Opus 2024-094: Dark Thoughts: Security

As I sit on the front porch and get up and go inside to get another cup of coffee, I always lock the door behind me.  I don’t know why.  It has to do with my not wanting someone to sneak up on me in the dark.  In reality that little lock wouldn’t stop anybody who is determined to get in.

We live in an age of imagined security.  Our little locks would not stop any determine criminal.  Or a big glass windows would not keep anyone out who was determined to get in.  We have a confidence because our culture is based on certain values which make such behavior unusual.

We used to think we were safe in church or at the mall.  Our car was a sanctuary.  If we could get in and lock the doors we were good.

That will be changing.

Part of the reason is that there are more crazy people on the loose.  The authorities have emptied the mental hospitals and jails.  You never know when or where they will show up.  An extension of that is the people who would behave in a civilized manner if they thought there was a consequence for misbehaving.  The way the justice system lets violent criminals go makes them bolder.  The refusal to prosecute people who walk into stores, fill bags with merchandise and walk out without paying is an open invitation to return and do it again.  

People vote with their feet when they can.  They leave blue cities and states.  Businesses close down and if possible relocate.  They are only putting off the day when the deviant find a way to get to them at their new location.  

I am all for people leaving dysfunctional locations.  Too often they bring their politics and opinions with them and that spreads their pollution to the remaining safe zones.  I am watching it happen in Texas.  I assume it is happening in other free states.

As far as possible, draw lines where you live.  Vote like morality matters.  That means finding out who the judges are that believe in the Constitution and who sits on your city council.  If you are on a jury then learn about the concept of jury nullification.  When backed against a wall, or sooner if possible, defend yourself.   

Pray the year does not get too interesting.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-093: Divine Arrogance

As I was contemplating the miraculous and mysterious, my mind bounced over the definition of love given in the Bible.

(1Co 13:4-8 KJV)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.  Charity never faileth:...

One of the thoughts I think I have already shared is that this definition of love helps us understand what the Bible means when it says “God is love”.  It demonstrates what it means when we read “For God so loved the world...”  But I had trouble relating not vauntething itself and not being puffed up.  The NASB translates those as “arrogant” and “not bragging”.

In thinking about love, being non-arrogant, and non-bragging I realize that perhaps this was talking about the relationship within the trinity.  The ideas involve some kind of puffing up that is all hot air and no substance.  How could the source of all things think too highly of Himself?  Some of the chapter talks about us as humans but others relate better to God.  Or maybe it’s better to say that while all of it relates to us as humans some of it relates very well to God.

The Trinity postulates three persons.  It would take a God-sized love to exist as one for eternity.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-092: Meaning

I started thinking about bees having a purpose in life.  Don’t ask me how I got there.  And that worker bee, as long as it could gather pollen and bring it back to the hive, was happy.  To my knowledge it had no sex drive, no interest in philosophy or politics, and certainly was not into origami.  It’s whole being was wrapped up in gathering pollen.  From there I went to the wheat and oats in the field.  Well, actually I went to my oatmeal and I started asking myself what brings fulfillment to an oat plant?

For an oat seed or a wheat stalk the only joy and purpose I could come up with had to do with finding water and reaching the sunlight.  If they could get their roots down to where the moisture was and break the ground to find sunlight, they rejoiced in finding their purpose in life.  Have you ever walked by a wheatfield and stopped to listen to the wheat rejoicing in its purpose?  I don’t have any wheat or oats near me but did ask the wildflowers if they were celebrating.

I did not get an answer.

Obviously, we were not made like the wheat or the honeybee.  We were made in the image of God.  That means that we are not simply satisfied with gathering pollen.  We are not fulfilled by just reaching the water or having the sunshine on our head.  We have deeper drives, deeper needs, and I lust for meaning in our lives.  That is what it means to be created in the image of God.

You were created to subdue and rule the earth, not become compost for a tree.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-091: Rudderless

We are currently in a leadership crisis.  The ship of state seems to be meandering around and having no useful goal.  Our leaders ship billions of dollars to Iran and then say, “Don’t”.  We have a supreme court nominee who claims she does not know what a woman is.  That was bad enough but she was still confirmed.  

