Category: *Having My Say

On Just About Everything

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Religiously Powerful…

RJ Walters

Jesus had some very stinging words about the religiously powerful of his day. The Gospel of Mark 7 is one of those places.  Let’s study some of those words. He replied, “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. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order … Continue reading Religiously Powerful…

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Having No Religion or Faith..

RJ Walters

Britain is becoming an increasingly faithless society, according to a new survey that has found 53% of Britons now describe themselves as having no religion. The proportion is the highest ever, up from 48% in 2015 and 31% in 1983 when the British Social Attitudes survey was begun by the independent National Centre for Social Research. The trend is evident across all age groups but is particularly marked among young people, with 71% of 18-to 24-year-olds surveyed in 2016 saying they had no religion, up from 62% percent the previous year. The majority of older people still have some faith, … Continue reading Having No Religion or Faith..

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Museum of Appalachia

RJ Walters

    On my most recent trip InSearchOfAmerica I visited the Museum of Appalachia. I was not expecting too much but was blown away by what I found. It is a museum like no other I have visited. The totally unique thing about this place was that all the building and most of the antiques were identified by the person who owned them and included stories about their lives.  It is almost as if you could picture them living in the buildings and using the instruments and such.   I took literally a hundred photos of the place. Here are … Continue reading Museum of Appalachia

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I Don’t Have Many Friends — By Choice..

RJ Walters

Maybe I should explain the title some more before I continue with the post.  Yes, because of my Aspie traits and my isolation as a deaf senior citizen I don’t have as many friends as I had when I was in the corporate world. That is a fact that can’t be denied but it is not the point of this post. The point I am trying to make is that by Facebook standards my friends list is pretty abysmal.  I think at last count I had about 40 “friends”. Some of them I don’t “follow” because they post multiple times … Continue reading I Don’t Have Many Friends — By Choice..

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My View Of The Bible – Part 6 Closing Thoughts…

RJ Walters

This six part Sunday series was about looking at the Bible as a human document. That is, it was written and assembled by humans with different life experiences, viewpoints, and passions.  Much of their thoughts and words were believed to come from divine inspiration. Many believed they were writing what God wanted them to write. When I study the Bible I try to understand the reasons why some of the writers might have penned what they did.  Of course, I am also a human who has my own life experiences and passions, part of which surely shaped by what I have previously studied. What … Continue reading My View Of The Bible – Part 6 Closing Thoughts…

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The Tail Wags The Dog..

RJ Walters

It is becoming abundantly clear to me now that when it comes to video media that the tails wags the dog.  Keeping me informed so that I can make wise decisions is not a prominent goal of most telemedia companies, especially those like CNN, MSNBC and FOX. Unlike much of the rest of the world our news sources depend of advertising to stay in existence. The more views they can get, the more they can charge for advertising. It is as simple as that. For those of us who are at least middle aged, we know of a different time.  … Continue reading The Tail Wags The Dog..

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My View Of The Bible — Part 5 Summing It Up..

RJ Walters

This is the fifth post on this series about the Bible. If it is not obvious by now I want you to understand that I put my Christianity on Jesus Christ not on a book about him. I will try to keep this brief as it is really a wrap-up of the past posts. About the Literalists: Panic – In some cases I see almost total panic in people when I say not all the words in the bible are literally true. This belief is so ingrained in the foundations of their faith they cannot imagine it could not be true. Irrational – Some say if … Continue reading My View Of The Bible — Part 5 Summing It Up..

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My View Of The Bible — Part 4 .. Misguided Beliefs?

RJ Walters

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?

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Green Bay Railroad Museum

RJ Walters

 Yes, I know that the heyday of the railroad is long past but I am one of those who believe they will return again in all their magnificence sometime in the future.  They are just so much more eco friendly than the millions of interstate trucks that currently dominate our highway system. The point of this post is about a recent visit to the Green Bay Railroad Museum. It is a massive place displays dozens of the giant engines of the past. If you are in the area it is well worth a visit. Here are some pics for you. … Continue reading Green Bay Railroad Museum

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Medicine Is An Unsettled Science..

RJ Walters

I don’t think there is anyone around who thinks we have all the answers when it comes to medicine. There have been and will continue to be major breakthroughs in that field but that doesn’t mean that our current knowledge is not to be believed. We don’t go to a witchdoctor for our health care needs because medicine is an unsettled science.  So, why do some allow this convoluted logic to drive their beliefs around climate change. They say climate change is an unsettled science so we want to wait for more answers! Yes, there are between 1-3% of scientific … Continue reading Medicine Is An Unsettled Science..

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Altered States..

RJ Walters

Who wants to totally live in our hectic world today.  I have seen too many of my friends give up on our times and say they want out.  That defeatist attitude seem to be taking over our world especially with the current Oval Office holder in charge. It seems that all of us need to get away from today at least for a little while each day. We need an “Altered State” that we can escape to. Somewhere where the world doesn’t seem so real. Just what that altered state ends up being depends on the person. Some like one … Continue reading Altered States..

