Free-for-All Friday

Destructive Colleges

"Most Americans are not aware how morally & intellectually destructive American colleges--and, increasingly, high schools & even elementary schools--have become. So, they spend tens of thousands of after-tax dollars to end their son & daughters to college. But today, to send your child to college is to play Russian roulette with their values. There is a good chance your child will return from college alienated from you, from America, from Western civilization & from whatever expression of any Bible-based religion in which you raised your child." [Dennis Prager, Townhall, 5/21]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* courtesy of Reader's Digest, May 2019

"My snack got lost in my purse, so I guess I'm on a diet now."

"A poll taken of college students found that their first choice for president is Joe Biden & their second choice is Bernie Sanders. Apparently, college students are excited to not show up to vote for either one." [Conan, late laughs, Norfolk Daily News, 5/17]

Criminal Minds

• "102-year-old woman suspected of killing 92-year-old neighbor." [Drudge Report, 5/24]
• "Video shows employee bathing in Wendy's kitchen sink." [Drudge, 5/24]

Political Potpourri

"The media are dominated by progressive snobs, & condescending elitism is what they do best. Then they wonder why the rubes in the red states refuse to genuflect in their presence." [Brent Bozell & Tim Graham, mrcNewsbusters, 5/22]

" . . . American culture is the envy of the world. Not only was this wonderful culture created by white Western Europeans, but merely asking immigrants to assimilate to it is generally considered a hate crime." [Ann Coulter, Drudge, 5/22]

"Generational pride is the cheapest form of identity politics."  [Jonah Goldberg, Drudge, 5/24]

Free for All

"'Like' is in our language like a weed. I know young people who cannot go five words--not five words without 'like.' Parodying this, Barbara J. Fields, the Columbia University historian, wrote, 'Jesus, like, wept.'"  [Jay Nordlinger, National Review Online, 5/24]

"STUDY:  Religious couples have happier marriages" [Drudge, 5/22]

"Young people blame 'climate change' for their small savings" [Drudge, 5/24]

Whatever WED: Special THU edition!

It had been over 4 years since I've had a kidney stone attack. That streak ended earlier this week.

On TUE evening I began experiencing a dull ache on my left back side, reminiscent of previous kidney stone attacks. The pain got progressively worse, & eventually I took a hydrocodone at 3:00a yesterday morning, which enabled me to get a few hours of sleep.

When I got up yesterday (WED) morning, the pain was still there. I called my urologist's office but was told to go to the emergency room. Lois took me there around 9:00a yesterday morning.

I received a pain-killer & had a CT scan. The pain-killer did it's work. The CT scan revealed that the kidney stone had dropped into my bladder. Before I left the ER, I passed the stone. [If you must know, it was quite a bit bigger than any earlier stone I've passed.]
I got home around noon & spent the rest of the day taking it easy.

The CT scan also revealed kidney stones in both kidneys, so I will be visiting my urologist a week from MON. I anticipate x-rays which will confirm the presence of stones. I also anticipate that I will have to have these stone pulverized.

I've had worse kidney stone attacks. The last time I had one, I ended up in the hospital for several days. Still, it was no fun. Let the streak start over!

Road Trips

Tomorrow we'll travel to Eagan, MN, to visit my son Nathan, Laura, & 3-year-old Calvin. We are looking forward to it very much. On MON we're headed to Garrison to visit my brother Mark & his wife Christy.

Next month we're taking 3 of our grand-kids "glamping" at Platte River State Park, which is off I-80, between Lincoln & Omaha. We're having a family reunion in Omaha the last weekend of the month.

A Right to Choose?

I hesitate to write about abortion because, frankly, the topic depresses me. Since Roe v. Wade became the law of the land in 1973, it's estimated that 60 million abortions have been performed in this country. Let that sink in. 60 million abortions in 46 years. If 60 million lives had been lost for any other reason, public outrage would, in my opinion, be uncontained.

And let there be no mistake. An unborn baby is a human life. It is not a blog of tissue. It is biologically distinct from the mother. An abortion ends the life of a human being, regardless of the stage of pregnancy.

As I read one of my devotional books this morning, Martin Luther Day by Day in Genesis, I was struck by this sentence.

     "Therefore we are officers of the state or private citizens, we should of
     one accord oppose sins, lest the wrath of God come upon us and we all
     be consumer together."

Abortion is sin. It is mankind playing God, deciding who is worthy to live & who is not. Calling abortion murder tends to be "fighting words," but isn't aborting an unborn baby an act of murder.

It sounds reasonable to permit abortion when the mother's health is endangered. I believe that when a pregnancy could result in the death of both the mother & the unborn baby, such as an ectopic pregnancy. aborting the baby is a tragic but justifiable action.

However, courts have decided that the health of a mother can include mental health issues, allowing the emotions of a mother to permit an abortion.