We have an absentee father crisis.  Young men have never had the influence of a father and end up burning, looting and brutalizing.  

Why is leadership so important?  People in that position have the authority to make decisions that the rest of us are locked into and forced to live with.  When Jesus came it’s very possible that God was giving Israel one more chance to embrace the God of their fathers.  How that coordinates with the idea that God knew from the foundation of the world that the cross would be necessary, I don’t know.  We are locked in time and have no comprehension of what it means to be outside time.  God knows and operates both in and out.  I don’t have a way of explaining that but, Israel had one more chance, and they blew it.  The thing is, it was not the people of Israel so much as the leaders of Israel.

The gospels continually refer to the Jews.  They talk about the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes and the elders.  Most of the people in these categories rejected Jesus as the Messiah.  The common people flocked to him to listen to what he had to say.  Granted, many of them just came for the free bread, but if there was anyone who is willing to respond to Jesus, it was the common people.  Their opinion was never considered.

We see this in the early church.  The common people responded to the teachings of the disciples.  Although there were exceptions, the early church was made up of slaves, workers and women.  The heresies and controversies were the product of the educated leaders more than the majority.  We see it today as liberal leaders take their denominations and congregations down the road of wokeness and turn their back on Jesus.

It is vital that we get concerned about the leadership.  We have disasters happening both politically and spiritually.  We will be judged by the leaders that we pick and support.  It may not be individual.  You may be a faithful believer in a sea of apostates.  You will go to heaven but the church and country will burn.  You may be a patriotic American but if you have a communist judge, hello jail time.

And don’t hide behind the “Jesus is my leader” mantra.  We know Jesus is our leader.  And one of the things he’s leading us to do is to pick godly leaders.  It might even mean that you will need to accept the burden yourself.

We are having run-offs in the primary round.  On the ballot are appraisal district candidates.  We also have school boards and a passel of other places where leadership is needed.  At the very least, pray.  Start there.  Then move on to vote and look for chances to speak up.  If the country crumbles you will at least know that you did what you could.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-090: Internet Gossip

The internet is replacing the church prayer chain as the primary source of gossip in our culture.  If you have been around some churches they have prayer chains organized that rapidly deteriorate into a place to find out all the juicy stuff happening.  It was an early form of Facebook or Instagram.  I say that never having used prayer chains, Facebook or Instagram.

Even when the internet was accessed by dial-up modems it was hailed as a great source of communication and information.  As search engines matured and the speed of access sped up the possibilities became endless.  Unfortunately it went in directions that the innocent were not prepared for.  Who knew that Russian brides were a path to porn?  And then there is the matter of trust in what you read.  The internet has become a great source of nonsense and distortion.

Most of what you find on the Internet could be classified as gossip. People have always had the choice. We have always had the choice of whether they listen to someone who speaks from knowledge and experience, or listening to someone who is upset, because aunt Mabel snubed them in the grocery store. Most of the Internet is aunt Mabel.

Consider how easy it is for the mysterious “them” to modify sources of information such as Wikipedia.  What is even more evil is when they start changing definitions in on-line dictionaries.  

The information is still out there.  You may need to keep digging and rewording your searches in order to get past the censorship of the elites but much is still waiting to be accessed.  As in so much of life, keep your brain turned on and your baloney meters on high.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-089: Wildflower Watch: Cactus

Today I noticed the prickly pear cactus were starting to bloom.  The Indian blankets are still going strong along with the black eyed Susans.  One more is waiting in the wings.  When the Mexican hats show up it will be a sign that wildflower season is coming to an end.

Then I will have to start mowing.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-088: Eternity

As I was contemplating how God communicates with us I noticed what seemed to be a pattern.  The first communication was simply God, appearing walking in the garden and talking with Adam and Eve.  The second appearance is to Cain.  Again, we have a simple conversation.  That seems to be his pattern until we get to Moses.  With Moses, we start having things like burning bushes.  Revealing the law on Mount Sinai was full of spectacular events.  Those events were still explained in understandable terms.

God spoke to David and through David.  There was a lot of figures of speech and poetic language, but, again, still clear communication.

