tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77745787040705634282024-03-18T08:09:29.416-07:00Medley of WorshipOur lives touch God in every way.Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.comBlogger4673125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-25443240741652061482024-03-18T08:08:00.000-07:002024-03-18T08:08:42.140-07:00 Opus 2024-049: Humor Correlation<p>I am relatively sure that my grandchildren will grow up to be conservatives. I would say that heredity and environment would be strong indicators but I know too many children from good families that have lost their edge. What gives me confidence is they have a sense of humor.<br /><br />Maybe you have not noticed but liberals don’t have a sense of humor. It seems to be true of many women too. That may be why soccer moms seem to like Biden. A sense of humor must begin to develop very early in life. It requires more than the generous use of four letter words and slapstick antics. At least that is true of what I consider humor.<br /><br />I guess they would say I don’t know what is really funny.<br /><br />They are wrong.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-49101058079243506222024-03-17T06:58:00.000-07:002024-03-17T06:58:35.057-07:00 Opus 2024-048: Firsts: Pepita<p>In my quest for relevance, flexibility and novel experiences I tried a new restaurant. The prices seemed a bit high but in this age of Bidonomics I can’t seem to find a dollar menu any more.<br /><br />The fare offered two types of chicken fried steak. They were the same price. I could not figure out the difference from the description. The second one was called Pepita Crusted Chicken Fried Steak. I asked and the answer had something to do with ground up pumpkin seeds. Time to live at the high octane level.<br /><br />There are times when I am grateful that I do not have a discerning palate. One of the things that you food snobs never consider is that I have a much wider range of range craft I can enjoy. You miss much of it because it isn’t subtle enough. In this case the offering tasted good but I could not figure out what nuance was delivered by the ground up pumpkin seeds.<br /><br />And I didn’t even ask for it to be well done.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-58794966144876528812024-03-15T13:11:00.000-07:002024-03-15T13:11:21.318-07:00 Opus 2024-047: A New Movement Needed<p>What are we going to do about the coup going on right in front of our eyes. There must be some solution other than violence. Violence would remove the elite trying to destroy the republic but would only replace it with another junta if history teaches us anything. Look at the French Revolution rather than the American. France was much more typical and had a lot in common in what we are seeing in our country today.<br /><br />What are we to do?<br /><br />We need to start with prayer. If you are not a believer go ahead with your “good thoughts”. I don’t suppose it will hurt anything. I also don’t suppose it will help much. <br /><br />Then what?<br /><br />It occurred to me that we might need a little cultural appropriation. It might be time to resurrect the Civil Rights Movement. The original was targeting a specific group of Americans who were being denied their basic rights as citizens. Now the goal of the elites is to destroy the rights of everybody. It may be time to resurrect the approach.<br /><br />The original Civil Rights Movement had at least three types of people. The first was made up of true believers. That can be taken as a pun if you want. The original Civil Rights advocates were the abolitionists. Many of them were devout Christians. I think that most of the stops on the underground railroad were in the homes of believers. This of course would cause them to be true believers in man being created in God’s image and thus they would be true believers in the cause of what became known as civil rights.<br /><br />The second were the Anti-American liberty haters that infiltrated because they saw a way to undermine the Republic. Their goal was not really to make black Americans equal. There goal was to drag down the culture and destroy it because it was too open to actual liberty. These are the same type of people behind the 1619 Project that pushes the lie about the country being founded on slavery. They were very good at looking pious but these are the people who took the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and turned it into reverse discrimination with affirmative action, quotas and the modern incarnation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness. Their whole purpose is to divide the country. At the back of their minds is the old “divide and conquer” mantra.<br /><br />A Third was made up of party animals. I remember someone interviewing some young men at an event and asking them why they were there. They didn’t seem to be the kind that would be supporting the rally. Their answer? “Chicks, man, chicks.” They came for the girls. There were a good number of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement who were there for the excitement, and yes, I would imagine the chicks.