I joined a secret club today. As a conspiracy theorist, you would think I would be ashamed of my hypocrisy. Secret societies are allegedly responsible for the downfall of western Christian civilization. The Freemasons, Skull and Bones, the Illuminati, the Club of Rome, the Ku Klux Klan and the Bohemian Club are just a few of the fraternal orders that seek to control the levers of power in public and religious institutions and government.
But the group I joined is not like these. It is, shall we say, a para-Christian fraternal order of celibate, same sex attracted brothers in Christ that have come together to support each other. Though I am not fully initiated in rites of this organization as yet, I believe what I will find is a group of men gathered in the name of Jesus to serve Him and each others. At least I hope that's where this is going. We will see.
Some of you that know me are already seeing potential problems here since I don't always socialize well. I like to argue. I enjoy humor that is at another's expense - sarcasm, irony, pathos - the list goes on. I enjoy crushing the traditions of others and tend to be intolerant of people that disagree with me...which is really everybody when I think about it. It's a wonder I have friends at all, but I digress. It makes you wonder how I even got into a church.
I'm kidding...mostly.
So why did I join this group? It's a logical question. I was thinking the other day that all of my close friends are straight with only a couple of exceptions that come to mind. These two are special to me, but they never seem to want to talk about the struggle. If they don't want to, I have respect that. It can be difficult to be in the closet and also express what you are feeling about SSA life with another person. I was in that situation for decades and I could not take it anymore. I had to come out. I needed to talk. And I might also add that my church has been very supportive and I appreciate that more than they will ever know. It's just that I need a group of friends that get me. I need to be with my people to a certain extent. I hate being the only one in the room. Sure, I'm a white guy and I blend in well, but now that everyone knows, I have become a minority within a minority. I imagine them seeing a little rainbow over my head amongst everyone else's halos, every time they look at me.
What I really want is a group of people like me at church. I'm sure those words just made my pastors and elders cringe if they are reading. But we need it. And more broadly, we need to minister to all the singles at church without pushing them toward marriage. If we want to marry, and God supports the idea, we will find a way so quit pushing please. It is not necessarily the Christian answer to all things sexual - maybe for you, but not for everyone. (see how tolerant I'm becoming)
So wish me the best on this adventure in which I endeavor to be part of a group. It may just kill me or be the best thing yet.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Friday, August 31, 2018
My Thoughts on The Future of the American Church - My Opinion
At 60 years old, I find myself wondering what my church will look like after I'm dead or maybe 100 years from now. Will it still exist? Will it have been transformed into something else more liberal and wishy washy? Will the rise of Islam in America turn it into a mosque?
My local church has been around since 1856 and I know much has changed since that time, but fundamentally, we still believe the same things about our Lord, the faith and the Bible. I would like to think that will continue, but who really knows? We are in an age of flux. Things could change for us and other churches that identify as evangelical and conservative.
So what is ahead for the American Church? How does the commitment of future generations of Christians, or even the ones coming up in the Church now, stack up against the pillars of the past in the American evangelical church? Will they do church in the same way we do, or is our current pattern of worship dying out? Will the emphasis still be on real estate heavy infrastructure or will there be a move to something simpler? What will this future Church be doing that might be considered spiritual and obedient to the Word of our God and will it be different from what has been our vision? These are valid questions, and frankly, they are my questions right here and now.
The pre World War II generation of American Christians is just about gone. Us Baby Boomers are getting quite long in the tooth. The Gen X youngsters in the church are looking for new ways, and the Millennials are gonna be trouble in my estimation. Those that come after the Millennials could go many ways. They could be more conservative than their forebears and create a movement within the Church of 'back to basics' or they may opt out all together. As I see it, it will be the Millennials that influence whatever comes after us Baby Boomers in the Church and this will in turn influence those that come after them. The future of the Church belongs to the Millennials.
Us Baby Boomers are passing on a considerable legacy to Gen X and the Millennials. It is both good and bad to some extent. We tend to be solid in our beliefs, we are not afraid to reach out in faith, even when there is a cost attached and we tend to respect tradition and the idea of the nuclear family. The problem is that this is also our weakness; it is what will drive many Millennials to rebellion against what we see as the Biblical Church.
The Baby Boomers are also leaving considerable monetary debt, both in terms of government debt and in terms of Church debt. The Millennials arrive in adulthood with much debt themselves. Enormous college loans and a future house payment will leave them debt slaves for decades. Their taxes will rise to pay off Baby Boomer desire for both guns and butter and the last thing on their minds will be financing a real estate centered local church. They will be looking for options and the Churches will have to be ready to respond with new ideas.
Do we need these enormous temples filled with multi media equipment, comfortable chairs, church nurseries, on-line sermons, websites and classrooms? Is this not overhead that is unaffordable and uncalled for in the Bible? Are we wasting valuable resources and sacrificing missional outlook when we opt for comfort and convenience over the bare essentials? Are we not called to stewardship of what God has given us and did He not tell us to care for widows, orphans and the poor?
