Titus 1:1

This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.

This Epistle to Titus was written A.D. 66. This week there is one difference we will mention. The two letters to Timothy and now this one to Titus can be viewed as Pastoral Epistles and are intended to encourage the brothers in the faith. Titus, was left in Crete to lead the church which Paul had established on one of his missionary journeys. Paul instructs Titus as to the qualifications to look for in leaders for this church. Titus 1:12 is an interesting verse… Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, ‘The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.’  Paul has graciously warned Titus of these people. Paul always sought ways to encourage Titus and the others as the worked and grew in the faith. Paul shares this with the younger Titus… Titus 3:3-6, “At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.”

I find it interesting how Paul ties everything together as he mentors these young leaders upon whom the future of the church is dependent. Instead of just pointing fingers Paul names and points out the shortcomings of those who would rebel, decide or claim certain aspects of the battle they are fighting. Titus and the other leaders must be on guard against the Judaizers, those who sought to add works to the gift of grace which produces salvation. The simple way to explain this would be to point out that their claim, circumcision and adherence to the rituals and ceremonies of the Mosaic Law were still necessary  Titus 1:10-11 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. In Pauls mind this was wrong, in my mind simply put they were saying “you have to be a Jew first, before you are accepted here” bit harsh on my part but that is how I read it. Paul seeks to lead us to the understanding that we must learn how to live a life that is pleasing to our Lord. We should avoid those things that strive to imitate the good way. Paul writes…Titus 1:16 “They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good”  Every day we must stand strong in “The Faith” by renewing our minds through the way we live and the guidance of The Holy Spirit.

Philemon…

Philemon 1:1

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker—

The Book of Philemon was written in approximately A. D. 60. An unusual book in a couple of ways. First of all it is the shortest of all Paul’s writings…335 words. Second it deals with slavery, which was a prevalent practice at that time. Philemon was a slave owner who had heard Paul’s preaching and had become a Christian. The tone of the letter implies that Paul was in prison at the time it was written. Onesimus was the slave who’s actions were the the subject of the letter. Onesimus robbed his master, Philemon, and ran away, making his way to Rome and to Paul. It is thought that over time Paul had visited Philemon’s home and had come into contact with Onesimus. One other interesting fact is that even though Philemon was a slave owner he also hosted a church in his home. Because of Paul’s witnessing to him it appears that both Philemon and Onesimus had become a Christian. Paul appeals to Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ. Consider this…Onesimus had run away and had found Paul in Rome…Paul was now in prison but the one thing that remained true was, Onesimus was still a slave and he was the property of Paul’s friend Philemon. Paul’s request was simple…Paul wanted Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother in Christ and not merely as a slave.

Here we are introduced to a new way of thinking… There is the attribute of accountability and responsibility. This book puts the spotlight on the difference between law and grace…the covenant of grace between Jesus Christ and those who believe. When everything has been said and done, Paul had sent Onesimus back to Philemon with the promise of retribution for property and monies taken from him. The only request Paul made was that as a friend and brother in the faith of both men was that Philemon accept Onesimus back as a brother in the faith and consider that in his judgement of him. The truth is we all we be called to answer to God for our actions.

Life is Good

jk 

These two books will complete this series with one exception. My Sunday School Class are is this time working in The Book Of Romans…I will at some future date add that book to this series. This collection of the Pauline books contains 13 books of the New Testament and when I include the book of Romans, they total 32,402 words. Quite a Legacy for the apostle Paul. Thanks to you who have stayed with me and I also must acknowledge a wonderful web site that has been my source of information. Visit them please, they are a great study guide.

