After an exhaustive review of a lot of different sites on the internet I feel confident enough to make the following predictions for what WILL happen in our country next year.
There will be an extremely large eruption of a sunspot directly facing the earth which will cause an EMP strong enough to fry your smart phones, computers, TVs and vehicle wiring.
The stock market will crash, the dollar will be devalued, the government will confiscate 80% of all savings and Hillary will be pictured on the new 37 dollar bill.
A giant meteor/asteroid will impact smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean creating a huge tsunami over 200 feet high which will strike most of the East Coast of America, wiping out a large part of the population.
The "Big One", actually the "Big Ones" will finally happen, shaking the West Coast and causing parts of California in it's south to fall into the Pacific as well as leveling San Francisco, silicon valley and surrounding areas in it's north.
A new "Super Bug" related to the avian flu and with no known cure will rapidly infect large portions of the South West.
Yellowstone Park will blow, the ash and debris cloud will cover multiple states to the east and then eventually circle the globe. Large areas will experience crop failures.
A series of earthquakes 9.0 and larger will strike near the New Madrid fault lines in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Illinois, remaking the landscape, rerouting large rivers, destroying most bridges and gas lines, effectively splitting America in two.
Riots will break out all along the Southern border and Texas will secede from the United States.
Black United Nations helicopters will invade the U.S. from the north although in Michigan our National Guard assisted by an armed citizen militia will eventually rise up and drive them out.
The Cubs would have won the World Series if not for the baseball season being canceled due to "unforeseen acts of nature".
Martial law is declared and the National Elections are cancelled. President Obama takes a break from one of the few remaining golf courses to get fitted for his crown although while on the way his limo gets hijacked by a crazed group of Trump supporters and is never seen again.
You should be able to take these predictions to the bank, if any banks remain. Make a hard copy of these warnings for you and your family because, after the EMP, good luck with the internet.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
God Makes A Home For The Lonely
God Makes A Home For The Lonely
Christmas Eve - With Thoughts From Psalm 68
Candles were held
our hearts were bright
with family and friends
singing O Holy Night
on a warm Christmas Eve
in a church by a park
we proclaimed Him who came
to a world that was dark
Waiting at home
in an oven of steel
were nice hot burritos
and a cozy warm feel
more family would travel
then join us to eat
kids loved cheesy pizza
ate all grandma's treat
That night was not presents
fancy clothes pretty shirt
we ate with our loved ones
and laughed till we hurt
watched cousins play close
the dudes walk on air
giggles and sword fights
on carpet and chair
Too soon it was over
time getting late
Christmas morning so early
was each family's fate
except me and Jackie
who cleaned up the mess
then sleep in till nine
just thought it'd be best
We treasure each Christmas
with places to go
and having it home
gives a nice special glow
but like Mary and Joseph
once stayed near an inn
far from our children
to easy come in
Now we are blessed
love our cute little place
where grand kids run wild
receiving our grace
and daughters return
still feeling the pull
lunch with Ben on Wednesday
makes life almost full
Sing praises to God
lift a song to the sky
One who rides through the desert
will always stand by
a Father for the fatherless
makes widows a place
gives a home to the lonely
sets a nice easy pace
He leads out the prisoners
with gifts on their way
so rejoice then with gladness
and join me to pray
I thank You dear Father
You've always been there
forgive my rebellion
and help me to share
Christmas Eve - With Thoughts From Psalm 68
Candles were held
our hearts were bright
with family and friends
singing O Holy Night
on a warm Christmas Eve
in a church by a park
we proclaimed Him who came
to a world that was dark
Waiting at home
in an oven of steel
were nice hot burritos
and a cozy warm feel
more family would travel
then join us to eat
kids loved cheesy pizza
ate all grandma's treat
That night was not presents
fancy clothes pretty shirt
we ate with our loved ones
and laughed till we hurt
watched cousins play close
the dudes walk on air
giggles and sword fights
on carpet and chair
Too soon it was over
time getting late
Christmas morning so early
was each family's fate
except me and Jackie
who cleaned up the mess
then sleep in till nine
just thought it'd be best
We treasure each Christmas
with places to go
and having it home
gives a nice special glow
but like Mary and Joseph
once stayed near an inn
far from our children
to easy come in
Now we are blessed
love our cute little place
where grand kids run wild
receiving our grace
and daughters return
still feeling the pull
lunch with Ben on Wednesday
makes life almost full
Sing praises to God
lift a song to the sky
One who rides through the desert
will always stand by
a Father for the fatherless
makes widows a place
gives a home to the lonely
sets a nice easy pace
He leads out the prisoners
with gifts on their way
so rejoice then with gladness
and join me to pray
I thank You dear Father
You've always been there
forgive my rebellion
and help me to share
Thursday, December 24, 2015
The Force Awakens
The initial rush was so big that after watching my first Star Wars movie at the old Park Theater across from Centennial Park in downtown Holland I got into my Ford Bronco, turned on the engine, and actually felt as if I was behind the controls of a fast moving space ship. I needed to use every bit of Dutch mind control to calm me down enough so that I would make it back home safely.
Now, thirty-eight years later, a little older and perhaps a little wiser and now someone who only goes to the movies once every other year or so I think it might be awhile if and when I catch the latest episode. And that's OK. I drive in the Matrix anyway so who knows what is really real.
Science fiction and the rest of the fantasy genre are by definition not real and as movies, TVs, books, comics and such they are created as entertainment, a diversion, sometimes even an escape from the everyday busyness, tensions and sameness that is part of life. Knowing this I want you to understand that my views expressed here are way to the conservative side. Most Christians have little problem with fiction until or unless it crosses for them a certain line. My lines are more sharply drawn than most.
