Free-for-All Friday

There Is No Place Like . . . Israel

From Omaha World Herald (1/15):  "'McJesus' sculpture shocks Israel's Christians. An art exhibit in Israel featuring a crucified Ronald McDonald has sparked protests by the country's Arab Christian minority . . . Christian leaders asked a court MON to remove the exhibit's most offensive items, including Barbie doll renditions of a bloodied Jesus & the Virgin Mary. The exhibit is intended to criticize what many view as society' cult-like worship of capitalism. Which is exactly what comes to mind at the image of a crucified Ronald McDonald & Barbie boll renditions of a bloodied Jesus & the Virgin Mary.

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest (Dec/Jan. '18-19)

"It's a good thing snakes & dogs don't interbreed.Nobody wants a loyal snake."

"Car commercials grossly overestimate how much time I spend driving around in the desert."

What's New?

"What's new? It's a common question, especially when we are greeting someone we haven't seen for a while. We are looking for news--new information about events & people that impact their lives. Sometimes the response is something like 'Oh, you know, same old, same old.' Sometimes in this world 'new' is expressed in terms of loss & brokenness:  the new reality of living with disease or facing a new day without someone we loved so very much. Sometimes new isn't wanted or welcomed.
        "As disciples of our Savior Jesus, we can answer the question 'What's new?' by reflecting on His work in our lives. We can share about God's new mercies to us each day (Lam. 3:22); His work of making us new creations (2 Cor. 5:17); the new song He gives us of His redemption in Jesus (Ps. 96:1); even the new commandment we have been given to love others in the same way that He has loved us (Luke 1:78). Alright, launching into all of this might be going a big overboard for a brief conversation or chance meeting, but hopefully you get the idea. We experience new life & hope each day through the promises of our God of grace." *
* From "On the Move," by Phil Johnson, The Lutheran Layman (Jan/Feb 2019) 

Political Potpourri

I'm sure you've been waiting patiently for me to comment re:  the government shutdown. Well, here goes.

•  Border security is a must. Border insecurity has been the rule for too long.
• Democrats would gain some credibility with me, if they would acknowledge this.
• If a wall is so bad, what's a logical alternative that both sides could agree on?
• I'm distressed to see that garbage & fighting in National Parks have been escalating.
• How come our government has so many "non-essential" workers?
• The longer this goes on, the more it seems like posturing by both sides of the aisle.
• Both sides seem to think that compromise means giving in completely to their demands.
• If congressmen had any integrity at all, they would forego their paychecks, as Don Bacon from Nebraska has done, until the shutdown has ended.
• The SOTU address could get ugly.