Author: RJ Walters

I am an Independent thinking, highly functional person who is deaf and has some unique views and challenges in life. Like all of us, I am a person who is composed of all my life experiences and that is what I write about here.
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The Fullness of God’s Grace….. (Part 3 – If Grace Is True)

RJ Walters

I was certain if I could preach the perfect sermon the altar would fill with people overcome by God’s grace. Now I realize there are many hindrances to experiencing the fullness of God’s grace—confusion, fear, prejudice, ignorance, and pride, to name a few. The removal of these obstacles ought to be the primary purpose of the Church. Unfortunately, the Church has often erected more barriers than we’ve removed. Too many have entered our doors, only to experience condemnation rather than welcome. We’ve acted less like Jesus and more like his opponents. Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: … Continue reading The Fullness of God’s Grace….. (Part 3 – If Grace Is True)

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The Republican Budget….

RJ Walters

  Source: Will Fractured House Republicans Unite on Budget? – ABC News. “When you’re looking at a budget, you’ve got a watch the gimmicks,” Ryan warned. Gimmicks indeed.  One of the tools Mr. Ryan proposes to balance his so-called budget plan is the total repeal of Obamacare.  Is he the only one to see that as impossible?   As usual he wants severe cuts to the safety net while actually increasing military spending.  Yes, Mr. Ryan I am “watching the gimmicks”.  Like the battles for Social Security eighty years ago the battle for even a limited version of universal healthcare were … Continue reading The Republican Budget….

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The Highest Incarceration Rate… Part 2

RJ Walters

Why does the U.S. have the biggest percentage of our population in prison?  When I first heard this it somewhat surprised me. I thought surely those countries led by dictators would be higher.  Given the reputation of the Gulags in Russia why are they not higher than us? I did a little digging and it seems the answer is really not clear. But there seems to be at least a few pointers that might be part of the cause: Drug Offenses Incarceration for drug offenses has increased 12-fold from 40,000 in 1981 to nearly 500,000 by 2010, accounting for two-thirds … Continue reading The Highest Incarceration Rate… Part 2

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The Best I Ever Saw….

RJ Walters

But always remember this, that as bad as we sometimes think our government is run, it’s the best run one I ever saw.” – Will Rogers, 18 December 1932  Sometimes the ever-present trollers who come across my blog have to scream and rant for me to just get out of the country if I hate it so much. To them if anyone has any criticism of the “Good Old USA” then somehow they are traitors to the country. But their rants often have the opposite effect on me.  They tell me that I got their attention with what I was … Continue reading The Best I Ever Saw….

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The Highest Incarceration Rate…

RJ Walters

We in the United States have the largest percentage of our population under lock and key than any other nation on earth. Why is that. That will be the topic of the next two posts.  This time we will look at it from a time standpoint and a geographical perspective. The next post will look at the make up of the prison population to see why they are there. Let me start off this post by letting you know that I have never used any kind of illegal drugs. I did go to college in the 1960s but only smelled … Continue reading The Highest Incarceration Rate…

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God’s Wrath….

RJ Walters

Many share my love for Jesus. We accepted him as Lord. We were baptized in his name. We became his disciples. We worshiped and adored him. Yet we’ve often divorced the words and actions of Jesus from the God he worshiped and adored. We’ve forgotten the very one Jesus came to reveal. Those of us raised in the Church have a good excuse for this confusion. It’s what we were taught. The church of my childhood often glorified Jesus at God’s expense. Jesus was Savior. God was judge and executioner. Jesus was closer than a brother. God was distant—remote at … Continue reading God’s Wrath….

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Rand Paul’s 13 Hour Filibuster….

RJ Walters

  Source: Rand Paul’s 13 Hour Filibuster – The Talking Kind – Against John Brennan – ABC News. “I rise today to begin to filibuster John Brennan’s nomination for the CIA, Paul said at about 11:47 a.m. ET. “I will speak until I can no longer speak. I will speak as long as it takes, until the alarm is sounded from coast to coast that our Constitution is important, that your rights to trial by jury are precious, that no American should be killed by a drone on American soil without first being charged with a crime, without first being found … Continue reading Rand Paul’s 13 Hour Filibuster….

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Rate of Gun Ownership Is Down…

RJ Walters

  Source: Rate of Gun Ownership Is Down, Survey Shows – NYTimes.com. The household gun ownership rate has fallen from an average of 50 percent in the 1970s to 49 percent in the 1980s, 43 percent in the 1990s and 35 percent in the 2000s, according to the survey data, analyzed by The New York Times. In 2012, the share of American households with guns was 34 percent, according to survey results released on Thursday. Researchers said the difference compared with 2010, when the rate was 32 percent, was not statistically significant. The findings contrast with the impression left by a … Continue reading Rate of Gun Ownership Is Down…

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I Think I Am Losing My Technology Edge…..

RJ Walters

I may no longer be an official techie (or whatever the latest term is). I haven’t bought a new “latest thing” in about 18 months. That is an eternity in the tech world!  I don’t know what has happened to me. I used to keep up on all the latest trends and often splurged for some of them. Maybe I have just finally found the stuff that makes me happy. Now that I am fully in the Apple camp (MacBook, iPad, iPhone) and now have a couple of versions of Kindle I have finally reached my tipping point of needing … Continue reading I Think I Am Losing My Technology Edge…..

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Our CEO Is Exceptional So…..