Truth be told, too many times a baby is aborted because it's an inconvenience. This has nothing to do with the health of the mother.

Pro-abortion advocates promote abortion when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. First of all, it's estimate that these cases comprise barely 1% of pregnancies. Secondly, aborting the baby in these cases is killing the child through no fault of his or her own.

It is disingenuous for people to call themselves pro-choice when the unborn child has no choice. The argument that one is personally opposed to abortion but supports the rights of others to make this choice is a false dichotomy.

One of the reasons that abortion depresses me is that I feel so helpless in opposing it. I don't condemn women who have an abortion because they feel backed into a corner. Rather, I condemn those who promote abortion, those who campaign for abortion rights, those who "force" women to abort their babies, & those who profit from it, such as Planned Parenthood.

What's a pro-life person to do against overwhelming odds?

• Pray for the abortion holocaust to end.
• Pray for laws that encourage women to have their babies.
• Speak out against those who promote abortion.
• Personally witness against it when given the opportunity.

I realize that this post is rather gloomy. I don't want to rain on your Monday parade, but one reason I blog is for the sake of my own mental health. I felt convicted to share these thoughts today. I hope they make a difference.

Real Singing

"Christ's Church sings. It has been so from the beginning of time & will remain so unto the end of time. The Lord Himself is our song, & the Church sings because God sings with us.

"It has been shown time & again that singing & making music benefit humankind physically, mentally & emotionally Singing is also a tremendous tool for teaching, one which Luther himself used to teach the faith. But singing together offers another, perhaps even more valuable, benefit to the Church:  It allows us to create community by blending our individual voices & experiences into one harmonious expression.

"Singing is perhaps the most profoundly personal form of music making, because the sound emerges deep from within oneself. Yet while there is certainly benefit to solo singing as a means of self-expression, the act of singing together as with one voice allows us to rejoice with those who rejoice, & to weep with those who weep. That moment when many breaths are taken in unison with one another reminds us that we are not alone on our journey--that others are joining with us in our celebrations, hopes, trials & fears. That moment when many vocal cords emit a collective sound helps us see & hear ourselves as part of the larger community of our shared humanity & faith.

"This is admittedly aa very different kind of singing than is prominent in our current culture. In an age that has given us easy access to prerecorded music with the click of a button, we have become content to let others make music for us rather than making it ourselves. In a world that showers solo artists with fame & fortune, we have lost our ability to appreciate music making where no one person is the star. In an era when any recorded performance can be manipulated with effects processors & auto-tune, we have become intolerant of music that is less than perfect.

"But community singing is not intended to be perfect. It isn't about money or personal glory. Some community singing will be better, some worse. But the product in every instance is real, genuine music, made by ordinary people, born out of common experiences. As composer Charles Ives once quipped:  'Don't pay too much attention to the notes. If you do, you may miss the music.'"

--"Singing in Community," Dr. Jeffrey Biersch, The Lutheran Witness, March 2019

Suspenseful Saturday

Lois survived her last week of teaching. Thursday was her last day in the classroom. I take that back. Now comes the tasks of finishing report cards & portfolios & cleaning out her room. Yesterday she had a couple of teachers drop by to pick up some of her materials, of which there is a plethora. The teacher who is replacing her also met with her. Today she's headed to school to finish report cards, clear the west wall, & clean out a set of cabinets. Her goal is to have everything finished by the time we leave for MN this Friday.

We'll be making our annual Memorial weekend visit to Nathan & Laura's. On Memorial Day we're traveling to IA, where we'll spend a few days with Mark (my brother) & Christy.

I spent the better part of the week in Lincoln. Brianna had her spring concert on Tuesday night. On Wednesday morning Sarah & I attended the awards ceremony & chapel at Trinity Lutheran. It was Hadley's last day. Then we did lunch at Subway. Hadley wanted to have a date with Papa & grudgingly allowed Sarah to join us. On Friday I had a Gamblers Assistance Commission mtg. Then I drove home & mowed the front yard. My goal today is to mow the back yard.

Monday I get to visit an endodentist(?) for a consultation. I have an abscessed molar, which will probably result in a root canal & crown. I may need to have a root canal redone on the tooth next to it, too. Yay.

There Is No Place Like . . . Austria

"Austrians told to stop French-kissing cows . . . " [Drudge Report, 5/18]

Criminal Minds

"Anger over 2-hour wait erupts into brawl at sushi restaurant . . . " [Drudge 5/16]

Well, Duh

"STUDY: Men think about sports more than sex . . . " [Drudge 5/15]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* courtesy of Reader's Digest, April 2019

"I ordered a bed from IKEa, & they sent me a tree trunk & a saw."