When we get to Revelation, everything changes, and we have all of these strange images that make no sense to normal person.  I tend to think of eternity in terms of the mystery of the unknown.  I have been thinking that we would not be able to understand it.  Maybe I have that all wrong.

Perhaps eternity will be understandable as God was understood by Abraham.  Perhaps it’s just the clarity of our thinking that will be different.  Maybe we will understand infinity.  Maybe we will we will be able to get our arms around everlasting.

When you think about the description of creation, there are no terms or ideas that we cannot grasp.  In fact, most people are quite content with that and don’t go behind it.  It is possible that in eternity the basics that bring us joy and satisfaction and fulfillment will be within reach of all of our enlightened minds.  For those who want to go deeper into subatomic structures and particle theory, and all of the physics involved, they will be able to do that.  Also that will be the glory of eternity.

It is possible that with our glorified minds, God will be understandable.

We will have to wait and see how it works out.  I am content to know that if I could understand it now it might not be worth understanding then.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-087: Talent

I found myself almost clicking on another short video of the Seekers.  I had always enjoyed their work but I had never heard of them as a group.  

I found myself wondering if Judith Durham, the lead singer, played any instruments.  The rest of the group do their main accompaniment but I have never seen her touch anything.  I wondered if she had any other talent beside singing.  Did she paint or write poetry?  Did she garden or cook?  Did she do open heart surgery when not on tour?  I have no idea.

And to be honest, it does not matter.  She sings.  She sings in such a glorious way that it really does not matter if she does anything else.  There are people like that.  They are so blessed in one area that the rest of their lives are eclipsed.  They are a blessing to our culture and civilization.

I will never say that about anyone involved in rap.  Don’t bother forgiving me.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-086: Grace and justice

Christians often talk about “free” grace.  To non-Christians that seems irrational and they are right.  Grace does not really set aside justice.  It only appears that way.  Justice was met on the Cross.  Your sin was paid for.  Grace simply takes that expression of justice, and applies it to your situation, based upon your faith in Jesus.

Don’t get it confused.  Grace is not free.  It cost Jesus.

The idea that grace is free is really confusing to people.  God is just, period, and being a just God means that sin must be paid for.  So you just cavalierly tossing it off by saying you are forgiven would not be justice.  God’s attribute of justice demands payment.  And he made that payment.

Don’t get them confused.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-085: Organization

We tend to want to put things in their boxes to be able to find them, and to know where everything fits.  Or at least some people think that way.  Some people are only capable of organizing their socks in a drawer by color.  Others can organize the pantry.  What one person can do better the other person often ignores.

I was thinking of how we knew my grandmother had visited.  We could find nothing.  She would come over and totally re-organize the kitchen.  Everything was still there.  It would make sense to her.  But everything was be in a different place.

Is that the way we are in theology?  Philosophy?  Cooking?  Organizing our library?  (You do have a library, don’t you?)  Doing your laundry?  Think of how much hostility would be eliminated if we would simply assume it is a matter of putting ideas in different colored bags.

Are some people incapable of organizing?  Maybe our way, but if they were totally out to lunch they would never have any lunch to eat.

Patience.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-084: New

I wonder how old I was before I began to realize that new and improved wasn’t.  We are used to the blurbs on the package, screen or radio.  Because it was new it must be improved.  That was obvious.  Improved meant better, right?  So how come things wore out more quickly or didn’t taste the same.  It was a slow lesson to learn.

And then I begin to wonder how old I was when I realized that traditional wasn’t always the best way.  “We have always done it that way” was a popular excuse for not changing.  Originally it had some validity.  There are good reasons why you whittle away from your body.  There may not be as good a reason for using the knife you saw on TV.  As new technology developed it became more of a challenge to know if the new was better.  It might be.  It might not be.

All decisions and considerations we make need for us to have our discernment and brain plugged in.  While there are some choices that are finally a shot in the dark, a little bit of homework can turn up a lot.  The question is do we have the discipline to search and the strength to decide.

We have elections coming.  You may get a call about the warranty on your car.  You might be thinking about getting married.  Think hard.  You will be living with your decision.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-083: Seekers

Part of my daily pray involves a short list of what I call “seekers”.  I recently added Douglas Murray to my list of seekers.