gotquestions.org 

Spent most of my day dealing with a mail program problem that was so unusual that it was no surprise that a doodle head like me did not see it… right there in front of me all day. It was my problem but got it corrected late afternoon. When I had a little down time and after some serious pondering I was grateful for the time it occupied me today. Religion and politics are two subjects that can get these rocking chairs on the porch moving fast enough to burn the runners. I try to avoid them both when writing or doing a little porch pondering… because they both tend to encourage debate and you know how I feel about that… someone always has to lose. How you vote is best kept close to your chest and should at least reflect you values… that’s where this voting thing gets a bit personal. Values or Politics… either way one or the other is the loser but which ever way it falls there is a cost. Me, I tend to always vote my values which simply means that between you and me there is a good chance that we won’t be in agreement. Consider this… we live in a world that has forgotten how to disagree and be nice about it. I will vote for God, Family and Church… you can fill in the value factor with that. I was not a fan of President Obama but one thing he did say has stayed with me through the years gone by… “Elections have consequences.” Ponder on that!

Kurt  

1 Timothy was written by Paul in 62-66 A.D. they were written to encourage Timothy in his responsibilities for overseeing the work of the Ephesian church, also other churches in the province of Asia. The letter provides instructions for the ordaining of elders including also ordaining other people in the various offices of the church. It is in simple terms a leadership manual for church organization and administration. One amazing fact is that some of these instructions are part of the churches structure today. We find some verses in this book that encourage and instruct also some that are in this day problematic due to cultural changes over the years. 

1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 3:1-3, “Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.”

1 Timothy 6:12, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

1 Timothy 2:12, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent.”

There are many things to consider about Timothy that perhaps for that day and time stand out. First of all Timothy had been a great help to Paul in his ministry. Timothy was a Greek  and his father was Greek and his mother was a Jew. Paul was more than just a mentor and leader to Timothy, he was like a father to him… 1 Timothy 1:2  I am writing to Timothy, my true son in the faith. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. Paul urges Timothy to be on guard for false teachers and false doctrine. He then writes a great deal about expected pastoral conduct. Paul warns Timothy about false teachers, and the church’s responsibility toward single members, widows, elders, and slaves. Paul shares his concerns about the manner of worship in chapter 2. Paul completes this part of the letter with attention to developing mature leaders for the church (chapter 3). Paul always encourages Timothy to stand firm, to persevere, and to remain true to his calling. I would say to you reading this…Stand Firm In The Faith!  There are things written in this book that defiantly form a pattern of Old Testament writings. Paul continues on to point out that Jesus is a Savior to all that call upon his name, He is the mediator between God and man. For Jesus Christ is Lord of the church and it is Timothy’s task to serve His church. While I am most likely repeating myself but it is plain that Paul’s aim here is to instruct his “son in the faith”, as to the work and ministry of a pastor, the qualifications for an elder.These same qualifications of a deacon are just as important and pertinent today as they were in Timothy’s day. The letter is a template for those who would lead and serve. We must be one body with many responsibility always contending for the faith and avoid false teaching. Every follower must stand firm and persevere.

Book two of Timothy was written while Paul was once again in prison in Rome shortly before he was put to death in A.D. 67. Imprisoned in Rome again, Paul felt lonely and abandoned. How many times when talking to older folks have they expressed the thought that their time was near. Paul recognized that his earthly life was likely coming to an end soon. At this time in his life his greatest concern was to express concern for the churches and specifically for Timothy. Paul used what time he had left to encourage Timothy and others to do two things. To stand strong in the faith and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

2 Timothy 3:14 

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.

 2 Timothy 4:2   

Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.

Paul continues writing to Timothy stressing the importance of remaining passionate for Christ and to remain firm in sound doctrine. He reminds Timothy that he must avoid ungodly beliefs and practices and to flee from anything immoral. Timothy and his followers must be mindful that in the end times there will be both intense persecution and a falling away from the Christian faith. It is important to keep their  eyes on the goal…Live a Godly life in Christ and your reward will be in heaven. We must strive to avoid both false doctrine and ungodly practices.  

 2 Timothy 4:8  

And now the prize awaits me — the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.

