Years ago, when someone around me would do, or say, something genuinely stupid, I might respond with "Did your mother have any children that lived?", or "My mama didn't raise no idiots!"
So, windmills moved from Kaliphornia to Minneesoda, don't work; temp is too cold? Wonder why we don't see huge windmill farms around the Chicago area; is not Chicago the "windy city"?
Here's a thought: If the windmills in Minnesota are not working because it is just too cold; then why not move them to DC? There is definitely a lot of hot air blowing around there.
Watched the YouTube video clips of Sarah Palin at the Nashville tea party. How interesting, to hear her say, "We need a Commander in Chief, not a professor of law standing in the podium", or words to that effect. Seriously, we are too rapidly becoming a country of laws, rather than a country of freedom and liberty. There is no other place on the face of this planet, where a foreign terrorist is afforded the rights of citizens. How have we come to this place in the annals of history?
You know, I have a theory. Throughout history, there have been many attempts to completely destroy the Israeli blood line. It looked like it may well have happened during WWII. The difference was, Christians came to the aid of the Jewish people. I truly believe that evil has been trying to destroy good for as long as human history has been going. WWII taught a great lesson, for those who carry evil in their hearts. To accomplish the complete destruction of the Jews, Israel, Christians must first be destroyed, and there will be no one to provide aid. Yes, you heard that right. And today, right here in the good ole USA we see an underhanded assault on Christianity and everything that is good.
We are in the second presidential administration that has gone public with statements indicating Christians, and benevolent people are evil, or intent on evil. It is truly beyond my comprehension of how people living in freedom and liberty with the opportunity to own personal property, and to be the best they are willing to be, are willing to let someone else have control over their lives.
We are definitely living in perilous times. We should be sounding a clarion call of a clear and present danger. Instead, we waddle along like a bunch of sheep being herded into the slaughter house. Make no mistake, there is evil in this world, and it is hell bent on destroying anything that is good.
Incrementalism is the method being used. Take away a liberty, or freedom, based on someone's personal injury, and soon, no one has liberty, or freedom. It has never worked, in all of human history, and what makes anyone think it will work now?
Give me liberty, or give me death.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Stoppin in to see what condition my condition was in
How is that "hope and change" working?
I don't think for one minute there is any humor in the fact that B Hussein has "promised" there will be "NO" tax increases for anyone making less than $250,000 a year. In the past few days, he has even had the audacity to claim that not only have taxes not been raised, but a tax cut has been given.
Ok, this is my blog, and I have the authority to rave on if I want to.
First, this administration manipulated the economy to reflect no economic increase, therefore, Sosh Security, and military received no cost of living (COLA) increases. That may not mean much on the surface, but stick with me, and I will bring it all together shortly.
No COLA increases for the military also includes retired military. Which means, I have not received any increase in my retired pay, but my withholding tax has increased $9.30 per month. I guess I should get down on my knees and thank the almighty B Hussein for my glorious tax reduction. I can guarantee that his cutoff point for tax increases is at least five times my annual income.
OK, let's take a look at how my tax return for 2009 is shaping up. Based on simply my retired pay, and wages earned driving skool bus part time, I was on the way to receive $491 dollars back from the IRS. I wasn't too happy about that, cuz I would rather have had that money, than to see it being used by the gummint with no interest on the loan.
Next I entered the amount of Sosh Security benefits. You have to know that each payment is reduced by 10% for income tax purposes. Doesn't that just bless your soul? OK, so, I add in the Sosh Security info, and "VIOLA!!" I learn that that $491 IRS owes me, has been reduced to $49. Ain't that cool?
OK, ok, so, then I add in my "Tax Sheltered Annuity" payments received. Uhmmm, these payments are reduced by 20% for income tax purposes. Lo, and Behold!. That $491 return that was reduced to $49 is now reflecting me owing IRS $334. Now, how about them apples? Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend in gummint?
And to put gravy on the entire enchilada, my total earnings still do not add up to $50,000 for the year.
Yeah, "hope and change" my rosy red rear...Rush was right when he transposed the saying to "hoax and chains".
Whether we know it or not, there is a clear and present danger.
So, I'm thinkin...maybe I should have listened to Karen, back in 1963 when she begged me to stay in Thornton, and get married and settle down. I could have joined a union, and by now, I would be retired with all the benefits that come with that union. And I would never have had to put my life on the line for this country; I would not have had to go to Vietnam and become an agent orange covered Vietnam vet, with less than 5% disability. Boy, how could I have been so stupid? No wonder I am tired, and retired. Come to think of it; what if those 50,000 names on the wall had not chosen to serve their country, and instead stayed home and joined a union. Why, look how much better off they would be.
