Opus 2024-193: Machines

I wonder if the world we live in and our individual lives are represented best by a Rube Goldberg machine.  Think of how complicated and how much nonsense seem to be involved in one of those machines and yet ultimately it completed the task that needed to be done.  Do you see any parallels in your life?  

God created the world.  God made man.  Originally everything was perfect, until it wasn’t.  Satan messed it up.  Everything was thrown out of whack.  And now, we are in the midst of finding a solution.  We may go through many different stages.  We may follow many weird roads.  But ultimately under God’s guidance, we will arrive at the destination.

He knows where we are going.  He knows how to get there.  Just because the current situation does not make sense to us does not mean it is not perfectly clear to God.  A jigsaw puzzle was once a perfect picture.  Then, for fun, someone decided to cut it up.  When you dump it out of the box for the first time it makes no sense but time will bring a solution.  He even provides a picture on the front.

Rube Goldberg machines are fun to watch.  Get in the habit of enjoying the chaos of life.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-192: Poetry and Life

I was thinking about Lord Byron as a poet.  Why?  I have no idea.  I find that I do not care about poetry and have no opinion about who is a great poet.  I wonder how many other areas of life I have no real concerns about.  I can fake sports conversations as long at it doesn’t require knowledge of recent events or teams.  Cars are to get places without walking so I am not overly concerned about engines and styles.  

On the other hand I can’t get enough of my grandchildren and I would tell you about them but I know the look of eyes glazing over.  I keep telling myself I need to learn to enjoy poetry but then my grandson wants to go out an play on the rock pile.

I am sure Lord Byron would understand.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-191: Thoughts on Music

The product of enthusiasm is not the same as the product of inspiration.  I am going through a stage of buying old CD’s in thrift stores and seeing what they have to offer.  One thing I am looking for is music from my past that I enjoyed and can still enjoy but have no access to any more.  Another interest is in listening to groups that I have never followed and hope that I will find some nuggets in the pile.  

There is a lot of very boring music out there.  One interest I have is Christian music that is helpful in worship.  Most of the contemporary music we are hearing in church today is the product of people excited with music and possibly in love with God.  It is not the music of genius or of inspiration.  It lacks that very special ingredient that makes it worth listening to a second time.  To be honest, it lacks worth in listening the first time.  It reminds me of the songs my grandchildren make up as they are playing in the living room.

I can say the same thing for the secular music I have been exploring.  I will go through an entire album and feel like it contained nothing that reaches into the depths of creativity or else it was being so creative that it was pointless.  Most “artists” have a pattern in their music.  Once you hear the first, you have already met the rest.  There are exceptions.  I put those aside to listen to again.  Maybe I will find some pieces that work into my inner being.

I am most familiar with traditional church music.  When you think about a well known song writer like Fanny Crosby and consider she probably wrote hundreds of hymns, it should slow you down when you consider that a hymnal with 800 different titles “only” has 20 of her songs.  We need to accept the fact that it is a rare jewel that has one song worth remembering over the generations.  Most people writing songs never produce anything that should make it out of the garage.  If their goal is to have a good time in the garage, well and good.  If they expect to take the world by storm, maybe another day.  We need to keep looking for the diamonds and put the glass aside to be recycled.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-190: Answers

Recently, I was reading and thinking about some of the Bible verses that talk about prayer and answers to prayer.  We tend to be very subjective on so many topics and when we think of answers to prayer, we focus on answers to our prayers.  People wonder why they don’t get what they asked for.  Often times the answer to that is relatively simple.

What brought me to this was thinking about the old wristbands that asked, “What would Jesus do?”  That is a happy thought, and a positive thought, but that’s not the question we should be asking.  What we should be asking is, “What would Jesus have us do?”  I thought of Jesus walking on the water as he wanted to get out to the boat in the middle of the lake.  I thought of Jesus telling the storm to quiet down.  It would be really great to be able to tell storms to quiet down.  It would be great to be able to control the weather.  But can you imagine the chaos if everyone was able to control the weather.  You might have one person asking for snow and another asking for a sunny beach day.  What kind of conflict with that cause?  Would it be hurricanes, tornadoes?

In reality, we are to often be glad that God does not answer our prayers.  He has a better view of what’s going on.  That’s why one verse specifically says that if we pray, according to his will, we will be answered.

Keep praying.  Our country needs it.  Your neighbors need it.  I imagine you and I need it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-189: Shortcuts

Americans are always trying to find an easier and quicker way to do something. The reason this comes to my mind is that I’m having a hard time getting in and out of the used car that I bought.  It is a 2002 Mercury and it is very low to the ground.  I like the car but at my age it’s hard to go up and down.

Is it a good idea for me to think about getting a car that is higher and easier to get into?  There are two ways I can go on my rationale.  On the one side I can say that it’s just too hard and it’s going to get harder.  On the other side I could say it’s good for me.  I need the exercise.  

Americans are inventive and creative.  There are times when things get so hard we think of new ways to deal with him and we move our culture forward . That is a good thing usually.  On the other side when we make things easier we can to reinforce our laziness.  That is a bad thing.

In the 1800's we did not need to go to an air conditioned gym to work out or install a treadmill in our back room.  We also did not have as much leisure to read and fellowship.  Everything has trade offs.  

I hope your attempts to find a balance go better than mine.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-188: Click-Bait: Solo or Sola

I got pulled in again by clickbait.  The title had the Nicene Creed juxtaposition against the concept of sola scriptura.  And it said that we couldn’t have both.  OK.  You got me.  I clicked and started listening.

It was an interesting conversation up to a point.  The problem that I saw developing was the same tension that I see every day between people who have a theological position, and what the Bible itself actually says.  They often are quite different.

The Bible does not use the terms, sola scriptura, mainly because that’s Latin and the Bible is written in Hebrew and Greek.  I don’t even think the concept is there.  The Bible does say that all scripture is inspired, or God breathed, but it doesn’t say it is the only anything.  And yet we have this group of concepts, I think there are five, that are sola:  Scripture, grace, faith, and so forth.  The logic of five different “only’s” escapes me, but it is vital to some theological systems.

The point I’m trying to make is that we need to keep the advice of theologians and gurus in perspective.  The Nicene Creed developed at the Council of Nicea is of great assistance in understanding the complexity of our faith.  The debate on the trinity was very helpful to Christians today.  It is not the word of God.  We need to be careful when we take something even as traditional and long-standing as the Nicene Creed and try to make them into doctrine.  Oh, creeds are helpful in someway, but they all have their limitations.  I think of the Apostles Creed recited in our church.  It leaves out the divinity of Christ.  It doesn’t deal with salvation by faith alone.  And yes, it is something which has been helpful to believers for centuries.

You have a Bible, use it.  Let people help you with their ideas, discuss things, disagree, disagree with enthusiasm.  Ultimately though, focus on what God tells us through the Scriptures and understand that the theologians all have their own point of view and system they are pushing.

Come, let us reason together.  I think someone said that once.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-187: Look, Ma, No Hands

As we look back at the attempt to murder Donald Trump for being popular, and not being a part of the Washington establishment, it’s hard to deny that the hand of God was what kept him alive.  A fraction of an inch was the difference between life and death.  What they call an accidental turning of his head, gave him that fraction of an inch.  If you don’t see the hand of God in this, you’re not looking.

Look at the different ways in which the hand of God have could’ve caused a miracle here without even coming out of the closet.  Think of the track of that bullet.  We focus on how close the shooter was, around 100 yards.  Think of the kind of accuracy it takes to project a small piece of metal, 100 yards at the speed of sound and come within a quarter of an inch of being effective.  Good shooting, but not good enough when God is in charge of the ballistics.  All God had to do was send a strong puff of wind at the right time while that bullet traveled, and it would miss.  He could have even done it by sticking His finger out and, nothing noticeable, just changed the trajectory oh so slightly.  No one would’ve seen.  No one would’ve known.  And yet it was the hand of God.

As for turning his head, that’s the stuff of spine apples, read that “spy novels”, and John Wayne movies.  How many times does an author insert just such a coincidence to bring the story to the place he wants it.  Consider God the Great Author of the novel of life.

Extend that ability to work miracles into places where people don’t normally see.  Think of the health issues that you might have.  God could have prevented them simply by tweaking a cell.  He could’ve kept you from getting sick simply by zapping on a bug.  You might ask, “Why didn’t you do that?”  And the answer, of course, is that He did, many times, multiplied times.  You just didn’t see it.

I am aware of the times in which God has caused me to just start off from a stop sign a little bit slowly, and some crazy person whizzes through the intersection, taking up the space I would have filled.  What I am not aware of are the times, in which that crazy person turned left instead of going straight ahead, ran out of gas, was nagged by his wife, or many other possible solutions that could’ve happened with no one knowing what God was saving me from.

