Opus 2026-324: Need to Know

Sometimes it is a good thing we don’t know how complicated life is.  I have been warned about reading the label on the bologna I used to eat in quantity.  I think I did a few times and I distinctly remember reading the phrase “pig snouts”.  Usually, you don’t want to know.

Watching a discussion of geopolitics set me off on this path.  I am constantly amazed at how my impressive wisdom can be derailed by simply listening to people who obviously know more than I do.  There are times when I am impressed.  Should I be?  I don’t know.  It is very possible that the talking heads with the degrees on the wall and tenured positions are making things up as they go.  Remember the way in which Margaret Mead convinced the world of the promiscuity of primitive people.  All the while they were laughing at her.  Or take the Kinsey Report.  The research was so flawed that it would not have even made a good porno movie.  In spite of that it was lapped up by the cultural gurus.  Or picture the book, The Population Bomb or Gore’s Inconvenient Truth.  People still believe them instead of their own lying eyes.

None of that takes away from my need for humility and being aware of what I don’t know.  This works in politics.  It applies in history.  It is an avenue to greater truth in theology.  There is much we can know and much we can’t.  To be honest the things we can’t know are probably not going to influence anything important.  Is there a multiverse?  Only in science fiction and college text books.  Is America a flawed nation?  Obviously but keep in mind that a slow minivan is of more use for hauling lumber than a fast Tesla.  Can anybody spell Utopia?  Can anyone point to one.

Keep learning and keep sifting what you learn.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-248: A Little Imagination, Please

Somewhere in the last few months there was a takeoff on Star Trek.  I think it was called Star Trek Academy.  I don’t think I saw anything but mocking comments.  Will they ever try to actually redo the original series?  

You would have to vastly expand the command deck to make allowance for all of the currently popular ethnic groups and genders that we have in our culture.  You might need to develop new technologies to give each of them an important place in the pecking order.  You might also need an off-screen secondary control deck that actually worked the ship around the DEI hires but that might be too much honesty.

Which points out you would have to rework the introductory dialogue where it talks about going where no man is gone before.  That would be unacceptable.  You would need to work in some kind of pronoun recognition.

What if conservatives decided to remake the series?  You would, of course need to rename the ship.  You might want to make it the Free Enterprise.  There would need to be episodes where they could not get the dilithium crystals replaced because of government price controls and maybe issues getting the registration renewed.  There is a whole universe of topics that were ignored.

The opening monologue would need to make allowance that intellegent watchers might wonder how they could go where no man has gone before and keep finding men.  And the problem of everyone speaking English would need to be addressed.  I noticed in VI they talked about universal translators but I don’t remember that in the series.

It is questionable that such a remake would be recognizable.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-247: Acre Again

One of the sub-genres of science fiction is alternate history.  There are stories that chart history in a world where the South won the Civil War.  I remember enjoying one that had the earth invaded by alien armies in the middle of World War II.  It can be very entertaining if well written.

Currently I am reading a history of the Military Orders of the Crusades, the Templars and Hospitalers.  I just got through the part where the last Christian citadel was smashed and the survivors fled.  It was gruesome.  Of course you need to understand that the standards of the day were totally different than today.  It was still gruesome.  Basically every Christian who was not able to get on a boat was doomed.  The first step was to rampage through the city looting, killing and raping.  Somehow there were people who survived and they faces a very certain future:  slavery.  That was it.  Most men were killed, women raped and sold, children sold.  It was a brutal time.

My thoughts turned to modern times.  What if you were writing a story in the future about the fall of the modern nation of Israel to the forces of Islam that surround it.  It would be a replay of the Middle Ages.  The events of Hamas attacking on October 7 would give you a preview.  There would be slaughter that made the Holocaust look like a playground.

And, if the media plays its assumed role, we would know nothing about it.  Just like they ignored the real conditions in the Soviet Union and acted like there were no concentration camps in Nazi Germany you would hear nothing about the millions of Jews executed.

And what about the aftermath.  Would there still be Christian tours of the Holy Land?  Would Americans still be getting baptized in the Jordan?  Probably.  The mass graves would not be labeled.  The fees would be much higher but the potential for making money off of suckers would be a strong attraction.  Of course there might be occasional hiccups as tour buses were bombed but that would be blamed on Zionist terrorists.

