On Just About Everything
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…
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..
I have been fascinated by gardens just about all of my life. I think it started with Mrs. Forester when I was six years old. She was a very old lady, at least in six year old terms, who lived next to us in urban Indianapolis. I don’t know if she was widowed or just a spinster but she was always nice to me even though I was probably a pretty hyperactive kid that most old people have little tolerance for. Mrs. Forseter’s back yard seemed like it was a palatial estate when in reality it was probably no more … Continue reading A Gardening I Will Go…
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
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..
I don’t know how many readers ever look at the quotes I rotate through the header of RJsCorner. I try to change them weekly but sometimes that task falls in the proverbial crack. In the current header is a quote from Thomas Jefferson about staying too long that seems especially relative to the folks in Washington DC. Too many in our national congress have overstayed their time there, especially in the leadership roles. I truly believe that the GOP leader in the senate is one of the basic problems with that institution’s gridlock. What will it take short of death … Continue reading Staying Too Long..
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
Here is a snippet from Facebook that got my attention. :) Continue reading Dear God…
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..
After more than a year of this stuff I am utterly tired of the statement in the title of this post! I am tired of people around the president trying to calm the effects of the latest bomb Mr. Trump seems to launch almost daily. Yes, I recognize that without the white supremacists vote he would likely not be president. I recognize that it is an important part of his base that he doesn’t want to offend since there is a slight chance that he may need them again. But even with his massive ego he needs to realize that … Continue reading “What He Really Meant…”
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..
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??
EAA stands for Experimental Aircraft Association and they are located in OshKosh Wisconsin. Having married a northern Wisconsin girl over thirty years ago I have driven past their headquarters many many times. They have an annual airshow at the end … Continue reading EAA Airshow..
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…..
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..
Being a deep thinker I often wonder where our biases and prejudices come from. :) Are we born with them. Do they come from those around us or do we come up with them on our own? I kinda believe it is the middle one. If you grew up white in the South in the 1950s and 60s and most everyone around you were segregationists then it is very likely you also would become one. If the people you look up to to learn about life think one way you are probably more than likely to think that way too. … Continue reading This Is What You Are To Believe…
“Intolerance is the first sign of inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility”. —Alexander Solzhenitsyn I will come out of the closet here and admit that I get a weekly subscription from the “The Week” magazine which is a decidedly progressive publication. When I cam across this quote in the “Wit & Wisdom” column on the July 21st issue it got my attention. 72% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning Independents believe that colleges and universities have an overall positive effect on the country. But 58% of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents feel these institutions … Continue reading Intolerance And Education…
One of our favorite satellite TV shows is Antique Archeology. My wife and I record everything we watch so we are only briefly exposed to the commercials. That being the case we usually watch this show while we are eating dinner. It always amazes me how the people they visit are obsessed with their “stuff”. They often have thousands of items and are not willing to sell anything unless it is a duplicate. But I am getting off my intended track here. :) Last year when we were on our way to our Disney World adventure we stopped in Nashville to … Continue reading Antique Archeology.. Nashville Store
I got this snippet from a Facebook friend a while ago. Of course you know who that reminded me of. I don’t have to say the name this time. In this same vein, a few months ago I DVRed a series on satellite TV entitled Einstein. I recorded ten episodes from season one. The latest episode I watched was when he was living in Germany during the 1930s and was exposed to the rise of hitler. Some of the parallels to today were troublesome. I don’t believe that a tyrant could dismantle our country but we must stay ever vigilant … Continue reading A Tyrant??
The following is part 2 of a series of posts which will subsequently be compiled as an In-Depth report here on RJsCorner came from my other blog RedLetterLiving.net. “How can you believe that God’s grace isn’t sufficient, that many of God’s children will languish in hell forever, that they’ll never be restored to their Father, that evil will claim victory in so many lives? How can you believe that?” Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person Some think the idea of universal salvation is a new thing but in reality it goes … Continue reading God’s Wrath vs. God’s Grace…….
I still remember the words in this blog’s title coming from each of the cigarette company CEOs while testifying before a congressional committee in 1994. They all stood up and swore that cigarettes addiction was a fallacy. About that time I had been free from cigarettes for about two years after 25 years of use. Breaking that addiction was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. To hear those seven guys tell me that lie shocked me but it wouldn’t by any means be the last time that happened As Yoggi Berra used to say … Continue reading Cigarette Aren’t Addictive..