Seekers are people whom have gotten my attention because they express a desire for truth.  They say it in such a way that I think there is something to it.  My prayer for these men, and at this point they are all men, is that they would find the truth, that they would recognize it when they find it, that they would embrace it, and that they would move on it.

That is a tall order.  It won’t happen over night.  It is workable. It isn’t a prayer that they become right wing Bible thumping evangelicals.  It has to do with him finding truth not thinking my way.   It is possible that I might not even recognize it when it happens because I am so locked in my own box.

I can live with that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-082: No Trinity

There has to be a reason why God did not include the vocabulary word “trinity” in the Bible anywhere.  The Trinity is a theological doctrine that summarizes several concepts found clearly in the New Testament:  There is one God.  The Father is God.  The Son is God.  The Spirit is God.  They are three distinct persons who can communicate with each other.  Yet there is only one God.  Confused?  Good, you were listening.  It is a truth that we are to wrestle with and meditate on but involves infinite concepts that are honestly beyond us in our present limited form.

Another reason might be that by including the word it would limit our thinking in our meditation to what the word means.  Possibly by focusing on the meaning of the word, we would not be open to the vast panorama of the concept.

I recently was in a discussion where the mystery of the Trinity was very obvious.  There was a lot of confusion in the discussion because we kept trying to put the Trinity in a box.  That does not work very well.  I knew I was in trouble when I was told that the Trinity is easy to understand.  All that told me was that he did not have a clue.

I don’t either but at least I know it.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-081: Joining the Opposition

I am beginning to wonder if I should get on board the anti-white-male wagon.  When I look at the FBI, WEF, FDA and such it seems like all I see are white males trying to destroy the country and impose elite rule.

Start a list of the ones who are really contributing to the cause:

George Soros
Bill Gates
Charles Schwab
CEO’s of social media
The list goes on.

Maybe the haters are right.  I am going to need to think about this a bit.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-080: Endowed Politics

My church has a group of people that are very involved in the political process at the county and state level.  They are also involved in supporting a crisis pregnancy center and a women’s shelter.  They are involved in many applications of Christian compassion and their concern on the political level is based on those same values.

We have two that have run for office recently.  One came out victorious and the other has made it into a runoff.  They are in my prayers daily.  As I was praying for them as I walked, I found myself wondering why we are reluctant to state a political platform based on our religious beliefs.  We have been brainwashed by the pagans and what Paul calls “so called brothers” into believing that politics and faith don’t mix.  

It is just fine to base a political platform on spiritual truths and we should be doing that.  The opposite does not hold but it is more common.  Too many people who have influence in the church are basing their religion on their political priorities.  We need to stand up for the things of God.

Some issues are debatable based on moral principles.  Tax rates are not ingrained in the Bible unless you want to use the Temple system of tithes as an example.  Teaching perversion in our schools is a different issue.  We need to put some time into thinking through what the Bible expects and push for those principles.  Many times the only question we can vote on is the integrity of the candidate.

Don’t forget the Declaration of Independence talks about our rights being “endowed by our Creator.”  You also should know that much of the original resistance to the Constitution was that it had no reference to that same creator.

Stand tall.  Look for opportunities to speak out.  Make a difference while you can.  Make sure you give them a real reason to put you in a concentration camp when the time comes.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-079: Porch Praying

One of the questions is often in my mind is the nature of prayer.  I have a hard time with the shopping-list form a prayer.  To me it is much more of a conversation, a relationship and ongoing communication.  As I sit on the porch, basking in the presence of God, I find that much of the time I don’t need to say anything.  Much of the time I don’t even need to follow a train of thought.  It is often enough just to sit and know that I am in the presence of Almighty God.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-078: Prisoners of the Green

As I sit out on the porch in the early morning, I am struck by how the elites of our country want to destroy our liberty by destroying our mobility.

I listen to the traffic and watch the headlights in the distance as people rush to work or whatever it is they have to do in the early morning.  Some may be going home from work.  Some may be out pursuing a special interest they have.  Most are probably going to work and getting ready to earn a living for the day.