In a day when churches have such immense sums of money within their congregations, is it right to spend it on comfort? Is this what we've come to? Are we just playing 'church' or are we serious about saving souls? (We must be because we pay men to do it for us. Please forgive my sarcasm. I know that there are men called to do exactly that.)
I am trying to make you all think here people. We do a lot of extra biblical things today in our pursuit of the faith. We need to be more forward looking. We can worship in a pole barn or a rented warehouse and be planning a less expensive, more expansive future if we consider some of these questions now and arrive at sound Biblical answers.
I heard someone say last night that visiting outsiders will judge us by the appearance of our building. The backdrop of that was that ancient Israel let the temple go into decay and became separated from God. My thought is that they became separated from God when they had the wrong priorities. They worshipped other gods and completely forgot about Yahweh and His Law. And so the temple began to fall apart.
I personally think that outsiders are likely to judge us by our hearts to see if we are like Jesus or are just interested in more bread and circuses. I also believe that the Millennials will be most concerned with this question and NOT....is the building nice.
The future of the American Church is really in God's hands. If we fail to see the writing on the wall and reform our ways, He will do it for us. That's just how much He loves us.
I truly believe the day is coming when tithes will no longer be tax deductible. Churches will be taxed on both property and income. And pastors will be forced into paying social security taxes. It may even become illegal to be Christian. I think we need to prepare for this.
Beyond that, I think the modern evangelical church needs to look at it's idolatry of family in an open an honest way. Millennials and those that come after are going to be far less likely to marry early and many are going to opt for no marriage at all. They have seen and experienced the divorce culture both inside and outside the church and they have realized that it may well not be worth the effort.
We have to do something with and for our singles membership besides simply pushing them toward marriage. Single people need options for service and they should not be disqualified from service for that reason alone.
Think about the future my Brethren. It will not be like what has gone before. We need to be thinking about these things now before it's too late or the Lord has to step in to fix it. God shattered Israel like a pane of glass to fix her. What will He do with His Church?
My local church has been around since 1856 and I know much has changed since that time, but fundamentally, we still believe the same things about our Lord, the faith and the Bible. I would like to think that will continue, but who really knows? We are in an age of flux. Things could change for us and other churches that identify as evangelical and conservative.
So what is ahead for the American Church? How does the commitment of future generations of Christians, or even the ones coming up in the Church now, stack up against the pillars of the past in the American evangelical church? Will they do church in the same way we do, or is our current pattern of worship dying out? Will the emphasis still be on real estate heavy infrastructure or will there be a move to something simpler? What will this future Church be doing that might be considered spiritual and obedient to the Word of our God and will it be different from what has been our vision? These are valid questions, and frankly, they are my questions right here and now.
The pre World War II generation of American Christians is just about gone. Us Baby Boomers are getting quite long in the tooth. The Gen X youngsters in the church are looking for new ways, and the Millennials are gonna be trouble in my estimation. Those that come after the Millennials could go many ways. They could be more conservative than their forebears and create a movement within the Church of 'back to basics' or they may opt out all together. As I see it, it will be the Millennials that influence whatever comes after us Baby Boomers in the Church and this will in turn influence those that come after them. The future of the Church belongs to the Millennials.
Us Baby Boomers are passing on a considerable legacy to Gen X and the Millennials. It is both good and bad to some extent. We tend to be solid in our beliefs, we are not afraid to reach out in faith, even when there is a cost attached and we tend to respect tradition and the idea of the nuclear family. The problem is that this is also our weakness; it is what will drive many Millennials to rebellion against what we see as the Biblical Church.
The Baby Boomers are also leaving considerable monetary debt, both in terms of government debt and in terms of Church debt. The Millennials arrive in adulthood with much debt themselves. Enormous college loans and a future house payment will leave them debt slaves for decades. Their taxes will rise to pay off Baby Boomer desire for both guns and butter and the last thing on their minds will be financing a real estate centered local church. They will be looking for options and the Churches will have to be ready to respond with new ideas.
Do we need these enormous temples filled with multi media equipment, comfortable chairs, church nurseries, on-line sermons, websites and classrooms? Is this not overhead that is unaffordable and uncalled for in the Bible? Are we wasting valuable resources and sacrificing missional outlook when we opt for comfort and convenience over the bare essentials? Are we not called to stewardship of what God has given us and did He not tell us to care for widows, orphans and the poor?
In a day when churches have such immense sums of money within their congregations, is it right to spend it on comfort? Is this what we've come to? Are we just playing 'church' or are we serious about saving souls? (We must be because we pay men to do it for us. Please forgive my sarcasm. I know that there are men called to do exactly that.)
I am trying to make you all think here people. We do a lot of extra biblical things today in our pursuit of the faith. We need to be more forward looking. We can worship in a pole barn or a rented warehouse and be planning a less expensive, more expansive future if we consider some of these questions now and arrive at sound Biblical answers.