A Celebration of Ministry

This THU 5/16 will bring to the end a career in Christian education for my wife Lois. After graduating from Concordia River Forest in 1977, she taught at Grace English Lutheran School in Chicago. After we moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1980, she taught off-and-on at Trinity Lutheran School until we moved to Hawaii in 1993. She taught at Our Savior Lutheran School in Aiea from 1993-1997. Since 1997, she has taught at Christ Lutheran School in Norfolk, NE.

If you're keeping track, that's 38+ years in Christian education, including 22 years at Christ Lutheran. 

She is truly the Christian educator in our home. Her love for her students is obvious. Her commitment to her ministry is always evident. Many days she worked at school until 5:00 p.m. She brought home paperwork & worked at it for another hour or two. Her Sunday routine has included several hours at school after church, preparing for the week ahead.

She has served as a leader in the primary grades at CLS, & most recently served on the Steering Committee for Re-Accreditation. She's also serving on a Call Committee to help select the first grade teacher who will follow her.

She has been a role model for not only her students but her peers, as well.

I'm not sure what to title this post. Her modesty would seem to preclude a title like "A Tribute to Lois" or "The End of an Era," although either title, in my opinion, is appropriate.

I'll settle for "A Celebration of Ministry," because the schools where she's served have been faithfully & excellently serve by one who has been blessed to be a blessing to her students, their parents, & her fellow faculty & staff. It's proper to celebrate the Lord who has so richly blessed these schools & her ministry.

I'm proud of her service. No doubt she will be missed. I give thanks to the Lord for enabling Lois to be such a blessing, & I pray that the Lord would continue to bless her richly as she considers her plans for retirement.

War...Fraud...More War...Government

War on Children

"The Left's war on children is by no means restricted to the project of maximizing the scope of opportunity to surgically dismember them prior to birth, preferably at public expense. From radical feminists to radical environmentalists to academics & such mainstream figures such as Bill Nye, the word has come down:  Children are not the future, but the future's enemies." ["The Case for Being Born," Kevin Williamson, National Review Online, 5/12]

A Fraudulent Projection

"The Russian counterintelligence probe, based on the fraudulent projection of a Trump-Putin conspiracy, was always a pretext to conduct a criminal investigation despite the absence of a predicate crime. The criminal investigation, in turn, was always a pretext for congressional impeachment chatter. And congressional impeachment chatter is a pretext for the real agenda:  Making Trump an ineffective president now, & an unre-electable president 18 months from now." ["Russiagate . . . " Andrew McCarthy, NRO, 5/11]

War on Christians

"From Christian bakers being targeted, the ongoing war on Chick-fil-A, & even local politicians mocking these praying outside of a Planned Parenthood facility, it's not shocking that in the most liberal parts of the country--being a person of faith, especially if you're a Christian, will lead to a brutal thrashing . . . " [Matt, Vespa, Townhall, 5/12]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* Reader's Digest, April 2019

• "My husband is so good at home repairs that they have a special VIP area for him in the emergency room."
• "Please don't come to my garage sale if you've ever let me borrow something."

Of Civil Government  

"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, & those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right & he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." (Romans 13:1-4) *
* From Table of Duties, Lutheran Book of Prayer, Concordia Publishing House, 2005

Free-for-All Friday

Free for All

"Average American hasn't made new friend in 5 years . . . " [Drudge Report, 5/10]

"Behold, America:  The F-bomb has officially entered the realm of the hopelessly banal. Who knows? Perhaps if we're lucky Americans will get bored with using it--and that might just save us all." ["The Banality of the F-Bomb," Health Wilhelm, NRO 5/9]

Political Potpourri

"The Democratic party's current war on Attorney General William Barr is one of the most misguided, misplaced bursts of outrage that I've seen during the first term of the Trump administration. Barr protected the Mueller investigation, he went above & beyond legal requirements to release Mueller's report to the public, & he has offered to congressional leaders far more details about the investigation than are publicly available. Yet now he's subject to congressional contempt proceedings? This is nonsense." ["Against the Persecution of Bill Barr," David French, NRO 5/9]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest, Apr 2019]

"A doctor walks into the examining room & puts his hand on his patient's shoulder. 'I'm afraid that I have some bad news. You're dying, & you don't have much time left.' 'Oh no!' says the patient. 'How long do I have to live?' 'Ten,' says the doctor. 'Ten?' cries the panicked patient. 'Ten what? Days? Weeks? Months?' The doctor calmly replies, 'Nine ...'"

"A man is driving home from work when his wife calls him on his cell phone. 'Phil!' she shouts in a panic, 'Please be careful! I just heard that some lunatic is driving the wrong way on Rout 80.' 'You won't believe it, Doris, he replies. 'It's not just one car; it's hundreds of them!'"