Then there are the ones who leave from their homes on the hill and head off to whatever it is they have to do.  I think of the outings we have taken as a family that have involve driving for an hour.  If the elites have their way all of this will die.  If they have their way, we will be confined to the 15 minute cities and we will have to work within 15 walking-minutes of home.  We will have to shop within 15 walking-minutes from home.  We will have to go to church, if zoning allows a church, within 15 walking-minutes of home.  We will have our recreation confined to a walk and 15 minutes from home.  That is the plan of our betters along with bug burgers.

We might be free to take public transit if it’s offered.  We can always call a cab, maybe.  Look what they are doing to Uber.  All of this in the name of saving the planet and green energy.  It will be stifling.  You may have missed it but one of the slogans in California was “Brown is the new Green”.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-077: Unum or Not

In Galatians, 3:28, Paul tells us about the different categories that we are not to be divided by in Christ, such as neither male nor female.  I think this should be understood like the parables of Jesus, the verse has one major point.  That point is that we are all one in the eyes of God.  The superficial differences that our current woke gurus are trying to make vital are nothing but distractions.  I would imagine that if Paul had been writing on a word processor and getting paid by the word he could have added many more contrasts.  How does “neither right handed or left handed” sound for starters.

Having said that we need to realize that the concept is not a universal blanket.  I noticed that it doesn’t list the difference between the righteous and the unrighteous.  There are some traits that have an opposite that is totally unacceptable.  I think that anyone who is sincere and can figure out whether to push or pull on a door can see that and make wise decisions.

The concept is found in the American creed in the statement on our money, E Pluribus Unum.  Politically we are united in our allegiance to the country and support of its Constitution.  As Christians we are united by our faith in Christ and acceptance of the Bible as our standard.  It is one sense in which America was a Christian country.  It was not because we all believed in the same religion but we accepted the values at the base of all our politics.

May that day come again.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-076: Time Out

God exists outside of time. He was before and he will be after.  He is eternal at both ends.

Why did he invent time?  Was it just for the joy of creating?  Was it because the creatures he created in his image needed the structure of time?  Was it because some of the things he wanted to do that he would enjoy required the structure of time?  I won’t say, “We will never know” because we may get a chance to ask in eternity, if we still care.  

In eternity will we ever be outside of time?  I can’t comprehend it.  I guess I will just have to wait to find out.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-075: The Crazies

The problem was not when Ronald Reagan opened up the mental hospitals and turned people out onto the streets.  The problem is that those people have been put into positions of leadership.  They are professors in our colleges.  They are leaders in the administrative state.  They are pastors in our churches.  They are what has become called influencers, whatever that means.  Crazy uncle Harry is now running the family.  And we are taking them seriously.

Who is more crazy?

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-074: Has the Other Shoe Dropped?

Last night as I was getting ready to go to bed, I saw the reports of drone attacks on Israel.  They say that elections have consequences.  For anyone who has voted for any Democrat in the past eight years I would say, “Welcome to consequences.”  I would also include a lot of Rinos who are part of the Uniparty.  There is enough guilt to go around.

We don’t know how far the consequences will go.  Is this the beginning of World War III?  Is it just time for another Trump indictment?  In 1914 it took time to mobilize and nothing happened to bring sanity.  In the late 30's there were many chances to head off the Nazi onslaught but none were taken.  With the leadership we have I would suggest that prayer and repentance would be good ideas.  Don’t wait until things go nuclear or the drones start hitting us from Cuba, Mexico or container ships.  

Prayer is always a good place to start and a weak place to finish.  Hand in hand is the second thing I mentioned.  Many are familiar with a Bible verse,

(2Ch 7:14 KJV)  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

This was addressed to Israel when they were at the top of their game.  The Temple had just been finished and Solomon lead in its dedication.  What a strange time to offer this warning.

We are not Israel.  We are not at the top of our game.  Instead of a Solomon we have an empty suit.  I think the principle still applies if we have enough people who are faithful to God’s calling.  Two parts of this we don’t like are to “humble ourselves” and to “turn from out wicked ways.”  Keep in mind that God would have spared Sodom if there had been ten righteous.  Do we have enough in the world, let alone America.