I heard someone say last night that visiting outsiders will judge us by the appearance of our building. The backdrop of that was that ancient Israel let the temple go into decay and became separated from God. My thought is that they became separated from God when they had the wrong priorities. They worshipped other gods and completely forgot about Yahweh and His Law. And so the temple began to fall apart.
I personally think that outsiders are likely to judge us by our hearts to see if we are like Jesus or are just interested in more bread and circuses. I also believe that the Millennials will be most concerned with this question and NOT....is the building nice.
The future of the American Church is really in God's hands. If we fail to see the writing on the wall and reform our ways, He will do it for us. That's just how much He loves us.
I truly believe the day is coming when tithes will no longer be tax deductible. Churches will be taxed on both property and income. And pastors will be forced into paying social security taxes. It may even become illegal to be Christian. I think we need to prepare for this.
Beyond that, I think the modern evangelical church needs to look at it's idolatry of family in an open an honest way. Millennials and those that come after are going to be far less likely to marry early and many are going to opt for no marriage at all. They have seen and experienced the divorce culture both inside and outside the church and they have realized that it may well not be worth the effort.
We have to do something with and for our singles membership besides simply pushing them toward marriage. Single people need options for service and they should not be disqualified from service for that reason alone.
Think about the future my Brethren. It will not be like what has gone before. We need to be thinking about these things now before it's too late or the Lord has to step in to fix it. God shattered Israel like a pane of glass to fix her. What will He do with His Church?
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
A Prayer of Frustration
Lord when we talk it's always the same
Thanks for this and for that, and so glad that you came
Please help me, please fix me, please make me all right
I just need me some peace so I can sleep tight
It's peace that I'm after and not so much stuff
A quieted mind without all the fluff
I stress about life with it's miseries
I just want to scream when I fall to my knees
Lord I can take much with regard to the pain
In my heart you rule, in my mind you do reign
But I'm still confused by the whys and the hows
And your purpose perplexes, makes me say 'holy cow'
Why did you bless me with desires in my flesh
That bring condemnation and create such a mess
And who do I blame if it was not You?
It was surely not me that brewed such bad stew
I will accept blame when control is my lack
I will own my behavior, It's mine to attack
But where comes the desire that I did not ask for
Is my flesh bent from Man's fall to the floor?
That my life should be strict, this I can accept
To not act on vile urges, this You can expect
But the urges themselves, from whence do they come?
They seem right to me, but the Word says that's dumb
If I live my life as seems to me normal
Then I go to hell and that will be horrible
So love is denied me in the physical sense
A touchless lifetime at sex's expense
To not know another as normal folks do
To live life alone when alone just won't do
It makes me angry and it makes me so sad
It makes me blame you Lord and that makes you mad
I'm sorry to blame you, I know it's not right
But I'm not right either and so thus I fight
To fight with my God, How stupid this be?
I lose everytime and You laugh much at me
Is this anyway to relationship make?
I guess it's a start if my soul You would take
Seems I start with a fight and I end with a whimper
Cause I need Your love without all the temper
You are my Abba, there's no way around it
That I don't understand You, that's what confounds it
I want to know You and I want to know why
I want You to fix it, but You only sigh
I know your love cost You and that it saved me
I know I am not as You'd have me to be
But I know too that I did not choose this
My thorn in my flesh is what makes me diss
You say sin is sin, that it's all just rebellion
And I try very hard not to be such a hellion
But when they are bent, these urges most primal
I'm so ashamed for it's sin in the Bible
To be like me, to want the unnatural
All hope becomes lost, condemnation is actual
I want what I want and that it be right
But you say that it's not and that makes me uptight
Finding reason and ration for why these things are
Has drawn us closer from times we were far
If this is Your point and Your purpose be this
Was there not some way other - other than this?
You say, "who are you boy to question your Lord"
I say, "I'm just asking, please sheath the sword"
Of clay I am made by Your Potter's hand
A vessel with purpose your design surely stand
What was it You wanted when you made me?
A vessel of wrath, my destruction soon be?
Or was something noble your plan and design?
In the hearth, in the kiln with great heat refined?
I hope that last bit is what you intend
And that you somehow can make my will bend
To go through this life with love unrequitted or
To end this life in hell just to be spitted
This I would ask, that not be your plan
Please help me to deal and to not want a man
If need be, please take me, please show me how
To lose sex's desire and to lose it all now
It's too late by this time for me to go straight
But to go forward now it's still not too late
To be neutered at this point would not matter to me
It would simplify life so free I could be
Just take this thing; just take it from me
Burn it in fire so no one can see
All the blame and the pain and reproach on myself,
The guilt and the shame and the sinning in stealth,
The fear for my life and my spiritual health,
I would have it end now, if it takes all my wealth
I'm bored by it all -I just want it over
Let it end with us being just that much more closer
Take me your vessel, and now fill me up
Wash me clean of the poison, make me your favorite cup
There on Your table by Your throne I would sit
I would bask in your power as You keep heaven lit
So do not depsise me when my thoughts wander
Please allow me some grace and some mercy to ponder
Let me feel your presence residing in me
Empower me now so I can be free
Thanks for loving and listening and being my Lord
I long for the day when I'll be restored
But for now I'll be happy to be your cup broken
With the cracks and the chips and not just some token.
