah.  He is not the undisputed guru of our culture.  To be fair he has never said he is.  He is simply a man who loves America and was put in a unique position to step forward and be counted.  He may be the key figure in history in the last hundred years and in the next hundred years.

The danger comes when people of faith start to get complacent and stop praying.  We are not at the second coming yet.  The new Jerusalem is not descended from heaven.  All is not well in the world.  Our problem is we tend to get a little bit of good times and we relax.  We can’t afford to do that.

Donald Trump and his cabinet and those working with him need our prayers now more than ever.  They are living a daily life of danger.  They are in the crosshairs.  We need to pray for their safety.  We need to pray for their wisdom.  We need to pray that the statements they have made that seem open towards the presence of God take that extra step and actually embrace Him and make sure they’re on His side.

I had a litany that I gave before the election.  I went down a list of things starting with “keep praying”.  I talked about standing up and speaking out.  Keep in mind that the changes that need to take place in this country are in the hearts of mines of the rank and file, the grass roots.  There are so many misconceptions that need to be addressed and we need to be doing the addressing.

Here’s to a better stronger America.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-175: What Did You Call Me?

My sensitivity was first roused when a friend called me names during a discussion of eschatology.  I think the first time it went over my head but he kept repeating it until it registered.  It registered that I was being labelled and put in a box and I didn’t know what the box was.  I still don’t.  I think I just laughed at him.

If you are in a graduate level theology debate using some of the big words might save a lot of time.  When you are a normal person seeking understanding of another normal person’s crazy ideas they only confuse the issue.  Do you know the difference between modalism and molinism?  I do but not under those names.  I would need to look them up.

My friend likes to accuse me of spiritualizing.  My feelings were hurt.  That had to be something really bad.  When he explained what he meant by it I began to see it everywhere.  When I looked it up I started to realize he meant using allegory or any kind of figurative interpretation.  Once I understood that I embraced the term and now when he uses it I just say, “Thank you.”  Politically I have learned to treasure the moments people call me a Fundamentalist, a right winger or narrow minded.  They bring a smile to my face.

A book I read recently liked to accuse people of Latitudinarianism.  Again it has a range of meanings.  The author meant it to be anyone who had any flexibility.  To him it meant such things as accepting people as Christians who don’t believe in the trinity.  Even worse, someone who did not use the KJV.  That second thing I made up, I think.  By his definition I would be a latitudarian because I accept people into the fold who eat fish on Friday or baptize infants.  I am willing to give people latitude on things I don’t see as essential or that are not addressed in the Bible.

Be thick skinned.  Be patient.  Don’t be afraid to ask, “What does that mean?”  You will be surprised to find out that a lot of times people use terms and don’t know how to define them.
Above all, be kind.  I don’t think there will be a vocabulary lesson at the final judgement.

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Opus 2025-174: Unusual Blessing

There are things in the Bible that I read which just make me scratch my head.  Maybe that is why I am going bald.  Look at this,

Deuteronomy 33:24 (KJV) And of Asher he said, Let Asher be blessed with children; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

The basic blessing of the children is easy to understand.  The same with his family relationships.  What is this bit about dipping his foot in oil?

This is one of those rare cases where I feel a need to look at the comment section of my software.  The only explanation I can get is that this means “may you have so much wealth that you can wash your feet in olive oil.”

In looking at suggested cross references I found this,

(Job 29:6 KJV)  When I washed my steps with butter, and the rock poured me out rivers of oil;

Unfortunately that does not deepen my understanding, just my confusion.

Cultural differences can be entertaining.

May you dip your feet in oil.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-173: The Optimism of Children

One of the bits of Clickbait I saw this morning focused on China withering away because of it’s low fertility rate.  That’s one of the common memes that we see about how world population is declining and we are going to have a crisis over that.  People love a crisis.  They have to have something to obsess over.

I think the population situation is a good way to evaluate how we look at the future.  Some people want to have children.  Some people shudder at the thought.  It tells you a lot about their values and their priorities.

Are some people having children a mark of their optimism of the future?  They believe there is going to be a future.  They want to be a part of that future through their descendants.  They want to make the world better by contributing to that.  So they have children  They don’t just have children.  They invest themselves in those children.  That makes a big difference too.

Another sign of values expressed by having or not having children is the reason why people chose not to.  Often it is because they want to live high, party and have a great time and they feel children will get in the way.  This is called narcissism.  This is a self-centered attitude towards everything and it is a poison in our society.  Like many poisons we can handle a small amount.  Warfarin, if you take it in the right amount, will help thin your blood if you have issues that need thin blood.  In larger concentrations it becomes rat poison.

Which will it be?

Some of us are beyond the stage of having children.  We’ve done our thing and we are sticking by it because there’s nothing we can do about it.  However, I noticed that I am surrounded by more and more people who are celebrating life, having children, and investing in the future.  My daughters church is full of people who have six children.  My brothers were very productive.  Alas, I only had two and one of mine never married but I still rejoice in them, and I still rejoice in the fact that I have two grandchildren.

So if you are done having children, celebrate life by being supportive of people who are still in the process.  Sometimes that may involve taking some of that food you have stored under your bed and donating it to a family with many mouths to feed.  If you do it with the right attitude, and with joy, they will except it in the same attitude.

Have a blessed day and a blessed future.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-172: The New Chosen

If you look at the Old Testament, you find a lot of references to Israel as a nation. We consider them the chosen people.