Oh, B Hussein has shown me the error of my ways. I now see that I was being foolish, and selfish, by joining the military. Hallelujah, I was blind but now I see!
I don't think for one minute there is any humor in the fact that B Hussein has "promised" there will be "NO" tax increases for anyone making less than $250,000 a year. In the past few days, he has even had the audacity to claim that not only have taxes not been raised, but a tax cut has been given.
Ok, this is my blog, and I have the authority to rave on if I want to.
First, this administration manipulated the economy to reflect no economic increase, therefore, Sosh Security, and military received no cost of living (COLA) increases. That may not mean much on the surface, but stick with me, and I will bring it all together shortly.
No COLA increases for the military also includes retired military. Which means, I have not received any increase in my retired pay, but my withholding tax has increased $9.30 per month. I guess I should get down on my knees and thank the almighty B Hussein for my glorious tax reduction. I can guarantee that his cutoff point for tax increases is at least five times my annual income.
OK, let's take a look at how my tax return for 2009 is shaping up. Based on simply my retired pay, and wages earned driving skool bus part time, I was on the way to receive $491 dollars back from the IRS. I wasn't too happy about that, cuz I would rather have had that money, than to see it being used by the gummint with no interest on the loan.
Next I entered the amount of Sosh Security benefits. You have to know that each payment is reduced by 10% for income tax purposes. Doesn't that just bless your soul? OK, so, I add in the Sosh Security info, and "VIOLA!!" I learn that that $491 IRS owes me, has been reduced to $49. Ain't that cool?
OK, ok, so, then I add in my "Tax Sheltered Annuity" payments received. Uhmmm, these payments are reduced by 20% for income tax purposes. Lo, and Behold!. That $491 return that was reduced to $49 is now reflecting me owing IRS $334. Now, how about them apples? Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend in gummint?
And to put gravy on the entire enchilada, my total earnings still do not add up to $50,000 for the year.
Yeah, "hope and change" my rosy red rear...Rush was right when he transposed the saying to "hoax and chains".
Whether we know it or not, there is a clear and present danger.
So, I'm thinkin...maybe I should have listened to Karen, back in 1963 when she begged me to stay in Thornton, and get married and settle down. I could have joined a union, and by now, I would be retired with all the benefits that come with that union. And I would never have had to put my life on the line for this country; I would not have had to go to Vietnam and become an agent orange covered Vietnam vet, with less than 5% disability. Boy, how could I have been so stupid? No wonder I am tired, and retired. Come to think of it; what if those 50,000 names on the wall had not chosen to serve their country, and instead stayed home and joined a union. Why, look how much better off they would be.
Oh, B Hussein has shown me the error of my ways. I now see that I was being foolish, and selfish, by joining the military. Hallelujah, I was blind but now I see!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
The Womanliness Project
This morning's blogroll reading led me to Villainous Company where I found Cassandra asking for input into her post "The Womanliness Project". Below is my response to her request.
Anything I might say is a direct product of as much of my 64 years as I can remember, through three marriages and divorces, death of an infant child, 29 years of active duty in the US Naval Service, five years of pastoring a rural church, nine months of serving as a volunteer missionary in Ecuador, and death of my father at an early age. I would preface all remarks with the thought that my experience does not qualify me as an expert on any subject; even tho I may have the subjective and objective knowledge and understanding.
To begin, I believe God created humans for the purpose of being in fellowship: with each other, and with Him. I have studied psychology, in its many manifestations, and have seriously looked at Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. He coined the term "self-actualization" and placed it at the top to indicate a person becoming the very best they could be. Inherent in attaining self-actualization is the ability/availability of having met all the needs we understand humans have.
Being in fellowship with each other presents its own pantheon of road blocks and pot holes along the road of life. I have often thought how good it would be if God would just drop down a note saying where I am supposed to be, how I am supposed to live, and what I am supposed to do. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that doesn't happen. I do believe, however, that God has provided us with an "owner's manual" in the form of what we call the Bible, or Scripture. And sometimes, I just don't want to look into the manual to learn what I am supposed to do.