Let us hope that those stories are never real history.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-244: Another Case Ignored

I know a fair number of believers who like to ignore the if/then portions of scripture.  It would make sense to assume that the word “forever” means forever.  Generally that would be true but how often have you used a word like that and known that it probably is not literally true.  How many young lovers have promised to love someone “forever”?  Have you seen the acronym “BFF”?  You can always hope but probability not.

We run into this in scripture when people talk about the “forever” promises made by God to David, Solomon and Israel in general.  The thesis is that God will never turn His back on His chosen people.

What do you do with this?

2 Kings 23:27 (KJV) And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.

What fascinates me is the people who claim to want to take scripture literally but they only do it when it meets their system.  God is going to do with Judah, the southern kingdom, what He did with Israel, the northern kingdom.  In case you were not paying attention, at this point in scripture they have been relegated to the dust bins of history for a couple of hundred years.  Even today we still wonder about the Lost Tribes.  He is also promising to do away with Jerusalem.

It is necessary for us to allow figures of speech to be figures of speech.  Take for instance this statement,

1 Chronicles 14:17 (KJV) And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.

I have no confusion myself what this means.  I also know what it does not mean.  I don’t think that the Olmec got the message.  I doubt if China read the memo.  Obviously it is a figure of speech.  Go to the NT.

Luke 2:1 (KJV) And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

Again, I don’t think that the Bantus of Africa got the word.  We all understand that this means all of the Roman Empire, not what it says.

Think of all the cultural statements we make.  Ancient cultures were no different.  Have you noticed how often the number 40 comes up?  Does it mean a literal 40 or is it a similar statement that I might make at the doctor’s office, “I have been waiting forever.”  If we lived in ancient Israel we might say, “I have been waiting 40 days.”

Always read with your mind turned on. It sometimes also helps to listen to others.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-227: Can Ignorance Be a Blessing?

We live in an age awash in education and resources.  Think of the literacy rates in the developed world.  While there may always be a small minority who are incapable of learning to read, most of those who cannot read at grade level need to put the cap of accountability on their own head.  History is full of people who learned to read in the face of violent opposition.  My mind goes to Frederick Douglass.  It was illegal to teach a slave to read so he had to find ways to do it himself.  In that same period you had uncounted people like Abraham Lincoln who had very little formal education but kept seeking out knowledge.

We live in times when education is available.  Is that a good thing?

Which is worse, a culture where knowledge was freely available but people seemed determined to remain brainwashed or one in which there was little book learning but the practical bent of people allowed them to progress in their lives?  I prefer the former because it allows me to dig deep even in a world of shallow soil but over all I am not sure I am better off.

As usual, I tend to think in spiritual terms.  We have long periods of history in which the great unwashed masses had no access to the Bible.  The entire world was run by powerful elites who themselves could not read and, if they could, usually did not.  My heritage is Europe so look at it.  Consider Charlemagne.  He was illiterate as a young man.  He recognized the importance of learning because he did not want to be forced to rely on priests who served another master.  He learned to read at some level but never did get the hang of writing.  He was the tip of the iceberg. 

How did you come to know God in an illiterate, ignorant age?  What was the basis of salvation if you could not access the basic words of life?  Imagine being forced to rely on what the priest told you and it was possible that he could not read either and was making it up as he went along.  Were any of those people saved?  I would imagine so but on what basis?

Very possibly it was the same basis as today.  It is possible to know all the right doctrines and quote all the right verses and still not be part of the Body of Christ.  You have to ask yourself what the basis of Abraham’s salvation was.  He had no written Bible.  All he had was folklore passed down and a few conversations with a mysterious Supreme Being.  It was enough.

Ultimately God is looking at our hearts.  Do we trust in Him?  Do we follow Him as best we can?  It is possible to wander down this road too far and drift into heresy but the Bible repeatedly talks about faith and trust in God.  It supersedes the law.  It is the basis of doctrine.
Ultimately we are dependent on God’s grace and mercy.  Knowing my limitations, I am good with that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-226: How Do You Spell “Useless”?

I am sure there are many ways.  My current nomination is “Encyclopedia”.

