A culture that worships fun

I had a better word a minute ago, when I thought about this. I know I almost worship fun, experience, keeping myself entertained. I live in a culture that does the same. I can only control myself but I do see it all around me.

What is the antidote for that if there is an antidote? I'm not sure. Serving God? Thanking God for all our blessings, including the ability to keep ourselves entertained? I'm not sure. I struggle with having to keep my mouth full of food at the same time I struggle with satisfying my wish to be distracted by entertaining things: TV, solitaire, books, etc. Maybe spending more time actually being present to people would help. Perhaps what this is all about is hiding from people.

OK. Enough navel gazing for right now. If you have read this far, bless you. I need to move on to my other big concern right now. I am reveling in the big Republican win on the national elections of the off year. I am looking nationally and specifically more locally in Texas. I'd like to believe this means we had embraced personal responsibility and repudiated increasing the transfer of money from responsible people who create jobs and wealth to people who are not willing to help themselves but wish for Big Government to take care of them. I know it's not that simple. It probably means nothing so profound.

But will anything important happen as a result of the change on power in the Senate? I pray that it will. I pray that Obama's power to run the government without consent of the Congress will be weakened. Increasingly this government is becoming government of people and less of laws.

Deficit spending will eventually cause a collapse of our economy. We have to get spending under control. Taxing the rich will not get us out of this. Entitlements are not actually reaching those truly in need. Those who can play the system are the true winners there. Despite all the billions paid out we still have need the food kitchens. Despite all the billions poured down the education rat hole we still have a lot of people who cannot read or function in society. People have to be responsible, take responsibility for themselves. No one can do it for them. Government is too inefficient as a purveyor of social help. If we got back all the money being spent to game the system given to those who do not deserve it or even need it we could balance the budget.

Exodus 33 and 34

I am struck by the parallel of Moses' intercession for the Israelites and Jesus' intercession for us. God tells Moses that though the people are sinful, stubborn, obstinate that he will still be their God and go with them, despite his anger at them. So Jesus intercedes for me (for us) and God goes with us despite our obstinate sinfulness. Despite God's love I continue to sin and disobey. I do not know about you. I take God's mercy for granted. I abuse it. Yet God forgives me over and over again.

God shows himself to Moses. He describes himself as a loving compassionate God yet he still punishes the guilty. Some say God changed between the old revelation and the new. But I do not believe so. I believe God still punishes the guilty, even me. But he forgives iniquity, transgressions, and sin (34:7) first and foremost. I think God does it to help us, not hurt us. Without some punishment we would go crazy. And God sends his Holy Spirit to be a reminder of what is right and good.

God is gracious and compassionate. He repeats this several times in 33 and 34. And "God's characteristics of love and mercy are held in perfect tension with his judgment of sin." - Richard Harvey.

God uses his personal name here, written in Hebrew YHWH, all consonants because in old Hebrew only the consonants are written. You must know which vowels go in between. Because the Israelites and Jews thought God's name too holy to actually say we really do not know how it was originally pronounced. It is God's personal name. Only his friends would actually say it. Otherwise they would replace the word with the word for "Lord". Like we might use the word "sir" or "mister".

Moses says, "If now I have found favor in Thy sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and do thou pardon our iniquity and our sin and take us as thine own possession." (44:9) God agrees to make a covenant with them under these condition but he requires them to destroy pagan altars and worship no god but Him. "For you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." God is still a jealous God. He demands that we worship no other god. To me that means nothing else, not sports, not food, not women (or men), not money, etc. And I believe we receive correction when we do.

Active start

I got up before the sunrise and walked to Kroger to buy a few things. I bought ingredients for KR chicken (again) but it may be KR turkey when it finally gets done. I did buy more canned asparagus for guacamole dip. When I returned I immediately made that. It looks good but it is spicier (hotter) than last time.

I did not make the KR chicken because tonight is Spaghetti Warehouse night after Kegan's Alpha. I have no football game either, but I'm committed for Thursday and Friday. I thought about playing golf but decided I just was not up to it. I'm thinking of going to the gym.

When I got going on cooking I began to wake up. I made two pie crusts and then prepared custard for lemon pies. I got two pies done. Meanwhile I worked on bread. I make the liquid for bread and found a recipe for rye bread. I set it up in the breadmaker and it looks good. It will be ready in a couple of hours. I hope to make a similar second loaf later today. One will be frozen for later. Now I feel ready for the day. ;)

todays bike ride

I went about 14 miles in two hours, this morning. My excuse for my slowness is that I have to stop for intersections and traffic lights. Also I cannot stop picking up plastic and aluminum. I cannot pick up as much but I am learning where the recycling boxes are. FYI: There are several in front of the soccer stadium.