<br /><br />The resurrection of the movement would need to adopt the non-violent principle. Anyone who was involved would need to understand that there would be persecution and suffering. There would also need to be a strong element of faith and prayer led by devout believers. Would it work? I don’t know if it would “work” but I am not sure we have any choice. The alternative is to sink into a morass of totalitarian barbarism. <br /><br />Does that mean there would never be an element of force? No. Remember how slavery was brought down starting in England and going around the world? William Wilberforce and his devout Christian friends campaigned for 30 years to get results. They did it peacefully. That worked in England but in order to attack slavery around the world the British navy came into play. It was a form of gunboat diplomacy. In order to keep from being attacked the countries of the world had to agree to outlaw slavery. Some places in the world just won’t respond to reason or moral arguments.<br /><br />I don’t know how it can be organized but until it is we need to keep praying, standing up, speaking out and making a difference in our corner of the world.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-42670334588820523402024-03-13T12:15:00.000-07:002024-03-13T12:15:35.467-07:00 Opus 2024-046: Five to Go<p>I am at the age when the ranks are thinning. <br /><br />I figure I have about five years left. I have no scientific basis for that but then science often has no scientific basis either. It is pure speculation arrived at in idle moments. I think I started thinking about it in my 50's. My grandfather died at 67. He was super-sedentary, shaped like a bowling ball, probably had diabetes and did nothing to take care of it. My father lived to 74, a seven year difference. He had polio as a child and worked hard all his life. He had diabetes but dealt with it. <br /><br />Fast forward in the world of fantasy and “evidence based” research. I figure I will live to be 81. That is five years away. I would not say I am frisky but then I never was. I am doing well. I walk every day and so far, as much as I can remember, have always found my way home. I could live to be 100. I have an uncle who is 91 and counting. <br /><br />However it works out I am convinced that God will call me home when He is ready, not when I have it scheduled. I can live with that. I can die with that. My only request is that it be quick.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-50056582264705542722024-03-12T13:39:00.000-07:002024-03-12T13:39:24.953-07:00 Opus 2024-045: A Not New Idea<p>I remember at school, where some teacher was presenting a concept that she called paying forward. The idea was that you would do nice things now for future generations as thanks for what people have done in the past for you. This was presented like it was a new and revolutionary idea. In reality, it is just the basis of civilization through the ages. People do things for their children and grandchildren. They do things for future generations. They plant trees they will never harvest from. They use trash cans even if they are just passing through.<br /><br />It doesn’t take much to break the chain. Just one generation of eating your seed grain can doom you to famine. If enough people live just for today then tomorrow will take care of itself and them. It will not be pretty.<br /><br />Sometimes this is expressed in the golden rule. You either do unto others or don’t depending on how you frame the statement. The apostle Paul had another way of expressing it,<br /></p><blockquote><i>(Php 2:3-5 NAS77) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,</i></blockquote>It isn’t just a point of philosophy, it is a foundational truth.<br /><br />Try living that way and become part of the solution instead of the root of the problem.<br /><br />homo unius libri<p></p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-6920559071134946532024-03-09T09:08:00.000-08:002024-03-09T09:08:11.036-08:00 Opus 2024-044: Madness in the Method<p>Ritual can add a lot of value to an experience. I don’t mean habits or routines. Those are different from rituals. I deliberately try to set up routines to compensate for my forgetfulness. They are to avoid disaster. Ritual is to spice things up.<br /><br />Take chop sticks for instance. Chop sticks make Chinese food taste better. If you don’t believe it, the reason could be you never learned to used chop sticks. I can’t explain it. I can’t prove it. It is still true. A fork might be quicker but there is a cosmic sympathy that is just not there.<br /><br />Hand grinding coffee for the French press is a lot slower than pre-ground in a drip machine. It gives a more satisfying result. To illustrate this check out all the videos out there proclaiming they have the perfect way to process it. They use scales to measure coffee and water in grams and timers to make sure you pace is right. It is all for the perfect cup.<br /><br />Here are a few of the rituals I value that occurred to me.