In my desire to understand Islam I have begun trying to read through the Hadith.  In one of my introspective moments I wondered what the encyclopedia could tell me.  When I used to try to get my middle school students to do research for term papers I limited their use of encyclopedias but tried to get across they were useful for getting a short overview of a topic.  That was all I hoped for.  I was to be sadly disappointed.

There was no article on the Hadith.  It is possible I could have consulted the index that comes with the set and find a page it was mentioned under another topic but I wanted a quick result not a drawn out adventure.

I have an encyclopedia on my shelf that I picked up free.  It has a well known name.  I guess it was another example of getting what you pay for.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-196: Click Bait: Name the Country

I got drawn in by one of those click baits that was designed to show how ignorant people are about what would be considered basic knowledge 50 years ago. The plan was to show people a map with one country outlined in red. Then they were asked what country it was. There was some kind of reward but none were awarded.

The country was Bangladesh. It was not surprising that no one knew the name of the country but when he asked them what was the country to the left the real ignorance was announced. For those who went to public school in the last 20 years it was India, one of the most recognizable shapes in geography. A couple got that but some had such brilliant suggestions as “Africa”. One proposed two cities.

I doubt if it was stupidity as much as ignorance. What troubles me is that these people had so little curiosity about the world that they had never picked up any of this information. Have they never looked at a globe? Do they ever read anything not posted on Facebook? Have they never leafed through an atlas? They have the ability. They can recite nonsense about their favorite celebrities. They can list the drinks available at their favorite hot spot. They can do awesome things with their phone but their awareness seems to stop six inches from their nose.

Help us.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-143: Pardon My Brain

There are times when I wonder if I am going to need to disconnect my brain to be comfortable in the congregation of believers.  Let me try to give an example before you write me off as hopeless.

We were “studying” Jeremiah 25.  From verse 18 to 25 there was a long list of political units that no one has ever heard of and the claim was that God was going to make them “drink of the cup”.  Okay.  Then we come to this verse:

Jeremiah 25:26 (KJV) And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth: and the king of Sheshach shall drink after them.

Being the contrary person I am I asked, “If you are going to say ‘all the kingdoms of the world’ why do you have a list of all these kingdoms?”  I was not trying to be silly.  It seems like there must be an answer.  The answer I got was, “Well, if it wasn’t important it would not be in the scripture.”  Well, thank you.  I also know water is wet because water is wet.  Now how about a real answer like “It was a literary device used in ancient Israel to show emphasis like Jesus saying ‘Verily, verily’ for emphasis.”  Or they could have said, “It might be a literary device…”.  Those answers I could accept.

And as you read through the chapter you have phrases like “perpetual desolations” regarding areas that you know were not perpetually desolate.

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.  That includes literary devices and figurative language.  When things don’t make sense literally then they can make sense if understood properly . What I don’t tolerate well is mindless endorsement of obvious contradictions.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-140: Click Bait: Questionable Benefits

I have enjoyed some of the click bait I have encountered.  I don’t know if it is under the heading of social media but some of the memes showing male humor really strike home.  The things that these guys joke about are hilarious because they are so true to life.  I have also watched some podcasts by women who are trying to help husbands understand the thinking and actions of their wives.

After watching all this I feel better about myself.  It is good to know that I am not the only man in the world who sees no point in folding his underwear.  At the same time it points out things that will never go away in this life unless I do things I am not able to do.  That lays on the guilt trips that I was able to ignore.

I wonder if there are times in life when it is better to not be aware that there are cures available.  Sometimes the cures cause problems worse than the original.  We all know about side effects of medications.  I remember when I was concerned about toe nail fungus.  I was told there was a pill I could take that would clear up the problem.  Fortunately for my health I had done a little research and knew that one side effect of the pill was problems with you liver, or should I say potential side effects.  The possibilty of damaging my liver was enough to make ugly toenails endurable.

I am getting to the age where things start falling apart.  It is part of life. I accept it.  How often are elderly people faced with the choice of a potential procedure or medicine that is billed as a miracle but it comes with a price tag that will bankrupt your family?  I am not there yet but I keep hearing about it.

Hopefully we have people in our lives that will help us work through these types of issues. May your health be wonderful and your choices be clear.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-085: Click Bait: Astronomy Quiz

Okay, so I got pulled in.  Jay Leno was doing one of his Man on the Street things.  You know the idea.  He stops a random stranger and asks, “How many toes do you have on your right foot?”  You can see them thinking and they come up with a number like “25”.