 Life is Good

jk

Acronyms  are a large part of our lives today. Seems that more and more people find a sentence in the Kings English requires more time than they are willing to invest. I note that because not since WW2 have we as Americans been assaulted by such a deluge of such proportion of these alphabetical gymnastics. But be that as it may I hope you enjoy your visit to the porch. If you are not 80 yet read this anyhow. Most of us will by this time of life could and will need this advice. I am pretty sure of this because I had a vision…I know it was a vision because I was awake at the time. It was a simple vision but one of great importance to us who have reached this pinnacle of our life. It is easy to remember…Just three letters will get you there. PDC… These three letters will serve you well. P…Prayer… D…Doctor… C…Cops… I pondered on this for a while and it still seemed like a reasonable thought. Now this prayer thing is a definite must. No matter what you think now my friend, we all need God in our lives. Been said, preached and taught about for ever. Why even Jesus prayed every day…The Father our God, creator of all things is understood to be rather fond of prayer. Now that doctor thing. NO way any of us can get by that. It ain’t like the ole days most of the doctors now are specialists. They are now Cardiologist’s, Pulmonary, that’s lungs and such, Neurologists, that is just a few of the specialists, why there are even Doctors that take care of your toes…well now to be fair they can can do the whole foot. The day of the “Doc” at the door with his little black bag… those days are gone. These folks are large part of our life and one other thing about this doctor thing. For many of us 80 or older, a large part of our social life takes place in their waiting rooms. This next one really is for everyone but us old folks love seeing the “the boys in blue.” Remember that phrase of a while back…Who You Gonna Call? They do so much for us and like that guy said on the TV… “It’s Free.” No matter what, where or when they are there for us. If we fall in the park and can’t get up they will come. They can help you across the street, and they can help you get that wheel chair out of spot most rational people would not try to go. I am not making light of any of this… these guys every one of them know CPR not to forget some of them have even delivered a baby! This of course is not a concern of ours. But they do one other thing of great wonderment. They risk their lives to keep us safe…all of us. Well thats it, ponder on that awhile!

Kurt

This week we welcome aboard Silas. It is believed that Paul wrote this Book with the help of Timothy and they were joined by Silas. Silas was a leader in the early church, a fellow missionary with Paul, and a “faithful brother”. He was a Hellenistic Jew who, it seems, was also a Roman citizen . He is also referred to as “Silvanus” in Paul’s Epistles (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 1:1). (Wikipedia)

The book was written in approximately A.D. 50. Paul writes this letter to clear up some misconceptions about the return of Christ and to pass along some instructions about holy living. 

1 Thessalonians 4:14. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. (NLT) We have to deviate from the summary mode here for just a moment. In those days an early Christian Churches continued to grow there were always moments of uncertainty that could cause misunderstanding and division. These verses point to the wisdom of Paul’s leadership and staying on the right path. Consider this: 

“First Thessalonians 4:13–18 represents an important shift in the subject matter of Paul’s letter. Realizing the Thessalonians believers needed further teaching about Jesus’ return (the rapture) and specifically about what happens to Christians who die before Jesus returns, Paul turns to address these vital matters.” (Got Questions) 

It is very clear in biblical writings that Jesus warned that true prophets of God would always be opposed by the unrighteous. Consider these points or key takeaways from this book First Thessalonians. We can have faith and blessed assurance that Christ will come back for us…both the quick and the dead. We also have the assurance that we those in Christ, will not suffer God’s wrath. Paul also instructs us how to walk the Christian life daily.

We continue now with the second book of Thessalonians which was written in A.D. 51-52. Timothy and Silas once again join with Paul to write this book. The Church still had misconceptions about the Day of the Lord. They had drifted from their task and in their moment of lessening faith they had weaken in their resolve to the point they were being persecuted badly. Paul again writes to try and clear up these misconceptions and comfort them in this time of uncertainty. Paul reminds them that they serve a God of justice…so remain strong in the faith, keep up the good work and that God will avenge those who have been giving them grief by giving the persecuted ones relief. 2 Thessalonians 1:6 In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you.(NLT)  Paul goes on to thank them for what they are doing, he prays and explains what will happen on that “Day of The Lord.” Paul then encourages them to stand firm and stay away from those who do not live by the gospel…those not of The Way. Paul refers to Old Testament passages, which confirm and recognize the OT prophets. You may research these yourself. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9 it is in reference to Daniel’s prophecy regarding the “man of sin” (Daniel 7–8).