<br /></p><blockquote>Voting in person<br />Liturgy in worship.<br />Eating grapefruit with a spoon<br />Writing with a fountain pen<br />Reading from a really well made book</blockquote>There are quicker ways to do things. In an objective world they would be just as good as the traditional ritual methods. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they are not but the trade-off is worth it. Often the ritual makes life richer. Sometimes our emotions remember what our mind has forgotten and we are feeling valued memories rather than contemporary experiences. <br /><br />You may have your own rituals. Take the time to enjoy them. Let the mocking roll off like the advice of a fool.<br /><br />homo unius libri<p></p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-31531439545261273372024-03-07T17:00:00.000-08:002024-03-07T17:00:00.130-08:00 Opus 2024-043: Wildflower Watch<p>The Bluebonnets are making their opening statement. We have them on the slopes in front of and behind our house. I am not seeing the carpets of blue that should appear on the road sides. I don’t know if I should expect them soon or if this is going to be a sparse year.<br /><br />Either way, the wildflowers seem to be of the opinion that spring is here.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-6357169126943770582024-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:002024-03-07T13:38:49.841-08:00 Opus 2024-042: Inherit the Hot Gas<p>My enthusiasm for reading was born with the science fiction in the library of my junior high school. Up until that time I might make it through a Dr. Seuss book. The works of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov and so many others caught my attention and there was not turning back. It helped that this was still in the day that they were writing to entertain not to advance a social agenda.<br /><br />That has all changed. I now find it hard to read science fiction, or almost any genre. As I became more socially and politically aware I began to see the way in which authors would push the mantras of the left. Nuclear destruction, environmental disaster, climate suicide, homosexuality, eugenics (yes, eugenics): You name it they were pushing it. <br /><br />I recently came across an old paperback from 1977 and thought I would read it. I assume I had read it before but could not remember. The title was <i>Inherit the Stars</i> and the author was James P. Hogan, a name I remembered. The cover blurb was “A Novel about Man’s Place in the Universe”. Sounded good. I started reading.<br /><br />The author wrote well. The characters and pace were strong enough that you didn’t notice at first that there wasn’t much action. I was about half way through before it was clear that he was pushing one of the common themes science fiction has been dealing with for decades: Where did man come from? You would not believe some of the wild and crazy plots that are used to find an answer. Actually, they have a couple of answers that all the stories fall into. They all push and assume evolution but they began to realize that the universe was not old enough to allow for the development of advanced species and intelligent. Thus they had to turn to other forms of deus ex machina. The two most popular, as voiced by Richard Dawkins in the documentary Expelled, are crystals and aliens.<br /><br />Hogan goes with aliens. He does a good job of making evolutionary theory breath taking, but it gets old after a time. What you miss is the minor detail that everything being proclaimed is based on theory, not on scientific evidence. He covers the Cambrian explosion without mentioning it by name. It is the unexplained appearance of massive numbers of new species with no trace of ancestors in the fossil record. In all the verbiage it becomes impossible to separate what is actually articulated by the evolutionists and how much Hogan was making up to fill in the gaps.<br /><br />It is a good example of what we see going on in science today. At one point, near the climax of a solution I had already figured out, the lead biologist makes this declaration,<br /></p><blockquote>“As I have said, all this follows purely as a chain of reasoning from the observations with which I began. I can offer no evidence to support it. I am convinced, however, that such evidence does exist.”, p. 208-9</blockquote>Notice that he admits he has no evidence. It is all theory and a form of logic. That is why pure logic is not enough to advance science. <br /><br />An example of how science is going could be illustrated by Beaver or Opie. These were the children on “Leave It to Beaver” and “The Andy Griffith Show”. Picture either one of the boys doing something genuinely stupid and getting caught. The adult asks them what happened. Then the boy would go into a long story about how it happened. The story has a certain logic to it. There might even be a remote possibility. It might touch the real world at one or two points. However, the adult knows how life works and what the facts show and rejects the argument. In science we have no adult in the room. The theories get wilder and the jargon gets more creative and the feces gets piled higher.