All of that changed at Calvary.  No longer is God dealing with us as a nation or a large organization.  He has no blanket promises to those who are citizens of America or any other country.  He is now dealing with us as individuals.  It a sense He always has dealt with individuals, but the theme of the Bible is about Israel preparing the world for the coming of the Messiah.

So Calvary changed everything.  I have a friend who accuses me of being guilty of something he calls “replacement theology”.  I didn’t even know the term when he first brought it up.  When he gave me his interpretation of the title I rejected it.  The problem is the more often he accuses me of this and I look at what the Bible is telling me, the more guilty I am of a heresy, his definition not mine, I never thought of committing.

God is not dealing with a chosen people now so much as he is dealing with chosen persons.  What that does to Israel is that each member of that nation is responsible for personal decisions.  No longer is there a blanket pardon or one-size-fits-all blessing.  If you are selling red heifers or have a piece of the new temple stored in your garage that might upset you but you can still rebuild a temple if you want.  Just don’t plan on fitting it into Revelation because it ain’t there, as the apostle John said,

(Rev 21:22 KJV)  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

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Opus 2025-171: The Glorious Wipe Out

I was watching a meme that had some motion to it, and it showed a skier on a truly awesome slope going through an even more awesome wipe out.  He bounced, he twisted, he shot up into the air, he slammed into the ground.  At the end, he raised his hands in victory signifying the fact that he was still alive.

I don’t think he would I have tried that in the middle of summer.  He would have bounced once, broken half the bones in his body, bounced again and broken the other half, crushed his skull, and if he lived to tell about it, would not be able to walk to the microphone.  He was able to take the risk because of the cushion of the snow.  It was not a smart risk, but there was some chance of surviving.  Maybe he tried it first in his driveway.

Some people choose to ride roller coasters for the thrill.  You have seen the looks of terror on people in the first car when they come over that first downslope.  Some will run around to get in line again.  The reason for most of them is they feel they can trust the engineers who designed it.  They actually believe that the minimum wage employees who inspected the nuts and bolts to see if they were still tight came into work that day.  That is real faith.

Some people race motorcycles.  That is dangerous enough.  Have you seen those camera shots taken behind the foot of the rider as the sparks fly on a turn?  It is either awesome of incredibly stupid.  In the memes you occasionally see some of the stunts that bikers will do on the streets.  I enjoy the ones where they end up chasing their motorcycle down the street.

Life is full of challenges.  Some are required.  They are part of the package.  Would you have voted yes about heading down the birth canal?  Some we can avoid.  You don’t really need to do a wheely on the busy freeway.  

My trust in God  makes it possible for me to keep moving forward even in the face of adversity and struggles.  I have a confidence in Providence.  I don’t know that everything will go according to my plan or that I will always have money left in the check book of life.  I do know that God can work miracles out of seeming disaster.  

I always said I would get another motorcycle when my kids got old enough for me to die.  I never did.  The ground looks awful hard and I don’t heal as fast as I used to.  I am also wiser if not smarter.  Some things deserve trust.  Some things are a mirage.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-170: Discerning Deer

Looking out over my yard in the Texas hill country I noticed that there are several places where the grass has staged an early recovery from the frost in anticipation of spring.  In some places it’s growing well.  Most places are still totally dead.  Every once in a while, I will see deer grazing on the grass and I always wonder why they choose what they do and ignore others.  Now the big question I have with deer or that I’ve heard other people ask is why do they all seem to disappear when deer season opens?  I have a few suggestions:

It could just be some mystical force radiated by the deer gods telling them to go hide.  Never rule out the possibility of the supernatural.

It could be much simpler.  Maybe they hear gunshots over the next ridge and then put 22 and 22 together.  I used to see this kind of behavior at middle school.  Everyone was minding their own business doing whatever it is that middle school students do when no one tells them what they should be doing.  Suddenly someone yells “Fight”.  If it’s a real fight they sense it and they all rush toward it from all over campus.  If it’s just somebody trying to start a stampede, they sense that also and just stay where they are doing what they’re doing.  Reverse that with a deer, it takes about the same amount of intelligence.

It could be that they hear the sound of pop tops from the beer cans being opened on the back of the pick ups along with the raucous laughter of drunk hunters telling dirty jokes.  Again, it doesn’t take a lot of brain power to know they need to be somewhere else.

It could be the Daniel Boones of the twenty-first century sneaking through the forest and making enough noise to wake the dead.

It could be that the national weather service put out a warning about flash, floods, high winds, and hunter’s over the internet, which the deer picked up on their Fitbits.

Anyway, you look at it they’re not eating my grass today.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-169: Contrast

The law of the Old Testament stands against the blood of the New, not against grace.

Grace is present from Genesis to Revelation.  All depends upon the decision of God to extend his power in whatever realm it’s needed.  It can be the grace leading to salvation.  You can see the grace of Jesus growing in His knowledge and wisdom.  Witness the grace that saved us from Hitler and the Nazis in World War II.  Grace has always been with us.

What is different is the blood.  The Old Testament sacrificial system did not forgive sin.  Yes, it made atonement, but it did not remove the sin and cleanse the heart.  That was the role of the blood.  Sacrificing a bull and pouring his blood on the altar was a type.  A type is an activity, a ritual or thing which points down the road to something more significant.  I believe Hebrews tells us there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood.  That blood was poured out on the cross, it did not happen in the temple.  Yes, blood was shed.  But that blood that was shared in the temple was not adequate for all mankind.  That’s why John said, “Behold the Lamb of God Who cometh to take away the sins of the world.”