Is God active?  Yes.  Is God moving?  Yes.  What we do is make it very hard for Him to make a difference and still give us free will and the joy of independent movement.  We fight Him every step of the way.  In spite of that He continues to work miracles.

One of the things that we tend to forget is that God is busiest taking care of His people and those who are faithful.  One of the possible reasons why we don’t see more of His hand is because the country is so full of rebellious, pagan, self-centered people.  The quiet miraculous outcomes are the ones that no one sees.  The homes that are not flattened by tornadoes are not visited by reporters.  If you are one of His then you should not be asking yourself why something went wrong but consider how wrong it could have gone if God were not awake.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-186: Scapegoats

I have not been watching the abundance of videos, nor reading the articles, but I’m seeing a lot of mentions of low-level reporters and journalist being fired for making mocking comments about the Trump assassination attempt.  What is sad about this is that large numbers of people in these organizations have been taught that it is OK to make grotesque comments about Trump.  Good taste and class are not to be consider in regard to him.  Remember the severed head that Kathy Griffin held up.  Remember Maxine Waters telling people to get in the face of anyone who is a Trump supporter.  The list goes on.  Big-name celebrities and high-powered executives have gotten away with this nonsense for years.  Suddenly the low level people are getting fired over it.

What gives?  It is like beating a puppy today for behavior you praised yesterday.  I think that the celebrities and high-level executives are beginning to realize that more and more people are on to their game. We see increasing numbers of people saying that they were once never Trumper’s who are now joining the team and getting with the program.  Since the CEOs are mainly interested in profit, and don’t have any moral compass to guide them, the public turning to Trump means that they have to change the cut of their sails.

Of course, another bit of the sad part of this is that the people who are really responsible for setting this tone of hatred and violence will get away with it scot-free.  They will be sheltered by the legal system, since they pay the prosecutors.  They will be protected by judges who are in their pocket.  Keep in mind that is the way life has been forever.  Don’t expect anything new this week.

But hang in there.  The wind is changing.  The weasels are going into their holes.  The manure is being shoveled in a different direction, and we may see a little bit of sunlight through all this.  If you are a believer, pray.  If you’re not a believer, think good thoughts.  It won’t do any good, but it might make you open to looking little deeper.

November is coming.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-185: The Real Man

I watched President Trump‘s speech last night.  It was the same man in many ways that we are used to.  He is not what I would consider a gifted public speaker in the crafting of what he has to say.  He talks too long.  He repeats himself, repeatedly.  He uses. superlatives almost without end.  Everything is the greatest, the biggest, the best, and so forth.  That’s Donald Trump.

But that’s not what attracts people to Donald Trump.  There is a basic personality that if you look, you can see.  It often expresses itself in love for America.  But it goes deeper than that.  It brings to mind a verse that one of my favorites in the Bible,

Micah 6:8 (NASB95) He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

When you break this down the first part of “ Do justice?”, describes Donald Trump to a T.  You might say he is one of the greatest of the legalists.  He follows the law.  That means that he takes advantage of the nonsense that is in the laws and the conflicting laws and use them to his own advantage.  But at all times, he follows the law.  That is why all these witch hunts have been able to do nothing to him with legitimate lawsuits.  He has a tendency to do what is right or “just” as this verse talks about.

He definitely “loves kindness”.  Many people don’t see this or know about it because the media is on a vendetta against him, and would not say anything if they saw him walking on water, or raising the dead, things which he has never claimed to do.  But if you follow the little bits and pieces here and there you see constant instances where he is reaching out to those less fortunate than himself, and trying to help them.  In his speech, he mentioned several times that he talked to family members of people who’ve gone through trials.  He mentioned the man who was killed behind him on the podium.  He mentioned talking to families of people murdered by illegal aliens.  This is not just for show, this is Donald Trump when no one is looking. There are endless stories of him quietly, with no publicity, doing benevolent things for other people.  He truly does love kindness.

If there’s any area that Donald Trump has had trouble with is in the idea of walking with humility.  Part of that is just who he is.  And if there’s anything that this recent attempt on his life may help him with it is this idea that he is to be humbled before Almighty God.  I think he finally gets it.  He brought it up several times in the speech last night.  Of course we are used to politicians talking about God and getting religious during campaigns.  Those politicians have not come within a quarter of an inch of dying.  There are so many factors that were miraculous in his survival.  I think he sees that.

I support Donald Trump. Big surprise, right?  It’s not because of his great speaking ability.  It’s not because he is flawless in his execution of things.  He is still a big spender. He will make many mistakes.  But the basic man is decent, caring, and patriotic.  Now if we could just be sure that he was saved.

Opus 2024-184: Book Review: A Second Shoe

I finished the first book and went to the second in the series.  My concerns were justified.  As the second volume opened up, the woke attributes began to emerge more and more steadily.  The author is excellent to telling a good story, knowing what was expected by the publisher, knowing what was rejected by the readers, and slowly combining them to produce a book.

The best comparison I could think of was when I would make cream soup out of a can.  I would dump the contents into the pan and start the heat, low, and begin gently stirring what came out as a lump.  Once it’s consistency had been broken up and it was stirring smoothly, I would start introducing the water or milk that I was going to use to dilute it.  If I dumped it in all at one time, the soup became lumpy, and I would never get a smooth result.  In order to get what I wanted. I had to do small amounts, stir until it was smooth, and then add a little bit more.  I had to surprise the target.  

That is what was happening in the book and it reached the critical mass point quickly.  The joy fled.  The PC mantras overwhelmed.  The story disappeared in the woke tide.  Too bad, but I keep hoping there will be other books out there.

Read with discernment.

O’Keefe, Megan E.  The Fractured Dark.  New York:  Orbit, 2023.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-183: Book Review: One Shoe Writing

I don’t spend as much time reading fiction as I used to.  One reason is there is a shrinking pool of fiction that is worth reading, at least to me.  One of the first things I look for is a good action story.  I like action, not description.  Give me Louis L’Amour, you can have Zane Grey.  I’m not into emotional introspection.  I tend to skip over a lot of stuff like that.

That being said, it has to have good characters that I can identify with and care about.  The story needs to hold together and needs to be well written.  What makes it hard for stories like this is the wole formula all authors are forced to use nowadays.  Some are able to meet the minimum‘s of the politically correct progressives, and still write a good story, but most are not up to it.  I am currently exploring a new author who has promise.  I am assuming the author is a woman because she has one of those names that could be taken either way, and the main characters in the story tend to be evenly divided between men and women.

All the same, it is a woke story, but the wokeness is kept in the background, so far.  I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I see a few cases where pronouns come up.  There is a doctor who is continually referred to as “they”, but it is done in such a way that it is not clearly referring to one person.

Homosexuality is introduced in a passing way by a brief reference to the main character, who is a man, having his father tell him when he was 15 that it was not appropriate for him to approach this boy that he liked.  The reason he wasn’t to approach him was because the character is the son of an absolute monarch, and is not allowed to abuse his underlings by forcing them into relationships.  It had nothing to do with sexual impropriety or morals.

Then you run into the problem of women being written with the characters of men.  The female lead in the story is a Wonder Soldier.  She is a super fighter and is the bodyguard of the male lead in the story.  There is a romantic interest developing, which is forbidden by their social mores but I expect it to develop.  He is the son of one of the oligarches, she is a servant.  Their future happiness is not bright.

You also have the missing spiritual awareness.  In this culture people are “printed” and stored in a computer of some kind.  When they die, the old print is resurrected, a body is cloned, and the old person is inserted.  Somehow they have managed to transfer the memories of the person who dies violently or out on the trip back into the print out, and life starts over again.  Star Trek explored this idea.  One of the problems you have and this is the idea of making duplicate copies of the person.  Do you remember Captain Kirk coming back with a double?

There are two questions here.  The first is metaphysical, I guess, “Is it really the same person?”  Does it just think it’s the same person because memories have been copied into its brain?  Or is it just an artificial recreation?  The question is never even looked into, at least in this first book.

The second question would be the place of a machine as a storage for a human being.  If a machine can store a human being and a machine can re-create that human being, then it just follows that machines could make up a human being on its own, and then the question becomes, “Is it a human being?”

Another issue is where the main character gets his Christian cultural values in a society which seems to have rejected all forms of religion.  He is concerned that his father, who he knew was strong and had to do terrible things, might not be a decent person after all.  If not, he might not be doing things because they were necessary, but be committing atrocities because he enjoyed it.  Where would you come up with those kind of values in the world devoid of Christianity.

At this point, I can read the next book with anticipation.  I also will read it with a bit of dread, often these authors suck you in with a good story, keeping the dissonance in the background, and then, as they establish a relationship with you they start pushing their agenda.  There have been series of books, where I would follow to the third or fourth volume, and suddenly all kinds of weird and strange things become the norm.  I remember one where the admiral of a massive space fleet, who was totally the manly man, suddenly started talking about his husband at home.  I don’t know if I got much further than a few paragraphs after that.