<br /><br />Keep this in mind when you hear the next earth shaking revelation from a field that used to generate some respect. Times are changing.<br /><br />Hogan, James P. <i>Inherit the Stars</i>. New York Ballantine Books, 1977.<br /><br />homo unius libri<p></p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-19955098135198332572024-03-04T05:08:00.000-08:002024-03-04T05:08:56.712-08:00 Opus 2024-041: The Place of Pets<p><i>(Psa 8:4 KJV) What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?</i><br /><br />I was distracted by the silly cat that I had to deal with and casually wondered if God considered us pets. That doesn’t work. I know that they say pets start to look like their owners but I don’t think that is the same concept that Genesis has when it says we were created in the image of God. That is an awesome thought.<br /><br />Pets can only go so far and can only be taught so much. It isn’t their fault. They are individuals and have personalities but it is like saying that rocks are different.<br /><br />We are children of God if we have been redeemed. That includes adoption. It doesn’t happen when we leave the womb. It happens when we trust Jesus. Children don’t just change, they grow and mature. They are unending in their growth they can go on and on. Children are created in the image of the parent. Animals can never live up to that.<br /><br />If my cat had a physical problem that would cost so much I would have to mortgage the house, I would get a new cat. Sorry if you feel otherwise. If it was my child I would be on my way to the bank.<br /><br />So accept that God put humans in a special category. He sent His son to die for us. That never happened for the dinosaurs. He let them go extinct. <br /><br />Maybe He replaced them with cats. The rabbit trails that could lead to are for another day. Hopefully it will never come.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-65158099229725900172024-03-03T15:03:00.000-08:002024-03-03T15:03:21.160-08:00 Opus 2024-040: Deep Thoughts<p>I was again sitting on the porch and staring at the beautiful colors of the morning. It has begun to warm up enough that a jacket and a cup of hot coffee make for a pleasant contemplation. It dawned on me that what is happening here is I was whetting my appetite for eternity. A repeated thought I have is, “If it is this good now, what will it be when I have perfect vision and my ears stop ringing?” If I didn’t have grandchildren to enjoy I might be ready to go.<br /><br />I could not do this if I were not retired. I rejoice in the opportunities of retirement. If you see me I am not necessarily taking a nap and I am not depressed. I am thinking deep thoughts. If they turn out to be shallow thoughts then maybe I can at least make them wide.<br /><br />Sharpen me Lord; get me ready.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-51243517173857444782024-03-02T05:58:00.000-08:002024-03-02T05:58:33.003-08:00 Opus 2024-039: Filtering the Noise <p>Where do I get my news?<br /><br />The first visible step is to scan the headlines. But something else comes first. Before I look at the headlines to see what I might need to know I have to make sure that my foundations are solid. My foundations start with the word of God. I consider that to be infallible and holding principles that do not change every week. On top of the principles of truth I find there I build a foundation of common sense.<br /><br />With that I add the heritage of my parents and wise people who have given me insight over the years. There are a lot of people in those categories. If you are like me you pick up a lot of general knowledge without being aware of it. <br /><br />I then add all the knowledge I picked up in school; college, seminary, places like that, and filter that through everything before. To be honest this is done before I start my day. It is the accumulation of a lifetime. <br /><br />At that point I go to the Clickbait. I look at the headlines and try to discern what might contain truth and what is just plain noise. I can go through an entire website of headlines and never click on one. From there I might occasionally actually click on something and begin to read but always with a serious skepticism.<br /><br />It is amazing how much you can pick up by this type of informal journey. I may not know all the details, but the people writing all the posts don’t know as much as they act like either. <br /><br />Stay awake. Pray for guidance. Keep you baloney meter turned on. It may be difficult but we still need to make informed decisions.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-12116088040091327562024-02-26T07:14:00.000-08:002024-02-26T07:14:05.491-08:00 Opus 2024-038: Male Assumptions <p>I was contemplating the issues of marriage and the relationships between men and women. This rabbit trail was formed while thinking about a physical problem my wife is having and how I would work out a solution if it were me. The important condition here is “if it were me”. It isn’t me. She doesn’t want to hear my ideas. She would rather suffer than have my two cents worth.