Thanks for this and for that, and so glad that you came
Please help me, please fix me, please make me all right
I just need me some peace so I can sleep tight
It's peace that I'm after and not so much stuff
A quieted mind without all the fluff
I stress about life with it's miseries
I just want to scream when I fall to my knees
Lord I can take much with regard to the pain
In my heart you rule, in my mind you do reign
But I'm still confused by the whys and the hows
And your purpose perplexes, makes me say 'holy cow'
Why did you bless me with desires in my flesh
That bring condemnation and create such a mess
And who do I blame if it was not You?
It was surely not me that brewed such bad stew
I will accept blame when control is my lack
I will own my behavior, It's mine to attack
But where comes the desire that I did not ask for
Is my flesh bent from Man's fall to the floor?
That my life should be strict, this I can accept
To not act on vile urges, this You can expect
But the urges themselves, from whence do they come?
They seem right to me, but the Word says that's dumb
If I live my life as seems to me normal
Then I go to hell and that will be horrible
So love is denied me in the physical sense
A touchless lifetime at sex's expense
To not know another as normal folks do
To live life alone when alone just won't do
It makes me angry and it makes me so sad
It makes me blame you Lord and that makes you mad
I'm sorry to blame you, I know it's not right
But I'm not right either and so thus I fight
To fight with my God, How stupid this be?
I lose everytime and You laugh much at me
Is this anyway to relationship make?
I guess it's a start if my soul You would take
Seems I start with a fight and I end with a whimper
Cause I need Your love without all the temper
You are my Abba, there's no way around it
That I don't understand You, that's what confounds it
I want to know You and I want to know why
I want You to fix it, but You only sigh
I know your love cost You and that it saved me
I know I am not as You'd have me to be
But I know too that I did not choose this
My thorn in my flesh is what makes me diss
You say sin is sin, that it's all just rebellion
And I try very hard not to be such a hellion
But when they are bent, these urges most primal
I'm so ashamed for it's sin in the Bible
To be like me, to want the unnatural
All hope becomes lost, condemnation is actual
I want what I want and that it be right
But you say that it's not and that makes me uptight
Finding reason and ration for why these things are
Has drawn us closer from times we were far
If this is Your point and Your purpose be this
Was there not some way other - other than this?
You say, "who are you boy to question your Lord"
I say, "I'm just asking, please sheath the sword"
Of clay I am made by Your Potter's hand
A vessel with purpose your design surely stand
What was it You wanted when you made me?
A vessel of wrath, my destruction soon be?
Or was something noble your plan and design?
In the hearth, in the kiln with great heat refined?
I hope that last bit is what you intend
And that you somehow can make my will bend
To go through this life with love unrequitted or
To end this life in hell just to be spitted
This I would ask, that not be your plan
Please help me to deal and to not want a man
If need be, please take me, please show me how
To lose sex's desire and to lose it all now
It's too late by this time for me to go straight
But to go forward now it's still not too late
To be neutered at this point would not matter to me
It would simplify life so free I could be
Just take this thing; just take it from me
Burn it in fire so no one can see
All the blame and the pain and reproach on myself,
The guilt and the shame and the sinning in stealth,
The fear for my life and my spiritual health,
I would have it end now, if it takes all my wealth
I'm bored by it all -I just want it over
Let it end with us being just that much more closer
Take me your vessel, and now fill me up
Wash me clean of the poison, make me your favorite cup
There on Your table by Your throne I would sit
I would bask in your power as You keep heaven lit
So do not depsise me when my thoughts wander
Please allow me some grace and some mercy to ponder
Let me feel your presence residing in me
Empower me now so I can be free
Thanks for loving and listening and being my Lord
I long for the day when I'll be restored
But for now I'll be happy to be your cup broken
With the cracks and the chips and not just some token.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Monday, July 30, 2018
Random Events and Coincidences In Life
Yesterday was a good day to be in church. The pastor was in top form. He had just returned from a mountain retreat and he was well rested, relaxed and ready to go. The delivery, organization and research for the sermon was among his best. One of the major premises of the sermon was, however, in my view, incorrect and misleading, bordering on dangerous.
Let me say at the outset that this is my opinion. Most others present would agree with the pastor and I would be in the very small minority (as usual). Neither is this a personal attack on the pastor. I consider him my friend and I have a great deal of respect for him as a vocational minister. He is very good with people. It is his gift. You cannot go away feeling bad after talking to him. If you do, it's probably because you are the problem and not him.
I would also say that this may be one of those times where I point out a distinction where there is no difference. Perhaps we just have two ways of getting to the same place. I do not know. We will see.