It may just be another fire drill.  Let us hope so.  That doesn’t mean we can ignore it.  Eventually the other shoe will drop.

Be salt.  Be light.  Give God a reason to spare us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-073: Glassy-Eyed Syndrome

I must confess that I am amazed at the number of people who resist the truths found in the Bible.  It is like they refuse to read or believe what seems logical.  Or they may be members in a cult that teaches foolishness and they look at it with awe.  I have a friend I am in constant dialogue with.  It doesn’t matter how many times I point out inconsistency, inaccuracy or lack of logic.  He might even half-way agree with me but he always recovers.  I imagine he might say the same things about me.

This experience has made me a bit more insightful on the woke among us.  They have that same ability to get glassy eyed in the presence of what they don’t want to hear.  They can ignore facts.  They can even say that facts don’t matter.  The thing that matters is the narrative and they must stay true to the path.

It makes no sense.  It is frustrating.  It is the way it is.

Because of this I have strong doubts that most people will be open to the gospel, ever.  In the same way I think there are masses who believe that both hot weather and cold weather are evidence of global warming.  They believe that green energy is the hope of the future.  They think socialism works, and that is as logical as expecting a drinking cup made out of toilet paper to work.

Make it a habit to listen.  It is possible that we are the ones who are wrong.  I doubt it, but truth can stand up to just about anything if we are willing to pursue it.  Pray for a million roads to Damascus and be willing to be one that is bowled over.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-072: The Nap of Luxury

Does God ever take naps?

I don’t mean this in a sacrilegious way, it is more just a curiosity.  We were made in the image of God.  We enjoy your naps.  Do we need them?  I don’t know.  But we certainly do like them.

God, taking a nap could be just a way in which He finds joy in his existence.  Wouldn’t be necessary, because God is not needy in any way.  It would be something that is built into His being that He finds great pleasure in.  It is possible that He trades off with the other persons in the trinity and they sleep one at a time.  It could be that He goes into an automatic mode when He sleeps, but a part of Him keeps track of all the things He needs to do.

It could be that the times when we have natural disasters are times in which He is taking a nap.  Now it feels like I’m crossing the line into sacrilege or blasphemy.

Is there any indication that Jesus took a nap?  I don’t think so.

The Bible does have something to say about taking naps.  The subject comes up several times in Proverbs.  Here is one,

(Pro 6:10 KJV)  Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
(Pro 6:11 KJV)  So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.

It would seem that naps are a path to failure.  I guess I just answered my original question.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-071: Providential Progress

We are locked into the progressive process of Providence. As God weaves the tapestry of history, he has a certain pattern in mind.  He does not share that pattern with us.  It is possibly too complex for us to grasp with our finite minds.  An overview of history gives you a better understanding of what is going on.

Think of the art world.  If you look at some works, and start up nose touching close, what you can see looks like total chaos.  Then take a deep breath and back off to get a perspective.  When you do that there is a good chance you will begin to see the pattern that the artist had in mind.

God is quite aware of all the things we get all fluxed up about.  He knows about them better than we do.  He knows what we can do about those things and what we can’t.  He is experienced at working through humans to bring it about.  He can herd cats.  He can also herd Baptists, Pentecostals, Methodists and all the other breeds that flourish in our country.  I think He can even work with ferals.  

We don’t always like His methods.  He sometimes works through what we consider disasters.  Sometimes that is because we won’t listen and He needs to get our attention.  Read the prophets if you want to know how far He will go to bring us back in line.  Believe me, you don’t want to experience it first hand.

homo unius libri

Opus 2024-070: More than Nuts and Berries

Hunter gatherers did not subdue and rule.

I’m looking at the creation account, and how God created all animal life and plant life, and then, as His final innovation, made man in His image.  He told man to subdue the world.  He did not allow for a lifestyle of hunting and gathering, because that does not subdue.  It is harvesting without planting.  It is reaping without sowing.  It is totally dependent on the whims of nature.

That was not what God had in mind even if it conforms to the expectations of the Gaia worshipers.