<br /><br />This made me think of a mantra that has gone around and reinforces this idea. My first contact with it was a book called<i> Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus</i>. I heard it repeated in other sources. The idea is that women don’t want a man to solve her problems. She just wants a man to listen. To us men this is nonsense. It is from Venus. What do you expect? It still seems to be an accurate summary.<br /><br />Men problem solve by experiment. We are rooted in what the scientific method was when it was genuine. If something won’t turn left, try turning it right. If your computer won’t start the first thing, you check is to see if it is plugged in. You experiment and look at the results. If that didn’t work, try something else. Eventually you will get there.<br /><br />Women problem solve by sharing their feelings. I have no idea how this solves anything in the physical world but it seems to work in the pseudo-sciences like sociology. Whether their solutions really work, men would question. That does not matter because they don’t want our opinions.<br /><br />Could this be another reason why there are more men than women in science? Could the presence of more women in science be one of the reasons that science doesn’t seem to be working any more? I would never ask these questions out loud.<br /><br />At the risk of insulting your intelligence let me remind you that we are talking generalizations, not stereotypes. We all know there are women who problem solve and men who talk about their feelings. Feel free to problem solve without fear of losing your feminine mystique. Men, feel away. You can still be a man. We are talking generalizations. Learn the difference while I still have a head.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-37223636696088250212024-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:002024-02-25T07:29:28.589-08:00 Opus 2024-037: A Straightjacket for God<p>Does God have free will? Or is He bound by our theology? <br /><br />As I contemplate God in the mornings I come up with a lot of questions. Many of them will only be answered in eternity because of my limitations. Others are worth thinking about. One is this idea of how different schools of theology look at the nature and character of God. It involves how they understand salvation and apply it in their teaching.<br /><br />I always have a love/hate relationship with people who claim that salvation has no volitional quality to it. They take the statement that we are saved by grace and make our choice something that is totally out of our hands. Their reasons are noble. They emphasize the sovereignty of God. Nothing can violate that sovereignty, except their theological declarations. What gives them the power to declare that God cannot grant men free will?<br /><br />Whom are we that think we can define God? I guess the Psalmist asked the same question, “Who is man that Thou art mindful of him?”<br /><br />We need to be careful to understand God as He reveals Himself, not as the theological gurus define and limit Him for us.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-32265330090007292262024-02-23T10:52:00.000-08:002024-02-23T10:52:08.894-08:00 Opus 2024-036: Knowledge and Value<p>My thinking started with wondering how I would know about God if I were born in a pagan culture centuries ago. The Bible tells us that through nature we would know certain things. That would probably be limited to the attributes of God which are observable such as creativity, variety, and power. It would not include the moral qualities of God.<br /><br />The moral issues I could learn by the work of the Holy Spirit speaking to a willing heart. I could get the basics of the moral law by just the inward work of the Holy Spirit and willingness to listen.<br /><br />From there I went to people who don’t know about Jesus and how they can be saved and how limited my knowledge is and my understanding. That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. The plan that God has given is clear involving Jesus and the blood and forgiveness and faith. That does not mean that there are is no other way that God has provided. It doesn’t mean that because I don’t need to know it.<br /><br />Which brings us to the question of knowledge, and why we seek knowledge, and if we need knowledge. If I were given the information about the temperature at the bottom of a gravity well on an unknown planet, I would be able to intellectually look at the number and fit it into my knowledge base. I could add one and subtract two. In spite of that, it would not mean anything to me, because I could not grasp it. Also, it would be totally immaterial because it would not affect anything, anywhere, at any time.<br /><br />Much of the knowledge we gather is of this nature. If knowing that temperature will allow us to develop technology to beat cancer, that changes everything. If it allows us to build a faster than light starship that can be world changing. If all it does is add to the list of numbers in an encyclopedia somewhere, it is totally useless information. Much of what we think we need to know falls in that category.