The major bike trails are called the Columbia Tap Trail to Rail and the Heights Trail. I connected from one to the other. The Heights Trail had quite a few bicycles on it.

Everyone else has a helmet but me. Maybe I should use April's.

I miss walking but I can surely go further on the bicycle. I will ride at least once a week. But I will also continue to walk. Call it cross training. I feel a bit less sweaty after riding. The main effort is in my thighs. The rest of me is mostly at rest. I used the radio today. I have not done that in a while.

glorious God

"God will give you the power that you need to do what you need to do, but you will not feel powerful.

"So folks you will not feel qualified to do the work that God is calling you to do, and you won't be qualified, but God will do the work as you do it, and then He will honor Himself and you with Him. Remarkable what God does." - Dr. James Allman of DTS as he teaches on Joshua in OT 102

This is such a good summary of our relationship with God as we serve him.

July vacation to Minneapolis

We are getting tired and overwhelmed by information. We have seen three presidential libraries, two caves and one Indian archaeological site.

So now we are in Emporia, Kansas. We are going to head pretty much straight home. But maybe not too many miles a day.

Fallen Angels by Noel Coward at Main Street Theater July 2014

I admit not to know a lot of Noel Coward plays but I have seen a few over the years. With Noel Coward you expect a sophisticated living room (drawing room) comedy. It could sneak up on farce right?

When I got there I got most of that. I forgot I would also get British accent. How could I forget that? Well this had the accent and added a French "bad guy". Perhaps you shouldn't call him that. There was lots of speaking French by these sophisticated English women.

I was going to say the one thing I was wrong about was the sophistication. Well maybe the sophistication was all the French spoken. Maybe the maid was supposed to make it sophisticated. But I didn't buy it at all. This play was not sophisticated.

The play was funny in spots, awkward in spots, just plain slow in spots. I thought the acting was fine, the play just doesn't seem to have much to help them. The jokes were attempted, they were often dumb. They just did not work.

The maid might have been the most interesting character. She steals the scenes and her time alone on the stage were pretty funny. She reminded me of the maid in Clue, the Movie. The play attempted to be sophisticated fun (I guess) but pretty much failed. Sometimes it bordered on farce but I do not think that is what they were going for. I was disappointed.

Big Bang Theory plot advice

This has probably been said but I have not read it. So far Raj has not gotten a steady girl. I think for equal distribution of romance they need to give Raj a girlfriend.

But I had forgotten. It hit me the other day they have already introduced the perfect girl for Raj, Sheldon's sister. I forget her name. I suppose I could look it up. But now that Raj can talk to women it is time to reintroduce her.

We found out when she was staying at Penny's that she found Raj to be "the cute one". He missed out because his medicine wore off. I forget how he came to be able to speak to women. But he can now.

She can move out to CA, stay with Sheldon for a few days, that won't work, then move in with Penny again. From there we can work on the relationship. That should give the writers plenty of fodder for misdeeds and jokes about Raj's ineptitude. I like it. But this is so obvious it has obviously been though of before.

special treatment

Has God ever treated you special? Did it embarrass you a little? Or a lot? Did you accept it or even try to reject it because you were so embarrassed? Now that I read this back I've got to give this some background. The other day a little boy who I try to teach chess out of the blue gave me a book. How did he know? But it was a book I would really love to have. But it is an expensive reference book. I have seen copies of this book and some like it in libraries. But even most libraries will not have this specialized reference. I checked on a used bookselling site and the one copy that was available was going for $141. That's what I thought. How did this boy have this book? How did he know that I would love to look at this book? It's not about chess. I could not accept this book from this child. But I did enjoy spending an hour perusing it.

I was embarrassed that he would offer me such a book. I did not deserve it.

The disciple Thomas had an experience like that. (John 21:24+) Thomas blurted out a statement. He was disappointed that he was not there when Jesus came calling. Did he truly mean it? He was mad that he missed seeing Jesus. He wanted to be included. He certainly felt left out. Perhaps he was overstating his true feelings. Jesus called his situation doubting. Whatever it was Jesus heard his cry. He felt compassion on him.

