TEA PARTY ANARCHIST? REALLY?

    Have you been listening to the tenor of the commentary coming out of Washington D.C.? The very same people who complain about the lack of civility in the public discourse are using decidedly uncivil language to characterize the motives and positions of republican lawmakers who have a different opinion than theirs.

     According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, there are "Tea Party Anarchists" who are controlling the republican party and who are preventing moderate and reasonable republicans from voting to end the government shutdown.

     I have a couple of questions for the Senate Majority Leader. First, when did any member of the Tea Party ever advocate the abolition of the United States government, or for that matter any government? An anarchist, by definition, is a person who wants to abolish ALL government.
     The Tea Party, as I understand them, believe that our current government is too big, too invasive in the private lives of citizens and has exceeded their authority under the U.S. Constitution. The Tea Party advocate for the government living within the constraints of the Constitution. The Tea Party advocates for a reduction in the size of government. The Tea Party advocates for a reduction in government spending.

     There are many citizens, democrat, republican and independents alike, who agree with those ideas. Does that make them all "Anarchists?"

     Second, if the Senate Majority Leader wants to end the government slowdown, (It really isn't closed because the "essential" functions of government are still being done.) why doesn't he allow a vote on the appropriation bills that have been duly passed by the House of Representatives and sent to the Senate? He can pass the Continuing Resolution that funds the entire government for six months and then negotiate with the House on funding the American Care Act, AKA, Obamacare, and increasing the nation's debt limit.

     Personally, I say a pox upon both their houses. This country is in dire need of adult leadership. There are serious issues that need to be addressed by serious, mature grown ups.

    The kabuki theater that is Washington D.C. needs to end...NOW! We do not need to agree with each other, but we do need to talk to each other.

WELCOME TO OCTOBER HODGEPODGE!

     Today is Hodgepodge Wednesday. I don't know how Joyce does it, but she comes up with challenging questions every single week! This week is no different. Thank you Joyce for your hard work and for the fun that is the Hodgepodge!

1. What's one thing you learned in September?

       The Old Testament Book of Isaiah is a challenging book to learn autodidactically(self taught). It requires in depth knowledge of other Old Testament Books to understand the references in the Book of Isaiah. What I learned, to my chagrin, is that I do not possess such a depth of knowledge.

    

2. Acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, yellow squash, zucchini squash, or blech! hold the squash... what's your favorite squash? What's your favorite way to prepare your favorite squash?

   SWMBO and I love spaghetti squash. We also enjoy zucchini squash in pasta dishes. 

3. The older I get the_______________________________.

     ...more I learn that I don't know! A wise man once observed that you cannot learn what you don't know, if you don't know what you don't know!  The older I get, the more I learn what I don't know.

4. What's your favorite television theme song ever?

   The theme from "The Greatest American Hero." It was a sort of campy super hero sitcom but for some reason it appealed to me.

5. What do you wish you'd spent more time doing five years ago?

        Studying the Old Testament Kings. (See #1 above)

6. What item do you most need (or want) to add to your wardrobe this fall?

        A sportcoat.

7. On October 2, 1950 the Peanuts cartoon was introduced to the world. What was your favorite cartoon when you were a kid?

   The Amazing Spiderman! The Beatles cartoon was pretty cool too!  

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

   We live in troubling times! In this small state of NH, two people are dead by means gunshot wounds on the same day. 

   One was shot by State Police after a vehicle chase. The driver, a woman, apparently tried using their vehicle to run over the Trooper.

   The other was an estranged boyfriend who got into an argument with his ex-girlfriend. She called police. Police arrived and while investigating was shot at by the boyfriend. Police returned fire and withdrew. After a standoff lasting several hours the boyfriend was found dead from a gunshot wound. The unresolved question is whether it was self inflicted or as a result of the earlier gunfire exchange with police?

   In New York City a man and his family was set upon by a bunch of bikers. He was beaten unconscious after being chased down after he drove over one of the bikers to apparently escape to safety with his family after being surrounded by the bikers.

   We live in troubling times! May God help us!   

FALLING LEAVES HODGEPODGE!

     And so another Wednesday has come upon us. The queen of posers, Joyce from From This Side of the Pond has come up with another set of thought provoking interrogatories to challenge the best of us and to reveal our innermost secrets at the same time. Okay...maybe not our innermost secrets, but it's a lot of fun all the same. Join in on the fun!

1. What's one thing that's still the same about you as when you were young?

     My dimples! Of course, now, my full beard hides them but they are cute as the dickens, still!
     