What got me started on this?  I was again looking at Deuteronomy 28.  The first 14 verses talk about the blessings from following the law of God and keeping the commandments.  The rest of the chapter. which is really long, on all of the curses produced by disobedience.  I just read the blessings today.  As I was reading, my radar was turned on looking for any promise of forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  I didn’t see it.  Maybe I just missed it.  Maybe it’s there somewhere.  I will check again.  But I don’t think so.

Every promise given in the first part of that chapter deals with boots on the ground.  One of the things that I think I keep seeing is that the purpose of the law was to give Israel the advantage in their cultural and civic living.  There’s a place earlier in Deuteronomy, where it says that as long as the law is kept it will help them to conquer the promised land.  The law has a place.  Any pagan culture could have adopted the law and it would improve the quality of life and standard living.  It would not bring them salvation, nor make them the chosen people.

Israel did not become the chosen people because they excepted the law.  They became the chosen people, because God pointed at them and said, “You.”

We are not the chosen people but we can rejoice in the standards and values shared with us by the law of God.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-168: Wildflower Watch

It is hard to believe but the blue bonnets are beginning to appear.  They are a bit sparse.  I am hoping it is just because it is early but it may be that we are in for a sparse year.

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Opus 2025-167: Common Ground

As I was meditating on my porch and admiring the way in which God had covered the whole canopy of the sky with gray clouds, the thought came to me about how wonderful it is to be able to meet with God, and to have thoughts that appear to me to be deep, but might cause him to chuckle a little bit.  It is good fellowship to be with the Lord.

My thoughts went to the understanding that this is not you original with me.  Be honest.  We don’t see in the prophets a lot of discussion about sitting on the front porch and meditating on the things of God.  The prophets seem to be too busy thundering the call to repentance and the fact that God is not happy with Israel.  But I don’t think that’s the only time God spoke to them.  I think that the prophets were in regular communication.  That’s one of the ways that they learn to recognize the voice of God.  They heard, and sometimes they repeat it.  I believe that often they heard and we don’t know about it because it was just fellowship, not a message.

There is so much that God communicated personally.  But there’s also much that God communicats to us through the scripture.  What sustained Elijah and Elisha?  What kept Moses going?  How did Paul stay positive and uplifted?  I think it was mainly all those great insights that God gave them that He didn’t allow them to share.

I believe John said something to this effect,

(Joh 21:25 KJV)  And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.

I think we can make this true in our own lives.  God speaks to us, sometimes through the inspiration of scripture, sometimes through that still small voice, sometimes through watching our grandchildren, but God does speak to us.  Make sure you listen to find out what great insight He has for you today that you are not supposed to share.

God loves you enough to give you your own inspirational thoughts in private.  Rejoice.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-166: Republic of Verbs and Nouns

Checks and balances.  Check and balance.  One is a set of nouns, the other is a set of verbs.  Both are necessary to maintain the republic.

In times of integrity and minor differences it’s enough to have these concepts as nouns.  The Founding Fathers set up a government which was supposed to contain automatic checks to abuse of power and difference of opinion.  It gave great power to minorities so that they could resist the tyranny of the majority.  This is why we have an electoral college.  This is why we have three branches with separation of powers.  This is why we have super majorities.  This is why we have regular elections.  And this is why we have the verbs.

It’s always a possibility that individuals and groups will arise to manipulate and distorted the basics of the republic.  Not only is it a possibility, it is a certainty.  The time will come when individuals and groups think they know what is best for everyone.  They will use their position of power to distorted the process of civil government by the people.

We’ve been seeing this, as the so-called deep state has been dipping into the coffers and using taxpayers money to attack and enslave the taxpayers, not to mention lining their own pockets.  It is really very clever, and was covered up very well for years.  Who knows, maybe it is the default status of government and civilization.  The current force that is pushing it is using federal judges as trump cards, or anti-Trump cards.

I’m sure that just like any other group of people, there are many judges who are guided by integrity in the law.  The problem is, these are not the judges that are sought out by the forces of the deep state.  They carefully select the judges that they bring lawsuits in front of, knowing full well that those judges are more interested in their ideology, and their bribes, than in the law.  They use the rule of law against those who actually believe in it.

We all see it happening every day.  We also should be aware of the fact that when it happens in the direction we want we tend to ignore it.  Admit it.  We only see it when it goes against our desires.  But it’s always there.  The question is what do we do about it?

Again, the rule of law and the checks and balances of our republic give us a way out.  For federal officials one of the ways out is called impeachment.  Progressives* have use this brilliantly in trying to keep Donald Trump out of office.  They don’t give up when they lose.  They work overtime to cripple him once he is elected.  They don’t like it so they use the rules in order to cheat in the game.  What works for the goose should work for the gander.  Why we are reluctant to use this tool, I don’t know.

It is time.

We need to get serious about saving the republic.  I don’t want to see the violent outbreak of a French Revolution.  I don’t want the dissolving of the republic as happened to Rome.  We don’t have the structure for a Glorious Revolution like England.  If we want to preserve the Republic and the liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and we need to start using the tools that are given to us.

It’s time to impeach.  Remove people who insist on implementing their personal agenda rather than following the rule of law.  Do it by the book.  Observe due process.  Demand that it be speedy and in front of their peers.

It is time.

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

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Opus 2025-165: New Laws: What about the Cat?

If you have been in to see any medical professional recently, they probably have been asking you questions which the federal government feels are necessary to be asked.  When I went into the ER recently, they wanted to know if I could prepare my own meals.  They wanted to know if I could drive myself to my own appointments. They want to know if I felt insecure in my home.  They asked me about rugs.