I usually finish one of those feeling really smart but I have a question:  How many correct answers were screened out in order to get the entertainment?  Could people really be that ignorant?

My favorite on this series was “What galaxy do we live in?”  When the man only looked puzzled, Leno gave a hint, “It a candy bar.”  To which the man answered, “Mars”.

We will never know the real level of ignorance unless they put out a press release.  Even that could be fake news.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-060: Maybe Some Idea

I often find my self saying, “I have no idea.”  That is really just another one of those nonsense expressions because I usually have a lot of ideas.  What I am really saying is, “I really don’t know but I have a good imagination.”

This often comes up when I am speculating on why God does things.  Why does God allow evil?  Is the dragon in Revelation literal or figurative?

Why does God allow cancer?  Honestly, I don’t know but I am quite willing to offer the caveat, “I don’t know, but…”.  The difference between us and the animals is not that we can answer these questions but that we ask them.

Why did God choose Abraham?  I have no idea.  I have some evidence for the choice of Noah but draw a blank on Abraham.  Why is Israel special?  God makes it clear that it is not because they are so wonderful.  Did God spin His celestial dice or did He have some deep considerations that we are still guessing about?

I really don’t know but I can speculate.

Speculation is a useful tool if we understand its limitations.  I would guess that God gave us this tool to make us feel good.  Since we can never know if it is accurate until it is too late, feeling good is about all it can do for us.

So go ahead and speculate but keep on trusting.

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-059: Answers

There are a lot of questions that I cannot answer.  Why?

One reason I can’t answer a question is because it is incoherent.  My grandson is still having trouble with his pronunciation.  He’s constantly asking me questions and for the life of me I can’t figure out what he’s asking.  Then I have friends who have weird theological ideas.  They ask questions that make no sense.  Have you had the experience where you know every single word and can define every single word in a statement, but you still don’t have a clue as to what the statement is about?

I might not know the answer because of ignorance.  There are many things that are out there that I have no experience with and no comprehension of.  The encyclopedia is full of information that I don’t know.  It is available.  If I want to look hard enough, I might be able to find it.  Ultimately at this stage, though, I don’t know the answer.

Sometimes the answer is not known by anyone.  There are probably many questions in physics and biology that are still being researched.  So far many of them lack closure.  They are being pursued, but the answer keeps moving away.  Others have not yet been pursued.  The questions are on a long list that maybe someday they will get to and when they are addressed answers will be forthcoming.

Some things cannot be known.  They are beyond our capability of human beings.  We don’t like to admit that, but it’s true.  We have our limitations.  There are some lines that we will never cross.  We may approach them.  We may bang our heads against them.  Somehow, we will never be able to put together what we need to go across.  In some areas I think we’ve already reached that in mathematics where we have mathematical formulas the computers can work, but we can’t, but that’s possibly just my imagination.

One of my favorite quotes is, “Any fool can ask a question that a wise man cannot answer.”  Of course, I like to identify with a wise man more than the fool.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-590: Click bait: Tell Me Something That’s New

I came across another bit of click bait on my YouTube feed which didn’t require any investigation.  The blurb underneath the picture said,

“This is why Christianity feels unappealing to most today.”

Statements like this make me wonder if people have ever studied their history.  Christianity has always been unappealing to most people.  Now when I say Christianity, I’m talking about the real thing not the social clubs that people seem to like to attend nor the entertainment centers that draw crowds.  I’m talking about the actual call of Jesus to live in obedience to His commands.

We keep talking about the low percentage of people attending church.  In real numbers that may be true, but when you stop to think about how many people have been going to church out of habit or from cultural pressure over the years, it is no surprise.  One of the church experiences that always gives me a smile or laugh was when one of the royal pains in our church told the pastor that he didn’t like his sermons.  His reason was that the sermons made him feel like a sinner.  I think he would say that the Christianity in our church was unappealing.

I almost think that the click bait that shows up on YouTube could be compiled as a comedy routine.  While it’s true that occasionally there is something worth listening to, between AI and the nonsense peddlers the percentage of worthwhile material decreases daily. 

