When God created mankind (Adam and Eve) he gave them dominion over all the earth, (Genesis 1:26). Satan and his minions were already here, having been expelled from the abode of God: the spiritual or high heaven, for rebelling against God (Isaiah 14:12-15). These roamed the lower heaven: our physical universe including the earth. In their innocent state, Adam and Eve had dominion over everything except Satan. Satan enticed them into rebelling against God by breaking the one rule God had set for them, “do not eat of the fruit of this tree”. In so doing, mankind relinquished dominion over the earth to Satan and brought upon themselves death.
The New Chewie
Cochise and Blondie were adopted years ago and are full time members of our family who live in our home. They are very good dogs. So good that we give them toys and chewies to occupy them when they are inside (and not sleeping). Blondie has a whole basket of them on the fireplace hearth. Cochise is welcome to make selections from it as well when he wants to but generally, he’s not too interested in anything he can’t eat. Blondie likes to chew, so we refer to it as Blondie’s toy basket.
When padawan learner dogs get enough Good Dog points, they begin coming into our house for visits. Then for over-nights. Then for whole weekends. If they do well, they are invited to move in and stay until their turn comes on the Rolling Rescue bus.
Lupa is our most recent house guest. She did very well and progressed quickly. Her only issue is that she likes to take all of the chewie toys out of the basket, one by one, and carry them to her blanket to chew them. All of them: leaving nothing for Blondie. Blondie is kind and patient (and we sneak one or two back for her when Lupa returns to the basket).
Marie decided to buy Lupa a chewie toy all her own. Maybe she would not be so fixated on Blondie’s toys if she had one of her own to keep in her crate or bring out and chew on her blanket.
Of course, that initiated … issues. Continue reading “The New Chewie”
Riding in the Internet Fast Lane
Please note: this article has been resurrected from many years ago. Service and reliability of the companies discussed may have changed since them… but I doubt it. This is offered as a humorous adventure story, not as a commentary or review of these firms.
We have been looking, longingly, at high speed internet deals for over a year now. The trouble is that there really are few viable options available to us here on our mountain side. DSL is not available and will not be available anytime in the foreseeable future, according to AT&T. There is one local wireless internet company, but they say their towers are at capacity and are not accepting new clients. That leaves satellite, cell phone or cable.
My research indicates that satellite service is not especially reliable (or affordable) in locations such as ours – trees block the signal, or more accurately, moisture in the leaves of trees block the signal as do clouds and fog. We live in a forest. The Great Smoky Mountains are famous for the fog and mists that rest on our mountain overnight. Some are lazy and refuse to get up and fly way at the crack of dawn, so atmospheric water content is an issue especially for sending (uploading) which is most of what I do here. That leaves cell phone or cable.
To be honest, I’m afraid of cell phone companies. I know too many people who complain loud and long about their cell phone bills and the way they were duped into a two year (or more) contract for services that don’t work well. Air time is expensive, and the internet is a major player in our household and business. No, I don’t think a cellular account would suit us at all. That leaves cable. Continue reading “Riding in the Internet Fast Lane”
The Dispensation of Grace
The Word of God is divided into two major sections: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The major difference between them is the way God approaches His people.
In the Old Testament, God singles out a family and builds it into a nation that is to be devoted to Him. In the New Testament, God offers a relationship with Him to everyone.
In the Old Testament, God’s favor was earned through obedience to The Law: a complex system of 613 rules. In the New Testament God’s favor is granted through accepting one condition.
In the Old Testament, keeping God’s favor was done by earning it: obeying the rules and making sacrifices as prescribed. In the New Testament, God’s favor cannot be earned, it is a free gift given to those who will believe.
In the Old Testament, the reward of God’s favor was an abundant life on Earth, in the New Testament the reward of God’s favor is eternal life with God.
In the Old Testament God’s people were (primarily) born into this standing. In the New Testament God’s people become such by seeking God regardless of their birthplace.
The Old Testament is all about The Law, the New Testament is all about grace. Continue reading “The Dispensation of Grace”
Are You Out of Your Mind?
A couple of weekends ago Marie and I went to tour a show home in an exclusive gated community of Asheville North Carolina. Not because we had any desire or aspiration of owning a home there; at prices of between 1.5 and 4 million dollars per home these were way (way, way) out of our financial reach. We went because this particular show home was built with a lot of “green” building techniques, used reclaimed and Earth-friendly materials and was furnished entirely with furniture and art works provided by local artists. This last point was our main interest, but seeing the latest techniques of “green” building is interesting too.
Nearly all of the furniture displayed was quite beautiful, and very well made. One particularly striking piece of furniture was this secretary desk. I was impressed by the careful attention to detail in its construction, the French Walnut veneer and the absolutely flawless finish. Marie looked in the guide book to see who had made it and what the price tag was. I fell right out of my shoes when she said that the price was $52,000.00! No, that’s not a misprint. My initial reaction was to think, “Are you out of your mind!?” I know that “Art Furniture” carries with it a high price tag but Fifty Two THOUSAND dollars? As I was putting my shoes back on I wondered how long something like that has to travel around the country being displayed before it strikes the fancy of someone with deep enough pockets that the price tag seems reasonable.