Probably, the most copacetic life I have lived was in the Marine Corps, and I am not surprised that the Corps' philosophy was "God, Country, and Corps"; with the motto "Semper Fidelis". Multitudinous manuscripts could be penned regarding the Latin term "Semper Fidelis", Always Faithful! In this post-modern world we are living in, faithfulness is considered to be archaic, old-hat, part of an old paternalistic oppression. There was a time when the shaking of hands was considered to be good faith; today, we need a team of lawyers to decipher and translate small print, to make sure it is understood who is responsible.
Oh!, there is that inescapable word: "RESPONSIBLE". So much energy has been spent on making us understand that we do not have to be responsible for anything. We are told "guns kill people", "SUVs kill people", "its the environment that caused someone to do something", "my wife/husband doesn't understand me", "the Devil made me do it".
Something that has been nagging at the back of my mind is the idea that someone owes me something. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman Christians, entreated them to "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." It was Jesus who is quoted as saying, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."You know, I served 29 years in the naval service, basically laying my life down for: my friends, my family, my neighbors, but, also, every person who has ever breathed the air in the USA. Though I didn't know it at the time, my love was God, Country, and Corps. Had I been more oriented toward loving only myself I would have never put myself in the position of standing up to protect this country and the people who call it home. How do I qualify, or quantify, the fact that there are fifty thousand names on the Wall, and mine isn't there? I can't! Uhmm, while counseling, I learned that "I can't" is a cop-out; whenever I use it in a conversation, I need to replace it with, "I won't". In this case, both terms are effective. "I can't" explain why my name isn't on the Wall; and "I won't" even attempt to understand why.
Oooooppsssss! Kinda got off on a tangent.
When we accept the premise that God created us, and made us just the way we are, to be complementary to each other, in fellowship, we find the lines demarcating the separateness between us being blurred; and even eradicated. Something a friend of mine once told me, has had quite an impression on my outlook. A term we use for God, is Yahweh, or YHWH. Inherent in the understanding of Yahweh, is the understanding that God is both male and female. Now, isn't that a revelation? Feminists tell us that God is a male that has no understanding of female.
When I go back to the Bible and spend some time reading and studying, I find that, yes, God created us male and female, man and woman, but He also gave us the gifts we needed to be complementary. We need look no further than Jacob and Esau. We are told that Esau was a man of the earth, and Jacob was a man of the tents. Esau was the epitome of manliness...while Jacob was more domesticated. He liked to cook, and basically hated hunting. He preferred the safety of home, to the freedom of the open road. And guess what? Jacob became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now, how can a reasonable person qualify, or quantify, why Jacob would be the "superior" one, and Esau would be in a secondary position? Basically goes against everything we are being taught in these days.
I have found, that my ability to cook, sew, wash clothes, iron, mend and do them domesticated kindsa things, has the propensity to bring out animosity from women. I look back on my most recent marriage and divorce, and realize that life would have been much different if both of us had accepted who we were, and were willing to learn from each other, and to help each other, rather than marginalize each other.
My ex has a beautiful singing voice, she plays musical instruments by reading notes, and "by ear"; and I am told she has perfect pitch. All my life I have wanted to be able to sing, and play an instrument. My father denigrated any effort telling me I was tone deaf. When I was participating in Barbershop quartet singing, I was given the opportunity to listen to the notes, and practice hitting those notes; sometimes pretty time consuming. How much different the relationship between my ex and I might have been, had she been willing to teach me some of the things she taught music students, rather than telling me I was hopeless.
I can see how the relationship might have been different if we had worked together in the kitchen, sharing cooking secrets, rather than feeling animosity because one was different than the other.
Seems to me, that if we will be comfortable with who we are, rather than striving to be someone we can never be, life would be so much better.
My mind has just told me, that what I am trying to say is, if we are willing to live in fellowship with each other; ready to learn from and teach to each other, life will be more copacetic, and livable. And we won't have any reason to demand respect or love from each other.
Anything I might say is a direct product of as much of my 64 years as I can remember, through three marriages and divorces, death of an infant child, 29 years of active duty in the US Naval Service, five years of pastoring a rural church, nine months of serving as a volunteer missionary in Ecuador, and death of my father at an early age. I would preface all remarks with the thought that my experience does not qualify me as an expert on any subject; even tho I may have the subjective and objective knowledge and understanding.
To begin, I believe God created humans for the purpose of being in fellowship: with each other, and with Him. I have studied psychology, in its many manifestations, and have seriously looked at Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. He coined the term "self-actualization" and placed it at the top to indicate a person becoming the very best they could be. Inherent in attaining self-actualization is the ability/availability of having met all the needs we understand humans have.
