Misc things that sprout in my mind
Owen County IN – The County Fair I don’t know of anything more American than the county fair, at least the ones that are not in major metropolitan areas. It is the highlight of the year for many rural counties. … Continue reading The County Fair….
St. Louis, MO – A horse’s rear-end?? Ok, you might be wondering how the rear-end of a horse has to do with the character of America. Well this horse happens to be one of the Budweiser’s Clydesdale in St. Louis … Continue reading A Horse's Rear-End….
Independence MO – Truman Presidential Library Harry S. Truman was perhaps one of my favorite presidents. He was president in my pre-school years so I don’t remember anything personally about him but being a U.S. history buff I have read … Continue reading Truman Library..
Northern WI – The Dairy Industry I know there is a State currently hanging onto the west side of our country that claims to have happier cows than those in Wisconsin but I kind of thing that is just advertising … Continue reading Wisconsin Cows…..
Grand Canyon AZ What is more America than the Grand Canyon. The only other possibility might be the Statue of Liberty but since it was made in France I think this one wins out. I was there in 2005 for … Continue reading What's More America Than…
Elnora IN – Annual Tractor Fest A common event in rural areas is the annual tractor exhibit. It seems everyone has an old tractor in their shed/barn/garage that they are working on and love to show their machine to everyone … Continue reading Old Time Tractors…
Lexington KY – Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill I took this picture on my first visit to Pleasant Hill almost twenty years ago. It is a place at the very top of the center dwelling used to store out of … Continue reading The Perfect Picture….
Lexington KY – Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill The Shaker were all about symmetry. Everything was done in pairs. One side for women and the other for men. The other major characteristic was simplicity. They shunned away from adornment for … Continue reading Simplicity and Symmetry….
Lexington KY… Shake Village of Pleasant Hill One of my favorite places to visit. Shaker lives and their furniture style has influenced much in my life. If you want to get away for a very peaceful time stay at one … Continue reading A Peaceful Place For a Hectic Life…
This a continuing pictorial post on our visit to New York City recently. One of the things that got my attention was the number of vendors on the streets selling almost everything. Here are some pictures. Click on any picture to bring up a larger gallery view. Continue reading NYC…. The Vendors…
This is part 3 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity. It’s Always Fun and Happy Christianity can be full of joy, but it can also be really hard.Following Christ demands sacrifice. It involves giving, helping, volunteering and participating in difficult work. The main tenant of loving others is hardly ever easy, and the Christian life is often filled with trials, pain, suffering, heartbreak and struggles—often requiring large amounts of grace, forgiveness, patience and energy. It’s not easy, comfortable or effortless—it’s incredibly demanding. But in the end, it’s worth it. I … Continue reading Christianity is Always Fun and Happy…
This is part 2 of my series based on a post by Stephen Mattson on the seven misconceptions of Christianity. Everyone Believes the Same Thing Beyond a basic belief of Jesus being divine, Christians hardly agree on anything. Common practices such as baptisms, communions, confession and even worship styles are hotly debated, and Christians are divided into hundreds of denominations, thousands of churches and endless communities—each passionate about their own opinions. Christianity is made up of different cultures, ethnicities, doctrines, traditions, practices, theologians and practices—one of the most diverse religions in the entire world. Conformity and uniformity are uncommon, and … Continue reading All Christians Believe the Same Thing..
A theology based on this fear seldom inspires great acts of compassion and service. When we live in constant fear of divine rejection, we focus all our attention on securing our survival. Sadly, this self-absorption only leads us further from love. Fear and love are incompatible. Fear indicates our distrust of the one who claims to love us. A child trembles when a parent threatens, “If you don’t behave, I’ll send you away.” A wife is terrorized when a husband warns, “If you leave me, I’ll kill you.” Human beings cower when God commands, “Serve me, or I’ll damn you … Continue reading Fear vs. Love….
A theology of love begins with the assumption that all people are God’s cherished children and deserving of love. “We love because he first loved us. Those who say ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers and sisters, are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:19–20). Jesus demonstrated his love for the outcasts, those many considered unlovable. Regrettably, many Christians have been unwilling to adopt the ethic of Jesus—a theology of inclusion, acceptance, and love. We’ve been unwilling to love and … Continue reading The Theology Of Love….
I will admit here that I got a first time comment today that I immediately sent to the trash because I don’t have the energy to deal with it on a serious level right now. It goes like this. “I will ignore the needs of the 99 in order to prevent the 100th one from getting something he doesn’t deserve”. This comment also declared that social justice as he sees it is nothing but communism. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard comments like this. But the truly sad thing is that it frequently comes from someone … Continue reading Whose Fault???
What About The Bible… ? (Chapter 6) This is the final post on my series about the Bible. It has been an enlightening time for me. This final post is about the history of Christianity and how it seems to stop with the establishment of the biblical text. But before I get into that I must mention that I have found that to really understand the Gospel text you must also understand the basic history of that region of the world during that period of time. To do that means seeking out historical records of the Roman Empire particularly in … Continue reading The History Of Christianity???
I’m not sure who brought up the concept but it is about how churches are actually more like clubhouses than anything else. They are buildings that are built almost exclusively for their members comfort. Yes that comfort does bring in some to hear the message but that seems to be very secondary at best. I had a recent round of comments on this topic over at one of my other blogs at RJsCorner and it stirred up some heated comments. It seems that calling a church a country club strikes the nerve of many Christians. I think the ounce of … Continue reading Everyone Needs A Clubhouse….
That second set of ears belongs to Sharon Wolozin, who takes notes the old-fashioned way – with pen and paper – and then reads some of the main points aloud to confirm them with the doctor. If the patient forgets a question she told Wolozin she planned to ask, Wolozin will remind her. But she is not an advocate and has no medical training. “We don’t get between the doctor and the patient,” said Wolozin. Her role is only to create an accurate record of what happened at the appointment that she gives to Couturier, who can then share it … Continue reading During Doctor Visits….
What About The Bible… ? (Chapter 5) I used to mourn the fact that there are almost 40,000 different versions of Christianity around today. But, in reality maybe I should celebrate that statistic. At least it shows that we are all trying to find the heart of God. But the problem with this is that we end up picking the type of God we want. I don’t think that is really how God wants it to be but it seems that is the way it is for most of us. Some choose to try to discover God on our own. … Continue reading Religious Diversity…
Time and again, those who opposed Jesus would quote Scripture. They would remind him of the Sabbath law, the requirement to fast, the provision for divorce, and the penalty for adultery. Jesus seemed unimpressed with a person’s ability to quote Scripture. His interest was in a person’s ability to hear God’s voice. He said, “He who belongs to God hears what God says” (John 8:47). To limit the word of God to the written word is to muzzle God. Gulley, Philip; Mulholland, James (2009-03-17). If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person Continue reading Muzzling God….
Everyone from the day after Jesus ascended into the clouds has been seeking the essence of Christ. One of the first ones was probably Paul of Tarsus. Except for that brief encounter with the spirit of Jesus on road to Damascus a few years after he physically left us, he had no personal contact. Today there are 40,000+ different organized version of this essence and probably thousands of personal versions inside each of those. It seems that each one of these 40k groups are convinced that their version is the only real one. We all want to know what the … Continue reading The Essence Of God…
RJ's Corner - Having My Say 