I don’t know which way this author will go.  I know there’s a lot of pressure to follow the plan to fall into line, and to conform.  With modern progresses it really doesn’t matter.  If you are a great author tell me a good story.  The real concern for the publisher is, are you following the playbook?  Are you working to tear down the standard values of society?  Are you jumping through the woke hoops?

I will enjoy while I can and then move on.

O’Keefe, Megan E.  The Blighted Stars.  New York:  Orbit, 1923.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-182: Grassroots Cameo

He survived and seems to be more motivated than ever.  That is the good news.

What is also interesting to me is a cameo view of public opinion on the grass roots level.  I am not overly interested in how the talking heads spin things.  I don’t expect to hear much information from the news media and government agencies.  A simple attempt at murdering a political opponent will not make them suddenly reliable.  Listen with care.

What do everyday people think in a specific microcosm?  Sunday I was helping babysit my grandchildren so I found myself in an unaccustomed atmosphere.  I had been there before.  There were a few faces I recognized but I did not know them well.  I went to Sunday School and listened as we went into the opening prayer request time.

The first point was praise and thanksgiving.  The general sense was relief that Donald Trump was only bleeding from his ear.  The consensus was that God had protected him and all were grateful.

The second focus was the man who was murdered for sitting behind Trump and being in the line of fire.  There were prayers for his family and also for the other victims that were hit on the platform.

The third item was the mark of America, the attitude that we don’t acknowledge much.  I think it was echoed in churches across the nation.  We prayed for the family of the killer.  We lifted them up in the pain of the moment.  The prayers were focused on their loss and for their salvation.  Being the cynic that I am I wondered if their pain was more that he missed than that he died in the act.

I sensed no new hostility towards the media and politicians that have been seeking this kind of activity.  No one called on the church to start striking back, and believe me, this is a gun toting church.  All was forgiveness and hope.

That is America in a nutshell, at least the small bubble I was in on Sunday.

God bless America.  Pray for revival.  Pray for the haters.  Pray for President Trump.  Vote like you expect your prayers to have feet.


homo unius libri

Opus 2024-181: Grace

(Exo 33:13 KJV)  Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

When you read this out of context, it sounds like a glorious New Testament idea.  How wonderful to know His grace, how wonderful to follow, wonderful to be His people.  What doesn’t show up in the context is that this is immediately after Moses was given the law on the mountain.  Not only was it given to him by God once, but he had the carve it out by hand himself a second time.  I think the law was fresh in his mind.  I think he knew what it contained, and what it said.  And yet here we have him talking about grace, and about knowing God.

The New Testament focuses on grace.  Actually, Paul focuses on grace.  Jesus never mentioned it.  Paul’s emphasis is scripture.  But we need the balance of the entire Bible, and we need to realize that the law is not evil if we take it in the way in which it was intended.

It would also be good for us to realize that the grace talked about here is the same grace that we find in regard to Noah.  People like to talk about Noah, finding grace in the eyes of the Lord.  

(Gen 6:8 KJV)  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

It would seem that Moses also had found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  I sometimes wonder if Paul ever read his Old Testament in the original Hebrew, or whether he just listened to what the rabbis told him and quotes from the Talmud.  Grace was not a new discovery that he made.  He simply took a truth that was being ignored and brought it into the light.

Grace and peace.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-180: Gotcha

As I sit on the porch, looking out over the valley, listening to the chirping insects, I’m aware of all of the possible things that could be able to get me.  My grandson keeps asking “Will that ou’ (ouch) me”.  I think of the daddy long legs spider that is considered one of the most poisonous creatures in the world, and yet is absolutely harmless to us.  The reason is it’s tiny teeth can’t get through my think skin.  I have heard the same kind of thing about coral snakes.  That’s kind of the way it is with the evils of the world when God is in us.

I act toward daddy long legs and coral snakes the way I have learned to act toward the evils of the world.  Just because I don’t think they can get me, I still keep my distance.  When I am in one of those moods I assume that I will be the one case where they penetrated.  

For all of my seeming confidence I still maintain the standard protocol.  I lock my doors.  I don’t go down dark alleys.  I keep checking the parking lot when I go to my car.  You know the kind of common sense things that we all should be practicing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-179: Contradictions

I am reflecting on some scriptures I read several days ago.

Exodus 33:11 (KJV) And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.

Exodus 33:20 (KJV) And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

The conflict struck me then and it has been in my mind since.  My first train of thought had to do with Moses, speaking to God, face-to-face as a friend.  I liked that.  It goes along with my questioning about the character of God, and the personhood of God.  It is a wonderful concept.  It is what we can strive for.  I believe this is a good way of expressing what prayer is all about.

All was in harmony in my world.

And then I come to this other verse that says, Moses cannot see God’s face.  How can you talk face-to-face and not see someone’s face?  I went back-and-forth on this a while, and finally in reading the verse before I noticed that God was speaking from the cloud.  Yes, I understand that you saw that immediately.  He was standing at the door of the tabernacle.  Moses is inside.  God is speaking to him as a friend.  Moses was not actually need to see God’s face.  Think of it more as an old fashioned telephone connection rather than Facetime.  

If you go back a few verses, you find that Moses did not actually ask to see God’s face, he wanted to see His glory.  

Exodus 33:18 (KJV) And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

That’s a step above just seeing his face.  I don’t know if it’s possible that we can see God’s glory, but I know we can live in the glory of his presence.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-178: Precious Memories

You may or may not know that song that begins with “Precious memories”.  We are living in that time in Texas where we have to live on precious memories.

We are at the season in the Texas year that might go along with those words, “the dog days of summer.”  The problem with that is that I think we’re still in spring.  Welcome to Texas.  Just a few weeks ago I was sitting out on the front porch almost any time of the day and enjoying the weather and the scenery.  It was a glorious time.  Not this week.

We are now in that time where it is hot and humid.  It doesn’t seem to matter what time you go out.  It is unpleasant.  This would be a good time to have people visit Texas if you didn’t want to have them move here.  So, come one, come all from California.  Come visit Texas.  You’ll probably go home again.  Why does that thought make me happy?

I will hang on, waiting for first, the heat without the humidity, then the cold.  In between the heat and the cold, there should be a brief time of joyful weather.  After the cold we will have spring again.  At least that’s what happened before.

I think that’s our memories not only bring us the warmth of the past, but they also bring us a reassurance about the future.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-177: Huh?

I was thinking about how God communicated with the patriarchs.  He did communicate, and yet it seems he used different methods.  My mind went to Daniel.  Daniel was not one of the patriarchs, but he did communicate with God.  Sometimes I think God communicated directly with Daniel, but most of what we have are in the form of visions.

In looking at the different ways in which God communicated, He was sometimes very clear, and sometimes very cryptic.  Why the difference?  Why could He dictate the law to Moses almost word for word and yet when it came to Daniel and his prophecies they were so confusing and dystopic that no one could figure out what they mean.  The same with John and his Revelation.

I would come to the conclusion that there were times when God wanted you to know specifically some information and other times he didn’t want you to know.  He might want you to figure it out.  He might want you to think about it.  Sometimes chewing on one subject will bring you to a better understanding of others.  But He doesn’t want you to know.

So when I think of Revelation, Ezekiel, Daniel, and prophecies like that, I don’t see them as being clear teachings of God as much as emotional warnings about possibilities.

Feel free to disagree.  The tension of discussion might teach important truths.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-176: Winner

You’ve all heard the question about which is stronger, the irresistible force or the immovable object.  I continue to vote for the irresistible force simply because persistence wears down stubbornness.

We have been in Texas almost seven years.  Almost the day we moved in my wife started talking about a riding mower.  We are on roughly two acres and about half of it needs to be mowed.  I kept saying a push mower would be fine.  I needed the exercise and still had the strength to do it.  Every time the grass got longer than she liked the subject came up again.  A variation was hiring someone to do it.  I never wavered but she never backed off.  

Finally we came to the point where my mower blew up.  Bidenomics have almost tripled the cost of a replacement.  While I was trying to work up to the investment she planted two seeds.  One was with my son in law about fixing up one he had in his yard.  The other was with our neighbor who is mechanically inclined.  The son in law decided the one he had could not be repaired.  As far as I knew the neighbor was out of the competition.  I went ahead and bought a new push mower.  About two weeks later the neighbor came over riding a mower for us to look at.  

I now have a riding mower.

The irresistible force keeps working even when the immovable object is not paying attention.