Fellowship + Promises

FELLOWSHIP

"When people share life & depend on each other, that's fellowship. Rather than valuing privacy & independence, biblical fellowship is made possible by a bond of self-giving love. This love is on display in the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus. By the power of His resurrection, the Holy Spirit poured this love into our hearts (Rom. 5:1-8). By His sacrifice, Jesus created a bond of love strong enough to unite people across nations & languages, bridging generations & cultures." ["One Platter," Michael Zeigler, The Lutheran Layman, May-June 2019]

GOSPEL PROMISES

“Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You.” Ps. 143:2

“But I encourage myself with this hope alone, that in the Gospel I see that solace has been promised to the contrite, hope to the despairing, & heaven to those who have been put into hell; & the fact that the Son of God, without our knowledge, offered Himself for us to God the Father, His Father, on the altar of the cross, is sure proof of this hope.” [Martin Luther Psalm by Psalm, Concordia Publishing House, 2017.]

Lois is down to her last 6 1/2 days of teaching. I'm happy for her.

Criminal Minds

"Cops to FL woman: 'Do you have anything else?' She pulled a gator from her pants." [Drudge Report, 5/7] This also qualifies for "There Is No Place Like . . . Florida.

There Is No Place Like . . . California

"Sharks as big a yachts spotted off CA after 30 year absence" [Drudge 5/7]

Whatever

"Average person mired in boredom 131 days a year" [Drudge 5/8]

America

"America is sometimes painted as a hellscape, by Left & Right--a place where no one can get a fair shake. But America is a pretty good place in which to exist. You don't have to be Betsy Ross or Norman Rockwell to appreciate that." [Jay Nordlinger, National Review Online 5/7]

Mental Health Monday

I think I'm suffering from over-medication. I'm having more trouble focusing. I experience more fuzzy thinking. I'm also suffering from a serious case of writer's bloc, although this may or may not be related. I'm on 3 psychotropic meds, & I wonder if that's too many. Fortunately I see my Nurse Practitioner next week, & we can discuss what's going on.

Moose Poop

"Traveler tells TSA bag full of moose poop is for politicians." [Drudge Report, 5/2]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest, April 2019

Great Parenting Blogs Through History

• "14 Ways the Wheel is Making Our Kids Lazy"
• "Managing Scream Time: Are We Letting Our Kids Watch Too Many Gory Gladiator Matches?"
• "Overcoming Disappointment When Your Child's Crusade Fails."
• "While Switching to the Gregorian Calendar, Don't Forget to Schedule Some 'Me' Time"

Assaults on Faith

"Of all the sad things we have witnessed over the last 25 years, the saddest has been the decline of faith among the American people. Perhaps it is the effects of our growing affluence. Maybe it results from the daily assaults on faith by the Left & their parrots in the media. The demeaning character assassination of people of faith certainly takes its toll. With the unrelenting pounding of the waves, the rock has been worn down." ["Those Men of Faith," Gil Guteknetcht, Townhall, 5/5]

Being in the World

"The difference between being in the world & being of the world finally comes down to being in Christ. However they live, whatever they do, wherever they go. Christians are in Christ. They belong to Him. They follow Him. They learn to look & act like Him. They never hide or deny their Lord in a foolish, faithless attempt to fit into or look more like the world. That cannot happen. Yet because they belong to Christ & follow Him, they also will never turn their backs on the world that He created & then died to redeem & restore." ["In Christ & in the World," Rev. Joel Biermann, The Lutheran Witness, March 2019]

Whimsical Wednesday

Whimsy

"Oxford professor claims aliens are already breeding with humans on earth." [Drudge Report, 4/24]

"Motorcyclist crashes while flipping off woman on highway." [Drudge 5/1]

Dept. of Shameless Joke-Stealing

"Are you aware that all jobs require you to do things you'd rather not do? That's why they have to pay you." ["The Tao of Dilbert," Reader's Digest, Apr 2019]

Resolutions Check

Here's a progress report re:  my New Year's resolutions. I realize that this may not interest you, but I blog for myself as much as I blog for others.

• Not to read any partisan diatribes re: the 2020 elections. It's getting harder, but I'm generally managing to avoid them.
• Lose 10 lbs. Only 15 lbs to go.
• Add to our list of National Park visits & cross something off our bucket list. I have to wait until September when we'll visit Teddy Roosevelt & Glacier National Parks. [We've already made all of our lodging reservations.]
• Treat Sammy with more patience. I'd give myself a C+/B-.
• Help put out all our Christmas decorations. I have to wait until November.
• Work out at least 3X per week. I've been averaging 1-2 times per week. [I include mowing the lawn as a workout.]
• Continue spending an hour or so in 'quiet time' each day. I'd give myself an A-.
• Write a devotion book for the 2019 Orphan Grain Train Convention. I've written 3 potential books but haven't shared them with my "editors" yet.
• Receive a DNA report from Ancestry.com. I submitted a DNA sample at the end of December 2018. I'm reconciled to the fact that my sample must have been lost or flawed.