Shenandoah Valley
The picture for this Saturday is one taken in 1988 in the Shenandoah Valley. The eastern mountains are just as impressive as the western, just in a different way. Continue reading Shenandoah Valley
Category: Everything Else
Misc things that sprout in my mind (default cat)
My View Of The Bible — Part 4 .. Misguided Beliefs?
This, the fourth post on the Bible centers around where I see some others may have gone astray in regards to their beliefs surrounding the Bible. Some have replaced the Holy Spirit with the book called the Bible… They put so much power in the Bible and so little in the Holy Spirit. Compared to the others in Trinity studies there is very little in-depth theological study about the Holy Spirit. The main exception to that might be the Society of Friends otherwise known as Quakers. They treat the Holy Spirit as a very equal member of God’s team. Jesus … Continue reading My View Of The Bible — Part 4 .. Misguided Beliefs?
Instagram, Here I Come..
I will admit up front here that I have no idea of why the so-called social media is addictive to so many people, especially our younger generations. But then again due to my Asperger’s characteristics I am not really attuned to much of any form of social interactions. :) But that doesn’t keep me for chiming in on this issue. Growing up in the 1950s and 60s I was never aware of much social pressure in my life. I tended to live inside my own bubble and was just not that affected by what others thought of me. I did … Continue reading Instagram, Here I Come..
A Bunch of Marbles & A Box of Eggs..
Sometimes beauty show up when we least expect it. That is the case with the pictures below. Who would have thought that marbles and eggs are beautiful? But, at least for me, these pictures prove that they can be. I really don’t know how I came to associate these two pictures together. The marbles were taken at a prairie museum in a high plains State and the eggs were taken four years earlier at a Des Moines museum. Somehow they both crossed my mind simultaneously to make this post. If we just stop and take the time we can find … Continue reading A Bunch of Marbles & A Box of Eggs..
We Are Living a Rewind of American History
I ran across an interesting very concise history of the period between 1870 and 1970 and how it may just be repeating itself today. It is worth a read if you have a couple of minutes today. Economically Speaking, We Are Living a Rewind of American History | HuffPost Continue reading We Are Living a Rewind of American History
Old Time Hardware Store..
Believe it or not the pictures below were not taken fifty years or more ago but just six months or so ago. I am old enough to remember visiting a few hardware stores like this one when I was a kid in the 1950s. I think that is where I inherited my fascination with nut & bolts and such. I don’t know how long this store can survive but I hope it lasts forever. It doesn’t hurt that it is in a pretty rural area of Indiana. :) Continue reading Old Time Hardware Store..
For Good Men To Do Nothing..
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke I don’t necessarily call, at least yet, our current times evil but none the less the Edmund Burke quote above applies to where we are as a country. Too many of us decided to sit out the last election cycle and what we got is the result. I certainly hope that this is a lesson learned and election participation increases dramatically in the coming years. We can no longer allow a radical fringe minority to choose our country’s leadership. Good men … Continue reading For Good Men To Do Nothing..
The Sit Back And Wait Syndrome..
One of the major problems, that is besides their political leanings, is too many evangelical churches preach the “Sit Back and Wait Syndrome”. I know, as I did so myself, that it is too easy to just ignore your Church’s current beliefs in order to preserve your “country club membership”. Taking a stand against something often times means you’re asked to leave as you don’t believe the “right” things. That can be hard on your social life but do you really want to put that ahead of your spiritual life? The “SBAW” syndrome goes something like this: Everyone of us … Continue reading The Sit Back And Wait Syndrome..
Well Then Don’t…
The GOP and particularly the Evangelical segment seems to be against so many things. Anything to do with below the belt issues or invented since the Victorian age they are against. You name it and they seem to be against it. There is a simple solution to this. If you are against it then just don’t do it. If you believe it is wrong to eat meat then don’t do it, but don’t expect everyone to follow suit. If you think it is wrong to date and especially marry a person from another race then don’t do it, but don’t … Continue reading Well Then Don’t…
Creative Beauty
To me certain things are necessary to call something beautiful. Most often they are form, symmetry, and color. Just the right combinations of these three almost always result in something being beautiful. To add the adjective “creative” to the beautiful tag means something that didn’t exist prior to the beautiful thing. Most often that is a man-made creation. Being a car guy the picture below is one of those objects. I was not enthusiastic about the Avanti line when it was created in the 1950s by Studebaker or when it was resurrected by the Avanti Car Company in 1963. But … Continue reading Creative Beauty
Dream On… Dream On…
I have said this before but I think it needs refreshing. You are never too old to stop dreaming. Here I am in my seventies and still dreaming of what I want to do in my future years. Yes, some … Continue reading Dream On… Dream On…
God Whispers In Every Ear..