The element that is left out of the equation is time.  If you’re just talking about now, then you are faced by a very philosophical problem.  If you add the long, eternal progression of time, it changes the whole situation.  Water will splash off a rock.  It seem to have lost the battle.  If you extend that contact over thousands of years than you began to see that the rock has been worn a bit.  In time the rock will be split or done away with.

I don’t remember this truth being a part of our marriage counseling or vows.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-175: Book Review: Unseen Realm

Several months ago I stumbled across some podcasts by a man named Michael Heiser.  I had never heard of him before but that could just be a reflection of my limitations.  His doctoral studies were in Hebrew.  He had taught at the university level and I eventually found that he was employed by the Logos Bible Study Software people.  He mentioned it but I never saw him shilling the product.  He wrote book called The Unseen Realm which gives a feel for his focus.  I eventually bought that book and read through it.  He seems to have died in the last few years from pancreatic cancer.

A phrase that becomes a foundational concept for him is “the divine council”.  He gets the phrase from the ESV,

(Psa 82:1 ESV) A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

As far as I can tell from the translations on my software, the ESV is the only one that puts it that way and I cannot find the phrase anywhere else.  Compare,

(Psa 82:1 KJV)  A Psalm of Asaph. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
(Psa 82:1 NAS77) A Psalm of Asaph. God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.

I picked this up from the podcast but it is peppered throughout his book.  I think a more literal rendering would be “congregation of gods,” but I don’t have a Ph.D. in Hebrew.

From that precarious perch he begins an interesting voyage of constructing a view of the spiritual world that at times seems insightful and other times sounds like heresy.  At first I was onboard with what he was teaching.  By the time I finished the book I had some serious doubts.  When I tried to work through it again, it raised too many questions.  I may get around to looking at some of them in the future.   

Heiser, Michael S.  The Unseen Realm.  Bellingham, WA:  Lexham Press, 2015.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-174: Creation Legos

I’m thinking about God‘s creation this morning looking at all the variety that is out there.  God had quite an imagination and was not in any box when it came to putting things together.  We, of course, are used to it and so it’s not considered unusual.  But to be the one to come up with this originally is awesome.

When we think of creation and things being created out of nothing, we tend to think of the material side of the creation.  I think we also need to you think about the immaterial side of creation.  God was not just thinking up new shapes and sizes.  He wasn’t just coming up with materials that have not existed before.  It’s not just a matter of making Adams.  It was a mind looking at plants and coming up with the idea of animals.  It’s the idea of a totally new concepts.  That is the miracle of creation.

Think of Legos.  Any child can take those parts and put them together in different ways.  The original idea of pieces of plastic in a few shapes that could be assembled in a multitude of combinations, that’s the creative part.  Actually it is the same concept that God came up with when He created man.  A limited number of elements, types of cells and the few parts of the DNA and you have a world full of people where no two are the same.

That is quite some God.

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Opus 2024-173: Another Conspiracy Theory

Let me make a contribution to the doom sayers and conspiracy theorists.  

On the day before the election Joe Biden will have some kind of “accident” that will remove him from being a candidate.  One day would not be enough for the Democrats to plug in his replacement so Kamala will step in and postpone the election.  In a banana republic postponing an election means one of two things.  First, it will be postponed forever.  Second, they will make sure that when the election takes place there will only be one candidate and it will be a person of  the cabal’s choosing.

We are now living in a Banana Republic.

Just a wild hair to add to your list of things to worry about.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-172: Thrift Truck Stops

Would you do your weekly grocery shopping at the local truck stop?  I find that the prices are higher than my local supermarket.  The general reason is that when you are traveling you don’t have the time to price shop.  Of course some people never do.

Imagine what it would be like if you went through a time warp between the car and the hot dogs.  Say you went back ten years in time.  You might go outside and check the sign again because you might think you had walked into a discount store by mistake.  The prices would not just be low, they would be shocking.  I guess for that matter all you would need to do is go back one year.

We have gotten so used to inflation that we think it is a normal way to live.  Not so.  When money was based on gold and silver prices might fluctuate by supply and demand but the overall extremes would recede to the level you were used to.  All you would have to do is go without for a short time and the excess product prices would come tumbling down.  That doesn’t work any more.  The government is printing so much money and passing it out with abandon that people just keep spending which makes the prices go even higher.  There is no reason for delayed gratification which is the mechanism of supply and demand.

Some people think there is no way out of this spiral.  I disagree.  If we could just get the government to stop trying to buy off their constituents then things would start to normalize.  A free economy would start the recovery but socialist believes that everyone else should pay for their style of living.  As long as they are around things will get worse.

November is coming.  Make sure you are paying attention.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-171: Lessons of Hide and Seek

We had the grandchildren over today and I was drafted for a game of hide and seek.  The four year old didn’t have a clue.  He told me to hide behind the door, counted to three and then came and found me.  We switched roles.  He went and hid behind the door, while I was still watching.  We both screeched when I “found” him.  My granddaughter walked by him in his bright green shirt when he was playing turtle on the floor in front of the couch.  She did not see him.  Needless to say we all had a great time.

It also taught me something about our American population.  Like my grandchildren, they don’t have a clue.  They don’t see things in plain sight.  They never look in corners.  They are as mature as those kids were and they often have just as good a time.  The polls say that a third of Americans still would rather have Biden in the White House with prices that have doubled than to have someone who posted mean tweets which effected them just how?

If you live next door to one of that third, or have one in the family, you need to realize they will never understand what you are talking about.  They believe Joe when he says he as endorsed by the Border Patrol.  They think the devil wears an orange suit.  It is about that simple.

That means that the other two thirds have to step up to the plate.  It means speaking up.  It means taking a stand.  It also means getting right with God and living a life of repentance.  That is actually the hard part.  

November is coming.  We keep saying the current election is vital.  If you don’t believe it is true then just look at the condition of the country compared to four years ago.  It is hard to believe anyone could destroy things so quickly.  They did.  Once again, it is the most important election of our life time.  Maybe they all are.

I hope to be seeing you on the other side.  I pray that the rule of law will be revived.  I know that a lot of people need to go to jail.  I dream that violence will not be necessary.  It was a good life while it lasted.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-170: A Pause in the Recital

Sunday the pastor was waxing strong on a patriotic theme.  As usual on days like this the Declaration of Independence was trotted out.  He quoted it in a way that I had not heard before,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created...”  

He said he likes to pause right there.  While it is true that the author of the Declaration, Thomas Jefferson, was not exactly born again, devout believer in Jesus Christ, he at least had a basic understanding of Providence.  All of the founding fathers did.  One of the basics for everyone was that God had a part in the universe coming into being.  It was a given.

Believing in the kind of God that even the deists would admit to put some parameters on your sense of right and wrong.  You might commit adultery but you acknowledged that it was wrong.  While you might be self-centered, you knew you shouldn’t be.   It is important to keep reminding ourselves that this country was founded based on the teachings of the Bible.

Pray that such an attitude will return.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-169: On the Street: Clear Skies

As I was returning from a shopping trip I listened to some music.  A song came up that I was not familiar with but the theme was well know, the unclouded sky.  The clear sky scenario went on and on.  They were really excited about not having any clouds in the sky.

I had a different view of the matter.  It was central Texas and the temperature was at least in the mid 90s.  It was hot.  One of the reasons it was hot was the clear skies.  If every day of the year was like this it would not take long to turn the countryside into a dust bowl.  Sunshine is wonderful, in reasonable amounts.  Clouds and rain are necessary for life.  Face it, there are times when you like to listen to the rain on the roof.

Sunshine, like most of life is a matter of balance.  Too much of any good thing becomes an ungood thing.  Be grateful for what I call Missouri weather because that is the first place I heard the statement about waiting a few minutes and it would change.

Variety is not just the spice of life.  It is a requirement.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-168: A Reminder

It is that time of year again.  This is when it is good to take a few minutes and read over the Declaration of Independence.  As we watch the political theater and realize it is not just a fictional stage, it would be good to renew our memory on what the Founding Fathers actually said.

It doesn’t take all that long.  Get as far as you can.  I am sure you will see something to get you a little bit angry.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-167: Uncreated

Cain complains,

(Gen 4:14 KJV)  Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

In reading this passage, a question comes up that also appears other places.  Who are these people that Cain is worried about?  Where did they come from?  We know that Adam and Eve were created.  We know that the animals were created.  We have no record of any other people being created.

We see the same situation in regard to angels and those called the sons of God.  What about the wives for the children of Adam and Eve?

We talk about the two people in the Bible who never died, what about the ones who were never created?

We don’t know because the Bible doesn’t say.  It doesn’t say because, if you will forgive me, we don’t need to know.  This is not the need to know of a security clearance, it is simply that it is not important for our advancement in righteousness.

Of course the fact that the Bible does not say is not a barrier for people who want to share answers that don’t exist.  We have theories.  We have opinions.  We have a lot of hot air.  That is okay as long as we are clear that some things are just our opinion or a quoting of tradition.  There is often a difference between a good theory and truth.