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My View Of The Bible –Part 3.. Other Views

RJ Walters

Now that I have told you what I believe about the Bible I will go over a short list of things that are somewhat widely accepted by some twenty-first century Christian denominations but of which I basically disagree. Most of these topic titles are  from texts of discussions I have had with Christians. I put them in a special category here because they were so deeply felt by others. All the words in the Bible are the words of Jesus (ie.  every word and punctuation mark comes from God). This title came from a person fairly high in the LCMS Lutheran organization. He … Continue reading My View Of The Bible –Part 3.. Other Views

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A Follow Up…

RJ Walters

Given my last post was about the “repenter” of Times Square I thought I would follow it up with a quite different version. click on any image to see a larger slideshow version   Looking back on the posts this week it is interesting to see how they are all linked by common threads.  I definitely wasn’t disappointed by the crowds and revelry on Times Square that Saturday night. :) Continue reading A Follow Up…

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Times Square Repenter..

RJ Walters

When we were in NYC the last time we rented a hotel room very near Time Square. It was pretty expensive but since this was probably our last time there we deemed it worth the costs.  For those who don’t know it Saturday night in Times Square is all about partying. Thousands turn out to celebrate one thing or another. And then there are always a few to have a different agenda for that night.  That is the topic of the picture below. I have seen this picture hundreds of time since it was taken in 2014 and almost every … Continue reading Times Square Repenter..

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Rendezvous..

RJ Walters

About a week ago I spent the day at the Des Plaines Valley Rendezvous near Chicago. It was a smallish event but maybe one of the most accurate ones I have been to. Here are some pictures of some the the recreators. It is sometimes difficult to think of Chicago as once being s fur trapping rendezvous. They certainly had a lot of enthusiasm for what they were doing. click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view Continue reading Rendezvous..

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My View Of The Bible— Part 2 .. What I believe (con’t)

RJ Walters

This post continues with my fundamental beliefs about the Bible. I have not come to these beliefs on a whim. They are the result of many years of thoughtful prayer and study. I am also not trying to prove anyone wrong. Everyone should come to God in their own way. So let’s get on with the final four areas of my view on the Bible. Some words of the Bible have infinitely more significance to our lives than others— The words  through Jesus’ lips are the most important. Every other word is secondary at best. This is a major sticking point for some. … Continue reading My View Of The Bible— Part 2 .. What I believe (con’t)

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Breaking Gridlock…

RJ Walters

Hey, I’m not ashamed to give someone credit for things that are accomplished even if it was only by accident or maybe serendipity. So, congratulations President Trump on starting to break the gridlock that has kidnapped our nation’s capitol for far too long. The GOP is starting to scream “He wants to work with the DEMOCRATS!!!” “WE HAVE BEEN BETRAYED!!” To all that I say It is about time. We knew going in that Trump was neither a Republican or a Democrat. The only thing he is for is to make himself look good. Nothing else really matters to him … Continue reading Breaking Gridlock…

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Wind Farms..

RJ Walters

It is so nice to see that despite the GOP resistance that renewable resources are replacing carbon based fuels.  In more and more of my travels InSearchOfAmerica I see wind farms such as the one in the photo below. It is nice to see us harvesting wind the same way as the corn and soybeans in the fields below them.  This one was taken in the northern part of my home state of Indiana. I am even looking to put solar panels on my micro-RV in the coming winter season.  They cost just a fraction of what they did a … Continue reading Wind Farms..

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Playing With Light…

RJ Walters

I just returned from a four-day road trip InSearchOfAmerica to the Chicago and Rockford IL area. It was quite a trip and made up for the very disappointing one that preceded it.  One site I just came upon ended up one of the most enjoyable.  It was at the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens. The special exhibit on display was from the artist Bruce Munro.   From his book that I purchased it stated that he captures light based themes. I will be talking more about that in some coming posts but for now I wanted to give you an idea … Continue reading Playing With Light…

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My View Of The Bible ..

RJ Walters

For the next three Sundays I want to bring over some slightly edited posts of things I discovered about the Bible while blogging at RedLetterLiving.net. These posts were from early 2014 but my feelings about the topic really haven’t changed all that much. I have been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about the Bible and my experiences with it over the last decade or so. Around 2003 I decided to take up a serious study of theology and in particularly those around the words of Jesus. I naively thought I could get some clear directions for my … Continue reading My View Of The Bible ..

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A Bunch of Marbles & A Box of Eggs..

RJ Walters

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..

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Old Time Hardware Store..

RJ Walters

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..

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For Good Men To Do Nothing..

RJ Walters

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..

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The Sit Back And Wait Syndrome..

RJ Walters

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..

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Well Then Don’t…

RJ Walters

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…

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Creative Beauty

RJ Walters

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

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Galena…

RJ Walters

  I have visited Galena Illinois four times since the picture below was taken in 1990. The town just seems frozen in time to when U.S. Grant occasionally lived there. Since the picture was recorded on film and then rescanned it doesn’t have the resolution to be a large scale photo but that doesn’t reduce it beauty.  It was taken in the early morning sun from Grant Park which is across the river from the town center .  Now onto my story about Galena. My wife is a gamer, not the online kind but she does spend hours each week … Continue reading Galena…