Being in fellowship with each other presents its own pantheon of road blocks and pot holes along the road of life. I have often thought how good it would be if God would just drop down a note saying where I am supposed to be, how I am supposed to live, and what I am supposed to do. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, that doesn't happen. I do believe, however, that God has provided us with an "owner's manual" in the form of what we call the Bible, or Scripture. And sometimes, I just don't want to look into the manual to learn what I am supposed to do.
Probably, the most copacetic life I have lived was in the Marine Corps, and I am not surprised that the Corps' philosophy was "God, Country, and Corps"; with the motto "Semper Fidelis". Multitudinous manuscripts could be penned regarding the Latin term "Semper Fidelis", Always Faithful! In this post-modern world we are living in, faithfulness is considered to be archaic, old-hat, part of an old paternalistic oppression. There was a time when the shaking of hands was considered to be good faith; today, we need a team of lawyers to decipher and translate small print, to make sure it is understood who is responsible.
Oh!, there is that inescapable word: "RESPONSIBLE". So much energy has been spent on making us understand that we do not have to be responsible for anything. We are told "guns kill people", "SUVs kill people", "its the environment that caused someone to do something", "my wife/husband doesn't understand me", "the Devil made me do it".
Something that has been nagging at the back of my mind is the idea that someone owes me something. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Roman Christians, entreated them to "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law." It was Jesus who is quoted as saying, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."You know, I served 29 years in the naval service, basically laying my life down for: my friends, my family, my neighbors, but, also, every person who has ever breathed the air in the USA. Though I didn't know it at the time, my love was God, Country, and Corps. Had I been more oriented toward loving only myself I would have never put myself in the position of standing up to protect this country and the people who call it home. How do I qualify, or quantify, the fact that there are fifty thousand names on the Wall, and mine isn't there? I can't! Uhmm, while counseling, I learned that "I can't" is a cop-out; whenever I use it in a conversation, I need to replace it with, "I won't". In this case, both terms are effective. "I can't" explain why my name isn't on the Wall; and "I won't" even attempt to understand why.
Oooooppsssss! Kinda got off on a tangent.
When we accept the premise that God created us, and made us just the way we are, to be complementary to each other, in fellowship, we find the lines demarcating the separateness between us being blurred; and even eradicated. Something a friend of mine once told me, has had quite an impression on my outlook. A term we use for God, is Yahweh, or YHWH. Inherent in the understanding of Yahweh, is the understanding that God is both male and female. Now, isn't that a revelation? Feminists tell us that God is a male that has no understanding of female.
When I go back to the Bible and spend some time reading and studying, I find that, yes, God created us male and female, man and woman, but He also gave us the gifts we needed to be complementary. We need look no further than Jacob and Esau. We are told that Esau was a man of the earth, and Jacob was a man of the tents. Esau was the epitome of manliness...while Jacob was more domesticated. He liked to cook, and basically hated hunting. He preferred the safety of home, to the freedom of the open road. And guess what? Jacob became the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Now, how can a reasonable person qualify, or quantify, why Jacob would be the "superior" one, and Esau would be in a secondary position? Basically goes against everything we are being taught in these days.
I have found, that my ability to cook, sew, wash clothes, iron, mend and do them domesticated kindsa things, has the propensity to bring out animosity from women. I look back on my most recent marriage and divorce, and realize that life would have been much different if both of us had accepted who we were, and were willing to learn from each other, and to help each other, rather than marginalize each other.
My ex has a beautiful singing voice, she plays musical instruments by reading notes, and "by ear"; and I am told she has perfect pitch. All my life I have wanted to be able to sing, and play an instrument. My father denigrated any effort telling me I was tone deaf. When I was participating in Barbershop quartet singing, I was given the opportunity to listen to the notes, and practice hitting those notes; sometimes pretty time consuming. How much different the relationship between my ex and I might have been, had she been willing to teach me some of the things she taught music students, rather than telling me I was hopeless.
I can see how the relationship might have been different if we had worked together in the kitchen, sharing cooking secrets, rather than feeling animosity because one was different than the other.
Seems to me, that if we will be comfortable with who we are, rather than striving to be someone we can never be, life would be so much better.
My mind has just told me, that what I am trying to say is, if we are willing to live in fellowship with each other; ready to learn from and teach to each other, life will be more copacetic, and livable. And we won't have any reason to demand respect or love from each other.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Priorities
I observed a pickup truck, one day, with a bumper sticker that proclaimed, "When the Church ruled the world they called it the 'dark ages'".