Questions are good.  Keep asking.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-166: Dark Thoughts: The Quiet That Isn’t

Recently I had a discussion where I mentioned how quiet the front porch was before sunrise on Sunday.  It’s so quiet I can hear my ears ringing.  Other days of the week there are brief moments like this, and I find myself enjoying the quietness.

Today I recognize the fact that it’s not as quiet as I think it is.

The bugs are out giving a concert.  I don’t know what they are.  They look like fat grasshoppers.  They might be katydids.  They might be some other obscure form of life.  They are Texas big and make Texas noise.  It doesn’t get quiet, it just supplies a natural background noise.

And as I think back before the grasshoppers started giving a concert, the local animals like to check in too.  I can hear donkeys braying across the valley.  Other animals make their contribution.  And then the birds will join in.  It’s never really all that quiet.  It’s just that the quiet that I experience seems that way.  It seems more natural.

Have a blessed day.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-165: Unrecorded Conversations

Don’t you wish the NSA was around at the beginning of history.  I find myself wondering what kind of things God had to say to Adam and Eve.  We have one short record of their conversations, but the familiarity with which God spoke to them tells me that this is not the only time that he talked with him.  What did they talk about?  If only Siri or Alexa could tell us.

What about Abraham and the other patriarchs?  What about Moses?  What did God have to say to the prophets that did not get recorded?  I would imagine that God spoke to a lot of people at different times and no one bothered to write it down.  Did the farmer in Judah ask God to explain how to get better quality honey?  Did his daughter ask it the boy next door liked her?

Or take unrecorded events.

Paul’s shipwrecks are not written down.  The one we have recorded took place after this.

(2Co 11:25 KJV)  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

We do not know about the other two.  We know that he also wrote at least one more letter to the Corinthians.  I would expect that he wrote letters to other churches too, but we have no record.  

I would imagine that Satan visited God and more times than are recorded in the book of Job.  He must have had some interesting reports about what he saw.  I guess God figured we would have enough trouble deciphering the book of Job so He didn’t give us any of the others.

Then take the last verse in the Gospel of John,

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

Now that would make some interesting reading.

homo unius libri

One of the themes I hear, repeated in different places, is a concern about the killing in the Old Testament.  People wonder how God could be so mean and cruel as to kill the Canaanites or others who resisted his rule and his Holiness.  An interesting question would be, “Where do you get this idea that killing is bad?”

I would submit that the reason they believe killing is bad is because their culture has been influenced by the Bible.  I don’t know of any other religious tradition which has such a rejection of murder and political cleansing of people.  The Bible condemns murder.  It offers sanctuary for strangers and foreigners.  It advocates mercy.  You don’t find that in other religions.

So the people that attack the Bible and the people of the Bible are basing their attack on the teachings of the Bible, and they are totally unaware of it.  Wouldn’t it be great if they would adopt some of the other teachings of the Bible.

The rejection of the Bible is not necessarily in its values as much as the requirement of submission to Almighty God.  The big sin of our modern times is the same sin that originated in the garden.  If you remember what the devil implied to Eve that she could become as a god.  People still lust after that power, and reject anything that limits seeking that power.

It is often hidden under flowery phrases and popular teachings, but the idea that man is supreme is still at the heart of all modern philosophies.  It won’t work.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-163: Reasons

Jesus did not come so I could have a comfortable and safe porch to sit on.  He did not come so I could know prosperity and have a well-balanced diet.  As the gospel of John says he came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  Abundance is often a relative concept.  I have a piggy bank that is loaded with quarters.  I can guarantee that there is no silver.  It has been collected because I am a squirrel who always sets a few nuts aside.  I am relatively sure that my wife has abducted my treasure several times.  When my grandchildren talk me into letting them play with the quarters they are in hog heaven.  They glory in the abundance that is at their finger tips.  They swish them around and pile them up.  Scrooge McDuck would laugh himself silly.

Prosperity when defined with a bank balance can be had by pagans, hypocrites, and heretics.   Salvation is only available to believers through Jesus.  While God seems to bless His people, He never loses sight of the long term picture.  I hope I never do either.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-162: Jesus Was Never Digital

We have the teaching and preaching of Jesus in the Gospels.  It would be presumptuous to think we have it all, or even most, of it.  Have you ever thought about that?  What was left out?  I would guess the lessons that were clearly presented in the OT did not need to be repeated.  Yet much of what he taught was found in the OT.  He made it simpler.  He stripped off the camouflage of the Rabbis.

If someone were to prove to me that a body of teaching on something like the Sermon on the Mount was a compilation of several sermons, it would not bother me a bit.  The Bible does not bill itself as a transcript of a recorded speech.  It tells us that it is inspired by God to give us what we need for salvation and holy living.  It was not written for a modern spell checker but it was written for a modern reader.  

Read it like the historical primary source that it is.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-161: Big Brother Weather

We have just gone through another time of panic and anxiety caused by your friendly neighborhood weatherman.  I don’t watch the weather on TV.  I check it on my phone and my iPad on occasion but mainly so that I judge if it’s cool enough to sit on the front porch in the morning for worship.  Beyond that, I feel that if I stick my head out and there’s water coming down on my face, it’s raining.  If my hair gets tostled, I assume it’s windy.  If the ground is covered with white powder, I assume that it’s snowing.  I really don’t need to know that the next hurricane is coming to kill me and that it’s unsafe to drive on the roads because I will get washed away.

My wife on the other hand, feels that if the weatherman says stay in and batten down the hatches, then you stay in and batten down the hatches.  She feels that he is a guru.  I can live with that, but she seems to think that she has to protect me from all of the hostility of nature.  It gets quite emotional sometimes.  Yesterday she was telling me that if I got washed away, she would not come and pick me up.

All of this would be good fun except that I feel that it’s part of the mysterious world of indoctrination going on.  We are being taught that we need the government to keep us safe so listen carefully to their directions.  We need the policeman to protect us, so sell your guns and dial 911.  Who would ever think that that smiling young man or attractive young woman on the screen would be trying to do anything but help us and keep us safe.  I’m sure that on their better days they think that’s what they’re doing.  In reality it is an indoctrination program, trying to get us to feel that the government really wants to help us.

If my memory is still working, Ronald Reagan said something to the effect, “The 9 most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help’.” You need to doubt that.  You need to not talk to the alphabet agency that comes to your front door.  You need to take everything the weatherman tells you with a grain of salt and with gross skepticism.  If you are warned about tornadoes, that’s very helpful, as long as you happen to be that one person in 320 million who is at the spot where the tornado turns toward the ground.  There is no way that you can forecast when or if a tornado will hit, and yet, my wife often has me sitting in the inner rooms of the house or rather, she tries to have me doing that.  The weatherman can tell you if there is a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.  He cannot tell you if that will flood the street around the corner.

So live in liberty and freedom.  Be responsible for your own decisions.  Don’t make them on the basis of some people who are trying to brainwash you into actually trusting what the boob tube tells you.

It is a bad habit to get into.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-160: Fill Your Nitch

I  have been hearing a lot of praise for people who share things so well that you don’t have to think yourself.  There is a place for that.  We can’t read everything.  We can’t study everything in depth.  There is a time to kick back and listen.  Care is still recommended.  You may not have time to major in microbiology but you can recognize a breakdown in reason when you see it.  You may not have children but you know a dirty diaper when you smell one.

When it comes to Bible teaching I think this applies double.  There is a lot of nonsense out there masquerading as profound.  Some of it is harmless.  Some of the distortion has eternal consequences.  Many are deceived when they don’t need to be.  I feel that it is laziness on the part of the Bible reader.  They don’t want to read themselves.  They don’t want to think.  How much energy does it take to get a Bible off the shelf, blow off the dust, turn to the table of contents and read for yourself?

Then it occurred to me that I am that way in regard to computers and some degree to science.  I am not helpless.  I can do basic stuff.  I know that rebooting can cure most problems.  I have learned to put my glasses on before I start punching buttons.  I once learned enough Basic to debug a computer game I got out of a book.  Don’t ask me to do it again because I don’t care enough.  After all, there is a reason why we have children who are geeks.  I do feel a responsibility to not bother my personal computer guru over simple stuff.

It could be that we are all this way in relation to areas that we don’t have any great interest.  Each of us must evaluate what is important enough to invest our time and effort in.  I don’t plan to ever learn to fix my lawnmower.  I would, on the other hand, like to make mouth watering chocolate chip cookies.  I would also like to learn to bake bread but I have a daughter that fills that slot.

Grow enough to be an asset.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-159: New Testament Tithing

In the Old Testament, Israel was told to tithe.  That should really be plural because some years there were three different tithes to be paid in addition to offerings.