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-544: Click Bait: Those Nasty Republicans

The click bait presented by my browser said something to the effect that the Republican plan for redistricting could backfire.  The picture called for no more gerrymandering.  As I kept looking I noticed that the story came from the New York Times.  Well, duh.  I think I can assume that the gerrymandering going on in California would not be mentioned or, if it is, it will be on page 20 in small type.

I keep wondering if anyone reads these DNC mouthpieces.  Then I realize how all the polls show almost half of the country are still unhappy with Trump.  On Thanksgiving we shared with our son-in-law the recording of the woman who called in because she wondered why they were putting all the deer crossings in heavy traffic areas.  Why not put those signs somewhere that it would be safer for the deer to cross?  

The recording went viral on the internet and somehow in the process people got her telephone number and e-mail.  I don’t know how long it took for her to figure it out.  There is a follow up recording where she called back in.  She was a good sport about it.  I guess she felt pretty dumb.  What was interesting was in the discussion it came out she was some kind of medical professional.  She was either a doctor or a  nurse.

What do you do when even the highly educated medical people can’t think?

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-427: The Wisdom of Democracy

If you have not studied history much it seemed like just a clever meme:

“Democrats have reached the ‘murder your political opponents’ stage of democracy.”

The sad reality is that the slogan is an accurate summary of democracy.  It is one of the reasons why the Founding Fathers clearly stated that they did not want to establish a democracy.

Greece is loudly touted as the source of democracy and that is generally true.  What is not added is the fact that those democracies eventually deteriorated into tyranny.  Several times in the history of Athens the democracy voted to execute successful military leaders because they made some people mad.  Eventually things tended to get so chaotic that there was either a revolt by the oligarchy or a takeover by a strong man.  

Goodby democracy.

You may have noticed all the calls for democracy by the left wing.  That is because they know that the mob is easy to manipulate with fake news.  I don’t know if you have seen the meme that shows Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Lion gathered around a fire made of the Scarecrow.  They took a vote.  The majority spoke.

Do not pray for democracy.  Pray for the representative republic with checks and balances that the Founding Fathers set up.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-362: The Guitar Fallacy

Somewhere in my copious bits of notepaper I have a list of games that people play.  It’s based on what I’ve experience with my family.  I have a new one to add if I can find the list.  I’m calling it The Guitar Fallacy.

This goes back to my days of working with young people.  This Fallacy bit me at church summer camp.  A young campter came up to me and asked me if I knew how to play a certain song on the guitar.  Not only did I not know how to play it, I don’t think I’d ever heard of it.  He got a look of total disgust on his face and said, “I thought you knew how to play guitar.”  Keep in mind that I was one of the ones leading the nightly singing with my guitar and playing numerous songs strictly from memory.  Because I didn’t know the one song he knew or wanted to know, I didn’t know how to play guitar.

I run into this on a regular basis now.  People will ask me, “Did you hear about…?”  And since I was not listening to their You Tube feed, I have no idea what they’re talking about.  Then they look at me as if I am totally out of contact with the world.  When I figure out what they’re talking about, I may have heard about it.  In fact, I may know more than they know, but I didn’t know about it with the vocabulary choices that they were using to express it.  Other times what they’re telling me I find out about later and it’s pretty much a bunch of nonsense.  I am the one who is ignorant because I do not know what they know.  I get this about weather forecast.  I get this about Politics.  And of course there is all the advice about our health.  It’s fairly common.

So don’t get too excited about experts who come to you and tell you some great insight, or a bit of knowledge that you’ve never heard of before.  There’s a good chance that they weren’t listening very closely when they heard it.  There’s a good chance that if they were listening closely, they didn’t understand what they were hearing.  And there’s a good chance that wherever they heard it, the Clickbait was lying to them.

Be leery of The Guitar Fallacy.  Just because you don’t know their song doesn’t mean you don’t know how to play the guitar.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-269: On the Street: Ignorance

As I got out of the car at the grocery store I noticed that the pickup I was beside was covered with patriotic messages.  They were tasteful and well done as in silk screen rather that Sharpie.  

When I came back out I looked a little closer and noticed something.  A date emblazoned on the fender was 1776.  The statement beside it said,  “We the people...”.  Do you see a problem?