Like many of these books of the Pauline Epistles 2Thessalonians offers some practical advice we can use in our day and time. There are some explanations of the end times and Paul encourages the people to work hard for what they have and have gained.  2 Thessalonians contains prayers we can pray and are an example for us on how to pray for other believers today. In layman language… “for a sequel it does as well as the 1st book..”

As always, thank you for coming by the “Pew” this week.

Life is Good

jk

Back on the porch again and the weather is like an early summer day. This is where I like to do my pondering and my condition at the moment does not always let me get out here. As we age we do spend some time, some of us learning to accept what we know is one of the rewards of age… death. The book of  Ecclesiastes has a lot to say about the futility of life and the seemingly useless tasks we undertake but the joy of this life overwhelms us in the present…so enjoy, drink and be merry. I will remind you that at the bottom of that glass or bottle is that thing called reality. As some of you know I messed my knee up, the surgery failed and now I am confined to a wheelchair. Before I got to the chair I spent some time in a nursing/rehab facility and it was there that I met William. We had time to talk and get to know something about each other, I couldn’t walk and William was confined to the bed. He was totally unable to do any thing but feed himself and even then they had to raise his bed where he could sit up to eat. He had no family close enough to look after him…he was alone. I won’t say we became friends but for the next two months we each became a little bit of light in an otherwise dark room. Here in this room I learned a lesson that would serve us all well. Now from early conversations I became aware that William was an ole “my daddy and my grandfather were Democrats” and I was a Goldwater-Reagan Republican…nice pairing considering the election was just a few months away. We talked a lot but that’s when I discovered, earnest discussion is far more productive than earnest debate. William was a well educated man, simple folk though but he had a passion for movies. I soon learned his collection included some silent movies and a vast collection of movies in the prime of the movie making era. William soon learned that not only was I interested in what he had to say but enjoyed just letting him educate me in a thing he loved. So here is the “Ponder of the week.” I learned that we all can find common ground even in a small dark room we became a light to each other. But the big takeaway was that we all need to learn the art of Discussion and put aside the need to Debate. Debates demand someone has to win… Discussions only require that we listen. Here is the simple key to it… When we discuss something…we are exchanging ideas, when we debate we are presenting opposing arguments. So ponder this…talk or argue ?

We have a dandy this week, no disrespect to the Gospel intended. Paul with the help of Timothy writes this epistle about A. D. 58-62. This from the NLV…1:1This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. The letter is in part intended to warn Colossians of doctrinal errors and to reset them onto a path of that will encourage their continued growth in Christ. If we break it down into two parts we start with a theological essay in simple words amounts to the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ…or up-town talk…Chirstology. Now Paul sets out to make a point…Jesus was much more than a prophet, a teacher or a godly man. This was God…come down to earth to walk among us. Now Jesus never said “I am God” but there were many other things that he said or did that could only be interpreted as saying and showing that indeed He was. Sometimes we get carried away with phrases  like “The hypostatic union”… using scripture to stand behind it… John 8:58- Jesus answered, ‘I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM! ‘…John 10:30  The Father and I are one.’ Then there is the capper I call it…John 1:14  so the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. Paul takes to task those of the Colossians’ church about their individual life also their home and family as well as their work. Paul continues to stress the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His sufficiency in meeting our needs in every area of our life.

The second half is a mini-ethics course, addressing every area of Christian life. Paul gets on a roll here…He speaks to Christ as being…the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Paul warns of  becoming a captive of a hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on mortal habits and basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. He wraps this dissertation up with…Colossians 3:12-13, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Paul was a man of compassion, his love for God, Christ and word were the strengths along with his unshakeable faith that powered his mission. He understood what it took to follow the “good way.”