<br /><br />Don’t be impressed by knowledge. Be impressed by knowledge that is applied. That is often called wisdom.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-14945106701345212632024-02-22T12:00:00.000-08:002024-02-22T12:00:00.261-08:00 Opus 2024-035: Soup Art<p>I see a business opportunity that is being missed.<br /><br />I imagine you have seen some of the headlines about the deep thinkers who think throwing a can of soup at a famous piece of art will save the planet. So far I think they have been foiled by a transparent sheet over the pictures that were put there for freak-shows like this. <br /><br />I think we should have an auction of the clear sheets that have the soup on them. Sell them as some new type of modern art. From what I hear about the showings at modern museums they would take this very seriously. It would make the silly, destructive pawns names to go down in history. They would be studied by the art departments at the Ivy League schools. They would be as valuable as Hunter’s works.<br /><br />I would like a commission, if you please.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-21088000874997177132024-02-22T07:56:00.000-08:002024-02-22T07:56:27.924-08:00 Opus 2024-034: Does This Dress Make Me Look Female?<p>Which will history remember best, a man who put on a woman’s swimsuit and won medals competing against women or a woman who stood up to the cancel culture that cheered him on?<br /><br />Who will get a chapter, Lia Thomas or Riley Gaines?<br /><br />I guess it depends on who wins the culture wars that are going on now. We often focus on the corrupt partisan judges and bought-off district attorneys. We get hot under the collar at politicians and who is running the country. At the same time we keep buying Nike’s and vacationing at Disneyland. Put aside the idea of civil war and violence. I have a feeling that if you are not willing to set aside Mickey Mouse and Ben and Jerry’s you would not be manning the ramparts any way.<br /><br />As much power as they seem to have, understand that the deep state and George Soros could do nothing if we would not cooperate. I just read how Hitler called off a boycott of Jewish businesses because their prices were so good the population did not cooperate. Learn to make discerning decisions. My family stopped passing any money to the Disney Empire years ago. We won’t even buy their used stuff in yard sales and yet we keep hearing about the great time our friends had at Disney World. They don’t seem to want to understand. Disney finances their box office bombs with the ones that do well and the parks people visit.<br /><br />Remember Mervyns’? Many people don’t. They shut down not too many years after Christians started boycotting. Interestingly they were bought out by Target before they decided to kick out the Salvation Army and go woke. Do you still have a K-Mart in your neighborhood? We have an empty building that used to be a K-Mart. They started declining after we boycotted them. It may not make any difference if you don’t do anything but it will do even less if no one takes a stand.<br /><br />There are inconveniences involved. If we don’t go the extra mile now the inconveniences may become genuine hardships.<br /><br />Pray. Speak out. Stand up. Take a risk. The chances may not come very often so keep your eyes open while you still can.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-88832646296353502562024-02-21T06:19:00.000-08:002024-02-21T06:19:27.196-08:00 Opus 2024-033: The Ultimate UFO<p>There is a long list of Theophanies starting in the Garden of Eden. Some are a voice from heaven, dream or vision. Do those qualify as theophanies? A theophony is the appearance of Jehovah in some sort of observable form. He can appear as a man. He appeared as a burning bush. He spoke out of a storm. The point is that God is spirit and His presence is so holy that it would kill anyone who saw Him directly.<br /><br />We see this clearly in a conversation Moses had with God in Exodus 33. God tells Moses,<br /></p><blockquote><i>(Exo 33:20 KJV) And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.</i></blockquote>This is why Isaiah was panicked,<br /><blockquote><i>(Isa 6:5 KJV) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.</i></blockquote>We have numerous times when God communicated with humans. We have Him talking to Adam and Eve in the Garden. He spoke to Cain. From there we have a long list of communications. It continues in the New Testament with Saul on the road to Damascus and Jesus appearing to John in the Revelation. <br /><br />You might think of Jesus as the ultimate Theophany but that would not work because He was fully man, God in the flesh.<br /><br />I wonder if avatar an acceptable modern word for theophany?<br /><br />Stay alert. You may be the next to file a report.