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Choose to be Happy..

RJ Walters

I have been having some pretty grumpy days lately so I find it necessary to revisit the issue of happiness. We all want to be happy especially in our retirement years. The pursuit of happiness is even in our country’s founding documents. Happiness is more than a feeling; it is actually much more a choice. We all have known people who seem to be grumpy and unhappy no matter what their circumstances are. They seem to just refuse to be happy. To many of them the government is the enemy who steals their happiness. For others they refuse to be … Continue reading Choose to be Happy..

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Mackinac Island, MI

RJ Walters

We recently spent a glorious three days on Mackinac Island in upper Michigan. One of the unique things about the island is that there are no motorized vehicles on it. Transportation is by either horse, bicycle, or on foot. We stayed at the Island House hotel and besides for some pretty poor service in the dining room during a dinner hour our stay there was  fantastic. The food at the hotel was great but I guess the waiters were either poorly trained or just overloaded the night we choose to dine there.  My favorite dining spot proved to be Millies … Continue reading Mackinac Island, MI

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Universal Salvation..

RJ Walters

I have been doing some studying on the concept of universal salvation or reconciliation. Here is what Wikipedia says about it: Origen was a 3rd century proponent of Universal Reconciliation.  The belief in the eventual salvation of all humankind has been a topic of debate throughout the history of the Christian faith. In the early Church, universalism was a flourishing theological doctrine. Reconciliation is the main belief that distinguishes Christian Universalism from other forms of Christianity. Various theologians, including Clement of Alexandria and Origen in the 3rd century, St. Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century, and St. Isaac the … Continue reading Universal Salvation..

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Memorable Quotes

RJ Walters

Mahatma Gandhi Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it. At first thought the above quote did not mean a lot to me but when I thought it out it is indeed has a great significance in my life. I often get somewhat depressed that there is so much suffering in the world today. The chanting of war has seemed endless in my lifetime. I was conceived by a noble man returning from World War II. Then there was the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the Iraq war and many other “conflicts” strung … Continue reading Memorable Quotes

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The Institutional Church

RJ Walters

Here is a quote by Philip Gulley who is a Quaker minister and author.  I couldn’t have said it any better At the end of the day, it is important to remember that while the institutional church is important to us, Jesus appeared to give it little thought. Though the church eventually became the means by which the story and witness of Jesus spread, neither its genesis nor continuance seemed a priority to him. Time after time, meeting human needs took center stage in his life and ministry. Indeed, when Jesus did speak of institutional religion, he was often scathing, … Continue reading The Institutional Church

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Deafness and Danger

RJ Walters

Of course being totally deaf as I am means that I can no longer hear the noises around me. Sometimes that is a good thing. I no longer hear the screaming kid at the table next to me in a restaurant. I am somewhat oblivious to the constant chatter of people on cell phones always around me. The last five years of my corporate life was living in a cubicle. Most people complained about them as you can hear conversations, coughs and other things from several cubicles around you. I was one of the few who really liked my cubicle. … Continue reading Deafness and Danger

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Williamsburg VA…

RJ Walters

I have been away from my computer for a while.  Yvonne and I spent a glorious week at Mackinac Island. I will be sharing pictures of that soon but right now let’s finish up the current series of DC and the area.  This picture and the one following them are of Williamsburg VA also taken in 1988. I have been there several times before and after this series was taken. It is one of my favorite places to visit. Continue reading Williamsburg VA…

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Been Away for a while….

RJ Walters

Sorry for not saying something earlier but I have been away from my computer for a while. Yvonne and I took a week vacation to northern Michigan starting  Labor day weekend. We spent three glorious days on Mackinac Island. It was simply wonderful to not see a single motorized vehicle for all that time. Even though I am deaf cars and such still make quite a bit of noise at least in my mind. In place of the cars and trucks were one and two real horse powered carts and wagons and then there were bicycles . I will be … Continue reading Been Away for a while….

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The Silence of God

RJ Walters

Here is an exert from a 1983 article in Sojourner Magazine written by Elsa Tamez. It speaks to my questions as to why God is silent so often in our lives. GOD’S SILENCE is mysterious. Sometimes it fills us with fright and paralyzes us in the face of the legion of devils that squeezes out the life of the people. But without this silence of God, we can’t become men and women. When God speaks all the time, people become deaf. They don’t hear the cry of the poor and of those who suffer. They become full; they no longer walk … Continue reading The Silence of God

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Retirement Don’ts

RJ Walters

Don’t get fixated on one particular thing. One of my favorite books is “1,000 Places to Go in the U.S. before you Die”. As the title indicates there is a list of 1,000 places in the U.S. that you can visit. To me retirement years is that time when you can accomplish many of the things you have put off. I strongly believe that being the Jack of all trades in my retirement years is much better than spending all my time to be the master of one thing. So, my advice is as the red letters above say don’t … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts

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Paper Products….