My point of disagreement comes when he says that there are no coincidences in life or random events. Everything that happens in our reality has purpose and even a divine purpose for us and that we ourselves have special and specific purposes in this life.
I do not think this is correct or biblical or even close to being true and it might even be dangerous for young Christians to entertain these ideas as they were presented. Perhaps it is half true. I might be able to meet him there. Let me explain.
I would say that most events in the lives of rank and file Christians ARE random and / or coincidental. God is not directly involved in most of them unless we invite Him to help us deal with them. He has a general will for all our lives as revealed in the Bible. He has also created us all with specific abilities to enable us to serve Him in unique ways, unique specifically to ourselves and maybe a few others. Our calling in service to Him is to use the tools he gave us to react to the randomness and the coincidental events in our lives.
Learning to recognize these events should not be necessary or even required if we are following God's general will for us outlined in His scriptures. Our reaction to these random life events should simply be our automatic Christian response; our use of our God given abilities. None of this requires any specialness of purpose. Consider this parable.
Two parents give their children coloring books and two different sets of crayons each containing different shades and hues. They ask their children to work together to complete the coloring books to the best of their abilities regardless of what might come up on its' pages. The only thing the parents ask is that the children stay within the lines of the book's images to ensure a beautiful and unique product. Everything else would be up to them as they move from random image to random image.
And so the children begin their work, forced to cooperate because of the distinctiveness of their individual crayon colors and artistic skill levels. They have everything they need to move through this task as it was provided by their parents. Now if they refuse to do the work or ignore their parent's instruction about how to do it, they will have trouble coming their way. Obedience is their key to success.
And this is the way it is with us. We do not know what will come up in our life coloring books, but if we do the will of our Father and we use what He gave us, everything will be better because of the freedom He gave us to decide how to complete the task set before us. We are not special. We are not equal in our abilities. We are merely different in our approach and talent as we react to life's randomness and work together toward that end.
The danger in telling someone that they have a special purpose that no one else has should be self evident. When we become filled with the notion of specialness, we begin to view ourselves in a different light. We may even think more highly of ourselves than our brethren or at least more highly than we ought. There is also the danger of disappointment and loss of faith when the random events of our lives smack down that alleged specialness and we realize we are mere mortals after all.
Generally and historically speaking, the only people that seem to have special purpose and significance in God's overall purposes are those directly called by Him and those He speaks directly to. The Bible is filled with these people (prophets, apostles, etc) , but it is also filled with people that did God's will without any 'special' calling. They were merely obedient to what they knew from scripture was His true and perfect will.
To conclude, I would say that life is mostly random, meaningless, labor intensive and painful (see Genesis 3). It's what we do with what we've been given that makes it worth every one's time. While God is in control, He is not a control freak. He has given us decision making power - a bit of His sovereignty - to make life here a little less nasty and brutish, though short. We have the crayons. We just have to stay within the lines. Now go do some coloring.
Let me say at the outset that this is my opinion. Most others present would agree with the pastor and I would be in the very small minority (as usual). Neither is this a personal attack on the pastor. I consider him my friend and I have a great deal of respect for him as a vocational minister. He is very good with people. It is his gift. You cannot go away feeling bad after talking to him. If you do, it's probably because you are the problem and not him.
I would also say that this may be one of those times where I point out a distinction where there is no difference. Perhaps we just have two ways of getting to the same place. I do not know. We will see.
My point of disagreement comes when he says that there are no coincidences in life or random events. Everything that happens in our reality has purpose and even a divine purpose for us and that we ourselves have special and specific purposes in this life.
I do not think this is correct or biblical or even close to being true and it might even be dangerous for young Christians to entertain these ideas as they were presented. Perhaps it is half true. I might be able to meet him there. Let me explain.
I would say that most events in the lives of rank and file Christians ARE random and / or coincidental. God is not directly involved in most of them unless we invite Him to help us deal with them. He has a general will for all our lives as revealed in the Bible. He has also created us all with specific abilities to enable us to serve Him in unique ways, unique specifically to ourselves and maybe a few others. Our calling in service to Him is to use the tools he gave us to react to the randomness and the coincidental events in our lives.
Learning to recognize these events should not be necessary or even required if we are following God's general will for us outlined in His scriptures. Our reaction to these random life events should simply be our automatic Christian response; our use of our God given abilities. None of this requires any specialness of purpose. Consider this parable.
Two parents give their children coloring books and two different sets of crayons each containing different shades and hues. They ask their children to work together to complete the coloring books to the best of their abilities regardless of what might come up on its' pages. The only thing the parents ask is that the children stay within the lines of the book's images to ensure a beautiful and unique product. Everything else would be up to them as they move from random image to random image.
And so the children begin their work, forced to cooperate because of the distinctiveness of their individual crayon colors and artistic skill levels. They have everything they need to move through this task as it was provided by their parents. Now if they refuse to do the work or ignore their parent's instruction about how to do it, they will have trouble coming their way. Obedience is their key to success.