I have been pondering that statement, and though I did not follow the vehicle and talk with the lady that was driving, I want to take a moment to look at that statement.
Today, more than at any time in my life, we are experiencing an all out effort to rewrite Amercian history, to remove any reference to God's involvement, or the involvement of the Christian Church in the founding of our country. For years, now, I have listened to radio announcements regarding graduation that proclaim, "Whenever a small community began to grow, the first public building that was built was a school." I don't think that is true.
When a group of people decided to form a town, the first public building they built was usually a church. It was the church that took on the resonsibility of teaching people to read and write, and do their numbers. The initial textbooks were the Bible. For the most part, the pastor, or parson, was the most educated person in town; and it was understood that he would do the Christian thing to educate everybody.
The first colleges and universities were also started by the Christian church, for the purpose of training clergy to continue the good work.
In the Continental Navy, the chaplain was also the purser, and the person who took care of the administration. Again, not only was he the most educated person onboard, he was also the most trustworthy.
Finally, hospitals in this country were founded by the Christian church, as a means of taking care of sick people, keeping them near the doctor, and isolating them until they could get along on their own again.
If that was the "dark ages", that is the life for me. I am tired of living in the age of enlightenment, where morals and ethics are dependent on each person's interpretation and perception.
At the end of his long life, Moses spoke these words to the Israelites: "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;...I call heaven and earth as witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Today, we would do good to pay heed to the words Moses spoke. Our post-modern world is driving us farther and farther away from "loving the LORD our God, and obeying His voice"; and farther away from life and the length of our days, and especially living in the land which the LORD swore to our Fathers. Those who refuse to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.
I have been pondering that statement, and though I did not follow the vehicle and talk with the lady that was driving, I want to take a moment to look at that statement.
Today, more than at any time in my life, we are experiencing an all out effort to rewrite Amercian history, to remove any reference to God's involvement, or the involvement of the Christian Church in the founding of our country. For years, now, I have listened to radio announcements regarding graduation that proclaim, "Whenever a small community began to grow, the first public building that was built was a school." I don't think that is true.
When a group of people decided to form a town, the first public building they built was usually a church. It was the church that took on the resonsibility of teaching people to read and write, and do their numbers. The initial textbooks were the Bible. For the most part, the pastor, or parson, was the most educated person in town; and it was understood that he would do the Christian thing to educate everybody.
The first colleges and universities were also started by the Christian church, for the purpose of training clergy to continue the good work.
In the Continental Navy, the chaplain was also the purser, and the person who took care of the administration. Again, not only was he the most educated person onboard, he was also the most trustworthy.
Finally, hospitals in this country were founded by the Christian church, as a means of taking care of sick people, keeping them near the doctor, and isolating them until they could get along on their own again.
If that was the "dark ages", that is the life for me. I am tired of living in the age of enlightenment, where morals and ethics are dependent on each person's interpretation and perception.
At the end of his long life, Moses spoke these words to the Israelites: "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity;...I call heaven and earth as witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them."
Today, we would do good to pay heed to the words Moses spoke. Our post-modern world is driving us farther and farther away from "loving the LORD our God, and obeying His voice"; and farther away from life and the length of our days, and especially living in the land which the LORD swore to our Fathers. Those who refuse to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.
Friday, January 15, 2010
The time has come,for all good men & women to come to the aid of their country
OATH KEEPERS: ORDERS WE WILL NOT OBEY
Click here to read full length version.
1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.
2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people
3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.
4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.
5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.
6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."
9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.
10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
Click here to read full length version.
Click here to read full length version.
1. We will NOT obey orders to disarm the American people.
2. We will NOT obey orders to conduct warrantless searches of the American people
3. We will NOT obey orders to detain American citizens as “unlawful enemy combatants” or to subject them to military tribunal.
4. We will NOT obey orders to impose martial law or a “state of emergency” on a state.
5. We will NOT obey orders to invade and subjugate any state that asserts its sovereignty.
6. We will NOT obey any order to blockade American cities, thus turning them into giant concentration camps.
7. We will NOT obey any order to force American citizens into any form of detention camps under any pretext.
8. We will NOT obey orders to assist or support the use of any foreign troops on U.S. soil against the American people to “keep the peace” or to “maintain control."
9. We will NOT obey any orders to confiscate the property of the American people, including food and other essential supplies.
10.We will NOT obey any orders which infringe on the right of the people to free speech, to peaceably assemble, and to petition their government for a redress of grievances.