How come they asked me about rugs, but never asked me if I have a cat?  Yes, rugs can be a problem, but at least they stay put and you have to trip over them as you walk down the hall.  Cats have a very annoying habit of appearing out of nowhere and inserting themselves into the most awkward places as you try to make any kind of move.  I’ve gotten much closer to falling from my wife’s cat then I have from throw rugs.

Maybe we need a new federal regulation from some mysterious agency requiring them to ask us about whether we have cats in the home.  It might require training the cats by federally licenced professionals to not trip people and a government certificate to show we have complied.  I feel free to share this because I doubt if any Democrats ever read anything I write.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-164: Signs the Brain Is Still Alive

I am constantly startled when I come across things in the Bible that I should’ve seen but I don’t remember ever being aware of.  Sometimes it’s not earthshaking, just surprising.  One of those happened at Wednesday night Bible study.  We were reading about the crucifixion of Jesus in Matthew, and we came to these verses,

Matthew 27:52-53 (KJV) 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

I was aware of this passage, and of the “saints” rising from the dead and walking around.  If nothing else, the current infatuation with zombies would bring that to mind.  What I had not seen before was that this took place after the resurrection of Jesus.  In other words, this is a passage that is written later, and then inserted as something that was going to happen, tying it to the resurrection.

Interesting.

It doesn’t change my world or bring out any new theological perspectives.  It did make me start wandering in my mind and associating details that have nothing to do with each other.  One thing that came to mind was the Shroud of Turin.  I had just watched part of a video of a priest who is in charge of research on the shroud.  It was very interesting and of course one of the discussions was “Is this really the shroud of Jesus”, which is one point.  Another is, if it’s not the shroud of Jesus is it from the time when Jesus was crucified.  The priest, of course, said he would love it to be proven to be the shroud of Jesus, but even if it wasn’t he’s considered it’s still a wonderful investigation because there’s so many mysteries involved in it.

I got to thinking. If this were not the burial shroud of Jesus, but was from that time with all of the mysteries involved in how it was produced, could it have been the shroud of one of those saints that were resurrected?  Letting my mind wander further, was it the divine force that caused Jesus to be resurrected that somehow bled over into the other graves nearby, and did the same mysterious force project through other shrouds?  I guess it’s just nonsense speculation, but that’s how my mind works.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-163: Fantasy Traditions

I think we are always open to being made aware of the fantasies that we have in our theological framework.  We all have Bible stories that we have heard told or which we picture in our mind, which have nothing to do with what the Bible really says.  Simple examples are such things as Mary riding a donkey to Bethlehem, three wise men or Paul falling off a horse. Another one that struck me as I was reading and from a recent conversation was a picture in my mind of David, as he was called in to serve Saul with his harp and music.

I assume you are aware of the story.  Samuel had gone out to anoint the new king.  He rejected all of the older brothers, and finally settled on the baby of the family, David.  Most of us go from there to the story of David and Goliath and think of David as being this adolescent teenager who happens to be good with a sling.  That doesn’t quite work if you read the context.  Look at this description of David as he is called in to serve Saul with his harp,

1 Samuel 16:18 (KJV) Then answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, [that is] cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD [is] with him.

Notice this is not the picture of a teenage boy who is still wet behind the ears and goes out to foolishly challenge a giant.  Notice that he is considered a mighty valiant man, a man of war.  You need to readjust your thinking if you still think of him as a little boy.

When David went out to face Goliath, he had his own armor and his own weapons but instead he chose the five smooth stones to take on the giant.  His preparation reflected his statement about the living God.

1 Samuel 17:45 (KJV) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

It probably doesn’t make any difference in your life to see David as a full grown warrior but doesn’t it feel good to have a little tidbit to share with the uninformed.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-162: Little Bits

I am finding that there is value in reading small portions, little bits, of scripture.  I’m not talking about getting into a legalistic regime of say, one verse a day.  I’m not talking about a chapter a day.  I’m not talking about reading through the Bible in a year.  I’m talking about reading at a pace that doesn’t hurry, focuses and is willing to stop when the time runs out.

This insight is coming from my personal experience each morning.  Part of my routine is to get up and make myself some old-fashioned oatmeal, which takes five minutes to cook . During that time I make some toast and a few other things.  I also am slowly reading through the Bible.  The emphasis here is on “slowly”.  Today I only got through three verses.  It’s no minimum, it’s just read and listen and absorb.  Today I came across the mention of the “myriad of holy ones” with God.  What does that mean?  I have no idea but it made me think of something else, so I stopped reading and contemplated that.  I pulled out my iPad and made a note.  And then the beeper went off to say my oatmeal was done.  I moved on having harvested something from that brief time of scripture.

The key is to pay attention as you read, which is much easier for me in small bits.  If I’m going too far and too fast, I tend to go into speed reading mode.  That means skimming, scanning, overlooking and often missing the point.

So just a thought.  It’s something that I am following.  It might benefit you. You might find a totally useless.  What a blessed day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-161: Sounds Good

I am sitting in the library working and listening to a tutor work with a youngster a few feet away.  She is teaching phonics.  I thought phonics was dead.  Maybe they are in the public schools.  It is 9:30 in the morning and the kid should be in school so it makes me wonder if it is a mother doing a bit of home schooling in the library.

I also wonder if we should embrace different levels of phonics.  I thought I learned phonics.  I certainly learned to sound out words and use a dictionary for syllable stress.  As an adult I ran into someone who had actually studied the intricacies of the system.  It was fascinating.  I had no idea is was such a complete system.