And this is the way it is with us. We do not know what will come up in our life coloring books, but if we do the will of our Father and we use what He gave us, everything will be better because of the freedom He gave us to decide how to complete the task set before us. We are not special. We are not equal in our abilities. We are merely different in our approach and talent as we react to life's randomness and work together toward that end.
The danger in telling someone that they have a special purpose that no one else has should be self evident. When we become filled with the notion of specialness, we begin to view ourselves in a different light. We may even think more highly of ourselves than our brethren or at least more highly than we ought. There is also the danger of disappointment and loss of faith when the random events of our lives smack down that alleged specialness and we realize we are mere mortals after all.
Generally and historically speaking, the only people that seem to have special purpose and significance in God's overall purposes are those directly called by Him and those He speaks directly to. The Bible is filled with these people (prophets, apostles, etc) , but it is also filled with people that did God's will without any 'special' calling. They were merely obedient to what they knew from scripture was His true and perfect will.
To conclude, I would say that life is mostly random, meaningless, labor intensive and painful (see Genesis 3). It's what we do with what we've been given that makes it worth every one's time. While God is in control, He is not a control freak. He has given us decision making power - a bit of His sovereignty - to make life here a little less nasty and brutish, though short. We have the crayons. We just have to stay within the lines. Now go do some coloring.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
The Trump - Putin Summit
What is with the panic mode that every one in the press and in the intelligence community is enjoying in the wake of the Trump - Putin Summit? Nothing was decided. Nothing was signed. No one gave anything away. And yet, everyone seems appalled that our President actually tried to talk to the man with the power to destroy Europe and The US.
Forget the old adage, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer' and realize that without dialogue, the danger of war increases daily. So what if the Russian Federation meddled in our election? It's not like we have not done the same to them and scores of other countries around the world. We are responsible for coups all over the world. The war on terror has been a war to destabilize governments throughout the Mideast. This did not stop terrorism, but it did cause a flood of immigration into Europe and the US, the greatest invasion of sovereign nations in history.
This is the kind of thing the US intelligence community has been up to in just the last 20 years. Knowing this, why should Americans believe the US intelligence community when they say Russia tried to influence our elections?
My belief is that they have an agenda, a plan for the world, that does not have the best interests of the United States as first and foremost in the scheme. I am beginning to believe that they want a new cold war with an old enemy or maybe even a hot war. What's the motivation for this you ask? Increased military and intelligence spending. Enrichment of defense based industries. Strengthening of the security industrial complex.
The horrors of a war with Russia should be enough to bring anyone to the peace table. Even if it were merely a ground war, the casualties would be astronomical. Both Napoleon and Hitler thought they could take Russia. Both were summarily defeated. And a nuclear war with Russia would devastate the entire planet.
We have to talk to them. Control your Trump Derangement Syndrome long enough to realize that this is what needs to happen. It's time to move on people. Trump was heroic in Helsinki. He and Putin broke the ice. Let's move forward.
Forget the old adage, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer' and realize that without dialogue, the danger of war increases daily. So what if the Russian Federation meddled in our election? It's not like we have not done the same to them and scores of other countries around the world. We are responsible for coups all over the world. The war on terror has been a war to destabilize governments throughout the Mideast. This did not stop terrorism, but it did cause a flood of immigration into Europe and the US, the greatest invasion of sovereign nations in history.
This is the kind of thing the US intelligence community has been up to in just the last 20 years. Knowing this, why should Americans believe the US intelligence community when they say Russia tried to influence our elections?
My belief is that they have an agenda, a plan for the world, that does not have the best interests of the United States as first and foremost in the scheme. I am beginning to believe that they want a new cold war with an old enemy or maybe even a hot war. What's the motivation for this you ask? Increased military and intelligence spending. Enrichment of defense based industries. Strengthening of the security industrial complex.
The horrors of a war with Russia should be enough to bring anyone to the peace table. Even if it were merely a ground war, the casualties would be astronomical. Both Napoleon and Hitler thought they could take Russia. Both were summarily defeated. And a nuclear war with Russia would devastate the entire planet.
We have to talk to them. Control your Trump Derangement Syndrome long enough to realize that this is what needs to happen. It's time to move on people. Trump was heroic in Helsinki. He and Putin broke the ice. Let's move forward.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
The Neighbors
I am a people watcher. I may have picked up the practice from my Dad. I remember when I was a kid going to lunch with him in the summer. We would get our fast food and he would then drive us to the local public pool. We would sit in the car in the pool parking lot next to the pool fence and eat. While I was engrossed in my food, Dad would be engrossed in the pool activity. I always thought there was something a bit perverse and voyeuristic about this practice, but it was also fun and funny to watch half naked people interact at the swimming pool. I always liked it when the life guard would get into it with a seven year old over the pool rules. The life guard was inevitably a high school sophomore that thought he was the local swimming pool god and the seven year olds at the pool would invariably try to undermine his alleged authority. Dad, however, seemed to be looking at something else. It was kind of disturbing and I will not go into, suffice it to say we were not watching the same things.