My world view is a heck of a lot more complex than a Star Wars story line. I believe that mankind and the choices we make actually do play a part in an ancient conflict played out before creatures we have not seen and know little about in a universe that is more intricate and varied than what we can imagine. This universe has a Creator who is not only good but also holy, awesome in power, unlimited in what He can do except where for reasons we do not fully understand He limits Himself. He is perfectly just but also perfectly loving.
At a certain point, when we are not told and so we do not know, rebellion entered this universe. Rebellion came from an intelligent created being who enticed other intelligent created beings to rebel with him. For some reason, despite His foreknowledge that it would happen, in His great wisdom the Creator chose not to wipe from existence those rebels and indeed permits some of them to interact with mankind to further the agenda of the first rebel, who is called the father of lies and a murder from the beginning.
These evil beings exist in an unseen spiritual realm but can interact and influence the physical world as well as the people and thus the societies that fill it. The evil beings work to accomplish the will of the first rebel and the result for mankind when we follow that will is always corruption, suffering, fear and death without hope.
Here we need to understand that there are three wills at work in the universe - The will of the Creator, the will of the first rebel and his spiritual followers, and the will of man. While man's will is indeed free and he may decide not to follow the plans of either the Creator or the first rebel (and he thinks by doing so that he is the master of his own universe) in truth when he is outside the will of the Creator he is a rebel himself and part of the rebellion.
The Creator interacts and influences the physical world, it's people and societies through His Son and through the Holy Spirit who were present with the Creator from the beginning. The Son is not a created being and in fact through Him all things were made and so the conflict is not an equal one between the Son and the first rebel. The Holy Spirit has interacted with mankind in various ways ever since man was created and has directed and spoken through man to set in writing everything man would need to know the will of the Creator. The Holy Spirit is active in the understanding of these writings as well.
When man believed the lie of the first rebel and also rebelled the Creator set out a way for mankind not only to be restored to fellowship but also to have a personal relationship with the Creator. This was made possible by the Son becoming man and then as man paying the only price for his sin and rebellion that the Creator would accept.
As I said previously the conflict between the will of the Creator and the will of the first rebel is not one of equals. One is the Creator and one is the created who exists at the whim of the Creator. There will come a time when the first rebel is bound by a strong angel for 1000 years and all the other rebels both spiritual and physical will have been judged and are also removed. At this time the Son will return to Earth and will reign in a new Jerusalem. Peace will be world wide and healing will be freely available and the nations will stream to New Jerusalem to pay homage to the Son.
Yet think of this. Even though the first rebel has been bound and the Son has been physically present and the Holy Spirit has been active in the lives of mankind, even though there has been world peace and most people are healthy and live long lives, even though history has shown and I'm sure the church has taught what the terrible results have been of rebellion, when the first rebel is released toward the end of those 1000 years he will still be able to raise a great army of men and nations to fight one last battle against the Son and the saints gathered with Him.
At this time the first rebel will again be defeated and then bound for eternity, all other rebels will be judged and the Creator will bring about a new Heaven and a new Earth and there will be a final end to sin and rebellion. Although that is way in the future we must still understand that the Creator even now does not desire suffering, poverty, sickness or wars anymore than you or I. To suggest otherwise is to believe the father of lies who wants you to be a rebel like him.
For some reason the Creator in His mercy does not wipe us out on the first sign of our rebellion. We may not understand and agree with this in a universal sense but when we realize that it applies to us personally we should fall down on our knees in fear and trembling and repentance. For some reason in His wisdom He allows people, even those that are innocent, to suffer and die. And then somehow we believe that instead of Him being wiser, more loving and more merciful than we can ever imagine, He is an angry and vindictive god. Having no fear of God men base morality on the changing tides of human opinion and the ability of man to do something on his own that history shows has never worked. It is a false hope and this false hope is another lie.
The good news is that the world is not held together by a force that like the Ying and Yang has both a dark side and a light side. The Creator who does not have a dark side has made Himself understood to us, not as a force but as a personality who loves and cares for us, whom we can know, and who has a will for us and our lives. He loves us and desires to be fully engaged in our lives. And as the Creator He has designed this to happen as we honestly seek Him and then surrender to His will.
The first rebel was called an angel of light, banned from the presence of the Creator but still residing in the heavens. Prophetically the Son saw this star walker fall like lightning from the sky.
The first rebel who says he is light instructs us to use our wills to overcome the dark impulses of pride, emotion, fear, lust, greed and such, knowing that by nature we are still rebels.
The first rebel if he cannot get us to reject the Creator will always try to bind us to dogma and tradition, substituting religion for relationship.
The first rebel tells us to harness the power that is part of the life force and available to those who will learn from him and to listen to the spirits of those who are no longer in the physical realm. This of course is witchcraft.
Star Wars is just science fiction after all and George Lucas has said that the Force was not a reflection of the (Hollywood style) Buddhism popular in his day but only a way to advance the plots of the various movies. We should be aware though that if Disney can get tens of millions of us simpleminded folks to purchase a billion dollars worth of tickets and merchandise that there will be some appeal to those without a firm foundation but with a spiritual hunger to look further into this mystical nonsense that truly does confuse light and dark. Not as they seem things are.
Now, thirty-eight years later, a little older and perhaps a little wiser and now someone who only goes to the movies once every other year or so I think it might be awhile if and when I catch the latest episode. And that's OK. I drive in the Matrix anyway so who knows what is really real.
Science fiction and the rest of the fantasy genre are by definition not real and as movies, TVs, books, comics and such they are created as entertainment, a diversion, sometimes even an escape from the everyday busyness, tensions and sameness that is part of life. Knowing this I want you to understand that my views expressed here are way to the conservative side. Most Christians have little problem with fiction until or unless it crosses for them a certain line. My lines are more sharply drawn than most.