<br /><br />homo unius libri<p></p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-10425234317054345532024-02-15T13:40:00.000-08:002024-02-15T13:40:58.313-08:00 Opus 2024-032: Invest in the Future<p>Now is a good time to remember to pray for the political leadership of our country. We have an election coming up and we need more godly men and women in the seats of power.<br /><br />I would say that we need to especially pray for Mike Johnson. I have not been happy with everything he has done but we just saw something that would not have happened if he were not in the position of Speaker of the House. We saw part of the Biden criminal gang at least called out publically. It was mainly symbolic but it is a symbol that we have been waiting for.<br /><br />I would also suggest that you spend some time looking into how your local representatives vote. If you are not being served well then make sure that you do everything you can to primary people out. Keep talking in the lines you stand in and the waiting rooms you frequent. Plant seeds and extend your influence. <br /><br />We have nothing to lose but our country.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-52423733195067007692024-02-14T06:29:00.000-08:002024-02-14T06:29:34.210-08:00 Opus 2024-031: Headlines: Futile Necessity<p>Mayorkas has been impeached. It is being called meaningless. Among the comments is that he is just a scapegoat, it is just partisan politics, the Senate will never follow through, the Republicans are just blowing smoke. All these observations are true but it is still important that it happened. He was impeached. He will not be convicted.<br /><br />It is a message that needed to be sent. It needs to be sent to others. I would not be upset if Biden and most of his top leaders were impeached. Would it get rid of them? No. Would it tell the people of America that the Republicans are serious? Yes, and that is a message that people need to hear.<br /><br />Politics is theater and certain plots must be presented. Let the curtain go up on the next act. I think the country is ready for the grownups to start disciplining the naughty children.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-83665931926730046662024-02-13T18:28:00.000-08:002024-02-13T18:28:23.287-08:00 Opus 2024-030: Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina...<p>I probably should say this while I still can. I am not sure I will survive the next incarnation of Blogger. I mentioned that they had posted a more modern look. It is possible that they will have figured out at way to force me to conform to some of the things I have been working around. This is part of their quest for knowledge about everyone in the world. I may find that I am not willing to give it to them and thus my posting will end.<br /><br />Although I find the entire song rather boring I love the clip that was used to publicize the Perons. Remember the phrase, “Don’t cry for me Argentina...” I once listened to the whole song and found it hard to stay awake. My point is that if Blogger makes it impossible to continue with them I will consider other venues. I don’t know if I will actually use them, but I will consider.<br /><br />So if I end up fading into the history of vanity it will be because I decided that Google didn’t need me to give them the middle name of my firstborn even if it is just to make my account more secure.<br /><br />What Progressives forget is that progress is supposed to imply moving forward and making things better. It does not mean more control for the elites and less liberty for the peasants.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-47516684048482782024-02-13T05:53:00.000-08:002024-02-13T05:53:19.109-08:00 Opus 2024-029: Ode to Old: The Gilded Agers<p>A lot of people want to write off the elderly. They are past their prime and have little to contribute. I am here to say that is not the case. Let me give you a couple of examples. <br /><br />Joe Biden is past his prime. That assumes he ever had one, but give him the benefit of the doubt. Even though he is blatantly out of touch with reality, look at what he has accomplished. He has brought the greatest republic in history to the brink of dissolving. And keep in mind that he still has at least until next January to keep it on the skids. If his handlers manage to steal another election our dust bin of history status will be assured.<br /><br />And look at the contributions of George Soros. One man with his billions has managed to buy off every major judicial system in the country. His bucks have made fair trials, the rule of law and civilized behavior a thing of the past. Add to that the realization that he has trained his son up to follow in his steps.<br /><br />So don’t tell me you can’t make a difference just because you are old. If you wonder how history will judge you remember that it is the winners who write the history books and those who persevere who get to revise them.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-19716093091711274832024-02-12T05:18:00.000-08:002024-02-12T05:18:11.091-08:00 Opus 2024-028: A Paper Miracle<p>We live in wonderful times. All you need to say is “dental anesthesia”. Get the idea? Need another one? How and cold running water. How about A/C. There are a lot of miracles that we take for granted. I found myself staring at one this morning that I had never thought about before.