I still watch. People are fascinating. Say what you will, I like to watch people. I like to imagine their life stories. to pick up clues as to who they are and what they do and whether they are happy, or angst filled or depressed or whatever. It is the soap opera in my mind and it's better than TV. Today I am at a local lake contemplating some fishing and watching people as I type this stuff. I also frequent grocery store parking lots, fast food restaurants and coffee shops to watch the human drama. I can't seem to get enough of it. Finding a place to sit and watch on a cool day at the Iowa State Fair is another favorite. That's next month.
And that brings me to my neighbors. Some of you know that I moved back to my townhouse on the south side that I left 7 years ago. I am glad I did not sell it. I enjoy this little community where all the homes are exactly alike and all the people are completely different. To sit on my porch and watch in the early evening; that is one of my great pleasures. You can hear 4 or 5 different languages spoken as people groups walk by on the sidewalk. You can see men holding hands and rednecks with their confederate flag t-shirts and African Americans listening to rap. We are a very mixed group and I have invented life stories for all of them in my head. I will not testify to the reality of my head based drama, but I am to the point where I would like to test if my perceptions are anywhere near correct.
My next door neighbor is a single foster mother. She came home with her foster son before I moved out. I do not believe he was more than 7 years old at the time. When I moved back, he had become a young man that needs to shave and his mother seems daily frustrated by the fact that he does not take care of himself. One day he locked her out of the house. She sat outside in her lawn chair talking to him through an open window. He eventually let her back in the house, but the through the window conversation centered around her son's need for privacy. In my head, I imagined that she had found his porn stash and so the battle ensued.
My neighbor across the street is single. She likes my flowers. She moved into the hood in May. She is close to my age, but still works. Her children and grandchildren visit her with great regularity as does a man about my age with Warren county plates on his cars. I imagine this is her brother. I further imagine that she is divorced, that her husband left her for a younger woman or man and that the bitterness of this has all passed. I also think she is a nurse....she just seems like a nurse to me.
Another neighbor across the street that moved in back in May spent a great deal of time remodeling the place before he took up residence. He's about 26 years old, seems to be in a security oriented occupation and carries a hand gun. He is a single father of a son not more than 4 years old. His son is currently not with him. I assume he went to spend the summer with Mom in some other place not close to Iowa. He also has regular visitors. Two young females will show up at his house, sometimes with a baby that's not quite 2 years old. Sometimes they will leave the baby with him. I believe that one of the young women is his sister and the other a friend of both and that he baby sits for them. From what I've seen he seems to be a good father and a good friend. I gave him my old lawn chairs and table for his front porch and told him he could use them until he found something he really wanted. He still has not replaced them.
He also has something close to a complete gym in his garage; weight machines, free weights and a heavy bag that I have seen him beat the crap out of on several occasions. It is my guess that he is ex-military, that he was never married to the mother of his son and that he may have met her while serving somewhere.
On my side of the street next door to the foster mother is a corner unit that was purchased and occupied in June. Two young men moved in and set up housekeeping. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were newlyweds buying their first house, but this may not be the case. One of them could be the owner renting space to a friend or they could be two straight single guys buying a house together and building equity rather than paying rent. The possibilities are endless and they seem entirely mismatched if they are a couple. They do things together, mainly bicycle riding and I have never seen them touch each other. One of them is about 6'4" and weighs about 190 lbs with black hair and a scruffy beard. I believe he is Asian, but it's hard to tell with his thick glasses. The other one is about 5'9" and weighs about 135 lb. He has no facial hair at all, is Caucasian and blond.
The blond has a personality and a sense of humor. He drives a black KIA Soul and was in the driveway washing it last night when I came home from Redfield. I asked him if it was a good idea to wash his Soul right out in the open like that and he started laughing and said that someone had to do it. I said that it must be hard to keep such a dark Soul clean. Again laughing, he said, 'who are you' to which I said, 'I'm your neighbor' and walked away to take my groceries inside. his roomate is a dullard by comparison, creepy quiet and Aspie like in his demeanor.
Next door to my security oriented neighbor lives an old lady. I say old. She's about my age. She lived there before I left and she was still there when I came back. We all believe she has a direct line to the home shopping network. UPS and USPS stop at her place almost daily with packages. She cannot park in her garage because it is stacked floor to ceiling with these boxes. I imagine that she is a hoarder. I envision her living space clogged with stacks of coveted items she never uses and well worn paths through the house for her and her two yappy dogs that seem to hate everyone except her. She has also been trying to get every one's voting proxies for HOA meetings without success. Not sure what she's up to there, but we may find out. I did not give her mine.
When I lived there before, I did not go to the HOA meetings because I was working. Now that I am retired, I may take an interest. It could well be time to overthrow the existing council and take over. It would be a good way to see if my assumptions about my neighbors are correct. It would also be a superior position from whence to watch my neighbors and interact with them. I kind of want this. We will see.