My world view is a heck of a lot more complex than a Star Wars story line. I believe that mankind and the choices we make actually do play a part in an ancient conflict played out before creatures we have not seen and know little about in a universe that is more intricate and varied than what we can imagine. This universe has a Creator who is not only good but also holy, awesome in power, unlimited in what He can do except where for reasons we do not fully understand He limits Himself. He is perfectly just but also perfectly loving.
At a certain point, when we are not told and so we do not know, rebellion entered this universe. Rebellion came from an intelligent created being who enticed other intelligent created beings to rebel with him. For some reason, despite His foreknowledge that it would happen, in His great wisdom the Creator chose not to wipe from existence those rebels and indeed permits some of them to interact with mankind to further the agenda of the first rebel, who is called the father of lies and a murder from the beginning.
These evil beings exist in an unseen spiritual realm but can interact and influence the physical world as well as the people and thus the societies that fill it. The evil beings work to accomplish the will of the first rebel and the result for mankind when we follow that will is always corruption, suffering, fear and death without hope.
Here we need to understand that there are three wills at work in the universe - The will of the Creator, the will of the first rebel and his spiritual followers, and the will of man. While man's will is indeed free and he may decide not to follow the plans of either the Creator or the first rebel (and he thinks by doing so that he is the master of his own universe) in truth when he is outside the will of the Creator he is a rebel himself and part of the rebellion.
The Creator interacts and influences the physical world, it's people and societies through His Son and through the Holy Spirit who were present with the Creator from the beginning. The Son is not a created being and in fact through Him all things were made and so the conflict is not an equal one between the Son and the first rebel. The Holy Spirit has interacted with mankind in various ways ever since man was created and has directed and spoken through man to set in writing everything man would need to know the will of the Creator. The Holy Spirit is active in the understanding of these writings as well.
When man believed the lie of the first rebel and also rebelled the Creator set out a way for mankind not only to be restored to fellowship but also to have a personal relationship with the Creator. This was made possible by the Son becoming man and then as man paying the only price for his sin and rebellion that the Creator would accept.
As I said previously the conflict between the will of the Creator and the will of the first rebel is not one of equals. One is the Creator and one is the created who exists at the whim of the Creator. There will come a time when the first rebel is bound by a strong angel for 1000 years and all the other rebels both spiritual and physical will have been judged and are also removed. At this time the Son will return to Earth and will reign in a new Jerusalem. Peace will be world wide and healing will be freely available and the nations will stream to New Jerusalem to pay homage to the Son.
Yet think of this. Even though the first rebel has been bound and the Son has been physically present and the Holy Spirit has been active in the lives of mankind, even though there has been world peace and most people are healthy and live long lives, even though history has shown and I'm sure the church has taught what the terrible results have been of rebellion, when the first rebel is released toward the end of those 1000 years he will still be able to raise a great army of men and nations to fight one last battle against the Son and the saints gathered with Him.
At this time the first rebel will again be defeated and then bound for eternity, all other rebels will be judged and the Creator will bring about a new Heaven and a new Earth and there will be a final end to sin and rebellion. Although that is way in the future we must still understand that the Creator even now does not desire suffering, poverty, sickness or wars anymore than you or I. To suggest otherwise is to believe the father of lies who wants you to be a rebel like him.
For some reason the Creator in His mercy does not wipe us out on the first sign of our rebellion. We may not understand and agree with this in a universal sense but when we realize that it applies to us personally we should fall down on our knees in fear and trembling and repentance. For some reason in His wisdom He allows people, even those that are innocent, to suffer and die. And then somehow we believe that instead of Him being wiser, more loving and more merciful than we can ever imagine, He is an angry and vindictive god. Having no fear of God men base morality on the changing tides of human opinion and the ability of man to do something on his own that history shows has never worked. It is a false hope and this false hope is another lie.
The good news is that the world is not held together by a force that like the Ying and Yang has both a dark side and a light side. The Creator who does not have a dark side has made Himself understood to us, not as a force but as a personality who loves and cares for us, whom we can know, and who has a will for us and our lives. He loves us and desires to be fully engaged in our lives. And as the Creator He has designed this to happen as we honestly seek Him and then surrender to His will.
The first rebel was called an angel of light, banned from the presence of the Creator but still residing in the heavens. Prophetically the Son saw this star walker fall like lightning from the sky.
The first rebel who says he is light instructs us to use our wills to overcome the dark impulses of pride, emotion, fear, lust, greed and such, knowing that by nature we are still rebels.
The first rebel if he cannot get us to reject the Creator will always try to bind us to dogma and tradition, substituting religion for relationship.
The first rebel tells us to harness the power that is part of the life force and available to those who will learn from him and to listen to the spirits of those who are no longer in the physical realm. This of course is witchcraft.
Star Wars is just science fiction after all and George Lucas has said that the Force was not a reflection of the (Hollywood style) Buddhism popular in his day but only a way to advance the plots of the various movies. We should be aware though that if Disney can get tens of millions of us simpleminded folks to purchase a billion dollars worth of tickets and merchandise that there will be some appeal to those without a firm foundation but with a spiritual hunger to look further into this mystical nonsense that truly does confuse light and dark. Not as they seem things are.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Why Donald Trump?
Yes indeed, why?
I am not a fan and could give you a list my arm long of reasons why, but that being said I find it both amusing and alarming at the shear quantity of negative attacks and outright hate directed his way.
This is amusing because most of the attacks come from the liberal/progressive/socialist factions in our country who seem unaware that Trump, except for being a capitalist, has always been and probably still is one of them. I've not heard anything from Trump that indicates that he has a constitutional, philosophical or spiritual foundation which would constantly lead him to support conservative values.