Probably not as long as I might imagine. Just because it is way out of my range doesn’t mean someone else won’t snap it right up, maybe one of the folks living in those multi-million dollar homes. And I’m sure a lot of long hours were put into building it. The finish alone probably took weeks. It must be nice to be able to say that your work can command such a price tag. I will never know that feeling, or so I thought. Continue reading “Are You Out of Your Mind?”
Feelings and Faith
I once worked with a young woman who was a member of an emotional church. They did a lot of shouting affirmations at the preacher as he spoke and hooting and yelling “as the spirit moved them”. As they left the service, they often spoke of how they “really felt the spirit today”.
I found such experiences unsettling. They obviously enjoyed it, and so that’s fine for them. But there is a danger here.
This young woman once said to me “I need to be saved again.”
You need to be saved a second time? Why?”
“Oh, no; this will be the fourth time.”
Her explanation was that she no longer felt The Spirit working in her life, so she must have lost it and needs to be saved again to get it back. I tried to explain that this is not how it works, but she was adamant. “I need that feeling again!”
E-Cigarettes Can Give PCs Cancer
My twin brother by another mother, Mike, sent me the following update about e-cigarettes.
“Oh, I just read that the new e-cigarette can give a PC a virus. They need to be charged up to make the vapor stuff, and they charge via USB. And most are made in China, so the charger has a built-in virus. Nice of them, no extra charge. No pun intended. Anyway, now smoking fake cigarettes can be harmful to your PC.”
Mike knows this stuff: he’s a certified network engineer and a security specialist. He keeps up with all the current threats. I went looking for details.
A story on social news site Reddit says that at least one “vaper” has reported the downside of trusting their e-cigarette manufacturer. An executive discovered a malware infection on his office computer. The source could not be determined. After all traditional sources of infection were investigated the I.T. department started looking into other possibilities. Continue reading “E-Cigarettes Can Give PCs Cancer”
Encountering Collard Greens
I have for many years been aware that collard greens are a staple food here in the south. Even when we lived in St. Louis we had friends who swore chitterlings (or as they pronounced it, “chitlins”) and collard greens were the food of the gods, and invited us over to try some on several occasions. I knew what chitterlings were and had no desire to eat them – despite the fact that I do enjoy natural casing sausages. Somehow there was, at least in my mind, a world of difference between a kielbasa and a pile of guts on a plate. I assumed that collard greens were similar to chard, kale or beet tops: all of which I have grown, cooked and enjoyed.
While having our monthly Dinner on the Ground (indoors) Feast and Fellowship at church this past weekend, a fellow gardener was commenting how his collard greens had just gone crazy this year: They were still growing strong despite it being November and us having already had one hard frost. He didn’t know what to do with them all. He looked at us with hope and expectation in his eyes, “Would we like some?”
Marie said, “Sure: we like greens, we eat them all the time.”
“Great! I’ll go get you some,” and he ran for the door.
I called after him, trying to say that he didn’t need to do it NOW … but he was already out of range. The man was obviously desperate!
Big Box Blues
In my travels I have come across many perfectly delightful old fashioned hardware stores; you know – wooden floors that creak when you walk across them, narrow aisles, with tall shelves, each just packed with all manner of hardware treasures, and a cavern-like back room where only the staff may go to ferret out something extra special for you. Most places I’ve lived have had at least one such store to serve me – if I look hard enough for it.
Where we live now is no exception. Wilton Springs Hardware is one such store. It sits out in the middle of nowhere along a lonely two lane road. Not a big place, but chock full of things I need and staffed by folks who actually know their trade. I am particularly grateful for the staff’s knowledge of plumbing supplies – a plumber I am not! But I occasionally have to put on my plumber hat and pretend. No matter what kind of Rube Goldberg conglomeration I take in to show them, they find a way to cobble together stock parts to fix or replace it. Continue reading “Big Box Blues”
James and the Unbridled Tongue
A good portion of the book of James is devoted to the damage (to others and to ourselves) that can be done by an unbridled tongue. Let’s look as these.
But first, what exactly do we mean by “unbridled”? A bridle is a device that is placed over the face of an animal in order to steer the animal while we ride either the animal or a conveyance being pulled by the animal. In general, an unbridled horse, camel, llama, ox, dog, etcetera cannot be steered and will therefore wander about as it pleases. Rarely will that in in the direction we want to go. In like manner, an unbridled tongue is one over which you have little or no conscious control: it (you) will blurt out all manner of hurtful, insulting things with very little thought of the harm it may do to others, or the impact it has on the opinion others hold of you. In all cases this lesson is referring to believers, and especially believers talking about other believers – although some is about our speech in general.
26 If anyone among you[b] thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. James 1:26
Continue reading “James and the Unbridled Tongue”