2. What's more important-history or science? Why?

     I believe that they are both important. I would, however, give the edge to science because what science tells us has a more significant impact upon our daily lives. Consider the impact of technology on our society over the past ten years. Try to extrapolate ten years into the future. It really boggles the mind.

3. Lima, kidney, string, garbanzo, black or pinto-your favorite bean?

     I prefer string beans. However, I do like pinto beans in a meat based chilli.

4. What's something people come to your town to do?

     Visit the lakes or the farms...I guess! I really don't know!

5. When was the last time you were in a meeting? Sum it up for us in five words or less. 

     This morning with the Preacher. Eggs, sausage, toast, potatoes & coffee!

6. What special event would you like a VIP pass to attend?

     I would love to watch the World Series from an executive box with all the perks!
Especially if my beloved Red Sox are playing.

7. What's one piece of advice you'd give a writer?

     Write as often as you can whether you feel like it or not. 

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
     Recently Ben Afleck was named as the new "Batman." A significant number of people took to Twitter and other social media to complain about the news. My reaction is two fold: (1) Who gives a rat's hinder parts who plays Batman in a movie? (2) Where do these people get the idea that they have any say in casting decisions of any movie? I mean, it's not their money at risk. They have no ownership interests in the production companies. Who gives a rat's hinder parts what these people think?
     Whatever happened to people minding their own darn business and allowing other people the freedom to do the same? 

AUTUMNAL HODGEPODGE WEDNESDAY!

1. When did you last sing happy birthday to someone? When were you last sung to? Does that embarrass you or do you enjoy being the center of attention on your special day?
     The last time I sang "Happy Birthday" to someone was about two months ago. The last time I was sang to was last April. My birthday fell on a Wednesday and at the mid-week Bible study the song leader asked everyone to turn to song number #59 in the hymnals. There was no song #59 and he announced my birthday and the congregation sang Happy Birthday to me. I was, and am always, embarrassed when things like this happen. I do not like being the center of attention.

2.  Name a famous or 'infamous' person (living or deceased) who shares your birth day and month. Is that someone you'd like to meet in person if it were possible?
     There are three people who share a birthday with me, both famous and infamous. First the infamous, Soviet Premier Nikita Kruschev who almost brought the world into World War III by placing Soviet missiles in Cuba in the early 1960's. You might have heard of the Cuban Missiles Crisis? The next two people are that great American actor, William Holden, and the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning play, "Our Town," Thornton Wilder.
     I would imagine that sitting down with any of these figures would result in an interesting conversation, particularly in light of the fact that they're all dead!

3. Someone hands you a box tied up in a lovely bow...what are you hoping to find inside?
     A jackpot winning lottery ticket!

4. What can you guarantee about yourself?
     I can guarantee without qualification or equivocation that I am a male. I can also guarantee that I am a smart ass!

5. Talking art and beautiful cities here...'The Last Supper' in the Santa Maria della Grazie Abbey in Milan Italy or 'The Mona Lisa' in The Louvre, Paris...which would you most like to see up close and in person?  Why?
     I choose Paris, the Louvre and the Mona Lisa. I choose Paris because of all the things that come with it...Art, History, Western Civilization. I also more familiar with what Paris has to offer than Milan.

6. Your favorite dessert?
     My absolute favorite dessert is Pecan Pie with a dollop of whipped cream. YUMMM!

7. This coming weekend marks the official start of autumn (in the Northern hemisphere)...what is something you do to get ready for fall? What is one thing you're looking forward to on your fall calendar? Spring or fall-which do you prefer?
     There are a number of things I do to get ready for fall. Here are three (1) Remove the air conditioners from the windows and store them until next year. (2) Remove the screen insert from the front storm door and replace it with the glass insert. (3) Store all the "yard stuff" in the sheds. One thing I look forward to on my fall calendar is deer hunting season. I am a wonderful hunter, I'm a lousy finder, but I am a wonderful hunter. I prefer the Spring because of the beating we take all winter. Spring is such a relief.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
     My beloved Boston Red Sox played a three game series with the dreaded Evil Empire, AKA, the New York Yankees. The Red Sox swept the Yankees and knocked them out of the play offs. That is a good thing! My beloved New England Patriots have won both their games and are "2" and "0." Granted these wins weren't particularly pretty but they were Divisional Games and could become more important towards the end of the season. Finally the Boston Bruins skated against the NHL Evil Empire, AKA the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins won in convincing fashion 6 to 0. It is good to be a New England sports fan...at least at this time it is. This, like New England weather, is subject to change drastically without notice!