Trump is a populist. He understands the frustrations of a large portion of our population who believe that under the current administration our country has been headed in the wrong direction on a multiple of fronts. He is aware that there is outright anger over the fact that Republican leadership has refused to draw a line in the sand and challenge the administration on these issues. He also senses that there is actual fear in the air, fear that extends far beyond the conservative base.
For example, while unfettered and illegal immigration has always been viewed by conservatives as a plot by liberals to expand the voting base for the Democratic party with the ultimate intention of growing the size and necessity of government, recent events have created the worry that we are not making it too difficult for those that want to bring havoc to our shores to do so.
Add this to the fact that a third of our population believes that our president is probably really a Muslim. This view is reinforced with his retreats from the Middle East, his insane deal with Iran and his inability to believe and thus verbalize that although most Muslims may be peaceful there actually are at least a couple of hundred million who would like to see the West including America converted (submitted) to Islam or destroyed.
This opens up an avenue for someone like Trump who is able to channel that anger and voice those fears in the broadest and I would say coarsest manner.
And this is alarming because the liberal/progressive/socialist playbook has not changed one iota - distort, shout down, make fun of, marginalize and try to silence any voice that speaks of conservative principles. If Trump happened to be a conservative Christian the Left's intolerant din would be, if possible, much much worse.
But this time the tables are being turned on the Left and the media which represents them and does much of their dirty work. They are doing their best trying to destroy the man but seeing that only makes Trump's supporters more angry. Plus, when they make fun of Trump they are making fun of the very fears that these people have. They don't like that.
If you distort what Trump says his followers know it and double down on their support. For example, Trump in his bombast says to "temporally" halt all immigration and visits to our country by Muslims until things, i.e.,the threat of bringing in more terrorists, gets sorted out. In truth some portion of that is both legal, reasonable and has precedence. Immediately his statement gets portrayed as - Trump is racist and wants to expel all Muslims, Trump is worse than Hitler, Trump wants to put all Muslims in internment camps like we did to the Japanese during WWII, Trump hates all immigrants, Trump supporters should be shot so they can't go to the polls.
As usual there is no desire for having an exchange of ideas or attempts to be fair and balanced. There is no respect for opposing opinions. And lastly, freedom of speech does not apply if it runs contrary to political correctness. It seems that the Left in their heart of hearts actually believe that not only are they smarter than those on the Right but more compassionate and moral as well. Oddly this extends to the belief that the more conservative one is, and especially the more Christian conservative one is, the stupider and more hateful one gets.
Conservatives believe that the Left does not understand that the founders, even those that were not Christian but deist, understood that our rights and our freedoms come from God, not from government, and that because all men are by nature corrupt and greedy, government and those that are in power must have limits. With freedom and rights come responsibility, both economic and social. As government expands and becomes more powerful we begin to lose some of our freedoms and the responsibility of the individual lessons.
Take for instance the Conservative view of the right to bear arms. Liberals always use the argument that the Second Amendment was only for the ability in Colonial times, before the creation of a national armed force, for states to raise militias to defend themselves. And besides, guns were much less lethal then. Conservatives believe the right to own guns is a necessary God given freedom and that the price for that freedom might sometimes be dear. Debate can and should be had regarding what kind or arms are reasonable and what persons should be denied that right although in that regard the Right believes that the Left's ultimate intention is to take away all private gun ownership, one step at a time.
So let's apply that to the response in our country to the Islamic terrorists attacks in Paris and California. The President does not connect the California shootings to the possibility of a greater increase of Islamic jihad coming to our shores, articulating a logical plan to deal with existing and future Islamic terror cells. He does not present a plan to investigate whether there are some mosques in our country that are helping radicalize and support these individuals (since the Paris attacks France has found a massive amount of heavy arms and has already closed several mosques with perhaps a 100 more coming)
(for a better understanding of radical Islam and their desires, see my post from a year ago: The Meaning Of Isis )
Instead the President uses the shooting to again make his plea for greater gun control. And for a large part the media goes along with what ever the President wants and calls racists any fears that there may exist radical mosques or individuals here.
Funny, this does not ease the fears of the greater population who has responded by buying guns at a record pace.
The President and the Left rightly do not want to see an increase in prejudice toward those who are Muslim. But by denying what is obvious and failing to see or understand radical Islam for what it is and what it desires they do a great disservice for the majority of the Muslim population who want to obey our laws, adopt our values and live peacefully with full freedom to worship as they choose.
Trumps supporters and other Conservatives have been willing to overlook his egotistic, boarish and simplistic rhetoric and his lack of Conservative credentials partly because he is not politically correct. They believe the media's infatuation with him has actually given voice to some of their concerns, especially national security and the President's disregard for law on the immigration issue. They think it's fun to watch him give the press fits knowing that the press can't wait for him to fail so they can headline; Trump, YOU'RE FIRED! But the guy just won't go away. And a good part of the blame I would lay on the Left, who just won't ignore the bugger.
Will Trump do anything to further Conservative social values such as defending the right to life of the unborn? Will he be inclined to reduce in any way the growth and size of government, to pay back any of the 20 trillion in debt, to plan for how to take care of the 200 trillion in unfunded liabilities promised in our social programs? Would he even try to balance the budget? I don't think so. Does he actually believe in building a wall or is this like everything else just bluster, a politician's promise in order to get elected?
Perhaps it will be enough to have someone that will be a friend to Israel. That looks genuine. Perhaps he will have a foreign policy that understands the world wide conflicts between the radical elements of Sunni and Shia Islam and knows enough world history to perceive what the real national desires of Russia and China are. From his comments so far, I doubt it. He might be willing to listen to those that do. Let's pray so if he does get elected.