Many Christians in the era of the New Testament, reject tithing.  They claim it belongs under the law and has nothing to do with them.  In a sense, they are right.  The Old Testament concept was a matter of paying the money.  It was a matter of whether you made your financial contribution. That’s not the New Testament concept.

Tithing is mentioned in passing in the New Testament.  It was not addressed in a straight teaching.  I believe it is still a principle for the life of a Christian.  It is a matter of giving up control of our assets and turning them over to God.  It is to be given to the church which is rather obviously the storehouse.  It’s a matter attitude and heart, of submission, not payment of a bill.  Some people give to their favorite charity and call it a tithe.  It is not a tithe because it is something they are still controlling.  The tithe again is a matter of obedience and submission. People reject it  because they don’t want to be submissive and they don’t want be obedient.

Or I guess it could just be because they are cheap.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-158: Get on Board

I noticed recently that a certain confused young man finally ran into some adults.  It seems that putting on a woman’s bathing suit, letting his hair grow and declaring himself a woman did not go very far with the International Olympic Committee.  They said, “No, you’re not.”

One day I ask myself how confused and conflicted this guy must be to be willing to embarrass himself this way.  Those who are not laughing at him are experiencing a growing rage at what he is doing.  If I were him I would be worried that the rage might someday break out and shatter his delusions in a painful way.  Hopefully he will grow up, wake up, return his devalued medals and get on with life.

The next day I ask myself where the adults are in the room.  How has this blatant nonsense been allowed to continue?  Why has no one told him, “No, you are a male.  The men’s room is down the hall.”  Why has no one taken him to court for voyeurism as he hangs around the women’s locker rooms?

You may not be able to do anything about this walking delusion but you can make an impact where you are.  Start with the simple stuff.  Recently I had a doctor’s appointment.  They wanted me to register on line.  Having done it once I have vowed, “Never again.”  It takes forever.  That is one issue.  They ask questions I don’t want to answer.  That is also an issue on the paper forms, but there is an important difference.  When the paper form asks me for my gender identity and preferred pronouns, I can just ignore it, skip over, and go on listing my physical information.  When you register on the computer it will not allow you to do that.

Join the resistance.  Call men in women’s clothing men.  When someone asks you your pronouns, look at them with pity dripping from you eyes.  You may need to practice that in front of a mirror.  Don’t fill in the blanks that insult.

Resistance does not need to be violent but it does need to cost them something.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-157: Great Nation

We are going through a time of great Jew hatred.  It is amazing that basically decent Americans are getting on board but we need to consider the overwhelming diet of distortion and lies about Israel and Hamas coming from academia and the media.  It used to be that Christians at least were in basic agreement about the Jews having a homeland because their default was the Bible not the talking heads.  

God started by promising what appears to be a political statement,

(Gen 12:2 KJV)  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Much of the former Christian position was based on a promise God gave to Israel.  There was also a detail involving the other nartions,

(Gen 12:3 KJV)  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The promise had geography involved,

(Gen 15:18 KJV)  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:

One commentator I was listening to said this roughly corresponded to the kindom of Solomon.  I have heard others say it went beyond that.  The salient point is that God promised the land that is modern Israel to Israel.

The naive and ignorant ignore that.  There are others who say that Israel negated the covenant by their disobedience.  Others would say that political Israel is not synonymous with spiritual Israel.  The issue gets a bit clouded.  

As I was reading Genesis I noticed that God uses the exact same terminology with Moses that He used with Abraham, in regard to becoming a great nation.  In context, Israel had just formed the golden calf and worshiped it as a god.  Yahweh was a bit upset and was threatening to do to them what He had done to the neighbors of Noah, only without water.  

Exodus 32:10 (KJV) Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

He did not follow through.  He was speaking in his wrath.  So I don’t know what to make of that.   Is this an indication that He would reject Israel and cancel His covenant?  How does that fit in with your theology?  Keep in mind that the thinking in those days was that salvation was more national than personal.  I don’t know that God saw it that way but the people certainly did.

Is the modern nation of Israel the Israel of God or just a man made institution?  I would say that we need to err on the side of caution.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-156: Walking by Faith

God has given us so many things that we take by faith and assumption.  I look at the Texas hillside in wonder.  I think of the bubble of benevolence in which I have walked, that everyday joy provided by Providence.  I look at all of these things that surround me and saturate every day.  I had no way of knowing earlier in life things would work out this way.  I have lived in the assumption that God had a plan and would work it out.

And possibly the greatest part of living by faith is those questions that we can’t answer.  There are questions that we can’t answer because we don’t have the ability to answer them.  There are questions that we can’t answer because we don’t know how to frame them.  There are other questions that we simply haven’t gotten to yet.  We take the answers to those as being part of our walk of faith.

What else is in store?  I am reaching the age called “elderly”.  That has a lot of baggage.  There is a growing dependence on others and loss of “I can do that.”  The adjustments are a daily part of life.  I have made up my mind to enjoy the process and hope that I go quickly when the time comes.

It always helps to know what comes after this adventure of living.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-155: Ode to Old: Join the Resistance

Why are old people more susceptible to things like the flu?  The elderly are urged to get the flu shot regularly and to be careful when they are out and about.  I wonder if this advice is not part of the high mortality in that age group.  

It is true that we tend to get weaker as we get older.  If we have serious health problems like diabetes and heart disease they will have developed over the years and dragged us down even more.  That much seems like common sense.

I would suggest though that there is something else going on:  Isolation.  One of the realities of life is that our immune system responds to the world we live in.  When I started teaching middle school I went through a regular series of illnesses.  As time went on that decreased in frequency.  After 20 years it became rare.  I remember kids deliberately coughing in my face when they were sick in hopes that I would catch it.  They thought it was funny.  I thought it was funny becuase it didn’t work.  My immune system had been forced into superman mode over the years.

After being gone from education for seven years, I can tell that my defenses are weaker.  One thing that helps is being around my grandchildren.  They bring bugs to the house on a regular basis.  Sometimes it effects me, sometimes not.  

Take your typical stereotype of a senior.  They live in a world devoid of health challenges that their bodies are designed to fight.  They are in assisted living, living alone or in a back room of the house.  They don’t get out and rub elbows much.  Their white blood cells get lazy and scarce.  Their ability to fight back is weakened.  Then you add things like flu shots which may protect them for the season if the drug companies guessed right in which strain would reach out to them.  If they guess wrong then more isolation was in the works.  In a sense the shot, when it works, helps them for the season but makes them weaker for the next round.

I saw some click bait recently that said one in nine American children is now autistic.  I didn’t bother listening because I hate wasting my time of big promises that don’t deliver.  Is it because more children are having problems or is it because the authorities that make a lot of money on autism are changing the standards?  I would guess more of the latter.  The headline also attributed the cause to increased vaccinations.  That does make sense to me.  Where will these children be when they get to be seniors?

Life has a lot of choices to make.  Be thoughtful and realize that they are out to get you.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-154: Dr. Bill and Mr. Maher

In a moment of weakness I listened to some Bill Maher clickbait.  He was being interviewed by Fareed Zakaria about his new book.  It was an interesting interview because you saw both Jekyll and Hyde in a short segment.  

Dr. Bill can be a very winning Jekyll.  He has a lot of qualities that could lead him to the side of light.  He is intelligent, in a liberal way.  He can be very funny.  He can have some great insights.

He is also a well developed Hyde.  For a long time he got away scot free attacking everything that was sacred and polluting minds with his clever jabs.  He had quite a following.  My only contact was an occasional You Tube short that I would fall for.  I was usually left with nothing but concern for his soul.  

Then something changed.  Suddenly the occasional click bait was actually funny and spot on.  He began to take swipes at the nonsense of the left.  If you were not as skeptical as I am you might have thought that he was having second thoughts.  If you were as skeptical as I am you might have wondered if his constant attacks of traditional values were finally getting so toxic that he was beginning to lose followers.  The faithful started waking up and saying, “Hey!”  I cant’ prove it, mainly because I am too lazy to spend the time, but I think he got the word from his PR people that he needed to tone it down and maybe even show some common sense.

His jokes and comments about the left were the focus of the interview.  I think it was another attempt by the left to say, “See, Bill isn’t such a bad guy after all.”  The problem is that at one point he got going on Trump and conservative Americans.  The old Hyde was still there in full force.  

Do I think he should be censored and removed from the airways, cancelled?  No.  I am consistent in my support of the First Amendment.  If it applies to my liberty, it also applies to his.  No, the way to deal with the sewer rats of our society is to hit them in the pocket book.  Stop listening.  Stop reading their books.  Make them hurt in the only way that is moral, their pocket book.  In time they will be replaced by their masters.  Of course, we will then need to deal with a clone.  It might be better to stick with Bill.  At least he is funny at times.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-153: Why Kill?