Click here to read full length version.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Bless = Bliss
My special friend, Sherri, authors periodic thoughts for email, entitled "mind medicine". If anyone is interested in receiving these thought provoking emails, simply send an email to "bahasherri@yahoo.com", subj line: Mind Med, including the email address you would prefer they be sent to.
This morning's thought:
"Bliss. Bless.
Bliss = Bless
Bless = Bliss
These two words seem interchangeable to me."
Got me thinking. To my understanding, to bless is to show approval. Biblical history shows us that when people were where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to be doing, and being who they were supposed to be, they were blessed. Should they be off in any one of these areas, there was a sense of having lost the blessing.
Sadly, today, we talk about encouraging self-esteem in each other; which is consistently difficult to accomplish. Self-esteem, is how we feel about ourself...especially as it relates to others around us. So, we hear platitudes about respect me, I am your equal. Generally, when we are seeking to feel good about our self we have lost the blessing, and we compensate for that by demanding that others recognize us for who we want, or used, to be.
There was a time, when a father would "bless" his children. I don't know if we use the idiom much anymore, but there was a time when a man would ask a woman's father for his blessing on their marriage. You see, in reality, blessing is a blessing; and to our disadvantage we have chosen to not bless our children, and instead seek to encourage their self-esteem building.
Henri JM Nouwen in his book, "Life of the Beloved", Crossroad, New York, 1994, page 56, said: "Let me first tell you what I mean by the word "blessing". In Latin, to bless is benedicere. The word "benediction" that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying good things of someone." On page 57 he continues by saying: "A blessing touches the original goodness of the other and calls forth his or her Belovedness." I am amazed at how close the two words appear to be: blessedness and belovedness; because, you know they are basically the same. Oh, if only we could get each other to again recognize the value of being blessed.
Father Nouwen, then goes on to relate an incident in a home for mentally challenged people, where he was resident priest. At one of the prayer meetings, one of the members asked him if he would give her a blessing. He responded by making the sign of the cross on her forehead with his thumb. The member, exclaimed, "No, that doesn't work. I want a real blessing!" At the close of the prayer service, he invited her to come forward, and offered to give her a hug. As she closed in for the hug, he wrapped his arms around her. Of course he was wearing his sacramental robe, and in the process of enfolding her into a hug, he completely covered her with his robe. That picture still brings tears to my eyes. Yes, that is a blessing! What an affirmation of her blessedness, her belovedness. For me, that presents what I believe about God, that when we go to Him in repentance, He draws us close and enfolds us in His humongous arms, and we are loved like we have never been loved. Yeah! that's what its all about.
And that, conveniently leads me into the second part, the word "bliss". How should we define bliss? Is it not a feeling of extreme well-being? How much more can we possibly have a feeling of well-being, unless we are where we are supposed to be, when we are supposed to be there, and doing what we are supposed to be doing? That definitely sounds like being blessed. On the other side of the coin, we have the angle where we experience the bliss of having blessed someone, of having affirmed them, of having touched their original goodness and bringing to their mind their belovedness. You see, when we are blessing, we are receiving a blessing, and everyone comes out a winner. No need to demand equalness, or respect. We know we are at peace, and the world is copacetic.
Oh, if only we were able to understand and accept this simple bit of information; how much different this world would be. Wanna talk about hope and change? Look at the hope that would be engendered by blessing each other. You wanna talk about change? Just think of the change that would be wrought simply because we are all affirmed of our belovedness, and none of us worry about be shut out.
Thank you, Sherri, you have stimulated my mind. I love you.
This morning's thought:
"Bliss. Bless.
Bliss = Bless
Bless = Bliss
These two words seem interchangeable to me."
Got me thinking. To my understanding, to bless is to show approval. Biblical history shows us that when people were where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to be doing, and being who they were supposed to be, they were blessed. Should they be off in any one of these areas, there was a sense of having lost the blessing.
Sadly, today, we talk about encouraging self-esteem in each other; which is consistently difficult to accomplish. Self-esteem, is how we feel about ourself...especially as it relates to others around us. So, we hear platitudes about respect me, I am your equal. Generally, when we are seeking to feel good about our self we have lost the blessing, and we compensate for that by demanding that others recognize us for who we want, or used, to be.
There was a time, when a father would "bless" his children. I don't know if we use the idiom much anymore, but there was a time when a man would ask a woman's father for his blessing on their marriage. You see, in reality, blessing is a blessing; and to our disadvantage we have chosen to not bless our children, and instead seek to encourage their self-esteem building.