Colossians 4:5-6, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”  One mystery we encounter here is that we do not know what was told to Paul, which was the reason for this letter. We do know but  other writings tell us that there was reason to believe that heresy had arisen in Colosse, which endangered the existence of the church and Paul wrote this response to defeat it. Some other things were in play of course. I may repeat myself…so please excuse me, there is so much here. People were denying Jesus’ real and true humanity and not accepting His full deity. I guess you could say that Paul threw some salt in the wound by disputing the “Jewish” emphasis on circumcision and traditions. The heresy could have been from either a mix between Jewish religious reasons and Greek Stoic philosophy. Paul makes it plain that the sufficiency of Christ is all that is needed. Paul was relentless in his view of Jewish legalism in Colossae. So radical was the concept of salvation by grace and those steeped in Old Testament law it provided a constant ground of division. The legalists still insisted on circumcision and was still practiced among some of the Jewish converts. 

There are some books of the Bible that leave no doubt to what displeases God and that might be future fodder for a blog. But for now I will share this with you…From gotquestions.org 

“Good deeds, astrology, occultism and horoscopes do not show us God’s ways. Only Christ does. His will is revealed in His word, His love letter to us; we must get to know it!”

Paul did a great job in this book of showing us “The Christ Way”

Life is Good 

jk

Cold…chilly…fall-ish, I am not sure if that is a word or not but Bill Gates didn’t auto-correct or redline me so I leave it as written. As I have shared with you in past ponders on the back porch, one of my main goals is to take some time to clear my mind a bit. To be frank about just what I mean… to release or dump the things that agitate me. Today’s ponder is not so much about those things and is best described as a WHY?  I have encountered this in other places but never in the church…well that I knew of. When I was working it was considered almost a religious experience and folks were very serious about it. Now some of you might not go back this far. To the best of my memory and don’t hold me to it, it started with the ladies mostly those who had factory jobs, then became a part of Union Agreements and spread from there. When and where and why? I don’t really know. For the ladies at least twice a day, time varied. Wasn’t long before the men followed and expected as much also. If you haven’t guessed yet I writing about that sacred thing known as the break. Picture in your mind, Ross from the Friends TV Show, who thought he was on a break, but wasn’t. Now I see the value of such a thing…a moment to rest and gather your senses, a good thing. Now you had to earn your break and that’s the difference between it and a ponder. All you have to do to take a ponder is do it! So…the ponder of the day. 

First thing is a disclaimer. I am not criticizing but I am asking why? Most of my life has always included Sunday Church and Sunday School. That would be followed by Wednesday evening at church for a worship time of some sort. Now understand this…I did not always make the mid-week service but I did do my best to be there. The trend over the last few years has been the demise of the mid-week service across many denominations and more a time of fellowship, meals and special events within the church. No problem here. But now there is something new, at least in my view and it has been around for a while now. Spring and Fall Break. Give me a beak…good transition there on my part. Now I am just pondering here and that gives me a bit of leeway. You see I feel we need as individuals and society as much of the God Stuff we can get. Let me be clear here…heard that somewhere a while back…These fall and Spring Breaks usually occur during the school year. In some areas the church suspends temporarily, Wednesday evenings activities. Not all churches do this, where I attend we do it. So I do ponder does this help my Blog of a while back that it seems faith has become a convenience thing a little more palatable? I base this on the biblical verse Matthew 22:37-38  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment… Consider this…please note that this is a personal position or thought. Remember the Ponder…WHY? I have always just thought that the character of Ross justifying what he did because “they were on a break!”kinda said to me that Rachael made him a better person when he was with her. Do you think we might be little better person when we are closer to God? Nuff said…Ponder on that for awhile.