Waterford Virginia is perhaps the most iconic town I have been through. It is located in Loudoun County about 50 miles from DC. You won’t find any franchises or many other businesses for that matter. Nor will you find cars speeding by. Here is a little about Waterford from Wikipedia: After falling into disrepair in the early part of the 20th century, the Waterford Foundation was formed to help save and preserve Waterford and its history. In 1974, the Waterford Foundation helped create an innovative land preservation program in which the historic properties of Waterford are protected through open space … Continue reading Waterford VA
Universal Salvation is not believed by many current Christian denominations but I became convinced to make it my worldview primarily by the book cited below. The following series of posts which will subsequently be compiled as an In-Depth report here on RJsCorner came from my other blog RedLetterLiving.net. 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 … Continue reading Universal Salvation… If Grace Is True
I’m sure there is a name for someone who can’t stop working on something and to call it finished. I looked around but couldn’t find the word. One glaring example of this was Walt Whitman’s collection of poetry called Leaves Of Grass. Never mind that it was a book of poetry that was very unconventional in its time and that the subject matter was often sexual in nature, the point of this mention is that he just couldn’t finish it. It did major changes throughout its eight editions or so. Now finally getting down to the point of this post … Continue reading Leaves Of Grass and Other Unfinished Things…
I gotta send you this snippet about the Republican Healthcare plan that no one seems to like, except that 25% of us who ignorantly cling to this president. But the key that hopefully locks this plan away is that the Senate bill has hidden text that exempts them and their staff from having to use the plan they are trying to push down our throats. See this link for a video about that. Not Good Enough For Me I just pray that there are at least a handful of GOP senators who have the welfare of their constituents in their … Continue reading Not Good Enough For Me..
Sometimes creative things sneak up on you. That was the case when I came across this picture in an Des Moine museum a few ago. I don’t know who put this box of eggs together but they were genius. Continue reading Box Of Eggs..
It is interesting to see another country where the majority thinks religion does more harm than good, especially since this one is our neighbor. I’m not sure what the statistics in Europe are but I suspect that they are similar … Continue reading Religion Does More Harm Than Good..
It’s nice to know where you came from but it is more important to know where you are going and we as a world and especially a country don’t seem to have any idea about our future. We need … Continue reading It’s Nice To Know Where You Came From, But…
Nauvoo Village was one of several settlements established and then all but abandoned by Mormons due to battles with their neighbors. The first was in Ohio, the second in Missouri, and then came Nauvoo in Illinois. This was the site that it’s founder Joseph Smith was killed and Brigham Young took over the leadership. Mauvoo has recently been been called the “Williamsburg of the Midwest” and to some degree they deserve that title but in others they fall short. Many of the building have been restored to the 1840s but many are still in private hands. Unlike Williamsburg there … Continue reading Nauvoo IL – Mormon Settlement
I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since our American culture is now almost totally geared around consumer spending. We simply can’t keep the paradigm going if we spend less this year than we did last. It seems that houses today MUST have master suites with at least 150 square foot closets and 200 square foot bathrooms. The general rule is that the family now needs 1,000 square foot of house for every member. Two kids = 4,000 SF minimum. But a point of this post is one of the items that kind of sneaked up on me was that … Continue reading More & More.. and then the Chinese Way..
Caterpillar Tractors and such are very much a part of my search of America. So, when I was near Peoria Illinois recently I had to stop in at their museum at the headquarters building. What I found amazed me. I never realized the size of much of their equipment. Peoria is a wonderful city to tour and this exhibit is one of the prime destinations. If you are ever in the area stop by the city and this museum. Continue reading Caterpillar Tractors..
Slow down you’re moving too fast, got to make the morning last… The above words come from an old Simon and Garfunkel song entitled “59th Street Bridge Song” otherwise known as Feelin Groovy. Even in the 1960s many … Continue reading Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Have To…
I will admit up front here that I didn’t spend as much time in Quincy IL as I planned. There are about a thousand historical homes in this small town but I will only feature one of them in … Continue reading Quincy Illinois – Villa Kathrine
It is hard for many to believe that the pictures below and above were taken in Indiana. I don’t really know the history of why Indiana got the southern most tip of Lake Michigan within its boundries but it is … Continue reading This Is In Indiana???