Don’t worry that you don’t know the whole system.  If your decedents are in public school and are not getting anything but “see and say” then feel free to teach them the bits that you know.  It is one of those situations where knowing part is better than knowing none.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-160: The Cheap Capitalist

Do you get irritated by the adds that keep interrupting on You Tube?  When I do I need to remind myself that if I don’t like it I can pay the fee to be exempted.  My choice.  Your choice.  We need to stop complaining.

My contribution to free enterprise and the entrepreneur spirit is not paying for things if I can help it and still remain honest.  I’m all for people going out starting businesses offering services, selling products, doing whatever it takes to earn a living and make a profit.  I salute him.  At the same time I must concede that my responsibility is to keep them honest . That means that I often don’t buy much unless I have to.  It means I price shop.  It means I wait for a sale.  It means I realize I didn’t need it anyway.  

Some suggestions.

Use the library.  I find that the list of books I want to read keeps growing.  There is no way I can keep up.  Many of them can be read a year or two later at no loss.  Many of them I don’t hear about until they are decades old, some centuries.  Unless the book is a reference book that I feel I will need repeatedly, there is little reason to pay full price.  Libraries will also add books you want to their list of purchases.  If you must buy something start checking the Friends of the Library section, yard sales or used book stores.  I guarantee you will be able to find plenty to read.

Movies?  Wait until it comes out free on YouTube.  That may mean you have to watch a few commercials.  So be it.  Is it worth it?  If not then maybe you didn’t need to see it anyway.  And also, again, libraries.  They have aisles of things to chose from.

Add up all the money that you would save each month if you cancel the subscription services and really unnecessary things online or on the phone.  Multiplied by 12 that gives you what you save in a year.  Now multiply over your working career of 40 years and ask yourself how much would I be worth if I had simply shown a little more discipline.  Would it be a down payment on a house?  Would it mean I could stay retired when Social Security goes away?  I have no idea but I do know that it adds up.

If you must purchase, then enjoy the euphoria.  And please donate your purchases soon so that I can do my part to keep the economy going.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-159: Mountaintop Experiences

You often hear people talk about having a mountaintop experience.  As a general rule, this is considered a positive thing.  It’s a moment in life where everything comes together, and you are filled with optimism and positive thoughts.  It may mark a time where God is very close to you, or it could be a time of great family togetherness.  Overall, though it’s considered a good thing.

I was a bit taken aback as I was reading and Deuteronomy and came across the following,

Deuteronomy 32:48-50 (KJV) 48 And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, 49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: 50 And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people:

God told Moses to go up on top of the mountain and have a rather unique mountain top experience.  He said go up “...and die in the mount”.  This is not a message designed to make your day.  Moses was expecting it, but I’m not sure he was expecting it quite that bluntly.  At least God gave him a sneak peak into the Promised Land.  His next appearance will be on the Mount of Transfiguration when he appears with Elijah.

Be ready.  You never know when the other shoe will fall.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-158: Terminologies

Why do people reject salvation and instead buy their ticket to Hell?

It’s not a matter of earning our salvation, or failing to earn enough merit to be saved.  It’s a matter of accepting what is offered under the terms offered, or rejecting it.

Yes, we are saved by faith.  It is God’s grace that makes that salvation real and changes us.  We enter life by that door.  We have before us eternal life.  There are, however, expectations to go along with going through that door.  I don’t think it is so much the offer of salvation that people reject as it is knowing the expectations.

Among the expectations are being touched by and living in the presence of a holy God.  We’re not even talking here about following rules or washing behind our ears.  We are talking about the fact that as believers, when we go through that door, opened by grace and faith, we come into the presence of the eternal God.  Those who believe welcome that Presence.  They rejoice in that Presence. They flourish in that Presence. Those who reject it refuse to go through the door.  I think there is an innate, deeply buried awareness of the Who that is waiting for them.  They want nothing to do with Him.

Of course this is all speculation.  It is based on the observation that most people would rather be their own god in a living hell than accept the real God who created them.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-157: A Dog’s Life

Does a dog have taste buds?  I could probably re-search this on the internet, but I would get something from the AI that I am not interested in.  So let’s go with observation.

Dogs gulp their food.  It’s a wonder they don’t choke.  I’ve never seen a dog stop a moment and look off into the sunset to savor the moment of flavor.  Dogs do lick but I think that involves mainly salt.  I wonder if they have teeth in their stomach to grind up the chunks that go down the hatch.

Just a thought, not a focus.  I will not lose any sleep over this.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-156: The High Cost of Health

Recently I wrote about a trip to the ER.  I’m always reluctant to put myself in that position, and I have been very blessed.  In addition to the sense of helplessness and turning yourself over to someone else to run your life, there is the issue of cost.  I’m not sure I want to know how much this last trip to the ER cost.  MRI, CT scan, EKG, X-rays, echocardiogram, blood tests, the list goes on with just plain old technological processes as I was put through each one of which cost money.

I tried to remember how many people I had dealt with or had dealt with me in this one little two day visit.  I came up with 15 to 20.  And I’m sure I missed a few.  Each one of them had to be paid.  Each one of them had a skill to contribute which means they were trained and experienced.  On the whole I was very pleased.  People seem to be well prepared and highly skilled.  The Night Shift had a few newbies who were being supervised as they actually got to apply their skills, but they all did a good job.

And again I shudder at the cost of such a thing.  It’s no wonder so much is being spent in the medical area.  As far as I know they never found anything.  I can live with that.  To be honest there are some things which medicine will never figure out.  But they gave it the old college try.  It is comforting to know that if I ever had a real problem to be diagnosed that there will be a way to take care of it.