RJ Walters

My wife comes from northern Wisconsin and anyone who knows the area knows that is paper country. I think when you are born in that territory something is put into your DNA related to paper? Before I was married I usually went through a roll of toilet paper every month or so and a box of tissue would last at least six months. After I found my soul mate and got married that condition would drastically change! Our first shopping cart as husband and wife was filled to overflowing with paper products. After almost twenty five years of marriage I … Continue reading Paper Products….

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Affirming our Potential

RJ Walters

I believe that affirming our potential is more important than condemning our brokenness. Many churches I have attended put a very strong I would even say an overwhelming emphasis on our brokenness. Their creeds which are chanted every Sunday point out that we are nothing but poor miserable sinners and are capable of absolutely nothing good. Besides causing inferiority complexes in those to buy into that thought it is also does very little to attract those not familiar with the true words of Jesus and the positive things he wants us to accomplish while on this earth. Most of the … Continue reading Affirming our Potential

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Retirement Don’ts

RJ Walters

Let’s start up a new category with this post. As you have or will discover there are many different things that you can do in retirements. Therefore the retirement “Do’s” are almost unlimited. But there are also a number of retirement “Don’ts” that you should be mindful of. These are things that you generally don’t want to get hooked on in your retirement years. Let’s start out with my first Don’t. Don’t Let Your Mind Go Lazy…. This is probably the most dangerous thing you can do. Yes, it is possible for you to simply lay down on the couch … Continue reading Retirement Don’ts

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One Minute for Peace…..

RJ Walters

If Only we in the U.S. spent even a minuscule amount of  what we spend for our wars to promote peace… I want to direct you to a website promoting peace instead of war.  OneMinuteForPeace.org from the American Friends Service Committee. As the site states in the previous year the United States has spent over $1 trillion of military spending. That comes out to almost $2,000,000 every minute! It is sad to say but we spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined and many many times more to fund our wars than we do to promote peace.   The … Continue reading One Minute for Peace…..

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The Bi-weekly Haircut…..

RJ Walters

I just got a haircut recently and a memory came back to me from my childhood. In order to get it back where it belongs on the far fringes of my memory I have to post it here. I don’t have nearly as much hair as I did back then and I get it cut much less frequently now. But it was a tradition for several years that I always got my “Hollywood Burr” hair cut every two weeks. It was a neighborhood tradition for several years. The man living just behind us named Mr. Harmon was a barber in … Continue reading The Bi-weekly Haircut…..

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A New Beginning….

RJ Walters

I am back from my seven week hiatus and with some fresh insights. During this time I have stopped thinking about theology. It just became too troublesome for me to continue the way I was going.  But, I have now come to some foundational conclusions. I was just getting too drained worrying about all the different views of Christ that exist in the world today and which one, if any, is actually true. It is not up to me to “save” the rest of the world. Everyone must discover the true Christ on their own terms. I believe that I … Continue reading A New Beginning….

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My High School Years…..

RJ Walters

  This is my first post about my high school years. Since I want to make this a series I will only give you a small slice of those years here. I went to high school in the small town of Monrovia Indiana. I started there in the eighth grade in 1960. Before Monrovia I went to a Catholic school in Indianapolis. I can still remember the culture shock I faced those first days of school! I quickly realized that these were not nuns who were teaching me now. First of all the school I was starting in was built in … Continue reading My High School Years…..

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Born Deaf vs Late Deafened…

RJ Walters

I think of my deafness as an affliction that I must daily try to overcome in order to go about my business in the hearing world. That is not the case with some, perhaps most, who are born deaf. They claim they celebrate their deafness to the degree that they deem giving any child who is deaf a cochlear implant is child abuse! A cochlear implant is a device that is surgically inserted into a deaf person’s hearing system to allow many of them to hear. The deaf who strongly identify with their deafness are know as the Deaf Culture … Continue reading Born Deaf vs Late Deafened…

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If Only We Had Taken Jesus’ Words Seriously

RJ Walters

  When Jesus was on this earth he told us numerous times to be one as he and the father were one. If only we had listened and taken his words and life’s lessons seriously. I read recently that the very popular Christian author Ann Rice is giving up on all current Christian denominations. In the interview she stated that she is not giving up on Christ, just the present day organizations that espouse to follow him. She also said that there is just too much of a tie between Christians and worldly kingdoms; particularly those in the U.S. I … Continue reading If Only We Had Taken Jesus’ Words Seriously

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Learning Responsibility…

RJ Walters

I grew up in a small town in Indiana and spent my summers putting hay in farmer’s barns at ninety cents and hour. But it wasn’t until my college years that I started learning real lessons in responsibility. Dad had tried to teach me about responsibility but like most teenagers then and now I didn’t really want to know that much about it. I started my first year in college with almost enough money to get me through the first semester. Where the second semester and beyond money would come from I had no idea. Dad was a milkman at … Continue reading Learning Responsibility…