There is a marked tendency to push all mention of Christianity out of the public forum. Where praise or prayer is still allowed, most insist that the addressed deity be confined to “God”. The name of Jesus is pointedly excluded. Why?
God is generic. Anyone who believes in a god can mentally substitute their own deity into a prayer or giving of thanks, even some discussions – as long as definitive names such as Elohim or Jehovah are avoided. Those who deny the existence of ANY god will be offended in any case. Continue reading “God: Yes, Jesus: No”
You’ve written a fantastic article – or at least the outline of a fantastic article. It is often best to hold off writing the actual article until you’ve found a publisher so you can slant the article the way the publisher desires. But you’ve done your research, have a solid premise and a killer topic. Now you’re ready to query some publications and find your article a home. Here are some things you do NOT want to do: Continue reading “Things To Avoid When You Query For An Article”
Forgiveness is something people who claim the title of Christian wear like an Olympic medal. They say things like, “Because I believe in Jesus, I am forgiven of my sins.” and walk around feeling very confident regardless of the things they include in their lives. 1 John 1:5 (and following) says:
5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. Continue reading “Forgiveness”
Do you think this thing has enough lights? While almost unnoticable in the day, it really stands out in the dark.
That’s our network expander. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between our network router (which is over in my workshop because that’s where the internet connection is) and the computers we use in our home. It’s a device about the size of a deck of cards and plugs into a wall outlet for power.
Each light means something. But remembering what means digging out the manual and reviewing the chart. I remember that the left side reports on connection with the router over in the work shop and the right side reports on the connection with the computers connected via WiFi. There is an Ethernet port too, that’s connected to our phone system via a cable. Green lights are good, so all was well when I took this. Each light can also turn yellow or red to indicate less than optimal (or horrible) connection status. We’ve seen each of those at times.
Cochise likes to sleep in the den. I think it’s because these lights remind him of a Christmas tree. Especially when things aren’t connecting so well.
This evening we engaged in some casual dining and watched an old Science Fiction Theater episode (1950’s stuff). Mostly, this is a human thing, but the furkids like it too because they get to eat in the living room with us and they get a special treat after dinner. They generally sleep through the program, though.
At bed time Marie and I sit in bed and read for a while. Sometimes we use book lights and turn off the lamps. But tonight my batteries were low. Blondie Bear is saying, “Would you PLEASE turn off the lights and go to sleep … I’m TIRED.”
Cochise could not hide under the bed without risking getting stepped on, so he made do with what was available.
Eventually Marie and I got sleepy too, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. Then the furkids could take up normal sleeping positions and get some proper rest. The poor dears! (wink)
I killed a big Baldface hornet’s nest Wednesday evening. It was just inches outside our play yard fence in a forsythia bush and was hidden from view until I trimmed the branches out of the fencing. I deliberated on this killing. I don’t kill just to kill. They’d been there a while and have not been an issue … except once that I know of. Continue reading “The Baldface Encounter”
Preface: If you are not a follower of Jesus, this short lesson has nothing for you: live your life as you choose. God the Father allows each of us to choose our own path. Where that path leads is predetermined, but you have the freedom to choose for yourself.
Tatev Monastery in Armenia
The most devout followers of some religious sects sequester themselves from the world in remote monasteries (men, monks) or convents (women, nuns) to study their religion and learn its disciplines. In doing so they shut out the corruption and sin of the world to devote themselves entirely to their study. Some, after training, will go out to serve in the world. Others live their lives shut away from the world.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just close our eyes to sin and corruption? But followers of Jesus do not live in fortified sanctuaries, separated from the world. Jesus told us to go into the world and take His gospel of good news with us everywhere we go. To do that we must function in the world, but we were also told not to function as the world does. Continue reading “What Manner of Person?”
One of the great things about dogs is the way the dogs welcome us home. It’s always a celebration. It makes us feel great to know someone is so happy to see us again — even though we may have been gone only an hour.
I cannot speak about goats, horses, cows, sheep, pigs, lemurs, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, or ducks – I’ve never had those as pets. I have had cats and for the most part their reaction to our return was, “Oh, were you gone? When are you going to feed me?”
Maybe it’s all the goofiness that’s going on in the world today, but lately I find I’ve been feeling drawn to historic living topics. Today I encountered a blurb about a chuck wagon school and it set me off on a search to learn about and understand what life for a trail drive cook was like. This is not because I want to become a “Cookie”, but just because it’s fascinating to see how people coped with having to do everyday things without the conveniences we enjoy today.
The name “chuck wagon” was derived from 17th Century England meat merchants who referred to their lower priced goods as “Chuck”. By the 18th Century, the term “chuck” was taken to mean basic but hearty food.[1]
Picture courtesy of Maroon Weekly
The chuck wagon became an indispensable tool on the cattle drives that took place between the end of the U.S. civil war in the 1860’s and the 1890s, when railroads began being built. During this time a massive expansion of settlement moved westward across the North American continent. This expansion created a large market for beef. Beef that existed, on the hoof, in the southwest; primarily in Texas.
To meet this need, dozens of cattle drive operations were moving millions of cattle from Texas to markets in the mid-west. This resulted in a shortage of cowboys and there was tremendous competition in recruiting good trail hands. Continue reading “A Little History on the Chuck Wagon”
I remember, as a young lad, sitting in my Grandmother’s kitchen and watching her whip up meals when we came to visit her. I remember that her pans were black and crusty-looking (at least on the outside). And I remember enjoying those meals a lot.
In the years since then I’ve had an on-again, off-again fascination with cast iron cookware. Mostly off-again when I was young because I was more fascinated with technology: I witnessed the birth of the personal computer and the Internet. Watched as the first men walked on the moon. I’ve watched as so many things that for decades were mere science fiction became common place parts of our lives. Including Teflon.
As I aged I mellowed and have turned back to the old ways. Yes, I have a computer (5 of them in fact) and the Internet is an essential tool for what I do, but I’m living on a mountain-side acreage away from population centers. We get our water from our own well and our waste goes into a septic system. I grow as much of our food as I am able, and I am again fascinated by cast iron cookware. Continue reading “Renewing an Old Acquaintance”