Kurt

It is recognized as having been written by the Apostle Paul with some help from Timothy. This book is another of Pauls writings that were written while he was in prison around A.D. 61. In Rome. Paul had earlier converted a jailer and his wife to Christ while being held in a prison in Philippi after he had been freed from that jail. Here now we read that perhaps the the church has grown some as Paul address “bishops (elders) and deacons” (Philippians 1:1). Paul acknowledges the gift of money from the church at Philippi. There is through the words of the Paul a letter written to a group of Christians who were especially close to the heart of Paul. Consider this…Many of you have heard the slogan “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.” We will take a little liberty here…this letter might suggest that help can be found by Keeping God in our hearts, God in the forefront of our Minds and opening that Door to let in the joy of the Lord. Again…This letter was written during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, about thirty years after Christ’s ascension and some ten years after Paul first preached at Philippi. Paul has covered some vast ground and seen much trouble and personal suffering but in his heart there is still a fire burning for the church at Philippi and God’s people there. This letter is possibly one of the more personal letters of Paul.  One commentary breaks Philippians down this way:

Philippians may be divided as follows:

Introduction, 1:1-7

Verses…Rejoicing in Spite of Suffering, 1:8-30

Verses…Rejoicing in Lowly Service, 2:1-30

Verses…Christian’s Faith, Desire, and Expectation, 3:1-21

Verses…A Christian’s Strength: Rejoicing Through Anxiety, 4:1-9

Conclusion, 4:10-23

It has become a Cliché with me… “let’s go beyond the word” by taking a closer look at some of the verses we read here. We will start with Philippians 2:2-4

2.then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

3.Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

4.not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

These timely reminders could easily apply to our churches today and reduce the conflicts in our churches and the christian community overall. Paul rejoices that Christ is being proclaimed. 

Throughout this letter in spite of persecution and imprisonment, the joy of Paul’s love for the word and of God and his fellow christians overcomes all obstacles. 

Philippians 4:8…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

I hope you are enjoying this series and it is my prayer that it will inspire you to come back for the rest of this series…also to make a point of Paul’s writings…the word of God will carry you through the rough times…Remember to do do what you have read in Philippians 4:8… “think about these things.” Stay above the fray, think in a Godly way. 

Life is Good

jk

I am on the porch and what a beautiful day this is! Being confined to this chair is a pain in the …yeah, you know what I am saying and I wish to add that pain is in a literal sense. I try hard to live by Philippians 4:8…in plain speak…Just think about the good things.But it does seem that reality raises its hand and can distract me, more often than not. Then as I write this it crosses my mind that a good dose of reality is what I need… what we all need. Let’s ponder on that for a while. The folks in Georgia, upper east Tennessee, the Carolinas have just been through a tough spate of weather and now Florida which I failed to mention is about to get a rehash of that but in a bigger helping. While folks in the SEC ponder about last weekend…things could be worse… Although I would bet that there is a lot of sack cloth and ashes to be seen after this weekend. Some folks up in Nashville say they have seen a number of flowers and wreaths floating in the Cumberland River…has something to do with of all things some Goal Posts. Now that reality thing…  The middle east is about to burst out in a full blown war, whatever that means…how many people have to die before a tragedy becomes a war. Here at home we have a war but of a different stature. We have a situation where our country has turned a blind eye to the demise of a great country and a great people for the spoils of self indulgence. We are now victims of Politics, Agendas, and self gratification. We have become so confused that we believe our judgement is better than Gods, that our creator was not being open and honest with us. Seems there are more than two genders and we have got that personal pronoun thing wrong…causing a great deal of distress to a lot of people. They have banded together and formed a group, have an agenda. I won’t list them because I won’t get the title right…so I just list them as the alphabet people. I could go on and on and get into a lot more trouble but… How messed up are things? Well I will say this. Pro Football is a good example of the times. Now before you tackle a ball carrier or god forbid a Quarterback…be sure you are aware of the protocol and the courtesy necessary before you attempt such a move. Ponder That!

Life is Good

jk