The next president, if he or she is not far to the Left, should be able to bring back into the country trillions of dollars that have been waiting the last 8 years for a more promising economic climate. If he has a willing congress Trump should be able to do that better than most. And as we all know, if the economy is good the majority of the people in this land are willing to overlook a lot of things.
Not me, just saying.
I am not a fan and could give you a list my arm long of reasons why, but that being said I find it both amusing and alarming at the shear quantity of negative attacks and outright hate directed his way.
This is amusing because most of the attacks come from the liberal/progressive/socialist factions in our country who seem unaware that Trump, except for being a capitalist, has always been and probably still is one of them. I've not heard anything from Trump that indicates that he has a constitutional, philosophical or spiritual foundation which would constantly lead him to support conservative values.
Trump is a populist. He understands the frustrations of a large portion of our population who believe that under the current administration our country has been headed in the wrong direction on a multiple of fronts. He is aware that there is outright anger over the fact that Republican leadership has refused to draw a line in the sand and challenge the administration on these issues. He also senses that there is actual fear in the air, fear that extends far beyond the conservative base.
For example, while unfettered and illegal immigration has always been viewed by conservatives as a plot by liberals to expand the voting base for the Democratic party with the ultimate intention of growing the size and necessity of government, recent events have created the worry that we are not making it too difficult for those that want to bring havoc to our shores to do so.
Add this to the fact that a third of our population believes that our president is probably really a Muslim. This view is reinforced with his retreats from the Middle East, his insane deal with Iran and his inability to believe and thus verbalize that although most Muslims may be peaceful there actually are at least a couple of hundred million who would like to see the West including America converted (submitted) to Islam or destroyed.
This opens up an avenue for someone like Trump who is able to channel that anger and voice those fears in the broadest and I would say coarsest manner.
And this is alarming because the liberal/progressive/socialist playbook has not changed one iota - distort, shout down, make fun of, marginalize and try to silence any voice that speaks of conservative principles. If Trump happened to be a conservative Christian the Left's intolerant din would be, if possible, much much worse.
But this time the tables are being turned on the Left and the media which represents them and does much of their dirty work. They are doing their best trying to destroy the man but seeing that only makes Trump's supporters more angry. Plus, when they make fun of Trump they are making fun of the very fears that these people have. They don't like that.
If you distort what Trump says his followers know it and double down on their support. For example, Trump in his bombast says to "temporally" halt all immigration and visits to our country by Muslims until things, i.e.,the threat of bringing in more terrorists, gets sorted out. In truth some portion of that is both legal, reasonable and has precedence. Immediately his statement gets portrayed as - Trump is racist and wants to expel all Muslims, Trump is worse than Hitler, Trump wants to put all Muslims in internment camps like we did to the Japanese during WWII, Trump hates all immigrants, Trump supporters should be shot so they can't go to the polls.
As usual there is no desire for having an exchange of ideas or attempts to be fair and balanced. There is no respect for opposing opinions. And lastly, freedom of speech does not apply if it runs contrary to political correctness. It seems that the Left in their heart of hearts actually believe that not only are they smarter than those on the Right but more compassionate and moral as well. Oddly this extends to the belief that the more conservative one is, and especially the more Christian conservative one is, the stupider and more hateful one gets.
Conservatives believe that the Left does not understand that the founders, even those that were not Christian but deist, understood that our rights and our freedoms come from God, not from government, and that because all men are by nature corrupt and greedy, government and those that are in power must have limits. With freedom and rights come responsibility, both economic and social. As government expands and becomes more powerful we begin to lose some of our freedoms and the responsibility of the individual lessons.
Take for instance the Conservative view of the right to bear arms. Liberals always use the argument that the Second Amendment was only for the ability in Colonial times, before the creation of a national armed force, for states to raise militias to defend themselves. And besides, guns were much less lethal then. Conservatives believe the right to own guns is a necessary God given freedom and that the price for that freedom might sometimes be dear. Debate can and should be had regarding what kind or arms are reasonable and what persons should be denied that right although in that regard the Right believes that the Left's ultimate intention is to take away all private gun ownership, one step at a time.
So let's apply that to the response in our country to the Islamic terrorists attacks in Paris and California. The President does not connect the California shootings to the possibility of a greater increase of Islamic jihad coming to our shores, articulating a logical plan to deal with existing and future Islamic terror cells. He does not present a plan to investigate whether there are some mosques in our country that are helping radicalize and support these individuals (since the Paris attacks France has found a massive amount of heavy arms and has already closed several mosques with perhaps a 100 more coming)
(for a better understanding of radical Islam and their desires, see my post from a year ago: The Meaning Of Isis )
Instead the President uses the shooting to again make his plea for greater gun control. And for a large part the media goes along with what ever the President wants and calls racists any fears that there may exist radical mosques or individuals here.
Funny, this does not ease the fears of the greater population who has responded by buying guns at a record pace.
The President and the Left rightly do not want to see an increase in prejudice toward those who are Muslim. But by denying what is obvious and failing to see or understand radical Islam for what it is and what it desires they do a great disservice for the majority of the Muslim population who want to obey our laws, adopt our values and live peacefully with full freedom to worship as they choose.
Trumps supporters and other Conservatives have been willing to overlook his egotistic, boarish and simplistic rhetoric and his lack of Conservative credentials partly because he is not politically correct. They believe the media's infatuation with him has actually given voice to some of their concerns, especially national security and the President's disregard for law on the immigration issue. They think it's fun to watch him give the press fits knowing that the press can't wait for him to fail so they can headline; Trump, YOU'RE FIRED! But the guy just won't go away. And a good part of the blame I would lay on the Left, who just won't ignore the bugger.