And for those of you that are concerned about all those people that have no medical coverage, I think that I would pretty much have gotten the same treatment if I had no insurance, if I was totally broke.  They might’ve spent more time talking with me about how to pay for it, but I don’t think they would’ve held back on any of things that they felt were necessary.

I am blessed in many ways.  My health overall is good.  I have insurance.  I live in the 21st-century in America.  And I know the Lord, who created the universe, so that if it should happen that I kick the bucket, it will still be a victory.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-155: Peak Personalities: Joseph

Certain individuals stand out in the history of salvation, the Bible.  The one I am fixated on today is Joseph.  Joseph fits the description of a paragon of virtue.

The question I have is where did Joseph get his instruction manual?  How do he know what was right and what was wrong?  At this point in time there was no evidence of any written law.  Moses was yet to come.  If anything, it would’ve only been oral tradition.  But Moses was not raised in a home of the Hebrews and the Hebrews themselves didn’t have the law at that point.  I would say that the Children of Israel didn’t even know what was moral and what was not moral.

We have the cases of Joseph interpreting dreams.  That obviously took the intervention of God into his life to give him those insights.  But where did he learn to resist Potiphar’s wife?  Where did he learn the virtue and integrity that put him second in control of Egypt?

I don’t think there’s any evidence in the account of him having a conversation with God like Abraham or Moses.

One of the lessons that we can get from studying the life of Joseph or any of the other early Bible figures is that everything is not recorded.  God and Joseph may have had many awesome discussions.  God may have revealed to him many exciting things.  We just don’t have a record of it.  That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.  Remember that the Bible is here not to satisfy our curiosity, but to give us what we need to know for salvation.

It is possible that the conversations between God and the patriarchs were so common that they didn’t seem out of the ordinary, so they weren’t written down.

It is possible that there was such an element of common sense in those days that you didn’t need to tell people to take an umbrella with them to work on cloudy days.  You didn’t need to tell them to keep their gas tank more than half full.  You didn’t need to remind them to wash their hands after powdering their nose.  Keep in mind that writing existed, but it was not a matter of typing some words in and having auto-spell or of having dictation copied down by an algorithm.  You had to make your ink.  You have to sharpen your quill.  You might’ve had to pluck the chicken to get the quill.  You may have had to go out and harvest the papyrus or kill the lamb for the parchment.  You didn’t waste your time writing down things that were obvious.

However it materialized, Joseph had the knowledge he needed to be a good example for the rest of us.  May we be so blessed and be such a blessing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-154: Clickbait: Weather to Forecast

The link on Citizen Free Press said that Al Gore would not be happy with this headline.  I found the headline itself almost as amusing.  Evidently a group of scientists are claiming that the next Ice Age will come in 10,000 years. The caveat is that it will only come with all the warming doesn’t prevent it.  If I had known that this would be a link to Yahoo I would not have bothered.

This might be a logical point to ask the big question, “If they can’t tell us what the weather will be tomorrow, how can they tell us what the weather will be in 10,000 years?”

I didn’t bother reading the rest of the article because I know speculation when I read it.  It may be fun.  It may get their paper published.  It’s certainly got them a headline.  Other than that it’s just click bait and I am getting too old to indulge them.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-153: Prophets or Not

Modern day prophets exist, or they think they exist.  In my lifetime we have had a repetitive claim by some guru about when Jesus would return or the world would end.  So far they have been wrong, as far as I know.  Of course the rapture may have already taken place and I am still here, but I doubt it.  They tend to start with the deck stacked against them.  They feel that they need to give dates.  Those dates are destined to be wrong.  Jesus said even He did not know the date.  I am not sure how these spiritual geniuses think they can figure it out.

Biblical prophets were not handicapped by that.  Generally speaking they didn’t get specific.  Often they don’t even get general.  Trying to tie them to any known event is a real challenge.  Take the Abomination of Desolation referred to by Jesus in Matthew 24:15.  As of now that prophecy has been fufilled at least twice and we are still not to the one that eschatology buffs will accept.  Ezekiel gives the dimensions of a temple that is interpreted to be in the last days.  The big problem is there is no mention of it in Revelation.

If you know anyone who is a prophet or believes they can interpret the prophets have a bit of mercy on them.  They are either uniquely blessed or out of touch with reality.  I won’t tell you which I think it is.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-152: Time Out

 I’m thinking about Francis Collins, who lead the project that mapped human DNA, and the fact that he seems to be a genuine believer, and yet still clings to the chance element of evolution.  I find the two concepts incompatible.

He claims the evidence is there.  I don’t think so.

One of the key elements that says random selection cannot work is the time element.  There is not enough time even with an old earth theory for random selection to have developed life, let alone intelligence.  In fact, the only way that evolution could work is if it were guided by the hand of God.

Do I believe in evolution?  Not the way it’s defined or thought about.  Do I believe that God could have worked through a long slow process using the laws that He put in place to produce human beings?  Yes, I think He could have done it that way.  You would still need to work it in with the passage in Genesis chapter one that talks about us being created in the image of God.   You would still need to somehow deal with that word “created” and how that indicates God exercising His power.  It is not just the idea for making, but it is the idea of calling out of nothing.  But the concept of God working through His natural law does not disturb me at all.  That’s the way He does most of His miracles.  Many of them are more miracles of planning than miracles of power.

I look at how He works in the world we live in.  Oak trees don’t appear full grown over night.  Only weeds do that.  Children, made in the image of God, do not pop out of the womb quoting the 23rd Psalm.  I see no problem with God working in history the same way He works in my back yard.