Agriculture would be the first step in subduing nature.  It would be a battle from day one.  As man learned, he worked out things like fertilizer and rotating crops.  He developed ways to deal with the bugs.  We still have the weather defying us and that may be beyond our reach.  It is possible that the weather must simply be gambled on and as long as we come out on top and get enough to eat we can consider ourselves winners.

Living on government largess is more the role of a hunter gatherer.  It is not the way in which you rise to dominion.  It is the way of the slave.  God did not call us to be slaves.

When you start to plow make sure that you don’t let your sword get rusty or your bow, waterlogged.

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Opus 2024-069: Biblical Health

The biblical pattern for health is balance, moderation, and trust.  Although doctors are not demonized, they are not the key.  Luke is called “the beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14 so the press is not all bad.  Having said that I think there was more emphasis put on the three things mentioned above and a belief that God is the great healer.

Balance and moderation are continually mentioned in Proverbs.  Food and feasting are good things in the Bible.  Gluttony is a sin.  Jesus turned water into wine when a wedding ran out but drunkenness is a sin.  

A Key to all this is trust because trust deals with the stress issue.  I don’t think we begin to comprehend how much stress contributes to our physical problems.  Trusting God, believing that he will work his well, is one of the most freeing and health providing activities that we can do.  This is the only physical reason I can think of that I am healther than some people in my life.  I like to quote, “I have the strength of ten because my heart is pure” but I realize on that metric I would be long dead.

To be honest, I don’t think the doctors know what they’re talking about.  I didn’t feel that way a few years ago.  The way in which the medical community has given us a body slam over the covid brainwashing changed all that.  It’s kind of like they are whistling in the dark by the graveyard, hoping that they can keep the demons away and that no one will find out.  It’s not that they don’t do a good job on setting bones, first aid and things like that, but when it comes to really analyzing what’s wrong with people they’re just guessing.  

Recently my Clearing House Doctor looked at my blood work and said my bad cholesteral was getting high.  He told me come back in six months, do some more blood work and we would talk.  I got up fasting, had blood drawn and came back a week later.  They could not find the report.  He said he would track it down and call me when it was located.  Crickets.  It has been several months now, and crickets.  Of course the big question now is would I start taking medication on his say-so?  I am not sure.  I have decided to not worry about it.

God knows. God acts. And God has a plan.

I can live with that.

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Opus 2024-068: Falling in Love

What do I do in the mornings?  If the neighbors notice me out on the front porch they probably raise their eyebrows and mumble about that crazy old man.  How do you explain the world of worship.  The best I could come up with this morning is the idea that it’s like falling in love.   Think of a time where you saw someone “across a crowded room”, as the song says.  You understand the phrase, “One enchanted evening.”  You just were overcome by the sight.  You may have never spoken to them.  You might never have a chance to speak to him.  But all you could think about was them.

The analogy breaks down, because as I’m sitting here, staring with adoration at God’s creation, and thus at Him.  I am not ignoring Him, and He is not ignoring me.  I am worshiping that which I love, and that which takes my focus.

Every morning I wonder if it will be another glorious day.  To be honest, some days it is only average.  But other days it lives up to all of the hype.

It brings new meaning to the greeting, “Good Morning”.  Good morning, indeed.

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Opus 2024-067: Ho, Hum from Texas

So, did everyone survive the eclipse?  Except for one moment of looking out the windows and thinking it was a bit dark, I forgot all about it.

I live right in the middle of the path it was supposed to follow.  If I had been enthused, I would have been heart broken because this part of Texas had heavy cloud cover all day.  I guess if the aliens were doing a fly by no one would have seen them.  If Jesus had decided to appear in the sky we would have only known it by the sound of the trumpets.

It is only the middle of the afternoon but I have a feeling that civilization, such as it is, has survived this moment.  Whether it will survive the election in November, I am not so sure.

Stay tuned.

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Opus 2024-066: O’Henry Theology

I think Satan is locked in time about the same way we are.  When you consider the glee he must have felt after the sin in the Garden of Eden, and the way in which mankind had fallen, he must’ve been excited about what he saw happening in the world.  God looked on and decided that he was going to destroy it all.  I am not sure if Satan considered that a victory or a defeat.