Will Trump do anything to further Conservative social values such as defending the right to life of the unborn? Will he be inclined to reduce in any way the growth and size of government, to pay back any of the 20 trillion in debt, to plan for how to take care of the 200 trillion in unfunded liabilities promised in our social programs? Would he even try to balance the budget? I don't think so. Does he actually believe in building a wall or is this like everything else just bluster, a politician's promise in order to get elected?
Perhaps it will be enough to have someone that will be a friend to Israel. That looks genuine. Perhaps he will have a foreign policy that understands the world wide conflicts between the radical elements of Sunni and Shia Islam and knows enough world history to perceive what the real national desires of Russia and China are. From his comments so far, I doubt it. He might be willing to listen to those that do. Let's pray so if he does get elected.
The next president, if he or she is not far to the Left, should be able to bring back into the country trillions of dollars that have been waiting the last 8 years for a more promising economic climate. If he has a willing congress Trump should be able to do that better than most. And as we all know, if the economy is good the majority of the people in this land are willing to overlook a lot of things.
Not me, just saying.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Rocking Around The Christmas Tree
The first Christmas tree after we got married was a scotch pine 6 footer that we hauled, ice coated and all, up to our 3rd floor apartment. After it thawed and was decorated with the few ornaments Jackie and I had inherited from our parents we spent that night in bed listening to the constant drop of needles to the floor. We actually wondered if any would be left by the time we got up in the morning. Some managed to last through the season and I really don't know where they came from but January 1st when I hauled that old tree through the apartment complex hallway, down the stairs and to the dumpster somehow I managed to leave a thick trail of old pine needles. Do you know how hard it is to get those things out of carpet? Rookie mistake.
Since then we have enjoyed quite the variety of trees and have added a very large collection of ornaments. We eventually switched from pines to firs. Our ornament stash kept growing until the kids started getting married and then they would take all of theirs that had been given to them over the years. At the big house we would get a 12 foot Douglas fir which had more than enough space for everything that we and the kids had and when we moved to the woods we substituted fatness for height and with a few less living with us we could still display everything.
A year after Jackie and I moved in with her mother our daughter Ceci gave us our first artificial tree, a slim 5 footer that she got on trade from Van Wieren Hardware, that we found a spot for in the basement. Helen had her real tree in the living room as always but this was ours, keeping us company in our little lounge area. Now it was pick and choose time for the ornaments but you would be surprised how many can fit on a little tree. We brought that with us when we moved back to Holland after mom died and it was that tree that Jackie and I put up and decorated today.
Jackie took it from the bag we store it in and as she was pulling the branches out she said "Hello skinny little tree." I offered about 5 times to run out and get a real one but she kept saying, "No, this will be good for this year. Next year we can go to Van Wieren's and get a nicer artificial one."
If you are like us when you put your tree up you need to play Christmas music. Songs like Come On Ring Those Bells by Evie were always our Christmas classics. But we didn't have Evie anymore. Jackie found our CD player and the cardboard box with the CD's. Right on top was a collection of 4 Christmas CD's that had not been opened. Thinking there might be something we would like I looked it over. I didn't want the collection of children's Christmas songs. Nor was I interested in the all choir version or the all instrumental one. That left me with the one with selections by famous crooners such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Bing Crosby. It was dreadful. Slow, Slow, Slow. And I don't know who has the rights for the good songs but I've bet you've never heard - It's A Marshmallow World - even as background music on the Hallmark channel.
Immediately after Marshmallow World misery I switched over to a Christmas collection done by contemporary Christian artists. That was more like it. 2000 Decembers Ago by Joy Williams was great and then I got a little tug in my heart when I heard Rich Mullins sing You Gotta Get Up. When it got to O Holy Night and Gary Chapman sang Oh night divine I actually fought back a tear. Moved on from that CD to Amy Grant and her version of Jingle Bells goes at about 100 miles an hour and is great.
Our little tree is decorated with all of our favorite stuff. First thing on after the lights and beads was a family picture that came in the shape of an ornament of Missy, Dan and their 5 kids. You know I needed to hang Captain's Kirk and Picard and Santa riding his tractor. Oh, and of course the little Santa with the Groucho Marx glasses and nose. The bulb that Jackie and I got our first year of marriage when we took a special shopping trip to Columbus is there as well as so many other types of angels and stars, next to the 3 kings, glass icicles, snow flakes, snowmen and glass bulbs with bible verses. And of course the green pickle which must be found by each grand kid.
On Jackie and my first Christmas together I had only known Jesus for a month. Like our first tree my frozen self had thawed and I would leave behind a large pile of old, useless needles. New life is forever but as a Christian I am being constantly renewed. Jackie and I have been so blessed wither we celebrate the anniversary of our Lord's birth in an apartment with a tree spray painted green, a home filled with a huge tree looking out at a grand scene, or in a basement far away from our kids and grand kids.
I tear up at O Holy Night because I am so small and One so great humbled Himself, becoming for a little while lower than the angels, born poor into a turbulent world. The kings brought gifts to the One who would be the ultimate gift. When I turn out the lights save for the tree and admire the colors and think of the memories I remember Who has bought me, and kept me, filled my life with a woman I don't deserve and blessed me with kids and grand kids. Praise You Lord!
Since then we have enjoyed quite the variety of trees and have added a very large collection of ornaments. We eventually switched from pines to firs. Our ornament stash kept growing until the kids started getting married and then they would take all of theirs that had been given to them over the years. At the big house we would get a 12 foot Douglas fir which had more than enough space for everything that we and the kids had and when we moved to the woods we substituted fatness for height and with a few less living with us we could still display everything.