RETREAT SEASON HODGEPODGE!

     Well, it's Wednesday so it must be time for another Hodgepodge. If you want to understand the title of this blog entry, read my Random Thought below. Thank you Joyce for more thoughtful questions.   

1. What's the best thing about growing older?
     One thing I like is having more flexibility with schedules and obligations. I have been retired for just over two years and I really am enjoying my life, notwithstanding the challenges vis a vis SWMBO's situation. 
     Also, seeing the grand kids is always a special treat.

2. When did you first feel like a grown up?
     I don't remember the first time I felt like a grown up. For me, that feeling tends to come and go and it often goes at the most inopportune times. If I have to pick a point in my life when I felt like a grown up was when I became a father, December 31st, 1972.

3. Chocolate cake with white icing or white cake with chocolate icing?
     Chocolate (Devil's Food) cake with white icing please.

4. What's the nicest thing a stranger has ever done for you?
     The nicest and most endearing thing that anyone has ever done for me was to persevere in teaching me the Gospel and teaching me how to become a child of God. His name is John Brasseaux and he was absolutely unflappable. Believe me, I tried to get under his skin but he only responded with kindness and with what Scripture taught. That impressed me, that he always responded, not with what he believed but with what the Bible said. I will be eternally grateful to that Godly man.

5.  What's something you learned from your grandparents? 
     When I was a young boy my maternal grandparents lived with us. My grandmother taught me how to speak Canadian French. She could barely speak English so she had to converse in French. I enjoyed spending time with her. She was a terrific "Memere."

6. Wednesday marks a sad day in the history of planet earth-9/11...what's something you do (or can do) to bring peace to your little corner of the world?
     I pause during the day and pray for our Nation. I try to live as the Apostle Paul exhorts all of us "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men." (Romans 12:18)

7.  Share a favorite quote, scripture, or song containing the word peace. 

     "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."         (2 Peter 2:1) There's a trite saying we Christians put on a bumper sticker "No Jesus, No Peace...Know Jesus, Know Peace." In this crazy world we could all use a measure of peace. It has been my personal experience that peace will only be found when we submit to the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ. You have to know Him to experience the peace of which I speak.

8.  Insert your own random thought here.
     The month of September is when the  New England churches of Christ have their annual retreats. It's a time for our young people, the ladies and the men to make the trek to Raymond, ME, to Ganderbrook Christian Camp for three days, Thursday thru Saturday. 
     The first weekend is the Teen Retreat. The second weekend is the Ladies Retreat and the third weekend is the Men's Retreat. It is a great time of spiritual renewal and fellowship. Each retreat has it's own theme. Special speakers are brought in to present a number of uplifting messages. There is great food and special activities in keeping with the theme.
     I look forward each year to this time away from the cares of life. I enjoy the camaraderie of my fellow christian men. It's wonderful to compare notes on how their part of the Great Commission is doing and to give, as well as receive, encouragement. It really is a great time!

BACK TO SCHOOL HODGEPODGE!

     It's the first week of school up in these parts. It's also Wednesday! That means it is time for another Hodgepodge of questions. Thank you Joyce for another fine set of posers!

1. What's something you're never too young or too old to enjoy?

     You are never too old or too young to share a smile or to enjoy a hearty laugh.

2. Share one happy memory from your high school years.

     On Thanksgiving during my Junior year there was a huge blizzard. Also, there was the annual "Turkey Bowl" football game with our hated rival high school. After the game, the friend of a girl who I had a crush on called me to tell me how the game went. In a bizarre twist of irony, she who is always cold, AKA SWMBO, went to the game and got chilled to the bone. He who is always warm, AKA me, stayed home, warm, and dry.

     We talked on the phone for over three hours. It was during that phone call that I knew that I was going to marry that girl...and as it turns out...I did!

3. A nationwide strike of fast food employees took place in the U. S. last week...they're calling for higher wages and the right to unionize? Your thoughts?

     A simple fact of economics is that businesses do not pay wages! As silly as it sounds, customers pay wages. What a business pays for labor is a cost of doing business and if that cost goes up, the price of the product(s) that that business sells must, of necessity, go up too. I doubt many people will be willing to pay $15.00 for a hamburger meal. I most certainly will not! 

     Lower tier jobs such as one finds in a fast food restaurant were never designed to provide a working wage, but rather provide a rung on the ladder that leads to success. It provides young people with an opportunity to develop working skills, responsibility, punctuality and similar habits that will stand them well in their future endeavors, whatever they may be.