RJ Walters

How did we get into the problem of insane pay for U.S. corporation leaders? The problem basically originated from the title above. Every board of directors wants to pat themselves on the back for selecting that exception person who will lead their company to outperform all the others.  They need to do that so that they can somehow rationalize their board being paid thousands of dollars per hour for their time. So the statement is made: Our CEO is exceptional so we must guarantee him a paycheck in the top 20% of all CEOs. On the surface this is a … Continue reading Our CEO Is Exceptional So…..

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If Grace Is True…..

RJ Walters

I’ve never experienced a God of wrath. I’ve heard such a God preached. I’ve read of such a God. I’ve encountered wrathful people who claimed to be acting on God’s behalf. I’ve even allowed such sentiments to tarnish my view of God. Yet, in the midst of all these distortions, I never experienced a wrathful God. The God I’ve experienced is the God of Jesus—a God of unlimited patience, infinite love, and eternal faithfulness. Jesus described a God who waits long through the night, with the light lit and the door open, confident his most defiant child will one day … Continue reading If Grace Is True…..

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Latin America…..

RJ Walters

Here is a quick question for you. How did Central and South America get the name “Latin America”?? This popped off the top of my head while watching the news recently.  At first thought I came up with Latin was the language of the Roman Empire which was based in Italy. But I don’t remember any country in South America being founded by Italy. Here is what Wikipedia says about the origin of the term “Latin America”: In a more literal definition, which remains faithful to the original usage, Latin America designates all of those countries and territories in the … Continue reading Latin America…..

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Budget Minded Republicans……

RJ Walters

I know the current version of the Republican party is supposed to be all about fiscal austerity but I have trouble actually seeing them live out that concept. When it comes to the safety net and so-called “entitlement” issues they scream about needing to cut back or at least for total accountability. But when it comes to the bloated military expenses, homeland security and tax breaks for the rich they appear to throw that concept out the window. Of course that means that their austerity programs, if they are implemented as they suggest, will end up being done on the … Continue reading Budget Minded Republicans……

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The History of the Church….

RJ Walters

What matters to those who look to history for important lessons is that something was lost in the fourth century that permanently changed the nature of Christianity. If we do not recover that spirit of loyalty to the ethic of the Sermon on the Mount as opposed to saluting the Nicene Creed, the decline of the church will continue. If we persist in arguing across our theological divides in a perishing world, then the church deserves its fate. If we cannot reverse the move away from praxis and toward doctrine that was sealed by Constantine, the church will become, and … Continue reading The History of the Church….

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Quit Complaining And…

RJ Walters

My inspiration for this post comes from various quotes but has the same theme.  It is easy to sit back and complain about this or that. We all do it and I am certainly no exception. But just complaining about something seldom has  the effect of actually resolving what you complain against. Here are some words from those much more famous than I am regarding this topic: I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts.  ~John Locke Well done is better than well said.  ~Benjamin Franklin The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse … Continue reading Quit Complaining And…

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My Blogging Philosophy….

RJ Walters

I will be as honest as I can. I will sometimes tell you the weirdest truths I won’t talk down to you I will assume that you are just as smart and compassionate as I am I will not scream or rant with the unreal belief that doing so will change your mind. Sometimes I wonder why I blog so much. Is it to soothe my ego? Is is to gain fame? Is it to get you to understand some alternate truth? Is it just to pass the time of day? In reality it is probably a little bit of … Continue reading My Blogging Philosophy….

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I Am A Morning Person….

RJ Walters

When I was a teenager it took a bomb to get me out of bed. The first class of the day in high school started at 8:00am. I can barely remember much about them.  When I was in college I was plagued with many 7:30am classes. The only “D” I got in college was in speedy reading. I just couldn’t manage to concentrate on the totally boring things I was supposed to be reading during that hour. For the most part that time was spent “sleeping in” and therefore the “D”.  Over the years that condition has slowly changed. In … Continue reading I Am A Morning Person….

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Critical Thinking…..

RJ Walters

  I pride myself on being a critical thinker. I just naturally don’t go along with the latest trends simply because many others do. Critical thinking is at the very foundation of my life. Mob mentality  which is the opposite of critical thinking is to me an absurd and idiotic condition. But what is critical thinking? Critical thinking can only be possible when one opens his mind to the possibility that current beliefs may be only partially true or may even be false. Here is some of what Wikipedia says critical thinking means: Critical thinking clarifies goals, examines assumptions, discerns … Continue reading Critical Thinking…..

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The Sola’s…How Did We Get Here?

RJ Walters

Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James —  If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person We are not to worship the Bible; we are to worship the One the Bible reveals. Too often, we clutch desperately to our Bibles, memorizing only those verses that support our views and panicking when anyone suggests God might speak a fresh word. We belong to a long tradition of people who’ve found it safer to trust the Scripture we can control than the God we cannot. Jesus never promised a written document to his followers. He promised something far more wonderful. He said, “The … Continue reading The Sola’s…How Did We Get Here?

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How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles

RJ Walters

  Source: How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles | Design Decoded. Last January, air pollution reached new levels of toxicity in China. Just how bad did things get? According to the Chinese Air Quality Index (AQI), measurements of particulate matter in the air reached more than 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter the northeastern part of country. That probably doesn’t mean anything to you without context though, so here it is: anything above 300 is considered “hazardous” and citizens are warned that they “may experience more serious health effects.” For even more context, consider that the U.S. AQI only … Continue reading How to Survive China’s Pollution Problem: Masks and Bubbles