A year after Jackie and I moved in with her mother our daughter Ceci gave us our first artificial tree, a slim 5 footer that she got on trade from Van Wieren Hardware, that we found a spot for in the basement. Helen had her real tree in the living room as always but this was ours, keeping us company in our little lounge area. Now it was pick and choose time for the ornaments but you would be surprised how many can fit on a little tree. We brought that with us when we moved back to Holland after mom died and it was that tree that Jackie and I put up and decorated today.
Jackie took it from the bag we store it in and as she was pulling the branches out she said "Hello skinny little tree." I offered about 5 times to run out and get a real one but she kept saying, "No, this will be good for this year. Next year we can go to Van Wieren's and get a nicer artificial one."
If you are like us when you put your tree up you need to play Christmas music. Songs like Come On Ring Those Bells by Evie were always our Christmas classics. But we didn't have Evie anymore. Jackie found our CD player and the cardboard box with the CD's. Right on top was a collection of 4 Christmas CD's that had not been opened. Thinking there might be something we would like I looked it over. I didn't want the collection of children's Christmas songs. Nor was I interested in the all choir version or the all instrumental one. That left me with the one with selections by famous crooners such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Bing Crosby. It was dreadful. Slow, Slow, Slow. And I don't know who has the rights for the good songs but I've bet you've never heard - It's A Marshmallow World - even as background music on the Hallmark channel.
Immediately after Marshmallow World misery I switched over to a Christmas collection done by contemporary Christian artists. That was more like it. 2000 Decembers Ago by Joy Williams was great and then I got a little tug in my heart when I heard Rich Mullins sing You Gotta Get Up. When it got to O Holy Night and Gary Chapman sang Oh night divine I actually fought back a tear. Moved on from that CD to Amy Grant and her version of Jingle Bells goes at about 100 miles an hour and is great.
Our little tree is decorated with all of our favorite stuff. First thing on after the lights and beads was a family picture that came in the shape of an ornament of Missy, Dan and their 5 kids. You know I needed to hang Captain's Kirk and Picard and Santa riding his tractor. Oh, and of course the little Santa with the Groucho Marx glasses and nose. The bulb that Jackie and I got our first year of marriage when we took a special shopping trip to Columbus is there as well as so many other types of angels and stars, next to the 3 kings, glass icicles, snow flakes, snowmen and glass bulbs with bible verses. And of course the green pickle which must be found by each grand kid.
On Jackie and my first Christmas together I had only known Jesus for a month. Like our first tree my frozen self had thawed and I would leave behind a large pile of old, useless needles. New life is forever but as a Christian I am being constantly renewed. Jackie and I have been so blessed wither we celebrate the anniversary of our Lord's birth in an apartment with a tree spray painted green, a home filled with a huge tree looking out at a grand scene, or in a basement far away from our kids and grand kids.
I tear up at O Holy Night because I am so small and One so great humbled Himself, becoming for a little while lower than the angels, born poor into a turbulent world. The kings brought gifts to the One who would be the ultimate gift. When I turn out the lights save for the tree and admire the colors and think of the memories I remember Who has bought me, and kept me, filled my life with a woman I don't deserve and blessed me with kids and grand kids. Praise You Lord!
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Today I Am Thankful For . . .
This was a post I was working on for Thanksgiving. It didn't make it then but now I need to clear out my files.
Today I am thankful for . . . running into a "dead head", i.e., someone who is or was a devoted follower of the hippie/bluegrass music band The Grateful Dead.
Did a road test last week for a guy named Alan. Alan had been living for a long time in California in an area where he didn't need to drive.
Alan grew up in New Hampshire, moved with his family to Grand Rapids, then migrated West as a young man. While there he started to follow a band called The Grateful Dead. I heard of people who were such rabid fans of the Dead that they would actually show up where ever the band was playing and try to attend each concert. I asked Alan about this and he told me that over a three year period he had seen 120 of their shows. He traveled with other fans and they would often eat with each other, share motel rooms and of course talk about Grateful Dead music and performances.
Alan said he only stopped following the band after Jerry Garcia, the Dead's main guy, passed away. He always referred to him as "Jerry", like he was talking about a brother or someone very close.
"So you just stopped going to the shows?" said I. - "No need to after Jerry was gone. He was my inspiration. After he died I told myself, well Alan, it's time you get a life."
"Do you play the guitar?" I asked Alan, who answered "Yup. But not as good as Jerry."
"Did people think Jerry was like a god or something?" - "A lot of them did, but Jerry hated that. He would keep to himself."
"Did you ever meet any of the band members?" - "I met the keyboardist in a coffee shop one day. I said, hey, what songs are you guys going to be playing tonight? He wouldn't tell me, but Jerry and the other guys were like that you know."
"Of all the concerts you attended was there one that stood out above the others?" - "Yes. Saratoga, New York."
"And why was that the best?" - "Because they played all my favorite songs. I've got the recording on HD and it's also great on the recording."
Now truth be told, as popular as the Grateful Dead were with their group of fans. before today I could probably not name or even recognize one of their songs. They were going strong way back when I was in college but I don't remember any album covers or people talking about them or playing their music. And after college I became a Christian and from then on listened mostly to contemporary Christian music.
When I got home and did some research I found out two things. The first is that the Grateful Dead only had one tune, "Touch of Gray - I Will Survive", to ever hit the the top10 list on the popular charts. And second, if Alan's hair and beard were a little longer he would have been a "dead" ringer for his soul mate Jerry.
After listening to a selection of what are considered their best songs on i Tunes I've come to the following conclusions - Jerry couldn't sing any better than I can and Grateful Dead songs were probably best appreciated when one is standing stoned in the middle of a large crowd where everyone else is also in the same condition.