I know it’s been awhile since I posted here. As I have said before, Spring/Summer are my busiest times. I am about to go on my second uRV trip of the year and then there is the 2 1/2 acre … Continue reading I Know, I Know…
This week’s Religion in America post will be about Bishop Hill in central Illinois. Like last week’s post it is about a group who escaped a State sanctioned Lutheran system of belief in the mid 1800s. This time it is … Continue reading Religion In America – Bishop Hill
Everything has two sides, a good side and a dark side, a happy side and a sad side, but nothing is totally black and white. How’s that for an opening sentence. :) The main crux for this post is about all those who want the “good old days” back as to mean when we didn’t have so much technology in our lives. They constantly complain about how so many people seem to be glued to their cell phones and such. But if they thought it through would they really like to go back fifty year or more? Would they … Continue reading The Good Old Days??
On my most recent uRV trip I visited the RV Museum in Elkhart Indiana. Being that I have spent the last three years converting my twenty-five year old pickup truck with a six foot cap into a rat-rod micro-RV I wanted to learn a little more about the beginnings of that idea. John Steinbeck, who as one of my favorite authors when I was growing, up wrote a book entitled “Travels with Charley” about when he custom built a pickup truck into an RV he named Rocinante (Don Quixote’s horse) and traveled around the country with it. I have read that … Continue reading RV Museum..
I will start off this series of religion in America with the latest place I visited and that is Zoar Village in central Ohio. I visited here last summer on one of my frequent micro-RV trips. As is … Continue reading Religion In America – Zoar Village Ohio
I ran across a blog site today that celebrates bad grammar. The author claimed that using proper grammar was just too conformist. He wants to be a radical so he uses bad grammar. I kinda think that he has a deeper underlying reason? Celebrating our mistakes in life leads to nothing more than going deeper and deeper down the well. Eventually we run out of light to even find our way back. It’s kind of like that cable show that celebrates obesity. I think it is called something like “My Big Beautiful Life”. The star dances around, at least … Continue reading Celebrating Bad Grammar??
I came across a blog site (The Drabble) the other day that spoke to my heart. Actually the site came across me by “liking” one of my very short posts. The words simple, yet evocative pieces that capture what it means to be human described the purpose of the site. Simple yet evocative says it all for me. It is hard to do both but when it is done successfully it is genius and many of the posts I reviewed on that blog did just that. I have been on a “Simplicity” binge for about 5 years now. For me … Continue reading Simple Yet Evocative
Spring is my absolute favorite season. Everything springs to life after a cold and often cruel winter. The menagerie of flowers that quickly come and go is sometimes breathtaking. Click on the picture to see a larger version Continue reading They Come And Go..
Let’s face it, most people believe that old people just can’t be creative. Of course, the definition of old varies widely among those with that belief. Some think if you are past 30 you are drained of creativity. You can call this bias if you want since it is pretty much ingrained into our society. I think the average age of the employees of Silicon Valley tech companies is about 30. But in reality, some people get more creative as they grow older. A 2016 Information Technology and Innovation Foundation study found that inventors peak in their late 40s … Continue reading Creativity and Age..
Back in the beginnings of this technology race we are currently in there was a saying “High Tech/High Touch” meaning that as technology becomes more prevalent we need to also be exposed to more real thing we can feel and touch. That saying, along with so much more seems to have been lost on the ash heap of time. But I personally kind of enjoy seeing and visiting the time when we weren’t so dependant on our techie stuff. Continue reading High Tech/High Touch And The Good Old Days
I will say upfront that I am a regular customer at Amazon. I shop there more than everywhere else combined, except for food and medicine that is. I am an Amazon guy. When Jeff Bezos came upon the scene in the late 1990s with the simple idea of selling books online I thought he was a guy for the 21st century. He was taking the long view when most CEO’s were anguishing over the next quarter’s profit. Amazon has grown even beyond my expectations. Their two-day delivery is beyond belief in the corporate world. I saw the other day the following quote … Continue reading Taking The Long View..