This is the fourth and final post of Philip Gulley’s book entitled If Grace is True. Universal Salvation is not something I intended to find during my extensive study into the words of Jesus but that is where I was led. I didn’t consider this for many years. I actually thought my experiences rare. I was one of the chosen. I was special. Now I know the truth. God whispers his love in every ear. He isn’t interested in declaring his love to a select few. He doesn’t limit his presence to Vatican City, to the halls of seminaries, to … Continue reading God Whispers In Every Ear..
Elwood Indiana Glass Festival
This past weekend I traveled to Elwood Indiana for a visit to the Elwood Glass Festival. While there were some bright points to the trip it was generally disappointing in that the “Glass” part of the festival has been for … Continue reading Elwood Indiana Glass Festival
The Teachings of Jesus Are Very Hard To Follow..
Almost ten years ago I started my first blog called RedLetterLiving. It was about living by the words of Jesus. I was concerned that even though Christianity was founded on the idea that Jesus was the Christ few current Christian denominations seemed to put much weight on his actual words. Little did I know that this study would go on for six years before I had fully answered my initial questions to at least my own satisfaction. I’m not sure when the organization Red Letter Christians was started but I think it was about that same timeframe. Two much more famous … Continue reading The Teachings of Jesus Are Very Hard To Follow..
Your World Is Just So Small
I am still pondering why people are so different in this world today. Why are there those who celebrate that they just don’t care much for other’s circumstance and places in the world. They are almost exclusively in a world centered around themselves. Everything else is just “Not my thing”. This especially troubles me with I then hear them say that they are also “real” Christians? I think I have latched onto one of the reasons for this and that is that their world is just too small. Psychology has shown that very young children are by nature pretty selfish. … Continue reading Your World Is Just So Small
Dear God…
Here is a snippet from Facebook that got my attention. :) Continue reading Dear God…
Owning What You Say..
We all recognize that like most other things the Internet is shades of grey. There are things on the Internet that are now so essential we wonder how we ever got along in the world without them. Being just a few clicks away from possible answers to anything we might ask is almost unbelieveable to this guy who spent hours in library card catalogues to research compositions for various college classes. But then of course there is the downside. Pornography is part of that but I really believe that anonymity is just as damaging in some ways. I know there … Continue reading Owning What You Say..
God’s Still On Holiday..
This is insane, and mainly because God patently hasn’t taken care of any of these things. Humans do these things and humans do stuff to mitigate or eradicate them. God’s still on holiday, where he has been for a few thousand years. Source: Lazy and Incoherent Theology: God Will Take Care of It I know that many of Mr. Trump’s supporters are evangelical Christians who believe that everything that happens, and especially his election, is God’s will. When things happen that they don’t like or can’t reconcile with their beliefs then they fall back on “God works in mysterious ways.” … Continue reading God’s Still On Holiday..
A Car With An Airplane Engine??
Just a quick snippet today to focus on the highlight of my EAA day recently. I am not really a plane guy but it was certainly worth the time. Especially when I came across the car with an airplane engine. It made my day complete. Continue reading A Car With An Airplane Engine??
The Fullness of God’s Grace…..
This is part 3 of my review of the book entitled “If Grace Is True” by Philip Gulley. It is indeed hard to comprehend the fullness of God’s grace. Man puts many obstacles in the way of understanding it and unfortunately as the below quote says the church which should be about removing obstacles seems instead seems intent on putting many of them in place. Many versions of church tell us that God can’t stand to look at us because we are just too sinful. They tell us that God sees us as no more than a piece of snot. … Continue reading The Fullness of God’s Grace…..
Paperweights..
I know the topic of paperweights sounds very boring. A paperweight can be a rock or just about anything with enough weight to hold down a stack of paper. But when you see some of the glass paperweights from around … Continue reading Paperweights..
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 