Now the other main singer, Bob Weir, although I think I'll just call him Bob, he was a much better singer. However it seems the attraction of the Dead to their fans had less to do with the quality of singing or even the somewhat rebellious spiritual attraction of the lyrics and much more to do with enjoying the music and the long riffs and jams that the Dead were known for.
Well, as Bob might say, there's a train a coming and I gotta get on it. Can't think of a way to end so I'm just going to jam. Jackie's home with some ice cream and it needs to be eaten. No better way to spend with friends and my fam.
Today I am thankful for . . . running into a "dead head", i.e., someone who is or was a devoted follower of the hippie/bluegrass music band The Grateful Dead.
Did a road test last week for a guy named Alan. Alan had been living for a long time in California in an area where he didn't need to drive.
Alan grew up in New Hampshire, moved with his family to Grand Rapids, then migrated West as a young man. While there he started to follow a band called The Grateful Dead. I heard of people who were such rabid fans of the Dead that they would actually show up where ever the band was playing and try to attend each concert. I asked Alan about this and he told me that over a three year period he had seen 120 of their shows. He traveled with other fans and they would often eat with each other, share motel rooms and of course talk about Grateful Dead music and performances.
Alan said he only stopped following the band after Jerry Garcia, the Dead's main guy, passed away. He always referred to him as "Jerry", like he was talking about a brother or someone very close.
"So you just stopped going to the shows?" said I. - "No need to after Jerry was gone. He was my inspiration. After he died I told myself, well Alan, it's time you get a life."
"Do you play the guitar?" I asked Alan, who answered "Yup. But not as good as Jerry."
"Did people think Jerry was like a god or something?" - "A lot of them did, but Jerry hated that. He would keep to himself."
"Did you ever meet any of the band members?" - "I met the keyboardist in a coffee shop one day. I said, hey, what songs are you guys going to be playing tonight? He wouldn't tell me, but Jerry and the other guys were like that you know."
"Of all the concerts you attended was there one that stood out above the others?" - "Yes. Saratoga, New York."
"And why was that the best?" - "Because they played all my favorite songs. I've got the recording on HD and it's also great on the recording."
Now truth be told, as popular as the Grateful Dead were with their group of fans. before today I could probably not name or even recognize one of their songs. They were going strong way back when I was in college but I don't remember any album covers or people talking about them or playing their music. And after college I became a Christian and from then on listened mostly to contemporary Christian music.
When I got home and did some research I found out two things. The first is that the Grateful Dead only had one tune, "Touch of Gray - I Will Survive", to ever hit the the top10 list on the popular charts. And second, if Alan's hair and beard were a little longer he would have been a "dead" ringer for his soul mate Jerry.
After listening to a selection of what are considered their best songs on i Tunes I've come to the following conclusions - Jerry couldn't sing any better than I can and Grateful Dead songs were probably best appreciated when one is standing stoned in the middle of a large crowd where everyone else is also in the same condition.
Now the other main singer, Bob Weir, although I think I'll just call him Bob, he was a much better singer. However it seems the attraction of the Dead to their fans had less to do with the quality of singing or even the somewhat rebellious spiritual attraction of the lyrics and much more to do with enjoying the music and the long riffs and jams that the Dead were known for.
Well, as Bob might say, there's a train a coming and I gotta get on it. Can't think of a way to end so I'm just going to jam. Jackie's home with some ice cream and it needs to be eaten. No better way to spend with friends and my fam.
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
I Have Walked Through The Depths
I Have Walked Through The Depths
I have walked through the depths
heard the wind's awesome roar
saw old stones uncovered
on the deep sea's dry floor
We were there, you and I
when they came to that shore
found life in the waters
and power to restore
Is this just a distant memory
do we proclaim and not know
can you picture that together
we have so much to show
When they ask how can we be certain
I will think of the restrained walls
of the wind, and the stones
and our leader's urgent calls
How our arms were raised in victory
how we cheered and shook the ground
how the masses started trembling
filled with worship all around
There are those that do not know
that the One who made the rain
placed the winds and carved those stones
can command it once again
Oh, am I one who is so foolish
not understanding how torrents flow
don't see the games that people think
their fear when it's time to go
There is a promise that is open
waiting there by the tossing sea
of a passage for your safety
with a ticket that is free
But you must make a decision
to leave what's dear behind
trust in Him to see you on
and know that He is kind
Afterwards an army chased us
not knowing we had passed through
a giant host with horse and shield
all died, crushed by the water too
So now I sing a special song
just for me. what can I say
and next to my heart is a small smooth stone
to remind me of that day
I have walked through the depths
heard the wind's awesome roar
saw old stones uncovered
on the deep sea's dry floor
We were there, you and I
when they came to that shore
found life in the waters
and power to restore
Is this just a distant memory
do we proclaim and not know
can you picture that together
we have so much to show
When they ask how can we be certain
I will think of the restrained walls
of the wind, and the stones
and our leader's urgent calls
How our arms were raised in victory
how we cheered and shook the ground
how the masses started trembling
filled with worship all around
There are those that do not know
that the One who made the rain
placed the winds and carved those stones
can command it once again
Oh, am I one who is so foolish
not understanding how torrents flow
don't see the games that people think
their fear when it's time to go
There is a promise that is open
waiting there by the tossing sea
of a passage for your safety
with a ticket that is free
But you must make a decision
to leave what's dear behind
trust in Him to see you on
and know that He is kind
Afterwards an army chased us
not knowing we had passed through
a giant host with horse and shield
all died, crushed by the water too
So now I sing a special song
just for me. what can I say
and next to my heart is a small smooth stone
to remind me of that day
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