Dilemma Solved

 Let's give the Oval Office to Ms. Harris and both Houses on Capitol Hill to the Republicans. Hear me out. Our best hope for the next four years may well be total gridlock. The less "they" do the better off we will be.

Living on the Level #T

   

      I like to think that in the metaphorical sense I live my life on the level in my dealings with other people. But today I sat down to write some thoughts about living on the level in a literal sense. I am abundantly blessed in that 1) I have lived a long time, and 2) I am still mobile. I can get around and go places. But I am pretty sure that when the youngsters see me going down the steps, say at our local post office, two feet on each step, hand on the rail, they probably remark to one another, "Look at the old dude. He's on his last legs." And they would be right. I am on the only legs with which my Creator endowed me. They just don't function so smoothly, so quickly, as they did in my youth. 

     Alternatively, the youngster should reflect that, "There, but for a few short years, go I." As the Preacher said, "Time and chance happen to them all."  (Ecclesiastes 9:11) Well, the young are immortal in their own sight, and more joy and happiness to them, I say. But they do need to treasure and care for the body they have been given, for there may be a limited number of replacement parts, but there is no replacement for the body itself.

     If you have observed me stepping off a curb, you will have noticed that I turn my body 90 degrees, facing parallel to the curb before I step off.  And why is that? There is no banister! So, you might think, our city has thoughtfully provided ramps at the intersections to accommodate those in wheeled vehicles, such as mobility scooters, wheelchairs, or even the baby buggy.  (Wait! Have you actually seen a parent wheeling a baby in a buggy in the last half-century? I am old.) And you think, "Why doesn't he use that ramp?"  Because. It is more treacherous than steps! Watch me lurching down one of those sometime. It's a nose-threatener. 

     Okay, so I am grateful to be living in Tipton where the streets and sidewalks are quite nearly perfectly level, though I am sure that a topographical map would show you that the elevation at, say, the corner of Conde and Walnut is a tad higher than it is at the corner of Main and Madison. But that is a quibble.  The town is essentially flat, and I appreciate that.

     As I get around town, I often meet people, a few contemporaries, a host of people of a certain age who were students of mine in the past, and I am often asked how I am doing, and sometimes hear an expression by the acquaintance to the effect that they are glad to see me getting out and about.  And I appreciate that. The other day, one of these people, seeing me negotiate a series of steps, courthouse, I think, and knowing that I live in a two-story house, asked me if I slept downstairs.  "No," I replied, "I still sleep upstairs, but I make only one trip up and one trip down each day, and when I can no longer do that, the master bedroom is on the first floor, and I can move down there."

     Mostly, I live life on the level.

Tempests

 Just because the tempest is confined to a teapot does not mean it is any less turbulent.

Negotiations

The party of the first part is negotiating with the party of the second part. 
Party of the third part has only a tangential interest in the outcome.
First part tells third part, "Second part is being hard."

What does this tell us about the parties involved?

1.  First part is assuming something he does not know, and he talks too much.

2.  It tells us nothing about second part.  It does tell us what first part would do were he in second part's place.

3.   Third part should stick to his knitting.
 

Old

 Chill caresses skin Shivers

Massages tissue, tendons Trembles

Cold penetrates bone Shakes 

Shivers, trembles, shakes No warmth

Generates.

Old Cold.

.

Shrimpin'

The Missus and I spent many winters in South Texas after we retired. One day we were walking along the beach when we saw a man poking a device into the sand, sucking up clumps, and dropping them on top the sand. He was hunting ghost shrimp.  We inlanders had never heard of such a thing, and as he explained it to us, he brought up another clump and several little creatures were wiggling in it.  Miz Warr, always delighted with new things, and always helpful bent down and helped the man pick out the critters and put them in his bucket. . And about that time, a Texas Park and Wildlife ranger strolled up.  "Catchin' any?" he asked.  Man handed him his bucket, Warden quickly counted eleven shrimp, said, "Lookin' good; you can pick nine more, May I see your license, please?"  Man digs in pocket of his shorts and show him his license.  Officer turns to the Wife, says, "Your license, please."  "Oh," she said, "I'm just a tourist walking along the beach." Ranger says, super-politely, "Ma'am, I observed you picking shrimp from the sand. If you have no license, I'll have to write you up." And he did.  Then he turned to me, I was standing about eight feet away, and asked for my license,  "For what? I asked. I'm just strolling along the beach, saw this weird activity and stopped to see what was going on.  "You're not with these people?" "Oh, I said, "you got that right."

Doghouse, doghouse, and a deep hole in my billfold where the money used to be before I paid her fine.

Did you take up your Cross?

 Salvation cannot be earned, it is a free gift from God through the blood of Jesus.

This is truth, biblical truth. Yet I am weary of those teachers who proceed from this to "You do not have to do anything to be saved." This they base on the argument that if we have to do something it limits God. These people should study the Bible instead of cherry-picking verses that support their notions.  

First, God limited himself when he created mankind and endowed the creature with free-will.

Second, look at scriptural examples of the requirements on man in obtaining salvation.

Salvation is a gift, but the gift must be appropriated.  If you give me a birthday present and I do not open it, have I received a gift? No; I have been offered a gift. In every instance of Jesus' performance of healing or granting of new life, the recipient is required to do something. "Come see," he said. "Follow me," he said. "Go and wash," he said. "Take up your bed," he said. "Come forth," he said.  In every instance an action is required. He even upped the ante when he said, "Take up your cross and follow me;" and when he said "Go, and sin no more."

Sadly, these people who say, "Well, I think I'll just go ahead and follow the devil, because he knows all the fun places, and I'll be okay in the end because God loves me," are in for a rude awakening.  Just saying.

Discipleship

The scripture lesson is from the parable of Jesus about the blind leading the blind as recorded in Luke 6:39-40.

Disciples seek to

Grow disciples                    of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Connect people to               Jesus and others.

Serve God                           by serving others.

Share hope                          with everyone.

Discipleship is called a walk with the Lord for a reason:  It is a journey.  (We cannot stand still.)

Mentors:  You want someone in your life who has "been there ."  A disciple needs a guide; he needs a teacher.  Learning from untrained Christians is as a child without a teacher:

                                 Little kids know only little kid stuff.

Everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.   (Verse 40)  That is, a disciple is trained to become a teacher.

                                Train for being a student of Jesus by being much in His Word.

                                Must be trained by other disciples in close proximity to us.                                                              Follow who follows His Word.

                                 He is Worthy of your following.  He is worthy of all worship.

And the question is:

                                 Are you a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?

                                                                                                Pastor Chris Ellis

                                                                                                Sunday morning

Courage and the Greater Good

Accidentally saw part of a "news" clip while surfing (looking for a spaghetti Western). "It takes real courage to write a whole book anonymously," quoth the anchor.
And here we are. It is logical that in a time in which evil is called good that cowardice should be called courage.

National network "news" cast.  Why cannot these people report the news?  If the anchor has an opinion she should get a soapbox-- or write an op-ed column but don't call it news.

Laughter doeth good like a medicine?

The wife is reading Land of Wolves, by Craig Johnson.  This afternoon as we were sitting in our sun room she got my attention and read a passage to me in which this exchange took place between two of the characters.

 "So what are we doing about the wolf problem?"

"I think the Game and Fish are capturing them, neutering them, then releasing them." 

"They do understand that the problem is the wolves eating the sheep and not screwing them, right?"

I got truly concerned that we were going to be unable to stop the seemingly uncontrollable laughter that ensued

The thought actually crossed my mind that one or both of us might die laughing!

🤩🤩