Jesus met him right where he was. I suspect that Jesus coming to him specially, giving him a special gift embarrassed Thomas a lot. Thomas did not mean to be such trouble. Jesus came with compassion. And he told him to no longer doubt. I think Thomas was flustered. Nevertheless Thomas made the right response: "My Lord and My God!" I think this was a response of worship, of gratitude. I can vision him kneeling or bowing in awesome worship. He thanked Jesus for the personal gift.

Jesus uses this opportunity to speak prophesy to the ages, to us, to me: "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see and yet believed." Brothers, sisters he is speaking about us. We have never seen Jesus face to face or touched his wounds and yet we believed.

I feel that since I have taken the leap of faith or step of faith I have seen enough to believe in a way like Thomas did. I feel I have touched God through other Christians along the way, in the body of Christ, in the community of saints, in the presence of the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. My weak faith has been strengthened by what I have experienced. I identify with being personally encouraged as Thomas was. It should not embarrass us. God is glad to do it, he loves us that much.

Do you have personal experiences like Thomas did that keep you going, that are anchors for your faith? How has God specially loved on you this past week?

Timeless truth

I just finished a class on speaking about God. I will take away one important thing, "Find the timeless truth in a passage and apply that to modern life."

Timeless truth: If you seek God with all your heart God will be found. He promises that. Jeremiah 29:13-14. I only cry over sports movies. But that is what tears tell God. That is often what tears tell us about a person.

Jeremiah 29:13-14. So God promises to be found by those who seek him with all their hearts. You can trust in this about God. It is what's at play with Mary at the tomb (John 20). She has been there, goes and gets the men. And then she comes back. The men get enlightened. But they do not talk to her. They are still processing. So Mary is left standing by the tomb weeping, confused.

So God wishes to be found. Her heart reaches out to God. She looks into the tomb and sees two angels. None of the men saw anything. The angels say, "Woman, why are you weeping?" This is a time for joy, not weeping. Her response has a tinge of anger to it, don't you think? "They have taken my Lord and I do not know where to find him." Jesus feels compassion for her. She is seeking with all her heart. God promises to be found by all who seek with all their heart. I find it hard to do that, through all my pride. Yet it happens for me where I am unconscious of trying. Surely Mary is not conscious of trying. She is just feeling her pain, letting it happen.

So Mary turns and there is Jesus. Jesus appears first to Mary. It is because Mary is seeking and confused. Jesus repeats what the angels said. "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?" God lets us process. Jesus helps her to figure it out. Mary has still not looked up into his face so she does not recognize him. Then Jesus calls her name, "Mary!" At that point her life is changed. God has allowed himself to be found. She responds with a word not translated, "Rabboni!" It means teacher but must mean more than that, perhaps "my teacher" is more accurate.

God promises to be found when we seek with all our heart. Lord give us the grace to seek you with all our heart.

1 Samuel 12

What a wise thing Samuel did written about in 1 Samuel 12! He was retiring, having his last all Israel meeting and sacrifice. He was retiring.

He took this final opportunity to challenge the people, saying, "Has anyone any claim against me? Have I done anyone wrong in all these long years that I have judged you? If so, make your claim now!" This was a bold thing to do. Being a judge involves hard decisions. Some people surely lost and went away angry. Would I be willing to be so daring?

And everyone said in the midst of witnesses, "We have no claim." I am in the midst of retiring from a family business and have operated it until its dissolution for over ten years. I do not think I would be so bold to ask that of my siblings. Not that we ever get together in one place. I think I am as innocent as Samuel was. And I suspect my siblings would have nothing definite to accuse me of. Though they may not be willing to openly call me innocent. Yet if asked like this, I do not think they could come up with definite charges.

Yet I know my siblings harbor misgivings. They wonder if there is something that they do not know about. So many people in Israel harbored doubts about Samuel. All that power surely might have corrupted at one time or another. But nobody knows about it. Nobody has come forward. Nobody accuses Samuel. This is like a courtroom, here is front of witnesses, all the people have sworn that Samuel goes to his retirement without any claims against him. Surely that would be a wonderful assurance for Samuel.

Judging people, being in a position of power like that surely makes some enemies. Some people felt they got the raw end of the deal. Or to heck with justice they wanted to be found innocent even if they were not. But no one could claim that Samuel did not judge impartially, without taking bribes or preferring certain people.

Some people bore grudges but in the light of day nothing was really wrong. Samuel had defrauded no one. He had taken no bribes. He had judged as fairly as possible. So Samuel was acquitted before all the people with all witnessing their admission of innocence.

What a wise thing Samuel did. Surely no author could make stuff like this up?