I still watch. People are fascinating. Say what you will, I like to watch people. I like to imagine their life stories. to pick up clues as to who they are and what they do and whether they are happy, or angst filled or depressed or whatever. It is the soap opera in my mind and it's better than TV. Today I am at a local lake contemplating some fishing and watching people as I type this stuff. I also frequent grocery store parking lots, fast food restaurants and coffee shops to watch the human drama. I can't seem to get enough of it. Finding a place to sit and watch on a cool day at the Iowa State Fair is another favorite. That's next month.
And that brings me to my neighbors. Some of you know that I moved back to my townhouse on the south side that I left 7 years ago. I am glad I did not sell it. I enjoy this little community where all the homes are exactly alike and all the people are completely different. To sit on my porch and watch in the early evening; that is one of my great pleasures. You can hear 4 or 5 different languages spoken as people groups walk by on the sidewalk. You can see men holding hands and rednecks with their confederate flag t-shirts and African Americans listening to rap. We are a very mixed group and I have invented life stories for all of them in my head. I will not testify to the reality of my head based drama, but I am to the point where I would like to test if my perceptions are anywhere near correct.
My next door neighbor is a single foster mother. She came home with her foster son before I moved out. I do not believe he was more than 7 years old at the time. When I moved back, he had become a young man that needs to shave and his mother seems daily frustrated by the fact that he does not take care of himself. One day he locked her out of the house. She sat outside in her lawn chair talking to him through an open window. He eventually let her back in the house, but the through the window conversation centered around her son's need for privacy. In my head, I imagined that she had found his porn stash and so the battle ensued.
My neighbor across the street is single. She likes my flowers. She moved into the hood in May. She is close to my age, but still works. Her children and grandchildren visit her with great regularity as does a man about my age with Warren county plates on his cars. I imagine this is her brother. I further imagine that she is divorced, that her husband left her for a younger woman or man and that the bitterness of this has all passed. I also think she is a nurse....she just seems like a nurse to me.
Another neighbor across the street that moved in back in May spent a great deal of time remodeling the place before he took up residence. He's about 26 years old, seems to be in a security oriented occupation and carries a hand gun. He is a single father of a son not more than 4 years old. His son is currently not with him. I assume he went to spend the summer with Mom in some other place not close to Iowa. He also has regular visitors. Two young females will show up at his house, sometimes with a baby that's not quite 2 years old. Sometimes they will leave the baby with him. I believe that one of the young women is his sister and the other a friend of both and that he baby sits for them. From what I've seen he seems to be a good father and a good friend. I gave him my old lawn chairs and table for his front porch and told him he could use them until he found something he really wanted. He still has not replaced them.
He also has something close to a complete gym in his garage; weight machines, free weights and a heavy bag that I have seen him beat the crap out of on several occasions. It is my guess that he is ex-military, that he was never married to the mother of his son and that he may have met her while serving somewhere.
On my side of the street next door to the foster mother is a corner unit that was purchased and occupied in June. Two young men moved in and set up housekeeping. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that they were newlyweds buying their first house, but this may not be the case. One of them could be the owner renting space to a friend or they could be two straight single guys buying a house together and building equity rather than paying rent. The possibilities are endless and they seem entirely mismatched if they are a couple. They do things together, mainly bicycle riding and I have never seen them touch each other. One of them is about 6'4" and weighs about 190 lbs with black hair and a scruffy beard. I believe he is Asian, but it's hard to tell with his thick glasses. The other one is about 5'9" and weighs about 135 lb. He has no facial hair at all, is Caucasian and blond.
The blond has a personality and a sense of humor. He drives a black KIA Soul and was in the driveway washing it last night when I came home from Redfield. I asked him if it was a good idea to wash his Soul right out in the open like that and he started laughing and said that someone had to do it. I said that it must be hard to keep such a dark Soul clean. Again laughing, he said, 'who are you' to which I said, 'I'm your neighbor' and walked away to take my groceries inside. his roomate is a dullard by comparison, creepy quiet and Aspie like in his demeanor.
Next door to my security oriented neighbor lives an old lady. I say old. She's about my age. She lived there before I left and she was still there when I came back. We all believe she has a direct line to the home shopping network. UPS and USPS stop at her place almost daily with packages. She cannot park in her garage because it is stacked floor to ceiling with these boxes. I imagine that she is a hoarder. I envision her living space clogged with stacks of coveted items she never uses and well worn paths through the house for her and her two yappy dogs that seem to hate everyone except her. She has also been trying to get every one's voting proxies for HOA meetings without success. Not sure what she's up to there, but we may find out. I did not give her mine.
When I lived there before, I did not go to the HOA meetings because I was working. Now that I am retired, I may take an interest. It could well be time to overthrow the existing council and take over. It would be a good way to see if my assumptions about my neighbors are correct. It would also be a superior position from whence to watch my neighbors and interact with them. I kind of want this. We will see.
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