(Psa 106:38 KJV)  And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

If you have ever heard someone with a tender heart, that was concerned about all the killing in the Old Testament, you might want to read them this verse and its context. We have no comprehension in our gentle world of the evil perpetuated by the Canaanites.  Read that verse again.  Do you see what’s going on?  I know you don’t want to see it.  I don’t want to see it either.  But it is there.

The Israelites were sacrificing their children to the idols of Canaan.  This is what we call child sacrifice.  This was a brutal and evil cultural reality of the local tribes.  It was an every day occurrence in Canaan.  This is the reason that God felt like these people needed to be removed from the Earth.  God was aware of the way in which people absorb the standards of the culture around them.

God has reasons for what he does.  We have been raised in a sheltered environment and don’t understand evil and how deep it can go.  Well, I say that the evil is going on all around us.  Picture of the millions have been dismembered by abortions.  Picture of the children used in pornography industry.  Picture the butchers of Hamas, not just on October 7, but on a regular basis.  Picture the warping our our children's minds and bodies with woke philosophies.  The evil marches on.  God is not content to let it continue. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-152: Now Where Did I Put that Scroll?

One of the great moments in the development of Judaism was when they misplaced the law. We see that in Josiah’s day.  What is most interesting is that they didn’t seem to know they had lost it.  They were not looking for it.  It showed up when they were cleaning out a storeroom.

Then consider that they lost the temple, more than once.  How did Israel offer sacrifices and go through things like Yom Kippur when they did not have an altar or a Holy of Holies?  It sounds like holding the Rose Parade with no flowers.

Judaism under David was totally different than Judaism under the rabbis.  And even more different without the temple.  David worshiped with the law available, and had a personal relationship with God.  After the law was lost, they didn’t even celebrate Sabbath it seems.

Nehemiah brought back the Passover, the feast of booths, and the Sabbath.

It seems that in much of Israel’s history, they were operating in the dark and making things up.

Did the prophets talk about repentance or sacrifice?  Was it more about faith and obedience or about the law?  I may have to do some reading to answer my own questions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-151: It Should Be Just Another Day

Father’s Day is like Easter, it is meaningless if it is your only appearance.  This is true for both the fathers and the children.  I am at the grandfather stage and enjoying every minute of it.  One reason I am able to enjoy it is because I look at a trip to Cosco with two kids in the cart and my daughter doing some shopping as a great Father’s Day event.  What makes those events extra meaningful is that they happen often during the year, not just in June.

I have dinner weekly with my son.  We always leave a good tip because we sit as long as our tail bones will hold out.  Each week is a Father’s Day.  It is the payoff for all those mornings I went to work.  It is the result of being there when needed.  It is glorious.

I attended a special Fathers’ Day event two weeks before the official date.  All right, it was not a Fathers’ Day event.  It was a birthday party for a 5 year old.  We had a cloud of children relishing a combination bounce house/ water slide.  It was raucous.  It was chaos.  It was smooth as silk because the fathers were there.  They changed diapers and mopped up the floor.  They passed out cake and helped supervise the opening of gifts.  The kids were kids.  They were well behaved kids because their fathers were involved in their lives on a daily basis.

I hope you can experience the same.  If you are the child, reach out.  He may not know you want to spend time with him.  If you are the father, reach out.  They may not know you want to spend time with them.

Have a blessed day, and year.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-150: Click Bait: Trusting Science

The click bait was irresistible.  “Why No One Trusts Science Anymore”.  I tried to control my hearty “Amen”.  It was a lecture given by Dr. Vinay Prasad to what appeared to be professionals with a lot of degrees in science and medicine.  It seemed to be a serious attempt to express concern by someone who did not wear a tin hat.  While it was basically interesting he could have said it all in two words:  Science lies.

Actually, it isn’t science that lies.  It is the scientists and the politicians that do the lying.

Either way you need to be careful what you believe.  Develop the habit of reading between the lines.  Know the difference between fact and theory.  Ask yourself, cui bono?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-149: I Don’t Know

I may live to be 105 and die quietly in my bed, surrounded by my great grandchildren, or I may collapse on my way to get my next cup of coffee.  The chances are it will be somewhere in between.

When I think of all the ways I could go, it is troubling.  I could be mugged sitting here on my porch.  I could drop dead with an aneurysm.  I could have a heart attack.  I could develop cancer and go in great pain and suffering.  I could blow a tire and run into a tree.

Or, I could live a long life of joy and anticipation.  I can have lunch with my son today.  I could write great tracts.  I could think great thoughts.  I can influence my grandchildren.

Most of it is about choices.  I choose to live in the joy of the Lord and the freedom of the Spirit.  He can call me home with no notice.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-148: The Maybe of Science

Science was originally done by men who believed in truth and were seeking to understand that truth.  That was the basic foundation of the scientific method.  It was based, not on logic alone, but by testing the evidence and looking for the underlying principle.  These were also mostly men of faith.  It was their faith that made them seek truth and believe it could be found.

Science today has rejected the idea of truth and is based on speculation to find potential bits of information or verify obtuse theories.  The wilder the better.  If you wonder why ideas like global warming, vaccines that don’t need to be tested, surgery on young children to mutilate their sexual organs and such can find any traction it is because the leadership in the scientific community has rejected faith and a belief in objective truth.  They are also in the process of rejecting the scientific method of the Christian era and going back to the logic of the Greeks.

Most scientific research today has no application on life.  It has gone beyond the ability to prove you hypothesis because the theories are beyond proof.

We crossed that barrier long ago.
    The speed of light was believed to be an absolute limit.
    That knowledge had no application to your daily life;
        Would not cure cancer,
        Would not deal with the boll weevil,
        Would not tell you whom to marry,
        Would not help you get to work on time,
    Now we have evidence things can go faster.

Much science is pure ego gratification
    Not only not proven
    Unprovable.

So don’t get too excited when you hear that science “proves” something.  Maybe.  Maybe not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-147: The Pain of Choice

Could God have created a universe in which there was no sin?  Yes actually, He did.

Before Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, there was no sin in the universe.

Not only did he create it, but it possibly could have remained that way.  The problem is He created the universe with man in His image which introduced the element of free will and choice.  In order for there to be real choice there has to be options.

I think of the scene in one of Lucy’s movies where they went to a restaurant, were given a big menu, and everything they asked for was not available.  If I remember correctly all you could get was the grilled cheese sandwich.  That is not choice.

Choice is expensive.  It is expensive to the one who makes the wrong choices.  It is even more expensive to the One who gave you the chance to do the right thing.  When your five year old puts the lunch meat under the sink instead of the refrigerator, it costs you a bit of lunch meat.  When God gave human beings free will it cost Him the cross.

Be grateful.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-146: Warsaw Lessons

I was reading today an article about some of the Jew hatred going on in the city of New York.  I got to thinking about how Hitler rounded up the Jews in Germany and Poland.  One of the things that he did before rounding them up was to disarm them.

I am guessing that most of the atrocities that we are seeing today filled with hatred towards Jews are taking place in areas where guns are banned.  New York is obvious.  Most of the other variant examples of hatred are on college campuses, which also tend to ban guns.  Once again, American Jews are following the path of their European Brothers.  They are living in areas where they cannot defend themselves.  They do nothing in order to try and defend themselves.  It may be that they forgot the lesson of the Warsaw ghetto.  In that place a small group of Jews withstood the might of the German army because they fought back.  This is probably a bit of a stretch, but I would say that those poorly armed Jews in Warsaw withstood the Wehrmacht better than the nation of France.

Is Jew hatred on the rise?  Yes.  Will we see more of this?  Yes.  Is there an antidote?  Again, yes.  It won’t even require violence, at least not much violence.  Keep in mind that terrorist, and their cronies tend to be cowards.  What is one of the big statements of the gangsta groups, “You better watch your back”.  In other words, they are afraid to face your face.  You might hurt them. All that will be necessary to stop a lot of this nonsense is to convince them that there might be some genuine repercussions coming their way.  If the courts won’t do it, then the citizens must.

The magic of firearms is that they often don’t have to be used in order to be effective.  A hammer in the hardware store will not fix the siding on your house.  A screwdriver in the warehouse will tighten your loose doornobs.  However, a revolver in the drawer will discouraged thugs from coming in your front door.

Abracadabra.  It is magic

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-145: Bumpers and Plates: Danger

Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, “Actually, guns do kill people.”  I had nothing to write on so I was not able to respond. I wanted to leave him a note under his wiper and remind him that car bumpers kill people too.  To that list I could have added ladders, bathtubs, vaccines, and even water can kill you.  I don’t think he would read the whole thing.