<br /><br />Paper.<br /><br />I arrived at this as I was reading my Bible in the morning and I thought of what a stereotype I represented. You have all seen pictures of little old ladies with a book open on their lap and you knew it was a Bible. That was because of the flexible leather binding and the way in which it molds itself to your hands and legs. I looked at mine and my attention went to the paper. I started thinking about what a miracle it was.<br /><br />I am looking at a book less than two inches think with about 1,700 pages. Almost every page had printing on both sides. The paper was strong enough to last for years of bending and touching. It was thin enough to be manageable. It was opaque enough to print on both sides. I would not have any idea on how to start making paper except getting some wood and rags.<br /><br />What a miracle it has been. With the addition of the printing press it became the major tool of modern civilization and the spread of knowledge to all classes of people. One reason so many people were illiterate in past ages was that books were so expensive. Now we have paperback editions of ancient classics that anyone can afford.<br /><br />The digital revolution takes it to another level but one miracle is enough for one day.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-2481473363533261462024-02-11T10:00:00.000-08:002024-02-11T10:00:00.139-08:00 Opus 2024-027: Firsts: Veggie Enchilada<p>We were at a Mexican restaurant in Texas. That is not as exciting as being at one in California but you have the trade off of being in California. Weaker Mexican food trumps the Peoples’ Republik.<br /><br />I have been working through the menu at this place and my eye fell on their Veggie Enchilada. To be honest it didn’t fill me with anticipation but the different chilies listed made it a real possible discovery.<br /><br />Not really. It was still just a tortilla wrapped around a bunch of limp vegetable matter. It did not rise to the occasion. About all I can say for it is I was willing to try something new. That is not as exciting as it is portrayed. <br /><br />Next time I will try their cheese version. How can you go wrong with cheese? I hope I don’t find out.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-42190705654214425982024-02-11T06:50:00.000-08:002024-02-11T06:50:49.854-08:00 Opus 2024-026: Critical Mass: Spare Us<p>Earlier I asked the question of which is more important to God, the righteousness of the leaders or the faithfulness of the general population?<br /><br />I personally would go with the general population. If it were the leaders then no nation would be safe and there would be little the common people could do about it. That brings up the question of critical mass. In case you don’t remember your high school science, critical mass is the term used to determine if there is enough nuclear material to start and continue an atomic explosion. In terms of what I am talking about it would be more a question of how many righteous people God would require to spare a nation. What percentage? What kind of a ratio?<br /><br />If the people are the measure of God’s wrath then what kind of percentage of faithfulness do you need among the people? We have an example of this in the destruction of Sodom. It was a major city in the area. Of course that could mean only a thousand people but it was still major. God was willing to spare it for just a few. How many will God require for America?<br /><br />Are we ready to be judged or is there enough salt left?<br /><br />If God feels we need a purging to initiate revival then get ready for hard times. Keep in mind that He promises to see us through. If you know anything about the history of persecution, it often is extreme in one place and barely a ripple just down the road. That is one way in which God brings punishment on a people as a whole and spares those whom He wants to spare.<br /><br />Be faithful. He will be.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7774578704070563428.post-59247510051309192332024-02-10T12:58:00.000-08:002024-02-10T12:58:10.607-08:00 Opus 2024-025: Beware! Google Ahead<p>I noticed today when I logged on that Google was informing us that they would soon have a new and improved sign-in page that will have a “more modern look and feel.” I am already wondering how many more clicks and buttons will be required to get done what I am already doing. Notice how optimistic I am. I assume I will figure out how to do what I am already doing.<br /><br />It reminds me when I was forced to move from my first computer, a Kaypro using C/PM. It was at least a decade before Windows caught up with some of the things I had been able to do. It is the modern idea of progress.<br /><br />As they say, sit down, hold on, shut up and enjoy the ride.<br /><br />homo unius libri</p>Pumicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05226427953642942426noreply@blogger.com0