Fortunately I don’t think that anyone on the left would notice the problem.  So there is nothing to really worry about.  Their heart was in the right place.  They probably had the work done by a professional and didn’t think twice.

Don’t fall into that trap.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-249: The Nazi Ho-Hums

The frantic left has a knee-jerk reaction about calling Trump a Nazi when he blows his nose.  
After all, everyone knows that Hitler blew his nose.  One of the problems with the left calling Trump a Nazi every time they exhale is that to the uninformed, National Socialism might start looking good.  If you went to public school and have no idea about the Holocaust and never heard of Dachau then you might think that the Nazis were a group of people who thought the laws were to be obeyed and politicians stealing from the public trough is a bad idea.  That might make you think that we need more Nazis.

Next time you hear someone throwing out this “N” word you might try to find time, sit down with them, buy them a cup of coffee and ask them just what they think a Nazi is.  Don’t confuse them with things like fascism, Gestapo or Auschwitz.  Spend some time listening.  If they are open to your thoughts explain how you misunderstood what the word means all this time and explain how you got your wild ideas.

The hard part will be not letting your sympathy for their condition show.  Do a search on the school of philosophy called Deconstruction.  To them Nazi means what you want it to mean.  They are in control of education and the media.

Pray for America.  Pray for Trump.  Pray that we are not judged by the same standards as Sodom.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-227: Fire Alarm

If I had to sumarize most of the sermons we hear it would be something to the effect of “Turn or burn.”  Some people focus on the burning and wonder how God could allow hell.  I think the more inportant focus should be on turning.  Never underestimate the importance of repentance.  As I read this verse in the KJV I enjoyed the common language of the set up.  

Acts 17:30 (KJV) And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

God has had times when He “winked” at our ignorance.  There are times when the ignorance is genuine.  You may have been raised in a bubble.  You may not be old enough to read the adult content of this blog.  You may be a lot of things that God is willing to let slide.  That does not take away from the point of this verse.

Literal or figurative, that is not really the question.  The question is not what it says, but what it means.  Sometimes that’s literal.  Sometimes it’s figurative.  I’m thinking about this in relation to the several quotes about Abraham believing, and it being counted as righteousness.  It means what you say it does.  It means much more.

Believing is key.  There is no substitute.  It also does not cancel out the necessity of repentance.  The word means to turn.  It means to change direction.  If you are not willing to do that then your believing gets put into the same category as the demons.

(Jas 2:19 KJV)  Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Choose to not need to tremble.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-217: Be Careful with Your Excuses

We were holding Wednesday night service, the pastor was out of town, and the guy who leads our singing was in charge of the teaching portion.  Early in what he had to say he presented this verse,

Genesis 2:17 (KJV) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

He then asked in passing, “Did Adam know what it meant to die?”  And then he went on.  I don’t know if he planned on the question or just threw it out.  It just started me down a rabbit trail.  I don’t know if this was a deep thought that he was still thinking about.  I don’t know if it was just the Holy Spirit putting some words in his mouth to make me sit up and pay attention.

It’s a good question.  Did Adam know what it meant to die?  There’s no indication that he asked for any clarification.  There was no sense of mystery or ignorance.  God made a statement.

Chapter 3 repeats the statement and the serpent denies that it’s true.  Again, there is no indication that they didn’t know what it meant.  Living in the garden, I would assume that leaves my fall off and decompose, but I could be wrong.  It could be that at that point there was no cycle going on of plants dying, decomposing, enriching the soil, coming back as new plants.  But at the same time, there is no indication that there was any doubt that this dying business was serious.

I can forward to this week in River City.  How often do we have people claim to not understand?  I always like that phrase that I first saw in pro-life advertisements, which goes, “Which part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?  The answer was rather obvious.  The guy putting pressure on the young lady understood exactly what “no” meant.  His purpose was not to understand, it was to be gratified.

I wonder how often I have played this game with God.  Nothing jumps to mind, but it seems unlikely that I have never tried to play the game.  I trust that as I go forward that if I don’t understand something I will look a little deeper.  That comes whether it’s a point the pastor is making, the logical position in a book, a passage of scripture or something having to do with our civil society.

God does not accept excuses.  Neither does the well gravity, or the second law of thermodynamics.  Take that into consideration next time you feel like making an excuse.

homo unius libri