I also did not want his death on my conscience.  Once he realized that water could kill you he might stop drinking and die of thirst.  Whoever drives the car is probably a very nice person and since I believe in liberty, I would not want him to hurt himself because he has no sense of humor.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-144: Air Quotes

We need to start using air quotes and paying attention when we see them.

The thought came to mind in regard to “Biblical scholars” and wondering if the quotes should be around one word or both.  

The thought moved to “scientists”.  Keep in mind anyone who says, “The science is settled” is not a scientist but an imposter.  Science is never “settled”.  That is why it is science.  

I was reading the portion of Josh McDowell’s More Evidence that Demands a Verdict.  He was working through what is called the Documentary Hypothesis of interpreting the Old Testament.  If you don’t know anything about it, all you need to know is enough to realize how ridiculous it is.  Josh works through the theory step by step and gives examples of how modern archeology has proven these university professor wrong.  He even points out that there was enough evidence when they introduced their theories to prove them wrong.  He points out the errors of their ways in a very direct but gentlemanly way.

If you know anything about Josh McDowell you know that he is a gentleman.  He has been a faithful advocate for Christianity and is one of the greats of the 20th century.  At times he is too much of a gentleman.  It is perfectly clear that the reason these “Biblical Scholars” came up with their theory and kept pushing it in the face of facts was that they hated the Bible and everything it said.  They were not trying to “understand”, they were trying to destroy.  He talks all around it and implies such a thing but never says it.  

One of the qualifications that the Air Quote people have is an advanced degree.  They are educated beyond their ability to exercise humility.  Education is a grand thing.  Pride is poison.  It seems that pride trumps education.  What should teach limitations instead bloats egos.  As someone with a college degree (BA), a seminary degree (M.Div) and enough classes in education to qualify for three different teaching credentials, I remain unimpressed by diplomas and certificates.  Look for character concentrated in integrity and don’t be impressed with the meaningless paper that hangs on the wall.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-143: The Quiet That Isn’t

Recently I had a discussion where I mentioned how quiet the front porch was before sunrise on Sunday.  It’s so quiet I can hear my ears ringing.  Other days of the week there are brief moments like this, and I find myself enjoying the quietness.  Today I recognize the fact that it’s not as quiet as I think it is.  The bugs are out giving a concert.  I didn’t know what they are. They look like fat grasshoppers.  I thouht they might be katydids.  They might be some other obscure form of life.   It turns out they are called cicadas.  But they make real noise.  It doesn’t get quiet, it just becomes a natural background concert.  And as I think back, before the cicadas started giving a concert, the local animals liked to check in too.  I could hear donkeys braying across the valley.  In normal times I can hear all kinds of other noises made by animals.  And then the birds will join in.  It’s never really all that quiet.  It’s just that the quiet that I experience seems that way.  It seems more natural.

I can’t wait for the cicadas to get over their seventeen year cycle of lust and reproduction.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-142: Discernment Watch: Tradition or Truth

I was sitting in Sunday school, paying attention, listening, and with my mind turned on.  The teacher was working through the verse below, and made a comment that the husband of Candace was one of the wise men at Jesus’ birth.

Acts 8:27 (KJV) And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

At that point, my bologny meter went off, and I almost stood up and said, “No”.  We need to be aware that there is a difference between tradition and truth.  It is possible that the church in Ethiopia had a tradition that the husband of Candace was one of the wise men.  I would not quarrel that is their tradition.  However, tradition is not always based in fact.  A little thinking can go along way.  I believe that the Gospel account says that the wise men came from the east.  I don’t know if you are aware of any geography, but Ethiopia is to the south.  Unless the husband of Candace was on an extended sabbatical, studying with the astronomers of the east, there is no way that he could’ve qualified to be one of the wise man at the birth of Jesus.  We need to be aware that there is a difference.  Tradition is sometimes based in fact, and almost believable.  In fact, tradition might even be true, but not necessarily.  If we want to be a person who has any clout in our world, you need to keep your mind turned on and acknowledge a difference between tradition and verifiable facts.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-141: One Size Fits All

When it comes to t-shirts and cheap hats this is a joke.  It can’t happen.

With Jesus it is a different story.  Unlike caps, we don’t have to keep adjusting Him until He fits.  Unlike spandex, He does not get stretched out of shape to reveal all of our flaws.  

Think of it more like a giant bath towel.  In my opinion I have never met a bath towel that is too big.  Little people can just wrap it around more times.  Big is a blessing.  

There is a sense in which Jesus is the same for all of us.  He redeems us.  He saves us.  

There is a reality in which Jesus meets each of us in a unique way.  We have different personalities and experiences.  He is flexible enough to form fit and begin to mold us from where we are.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-140: Africa Takes the Lead

If you are a believer, I assume you’re in prayer for our country and for our so-called leaders.  That goes double for Donald Trump.

I once went to a class on the concept of praying scripture.  The idea was that you would find a verse or a passage that applied to someone and their situation and you use it for a framework of prayer for them.  Might I suggest Psalm 91 as a place to be reading today.  It talks about fear.  It talks about protection.  It talks about the things that God does for those who follow him.

So pray for President Trump.  Pray for his spiritual condition.  Pray for his safety.  Pray that he will be obedient to God‘s will even if he’s not aware of it.  And while you do this pray for your country.  We are in a time of great evil.  The church has abandoned its roll as source of righteousness.  I guess I mean the organized church.  It is up to the real church, the Body Christ, those walking in the spirit and following his leader ship.

God will judge His people.  What is scary about that?  “His people” is not synonymous with America, but with the church in America and the rest of the world.  Pray that we are obedient and faithful stewards.  Political America is on a suicide run.  The only thing that will save it is a revival starting in the studies and pulpits of America.  It would be good if Americans would follow the lead of the Methodist Church in Africa which has just disassociated itself from the United Methodist Church over their vote to embrace the homosexual agenda.

We need a little bit of Africa over here.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-139: Christian Cliches: Pray and Change

I keep hearing that “Prayer changes things.”  While I accept the general idea I don’t see it as a guarantee given by the Bible.  The change is a choice of God, not the petitioner.  

You want a couple of examples?  Start at the top.  Take Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane just before He was arrested.   

(Mar 14:36 KJV)  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

It seems pretty clear He is asking for plan B.  At the same time He knows it isn’t going to happen.

Not enough for you?  You are a hard sell.  Next, take the apostle Paul.  Yes, the Paul who said,

(1Th 5:17 KJV)  Pray without ceasing.

Paul is well known for his thorn in the flesh.  He was not excited about it.  He asked God to remove it.

(2Co 12:8 KJV)  For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

He asked three times.  God said, “No” three times.

Too many people think that prayer is a “to-do list” for God.  Yes, there are verses that can be understood that way but they have qualifiers.

So pray.  Expect God to answer.  Accept the reality that “no” is an answer.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-138: Numbers

As I read Dennis Prager’s Bible commentaries I notice he continually makes a big issue of certain numbers and explaining what they mean.  The number seven, the numbers 40 and 12 are filled with significance.  I keep asking myself, “How does he know?”  He does not explain.  He just says “The number ___ means.”  Does the Bible actually say that certain numbers represent certain things?  Are these biblical or do they just come from the Pharisees making things up?  Are they biblical or they just pagan inventions?

The only place I find a specific reference is when 666 is declared the mark of the Beast.  I tried doing a search on numerology and everything I came up with was occult and mystical.  This goes beyond the simple references we have of “seven is the perfect number” and such.  There are whole systems of belief based on numbers.

There are many points in life that can be fun and games but if we take them too seriously they can become a fixation that fixes nothing.  Good questions are, “Says who?” and “How do you know?”

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-137: One in 10

My prayer today is that I would be one of the 10 righteous individuals God was looking for in our modern Sodom.  God promised Abraham if he could find 10 righteous people he would spare the city.  I know that this is not Sodom.  I am certainly not Abraham.  And yet I somehow feel the principal is the same.  I believe that if there are enough righteous in America, God will spare us.

Let me be one.  I don’t know what the number would be for us today but I sure could use as many on the team as possible.  There are no tryouts like in Little League.  There are no essay questions.  It is just a matter of trusting in Jesus and living the life He wants us to live.

Sign ups begin immediately.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-136: Morning Miracles

As I sit on the front porch, looking out into the darkness and glorying in God’s creation, one of the things that struck me this morning was that I was sitting on a porch overlooking the hill country of Texas at a house which was purchased by my wife.  You may wonder why that would suddenly hit me.  I knew it before we moved in.  This is the woman who wanted to be blocks from the best hospitals and around the corner from great shopping.  We are 13 miles from the nearest gas station.  This is glorious.  I would have never believed that my wife would buy a house in this location.

It is a miracle.  I don’t even remember having the nerve to ask the Lord for something like this, or to expect it, yet here it is.  He often takes better care of us than we would even think of.

homo unius libri