I hope we never live to see the day when a thing is as bad as some of our newspapers make it. – 19 July 1934 Â — Will Rogers In Will’s day newspapers were pretty much the only place to get a glimpse of the daily news. Except for a few monthlies, magazines had not come into common use. Of course the Internet and cable … Continue reading As Our Newspapers Make It…
Schizophrenia—an impairment in social cognition which is associated with paranoia and  social isolation. Paranoia, which is a major symptom of schizophrenia, is a mental condition in which the person often loses touch with reality.  Here is some of what Wikipedia says about this condition: Paranoia is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid … Continue reading Schizophrenia and the Republican Party….
A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Â Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid…. When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit.“You deaf and mute spirit,” … Continue reading Unclean Spirits….
The difference between our rich and poor grows greater every year. Our distribution of wealth is getting more uneven all the time. . . . A man can make a million over night and he is on every page in the morning. But it never tells you who give up the million he got. You canât get money without taking it from somebody. – … Continue reading Taking It From Somebody….
When any organization becomes totally dysfunctional it is time for a major shakeup. I am becoming more and more convinced that the only way we are ever going to reduce the gridlock we find in Washington is to remove the current leadership and hopefully replace them with some who are not as battle scarred and vindictive as the current ones. The current leaders are just … Continue reading It’s Time For Them To Go….
Source:Â No guns at home, so Japanese shoot ’em up in Guam – Itineraries on NBCNews.com. Because guns are so hard to find, gun-related crime is extremely rare. They were used in only seven murders in Japan â a nation of about 130 million people â in 2011, the most recent year for official statistics. In the U.S., with 315 million people, there are more … Continue reading Only Seven Murders….
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered.“No one is goodâexcept God alone. Mark 10:17-18 These words have always troubled me to one extent or another. Let me explain why.  The story which they came … Continue reading Except God Alone….
 Unemployment Rate by Education Level In 1992, the BLS began tracking unemployment rates by education level. Highlighted below are the unemployment rates for the following four groups…. All groups consist of individuals 25 years old or higher. Education Level Achieved September 2012 Month/Month (Points) Year/Year (Points) Less than High School 11.3% -0.7 -2.6 High School Grad No College 8.7% -0.1 -0.9 Some College or Associate … Continue reading Unemployment vs Education Level….
If I was a President and wanted something I would claim I didn’t want it. For Congress has not given any President anything he wanted in the last 10 years. Be against anything and then he is sure to get it. – 5 May 1923 Â — Will Rogers I can’t understand why each president seems to have to learn this lesson on their own. … Continue reading Being Against…
Source:Â First Thoughts: Obama’s two speeches in one – First Read. Did he broaden the partyâs reach? But hereâs a separate question we have: Did Rubio broaden his partyâs reach? While heâs younger than Mitt Romney and has a more relatable life story, Rubioâs speech was almost a rehash of almost everything we heard from Romney and the GOP in 2012. He accused Obama of believing … Continue reading More Than Skin Deep???….
I HAVE come to a resolution myself, as I hope every good citizen will, never again to purchase any article of foreign manufacture which can be had of American make, be the difference of price what it may.  —  Jefferson, Thomas Who would have thought that the “Buy American” theme started so many years ago with Thomas Jefferson.  If only we had learned this lesson … Continue reading Buy American
Our personal experiences invade all our perceptions of life.  It is who we are and how others see us to be.  I want to spend this post talking about personal experiences and how that relates to Christian outreach. What do our perceptions have to do with religion. Let’s face it we are a product of our experiences. I just finished watching a program in which … Continue reading In Their Shoes…
The abundant life does not come to those who have had a lot of obstacles removed from their path by others. It develops from within and is rooted in strong mental and moral fiber. Â — William Mather Lewis All of us want to have an abundant life. That is we want our life to be full and meaningful. We want to make at least … Continue reading Removing Obstacles…..
Somebody is always telling us in the papers how to prevent war. There is only one way in the World to prevent war, and that is, FOR EVERY NATION TO TEND TO ITS OWN BUSINESS. – June 28, 1925 Â Will Rogers Will I know you are right about this but it seems that eighty years later our country still can’t seem to understand your words … Continue reading Tend To Our Own Business….
January 1999 — That’s me looking out at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from Battery Park in Manhattan. My wife and I had just finished a wedding anniversary dinner at Windows on the World at the WTC. Â It was the last time we were there. Continue reading Visiting NYC
I got to thinking the other day that I spend quite a bit of time blogging. I presently maintain two very active blogs (this one and another related to being a follower of Jesus). Â In the past I have run six blogs at the same time. Â Am I crazy or something? When I got right down to it I realize that blogging is now my … Continue reading Why Do I Blog??
Source:Â To Lower Suicide Rates, New Focus Turns to Guns – NYTimes.com. The national map of suicide lights up in states with the highest gun ownership rates. Wyoming, Montana and Alaska, the states with the three highest suicide rates, are also the top gun-owning states, according to the Harvard center. The state-level data are too broad to tell whether the deaths were in homes with guns, … Continue reading Statistics Averse……
Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Â They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ Â You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions. Â You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of … Continue reading Merely Human Rules….