Henri JM Nouwen in his book, "Life of the Beloved", Crossroad, New York, 1994, page 56, said: "Let me first tell you what I mean by the word "blessing". In Latin, to bless is benedicere. The word "benediction" that is used in many churches means literally: speaking (dictio) well (bene) or saying good things of someone." On page 57 he continues by saying: "A blessing touches the original goodness of the other and calls forth his or her Belovedness." I am amazed at how close the two words appear to be: blessedness and belovedness; because, you know they are basically the same. Oh, if only we could get each other to again recognize the value of being blessed.
Father Nouwen, then goes on to relate an incident in a home for mentally challenged people, where he was resident priest. At one of the prayer meetings, one of the members asked him if he would give her a blessing. He responded by making the sign of the cross on her forehead with his thumb. The member, exclaimed, "No, that doesn't work. I want a real blessing!" At the close of the prayer service, he invited her to come forward, and offered to give her a hug. As she closed in for the hug, he wrapped his arms around her. Of course he was wearing his sacramental robe, and in the process of enfolding her into a hug, he completely covered her with his robe. That picture still brings tears to my eyes. Yes, that is a blessing! What an affirmation of her blessedness, her belovedness. For me, that presents what I believe about God, that when we go to Him in repentance, He draws us close and enfolds us in His humongous arms, and we are loved like we have never been loved. Yeah! that's what its all about.
And that, conveniently leads me into the second part, the word "bliss". How should we define bliss? Is it not a feeling of extreme well-being? How much more can we possibly have a feeling of well-being, unless we are where we are supposed to be, when we are supposed to be there, and doing what we are supposed to be doing? That definitely sounds like being blessed. On the other side of the coin, we have the angle where we experience the bliss of having blessed someone, of having affirmed them, of having touched their original goodness and bringing to their mind their belovedness. You see, when we are blessing, we are receiving a blessing, and everyone comes out a winner. No need to demand equalness, or respect. We know we are at peace, and the world is copacetic.
Oh, if only we were able to understand and accept this simple bit of information; how much different this world would be. Wanna talk about hope and change? Look at the hope that would be engendered by blessing each other. You wanna talk about change? Just think of the change that would be wrought simply because we are all affirmed of our belovedness, and none of us worry about be shut out.
Thank you, Sherri, you have stimulated my mind. I love you.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Pause for the cause
While traversing the internet this morning, I came across the following post by Cassandra at http://www.villainouscompany.com/vcblog/.
Defining Conservatism
A while back I was asked by a very lovely and intelligent lady to write an essay on conservatism.
I did quite a bit of research and was rather surprised by what I learned. Yes, I do have an opinion on this subject. But I hear so many people say, "He/She isn't a conservative" that I can't quite resist throwing the question back at you all: "OK. Exactly what IS a conservative? Define it for me."
So that's my challenge to you, whether you are a blogger or a reader. Define conservatism for me. Better yet, do it for yourself.
Have at it in the comments section. And if you are a blogger and want to post your reply, let me know and I'll post a roundup of responses.
Should be an interesting discussion.
So, how do I understand conservatism?
I think it is about personal responsibility. I know that is a big umbrella to start out with, however, I must go back to the understanding that the God who created this world, universe, and all living creatures, thought it pertinent to bestow on us, human critters, free will. We have the ability to do what we want to, but we also have an "owner's manual" that tells us what happens when we choose to live a certain way.
The human heart cries out for freedom. All across the history of mankind, we find those in bondage, crying out to be free. And all across this history, we find those whose whole purpose in life appears to be enslaving others, and having power over them to refuse them any opportunity to exercise their free will.
Involved in my idea of being free, is the ability to earn and hold private property. I grew up in the forties and fifties. I well remember watching "Victory at Sea" at the local theater, and watching the news items that showed how people over in Europe lived. I read the Declaration of Independence, and learn that the people most instrumental in beginning this country, left Europe to get away from onerous taxation, and overbearing government. I grew up with the story of Robin Hood...not the Robbing Hood we have today, of the government taxing every aspect of our lives, but the Robin Hood, who battled the oppressive government of the day, to take back what rightfully belonged to the people.
Since I graduated from high school, I have had the privilege to visit places like Seoul, Korea; Manilla and Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Guyana, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and parts of Guatemala. I have also had the privilege of being able to live in Quito, Ecuador for nine months. I have been able to see the lifestyle of people who do not have the freedom we have been inherently provided by God. I have watched children take off their clothes to go swimming, because it was the only pair of pants and shirt they owned. I have seen how people live because the government controls everything in the country.