     It does not make any economic sense.

4. September is National Honey Month...what's a favorite dish you make or eat that calls for  honey?

     I enjoy a nice hot cup of tea with a teaspoon of honey. Other than that, I don't know that I eat anything with honey in it.

     

5.  If you notice someone with a tag sticking out, a button unbuttoned, a shirt on inside-out, or some leftover lunch stuck between their teeth do you say something or do you keep quiet? 

     If I have a prior relationship with that person, or am on more intimate terms with them, I would "discretely" say something to help them avoid embarrassment.  If the person is a stranger, or someone with whom I have no prior relationship, I probably would leave it to those who do to tell them about it.

6. What movie always makes you cry?  Or at least makes you feel like crying?

     I DO NOT CRY AT MOVIES...PERIOD! I will hand tissues to SWMBO though, because that's the kind of guy I am!

7.   'Mary Had a Little Lamb' was written in May of 1830, and published in Juvenile Miscellany in September of that same year.  Now for the fun part...create your own four line rhyme using that same tune.

     SWMBO hasn't shot me yet!

     Shot me yet! Shot me Yet!

     SWMBO hasn't shot me yet!

     She likes that I'm around!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

     Last year by this time my beloved Boston Red Sox crashed and burned, horribly. They did not make the play offs, not even a wild card slot. This year they are in first place in their division and have been in first place most of the season. I think they are in third place in all of baseball. 

     The "Evil Empire," AKA, the dreaded New York Yankees, are a half game out of last place in the same division.  WOOHOO! I mean..."I hate that for ya!" (Not really! I'm Loving it!)

     Professional football and my beloved New England Patriots are gearing up to begin their season next Sunday. Professional Hockey and my esteemed Boston Bruins are about to begin their pre-season training camps and try again to win Lord Stanley's Cup! 

     It is good to focus on something besides doctor appointments, test results and on what's next,...at least for a few days!

CHRISTIANS, HOW IS YOUR TRANSFORMATION GOING?

"DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS PRESENT WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU MAY TEST AND APPROVE WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD - WHAT IS GOOD AND PLEASING AND PERFECT."                 (Romans 12:2 NET)

     The world sometimes looks at Christians as being people who claim to be perfect. Nothing could be further from the truth! True Christians do not claim to be perfect. In point of fact, Christians are acutely aware that they are NOT perfect. Christians know that they are imperfect sinners who have been saved by the blood of Jesus. Christians are people who are daily trying to be holy because God calls us to holiness. He tells us to be holy...why? He tells us to be holy because He is holy, that's why! However, aiming at a target and hitting that target are two different things. Every true Christian knows this fact all too well!

     The verse from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans, quoted above, calls us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. How does one renew their minds you may be asking yourself? I submit that we renew our minds by what we put into them. What we watch, what we read and what we listen to has a profound effect upon our minds, either for good or for ill. The old computer programmer's cliche "Garbage in, Garbage out!" applies to the mind as well.

     Christian, how is your "transformation" going? What are your putting into your mind? Do you read the Bible every day? Do you read books that expound upon Christian Doctrine or Christian Living? Do you concern yourself with furthering the great commission of Matthew 28:18? Do you spend time in prayer daily? How do you pray? What do you pray about? Do you truly talk to God as if He were standing right in front of you or are your prayers more perfunctory in tone and/or content?

     The Apostle Peter, in the first chapter of his second letter, exhorts all of us "to make every effort" to (1) add excellence to our faith; (2) To add knowledge to our excellence; (3) To add self control to our knowledge; (4) To add perseverance to our self control; (5) To add godliness to our perseverance; (6) To add brotherly affection to our godliness; and (7) To add unselfish love to our brotherly affection.
     The Apostle Peter tells us that if these things are truly ours AND they are continually increasing inside us they will keep us from becoming ineffective and unproductive in our pursuit to know our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately. (2 Peter 1:5-9)

     God tells us that if we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us! God says that if we diligently seek Him, that is to "make every effort" to seek Him, we will find Him. You will find God in the pages of His Holy Word, the Bible. You may draw near to God through prayer.

     Christian, how is your "transformation" going? If it is not as it should be, start today to make it what it should be. Repent and begin your walk with God anew. It's not too late. As long as you're on this side of the grass you have time to change. The great thing is that God will help you effect that change. "So, seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness..." Christian, let the transformation begin!

     Also, please do not forget to worship God this Sunday. God bless you!