Source:Â Top G.O.P. Donors Seek Greater Say in Senate Races – NYTimes.com. The effort would put a new twist on the Republican-vs.-Republican warfare that has consumed the partyâs primary races in recent years. In effect, the establishment is taking steps to fight back against Tea Party groups and other conservative organizations that have wielded significant influence in backing candidates who ultimately lost seats to Democrats … Continue reading The New Face of the GOP….
I am going to take a vain attempt at looking into the future! Â The place I am going to look will likely surprise you until you have heard me out. Â The future I am going to look at starts in Africa. Â Now before you click the exit button let me explain. Africa is finally starting to come into the 20th century. I know it is … Continue reading Looking Into The Future…..
No man is great if he thinks he is. â 1 March 1929 Â Â Will Rogers Vanity is a powerful force in us human beings. We all like to think that we are great in one aspect or another. After all, none of us want to go through life thinking we have not made at least a small dent in this world. Â Some are humble … Continue reading Vanity….
Here are some thoughts from Randy Oftedahl over at QuakerQuaker: Now I believe there are many paths, and God in His love for human variety has given us an infinate number of ways to follow the Spirit, depending on what best speaks to our condition. But sometimes I think Quakers, perhaps because we have a particular history as a “peculiar people” or more distinctive worship … Continue reading Religious Superiority….
It depends on what the definition of “is” is…. The above quote, for all you guys over thirty is obviously from the impeachment hearing of President Clinton. Â Mr. Clinton being a lawyer, as most politicians are, zeroed in on one word of a question asked of him about Monica… Well it seems that the definition game is back in play with another Democratic president. Â No … Continue reading It Depends On The Definition…
I am have been thinking about the word  “conservative” lately and how I thought it defines me as far as fiscal things go and how it seems to define many of my friends as a general philosophy.  I know  like everything else you can’t put all conservatives in the same box but there seems to be some common traits I assign to that label. … Continue reading About Conservatives…..
I grew up in poverty and without a mother. Â My father was typical of his generation in that he was a pretty stoic guy who even though he had love in his heart he just didn’t hand it out well. As a result I had some rather serious love issues growing up. Â My younger brother and I were pretty much on our own at least … Continue reading Second Chances In Life….
Source:Â Rubio: Reported Obama Immigration Plan âDead On Arrivalâ | Rubio | Fox Nation. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Saturday panned a reported immigration reform proposal from President Obama, saying it would be âdead on arrivalâ in Congress. If actually proposed, the Presidentâs bill would be dead on arrival in Congress, leaving us with unsecured borders and a broken legal immigration system for years to come,â … Continue reading I Had Hopes But…..
All of this makes me wonder if pews are misleading in churches. They trick people into thinking that Christians learn best by sitting quietly in rows, listening to lectures, and memorizing ideas about the faith. But churches should not be lecture halls. The above short quote got my attention. It is from a book by Diane Butler Bass entitled Christianity After Religion: The End of Church … Continue reading Churches Are Misleading….
Source:Â John McCainâs Theology of War is Wrong – Jim Wallis | God’s Politics Blog | Sojourners. But McCain hasnât been right in his endless promotion of war as the primary solution to our national conflicts. He has been consistently wrong and America has paid a very high price because of the ideological zealots of war that McCain represents. After yesterday, I wished that the coming … Continue reading Some Strong Words about John McCain and War….
I was just watching something on MSNBC that got me to thinking. Yes I do on occasion watch that “liberal trash” as some of my conservative friends call it. Of course if I were to make the same comment about anything on Fox News they would act totally shocked. đ But what got me to thinking had nothing to do with the matter being discussed. … Continue reading An Aerobic Workout….
You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand. Â — Woodrow Wilson I am falling back on to one of my primary heroes … Continue reading With a Finer Spirit of Hope and Achievement…
I spent my high school years in a small rural town in Indiana and when I retired from corporate life my wife and I chose once again to return to that small town living.  One of the highlights of small town life is the annual county fair.  This picture was taken in 2002 so I guess all the kids shown here are now young adults making … Continue reading County Fairs…..
Source: Deal Or No Deal? Creed Or No Creed? – QuakerQuaker. âFriends have no creeds.â We Quakers often say that. We are committed to no human words but rather to following the Holy Spirit. We believe God speaks to us today â speaks to all who still their hearts and listen. âNo official words can substitute for a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.â We … Continue reading About Those Creeds….
Its time to lighten up a little and what better way than to make fun of old people. đ Â Being a collector of quotes I have an arsenal of them. So, here goes: You are over the hill when you back goes out more than you do. Â — R.J. Walters (I think?) Old age is always 15 years older than you are — Oliver Wendell … Continue reading Over The Hill….
Be forewarned that I am getting on my soapbox now. I know there are numerous times in our history where civil liberties have been severely threatened. Various groups and individuals have been attacked by our government without due process. One glaring recent example is putting Japanese-Americans in prison camps during World War II simply because of their heritage. But it seems like this is almost … Continue reading Innocent Until Proven Guilty…. Or Is It The Other Way Around??
I have always regretted that I didn’t live about 30 or 40 years earlier, and in the same old Country, the Indian Territory. I would have liked to got here ahead of the ‘Nestors,’ the Bob wire fence, and so called civilization. – Will Rogers I have mentioned on the right column of this blog that I am part native American and proud of … Continue reading Ahead of Civilization…
I have now spent several posts on the emergent church. It is time to get back to the red letters to see what Jesus wants to teach us. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, … Continue reading Away From Me!!!
RJ's Corner 