GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT?

Unless you have been living in a remote cave off the grid you are aware of the controversies that are swirling around the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court. Before Judge Kavanaugh was nominated, the democrats in the U.S. Senate publicly stated that they would oppose anyone, no matter who they were, who President Trump nominated to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. 

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has accused Judge Kavanaugh of attempting to sexually assault her thirty six years ago when they were both in high school.

Judge Kavanaugh emphatically denies  that he committed the alleged assault. 

Yesterday, both Dr. Ford and Judge Kavanaugh  testified under oath at length before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Both Dr. Ford and Judge 

Kavanaugh  provided compelling testimony. So the problem for the Committee and the U.S. Senate at large is to decide where the truth lies. 

Here is where I come down on this question.  I am convinced that Dr. Ford is the victim of an attempted sexual assault that occurred when she was fifteen years old. I found her testimony to be compelling. However, at the end of the day all we have is her word. There is NO corroborating evidence to support her version of events. 

I am NOT saying that Dr. Ford is lying. I am saying that what Dr. Ford said is simply not true. People often say things that they believe to be true but upon further examination prove to be untrue. That does not mean that these people were lying but that they were simply wrong. The people who Dr. Ford said were present during the incident have all stated, under penalty of perjury, that they were not present and have no recollection of the event in question.

Judge Kavanaugh has provided a virtual mountain of corroborating evidence that he was not involved in the incident. He emphatically stated that he did not do it. He had personal calendars/diary that demonstrated that he was elsewhere during the time that the incident is alleged to have happened.

Furthermore, anyone who has known Judge Kavanaugh, including men and women who have known the Judge for most of his life, have stated that he was a person of the highest integrity and moral character. There have not been any people, men or women, who have worked with or for Judge Kavanaugh, who say anything different. They all affirm Judge Kavanaugh’s character and assert that Judge Kavanaugh is incapable of the alleged conduct. Any examination of the Judge’s life will bear out the assertion of his friends.

I am convinced that Judge Kavanaugh has been shown to be a good and decent man. I am convinced that Judge Kavanaugh is eminently qualified to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. I do not believe that there is any competent evidence to contradict these beliefs. I believe that the conduct of the democrats and the political left in this matter have been reprehensible. 

Judge Kavanaugh should be immediately confirmed!

BELIEF IN TIME OF DOUBT!

      Good morning everyone. I hope that this Tuesday morning finds you all to be well. It has been a while since I posted a blog entry.  I hope to remedy that today and going forward.
I think it helpful to remind my readers that when I began this blog it was called “LifeSPW.” The name was derived from my purpose in writing, that is, to share three aspects of my life, namely my Spiritual Life, my Personal Life and my Work Life.
Well, in August of 2011 I retired after a 30 year career in law enforcement. My retirement led me to amend the name of this blog to “LifeSPR.”  The focus changed from writing about my Work life to now write about my Retired life. I will still write about Spiritual matters and my Personal life. So here we are!

I am a Christian, that is, I am a disciple of Jesus, the Christ.  I believe that the Bible is the Word of God and is therefore without error. Are you a believer too? Have you ever had any doubts about your faith? If your answer is “Yes” you are in some very good company.

Consider John, the Baptist. He was six months older than his cousin, Jesus. He was called by God to be the forerunner of the Messiah that was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah hundreds of years earlier.
    In the early chapters of the four Gospels we find John baptizing people in the Jordan River. One day he saw Jesus come down to the river where he was baptizing people. He said “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John recognized Jesus to be the Messiah. John witnesses the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, alight upon Jesus and he also hears God, the Father, say from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” John testifies that Jesus was the Son of God.
Later on, John, the Baptist, is in jail upon orders of King Herod. John sends two of his disciples to Jesus to ask Him if He was the one or should they be looking for someone else. The point being John had doubts notwithstanding that he bore witness a short time prior to this time that Jesus is the Messiah, the very Son of God.

Consider also the Apostle Peter. He followed Jesus and personally witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed. On one occasion Jesus asked His disciples who people say that He was. Some said that He was John the Baptist returned from the dead, the prophet Elijah or the prophet Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.  Jesus then asked the Apostles who they say He is. Peter spoke up and said “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:13-16)
On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus told His Apostles that He was going to be arrested and that all of them would scatter. Peter spoke up and said that even though everyone else would fall away he would not. Jesus told him that before the rooster crowed he would deny Him three times. Peter said that he would die with Jesus before ever denying Him. We all know that Peter did in fact deny knowing Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. (Matthew 26:69-75)

So you see, two men who saw Jesus, touched Jesus, who bore testimony that Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God, came to doubt what they at one time fervently believed. Therefore, it is not unusual for us who are living some two thousand plus years later, who have never seen, physically touched, or witnessed the Son of the living God in person to have doubts from time to time. We do, however, have something upon which we may resolve any doubts…the written accounts of the many witnesses who were there. Think about it….

A LATE SUMMER HODGEPODGE!

      Welcome back Wednesday Hodgepodge! Welcome back to our Hodgepodge Mistress, Joyce Daley. Thank you for another wonderful set of writing prompts. So, without further ado, I present the Hodgepodge....

1. What has been the highlight of your summer so far? (It's still summer people!)
     Each Labor Day the church meets at one of the members house and food gets cooked, salads, desserts and drinks get contributed to the cause, and we have a wonderful time of sharing food, conversation and games. It is usually the highlight of the summer.

2. What do you wish you'd done more of this summer? Less of?
     I wish I had done more writing, specifically on my blog. I could have done with fewer doctor visits. (See Random Thought below)

3. Something you're looking forward to on your September calendar?
     My beloved SWMBO expressed the desire to travel to Canada for a few days. I'm thinking that we might visit the maritime Provinces. She's thinking of visiting Niagara Falls from the Canadian side. We'll keep you posted.

4. Best/favorite book you've read this summer?
     I'm still reading it. It's called "The Blood Sugar Solution" by Dr. Mark Hyman. I am trying to get better control of my blood sugar levels.

5. Share something positive, encouraging, or uplifting here.
     My beloved SWMBO is responding to her cancer treatments. We recently received clearance from her oncologist to travel. She has felt the urge to travel, hence my response to question #3 above.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

     Expanding my response to question #2 I had nothing better to do this summer so I developed a couple of kidney stones. Anyone who has had kidney stones will tell you how much they hurt. 

     I woke up around 2:30 a.m. one morning, in significant pain. Nothing I tried took the edge off of the pain. So around 2:30 p.m. I told SWMBO what's been happening and that I needed to go to Urgent Care. She then knew I was in some distress because I NEVER go to the doctor unless I am dire straits.

    At Urgent Care the doctor administered a number of tests that revealed that I had a kidney stone lodged in each kidney. The one in my right kidney was not causing any mischief. The one in my left kidney was causing a lot of mischief. I felt like I was being kidney punched by Muhammed Ali (sp?) . I underwent a surgical procedure to remove the stone. 

     It has been a few weeks since the surgery and I'm feeling much better.  I hope that the remaining stone continues to behave itself. I further hope that I do not develop any more stones.

     Have a wonderful week.