Satan can’t have known what was coming which means that he couldn’t see the future.  He could not know what God was willing to do.  He was limited to the facts on hand and his own blind spots.

How many times in the Bible has Satan been suckered in by this kind of thing?  Picture the crucifixion.  Satan must have thought he got the gold ring but it was forecast in Genesis about the Messiah stepping on his head.   Then you have the persecution of the early church which caused the flight of believers.  Instead of ending it all the Christians spread the good word.  

It is possible that Satan is also not a very good student history.  He can’t seem to remember all the times he thought he had a victory, and yet it went sour on him in the long run.

So be of good cheer.  Things look dark now but if you read the book you won’t need to wait for the movie.  Think of it as the classical O’Henry ending.

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Opus 2024-065: Moving Ahead

In a discussion with a friend he talked about progressive revelation.  I am not sure I agree with him in the sense that he means it, but it is obvious that God has revealed more of His truth as time went on.  This makes good sense.  Obviously Adam and Eve did not know about the law.  Moses did not have the benefit of the 23rd Psalm.  It is part of growing up as a people and as individuals.  We as believers also grow in our understanding of the revelation of God.

A good parallel to this would be the study of mathematics. You can look at it as a child, learning, mathematics, or you could look at it as a field in which new ideas are being brought out and new depths of understanding developed.  A child learning his multiplication tables does not have a clue about algebra.  What we know about mathematics today is much further down the road than what was known three hundred years ago.

In the same way, the Bible is written revealing what we need to know step-by-step.  Every speculation is not necessarily worth developing and considering seriously yet we use our thinking ability to come to a deeper understanding.

The God who existed in the first chapter of Genesis is the same God that existed at the end of Revelation.  Having said that, we do not understand him the same because we know Him better. The theology did not change, it just was revealed, and we are changed as we learn more.

Onward.

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Opus 2024-064: Dark Thoughts: Hunting Zombies

On Easter Sunday as we were eating dinner, we were discussing different aspects of the resurrection story and the crucifixion.  One of the events that we found puzzling was all the people that evidently were raised from the dead, and came out of their graves at the moment of Jesus death.

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

Someone asked what happened to them?  Someone else suggested they went home to see their families?

I have no idea.  The Bible doesn’t tell us, but this morning, sitting in the dark, I wondered what Jesus did during the time between his appearing in the upper room and his ascension.  We have a couple of events related to us, but most of it is history.

It occurred to me that perhaps he was out gathering up these wandering souls and bodies and returning them to their graves.  Or he could’ve been gathering them and sending them straight to Paradise.  We will never know but these are the strange paths that my mind goes through sitting on the porch in the morning.

Yes, you can pray for me.

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Opus 2024-063: Wildflower Watch: Chaos

It is wrong.  Just wrong.

I have been in Texas now for about seven years.  During that time I have been watching the yearly parade of wildflowers in Hill Country and trying to make sense of it.  I felt like I was making progress.  Now all is in chaos.

Some wildflowers are pretty but are so similar to others that they are impossible to tell apart with ordinary human wisdom.  Those come in yellow and white.  Some stand out and I found them coming in order.  The first were the blue bonnets.  Toward the end were the Indian blankets and Mexican hat.  Today as I walked I saw blue bonnets, Indian paint brush, Mexican hat and a red globe that I will have to look up again.  Not only were they on the same walk but were in the same yards.

This is not the way it is supposed to be.  It is how it is.

I will have to deal with it.

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Opus 2024-062: Keep Living

If you’ve been following the news, you have heard about the cargo ship which ran into the bridge.  I have not been following all the details but I have been listening to my wife go ballistic about it.

I think we all need to have a good time discussing it, but we need to beware that we don’t go into bunker mentality based on this.  We need to keep going about our lives and doing our business.  We need to be careful not to become so afraid that we change how we live our lives.

Part of the plan of terrorism is to change peoples behavior in such a way that their lives become one of fear and intimidation.  We are Americans.  Many of us are Christians.  Not only do we live in the greatest country in history, but we serve the only true God.  Keep living your life.  Enjoy your freedom.  Trust in the principles of our country and trust in the grace of our Lord.

Don’t hide in your garage because someone ran a ship into a bridge.

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