I trust you will be surprised when you see me in the celestial choir in spite of my deviant views.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-151: Strangers and Sojourners

I was thinking about the terms that I’ve been reading in Deuteronomy, and what comes to mind for foreigners residing with Israel as strangers and sojourners.

The terms legal and illegal or not specifically used, but there are places where the strangers are expected to follow the law.  They are expected to be circumcised if they are going to stay.  I think at one point they are allowed to participate in the Passover, but again, they must be circumcised.

So, yes, there is a certain amount of acceptance of immigrants, however, there is a clear classification of legal and illegal. The standards may be different, but the concept is there.

We should be able to transfer those concepts and standards to our society.  Treat people fairly and with dignity.  Expect them to abide by your standards of behavior.  If they don’t like it they can leave.  We would be better off if we looked at foreign visitors that way.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-150: Gather Bots

I forced myself to watch the speech that President Trump gave to Congress recently.  I forced myself to watch his inauguration speech . I am a Trump supporter.  I believe he is the man of the hour.  I believe God has sent him and preserved him.  At the same time I find his speaking style rather painful.  So why did I listen to the speeches?  Because I wanted to hear what he had to say.  I wanted the unprocessed food, so to speak, not the version with all the additives and artificial ingredients that we get from the Talking Heads.

Talking Heads, come in two flavors generally.  Both flavors tend to be artificial.  It is getting harder to know what is going on just by reading memes, click bait or posts.  I feel like I can get the general idea but I’m beginning to wonder.  My concern centers on two popular terms, AI and psyops.

Psyops is relatively easy to define.  It’s simply a form of advanced, sophisticated propaganda.  It’s a form of brainwashing that is all around us, but is now so well done that we often mistake it for real news or real opinion.  We are having our opinions molded by people that we don’t even know about.  That’s why it’s very hard to read things on the Internet and get to the truth.  Everybody seems to have an angle.

AI itself is not something I worry about.  It’s just faster and more sophisticated computers.  Computers can only do what they are programed to do.  So the real problem with the AI is the programming and the programmers.  How does this work in the news?  I’m beginning to think that popular amalgamators who bring together news sources and ideas are being manipulated by an algorithm involved in modern computer technology.  Some people call it AI.  I find it less threatening to talk about the algorithm.

For instance, I read criticism of the new attorney general, Pam Bondi.  I find myself wondering is this criticism accurate or is it subtly twisted in order to give me a bad impression of her and thus turn me against Donald Trump.  How could this work when you find it on a site that is supposedly supportive of Donald Trump?  I think it has to do with what we used to call bots.  These are programs that look for keywords and then put together the memes or pictures or articles presented by those keywords.  Thus you might have a search engine looking for articles on Pam Bondi.  Then you would take those and automatically put them into your list of memes and sources without actually reading them yourselves.  All of the work is done by the computer.  This is probably the only way these large number of links could be assembled without a crippling payroll. What channeled my thinking on this was a meme with the idea that Bondi was saying that the Epstein list would have to be redacted to remove things having to do with national security.  Did she really say that?  Is it an incomplete statement leaving out key issues that she addressed which would be reasonable?  Is it just a psyop to drag down the administration?  What seems strange is I can’t think of anything having to do with a list of child abusers that would affect national security.

Artificial psyops is a real possibility.  It’s possible that these sites are not even paying attention to what they’re saying.  Of course it’s also possible that what they are saying is accurate, and we are being slowly sold down the river.

Does this mean that I am certainly going to have to start actually watching all of these long and boring interviews?  Is that the only way I can find out the truth?  That will be a hard decision.  It might mean fewer naps.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-149: Is Paw Patrol Next?

I was never a big reader of comic books.  A large part of that was having no money.  I don’t know if I would have bought Batman if I did have the resources.  When it came out on TV I remember watching it because it was so tongue-in-cheek.  I loved the fight scenes with the comic balloons.  I don’t think I have seen any of the movies.  My general feeling was that the fun aspect was replaced by dark and dystopian themes.  I had no interest.

I wonder if Paw Patrol will someday go adult and dark like Batman.  My grandson loves Paw Patrol.  My wife keeps her eyes open at yard sales and has been able to make walking space rare in our livingroom because of all the cool stuff she brings home.  At this point it is mainly innocent nonsense although I understand one of the spin-off’s was trying to introduce homosexual characters.

It is hard to preserve the innocence of our children.  I know that when our kids were young we searched out the old additions of the Hardy Boys.  You may not have had it on your radar but in the originals they went to church and prayed over meals.  That has all been redacted.  The edited versions are not evil, they just lack the cultural aspects that made America great.

Sometimes progress isn’t.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-148: Donald Is Not God

And to be fair, he has never claimed to be.  All he has said is that he feels that God has protected his life because He has something for him to do.  You might feel the same if a bullet took off the tip of your ear.

If I wanted to be critical, it would be of those who try to make him into something he is not.  I would rejoice if I could totally believe that Donald Trump is on board with my spiritual beliefs.  I think he’s open to them but I have not heard the keywords.  That may be just a problem with jargon and semantics.  It may be something deeper.  I am not, however, going to force him into my version of what the Bible teaches.

Fortunately, I don’t need to. I believe that he is the man God is raised up at this time to be used to try and bring revival and renewal to the United States of America, and through us to the world.  You don’t need to be a 24 karat, KJV believing Christian to qualify for that.  God has used many types of people and leaders over the years.  You have it one in the pharaohs and Nebuchadnezzars and such tyrants and despots.  God used them.  At the other end, you have the Wilberforce’s and the Wesley’s and the apostle Paul’s.  All were raised up by God for a specific purpose, and whether they acknowledge God or not, they have been His tools.