Conservatism, means respecting each other's right to freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I have experienced some moments of hillarity, when I have read the billboards that say: "Respect me". Respect is a two way street, and I find it really hard to respect someone who does not respect me. The hard knocks of the school of life have taught me to give the benefit of the doubt to everyone I meet. I choose to respect every person I meet, or come in contact with; however, when someone disdains my respect, or uses it to gain power over me, I lose respect for them. Sometimes, I can understand the words of Linus from the Peanuts cartoon where he said, "I love humanity, it's people I can't stand.
I guess, respecting each other's right to freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness goes beyond "Live and let live". I believe that God created mankind to be in communion, with each other, and with Him. Being in communion with each other means lending a hand when needed; encouraging someone who is losing courage, helping to raise each other above the level we think we are only capable of reaching. I do not consider government taking hard earned money from earners, and giving it to non earners to be humanitarian. In fact I find it to be humiliating. Again, this goes back to individual responsibility.
Our collective consciousness shows us how beautiful life can be when we all work together, encourage each other, and strive to be the best we can be. I guess in a kind of a nutshell, that would be conservatism for me.
Defining Conservatism
A while back I was asked by a very lovely and intelligent lady to write an essay on conservatism.
I did quite a bit of research and was rather surprised by what I learned. Yes, I do have an opinion on this subject. But I hear so many people say, "He/She isn't a conservative" that I can't quite resist throwing the question back at you all: "OK. Exactly what IS a conservative? Define it for me."
So that's my challenge to you, whether you are a blogger or a reader. Define conservatism for me. Better yet, do it for yourself.
Have at it in the comments section. And if you are a blogger and want to post your reply, let me know and I'll post a roundup of responses.
Should be an interesting discussion.
So, how do I understand conservatism?
I think it is about personal responsibility. I know that is a big umbrella to start out with, however, I must go back to the understanding that the God who created this world, universe, and all living creatures, thought it pertinent to bestow on us, human critters, free will. We have the ability to do what we want to, but we also have an "owner's manual" that tells us what happens when we choose to live a certain way.
The human heart cries out for freedom. All across the history of mankind, we find those in bondage, crying out to be free. And all across this history, we find those whose whole purpose in life appears to be enslaving others, and having power over them to refuse them any opportunity to exercise their free will.
Involved in my idea of being free, is the ability to earn and hold private property. I grew up in the forties and fifties. I well remember watching "Victory at Sea" at the local theater, and watching the news items that showed how people over in Europe lived. I read the Declaration of Independence, and learn that the people most instrumental in beginning this country, left Europe to get away from onerous taxation, and overbearing government. I grew up with the story of Robin Hood...not the Robbing Hood we have today, of the government taxing every aspect of our lives, but the Robin Hood, who battled the oppressive government of the day, to take back what rightfully belonged to the people.
Since I graduated from high school, I have had the privilege to visit places like Seoul, Korea; Manilla and Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, Hong Kong, Guyana, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, and parts of Guatemala. I have also had the privilege of being able to live in Quito, Ecuador for nine months. I have been able to see the lifestyle of people who do not have the freedom we have been inherently provided by God. I have watched children take off their clothes to go swimming, because it was the only pair of pants and shirt they owned. I have seen how people live because the government controls everything in the country.
Conservatism, means respecting each other's right to freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I have experienced some moments of hillarity, when I have read the billboards that say: "Respect me". Respect is a two way street, and I find it really hard to respect someone who does not respect me. The hard knocks of the school of life have taught me to give the benefit of the doubt to everyone I meet. I choose to respect every person I meet, or come in contact with; however, when someone disdains my respect, or uses it to gain power over me, I lose respect for them. Sometimes, I can understand the words of Linus from the Peanuts cartoon where he said, "I love humanity, it's people I can't stand.
I guess, respecting each other's right to freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness goes beyond "Live and let live". I believe that God created mankind to be in communion, with each other, and with Him. Being in communion with each other means lending a hand when needed; encouraging someone who is losing courage, helping to raise each other above the level we think we are only capable of reaching. I do not consider government taking hard earned money from earners, and giving it to non earners to be humanitarian. In fact I find it to be humiliating. Again, this goes back to individual responsibility.
Our collective consciousness shows us how beautiful life can be when we all work together, encourage each other, and strive to be the best we can be. I guess in a kind of a nutshell, that would be conservatism for me.
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