So pray to the real God that the Donald would be open to His leading.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-147: Three Cheers for Al

Most of America is aware of how congressman Al Green made a fool of himself during the president’s recent speech.  At the time I had some very primeval urges that I wished to express to him.  Upon reflection I think I would rather thank him.

Until this last time that the Democrats gained control of everything there was a charade played in the halls of government.  It involved courtesy and decorum.  It was useful in being able to discuss things but rather superficial in that no one really listened.  It became a little fantasy play put on by people who enjoyed the acting.

Al Green was the ringleader for the theatrics of the Democrats.  He had quite a supporting cast.  They played it to the hilt.  I guess you could say the Republicans did their part by rubbing it in.  They repeatedly stood to applaud and figuratively say, “Na, na, na, na.”  Since there are so many Rinos I am not sure that the sincerity and honesty award would not go to the Democrats.

Give us more.  The clarity that came through from the Democrats was refreshing.  I can see them not wanting to clap for the parents of murdered children.  To do so would admit their own culpability.  I can’t figure why they would not stand and cheer for a boy who is struggling with brain cancer and had a dream fulfilled.  My conclusion was that it was another moment of honesty for them, but then I am biased.

I guess it explains why most of the speeches you see on the internet are really given to an empty chamber.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-146: Dark thoughts: Maybe

The people who talk about not needing to go to church, but being able to worship God in nature might have a point, although I am suspicious that most of them are just too lazy to get up on Sunday morning and make it to church.  There is something about the outside that makes it easier to worship God.

I am noticing this because for the first time in a couple weeks, I’ve been able to be out on the porch as the sun is still just a distance threat.  The sky is overcast, so there are no stars to see, but I can see across the valley lights on the other hills and the distant illumination of the cities around me.  There is also that expansive sense of something bigger than me.  It’s hard to get that sitting in an enclosed room, even with the window open.

So if you get a chance, worship outside.  Or I guess another way of saying it is when you’re outside pause, look up, contemplate the grandeur that surrounds you and worship.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-145: Click Bait: Charles the Last

Great Britain does not seem to have great luck with kings named Charles.  Charles I had his head cut off. The current Charles might be heading toward the same feat.  I refer to the click bait headlines which try to tell us that Charles III might be converting to Islam.  I have no idea where they get this or if there is any substance to it.  I am not going to bother reading the articles because they would be full of nonsense and a pure waste of time.

One of the issues that I would address if I were concerned is that Charles is considered to be the head of the Church of England.  Now I admit that’s not exactly a high spiritual post considering the state of the Church of England, but there is still millions of Englishman who feel strongly about it.  Part of his coronation, I believe, involved a profession of faith, and a pledge to uphold the faith.  The faith being addressed was not his own.  It wasn’t even Baptist or Methodist.  It was the faith of the Church of England.  It is the source of the title “Defender of the Faith.”

Would he be allowed to stay on the throne if he abandoned the church of England and expressed his conversion to Islam?  Americans have a default of separating church and state.  In fact there is a place in the Constitution that prohibits religion being a qualification for office.  Not so in England.

And what about the country as a whole?  Historically the conversion of a king, or emperor would lead to the conversion of his kingdom or empire.  Much of that conversion was because the rank and file had little real allegiance to the official religion.  That would fit England very well today.  The Christian content of their character is almost nonexistent at this point.  At the same time they have a very sizable Muslim population, who are very rabid, or should we say devout, and would welcome the nation into the fold with great joy and celebration.

It would be a mistake for Charles to think of playing around with this.  Once he takes the step of praying to Allah through Mohammed, he would be expected to follow that path the rest of his life.  If he tried to switch back, then we might see a picture of Charles on a beach in northern Africa, wearing an orange jumpsuit with someone standing behind him with a scimitar.  Déjà vu.  That might make Charles the last.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-144: Election: 2026

It’s never too early to start looking towards the next election.  I don’t know if we have national conventions of the parties during midterms, but I would suggest that we start advocating a plank that would be very popular with a significant part of the population.  That would be doing away with daylight savings time.

I’ve heard people talk about the reasons for daylight savings time.  I’ve never paid enough attention to have a real opinion on those reasons, but I don’t think they’re good enough to balance the down sides.  In reading one post on the matter, the renewal a few years back was proposed by a Democrat, which really pretty much tells me all I need to know.

People fall into three categories I understand.  There are some people that think it’s a great idea.  I’ve never met any of them but there are possibly also decent Democrats out there somewhere, note that is possibly not probably.  Then you have a good number who never think about it and don’t really have an opinion.  The final group, where I’m at, feel like it is nothing but a waste of time and a pain in the whatever.

Maybe we could stick DOGE on the issue.  It certainly concerns efficiency.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-143: Do I Know You?

Would I recognize an angel if one appeared to me?  When you read Bible verses and an angel or God Himself in a theophany appears to someone and is recognized, how did they know?

When God visited Abraham in his tent, there is no mention of anything that would make Him stand out, but Abraham knew it was the Lord.  When Joshua saw God, standing with a sword in His hand on the hill above Jericho, he knew it was the Lord.  Moses had a clue in the burning bush.  

How would we know?

Hebrews 13:2 (KJV) Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

I am not sure we will.  That is one reason why we are not to be respecters of persons and be impressed by the elites of life.  We are treat everyone like a child of God.  That even includes (some) Democrats (maybe).

homo unius libri