Mental Health Monday

I seem to be experiencing more anxiety than usual; not really sure why. Symptoms include rapid, shallow breathing & general fatigue. My psychiatric nurse practitioner wants to rule out medical reasons before we decide whether any treatment is necessary. Sigh.


"Airline will warn if sitting next to baby on flight . . . " Drudge 9/27

CRIMINAL MINDS

• Cops:  Woman put meth in bean dip serve to co-workers . . . Drudge 9/27
• 50,000 apples stolen from orchard . . . ditto

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE . . . CALIFORNIA

• Half California voters consider leaving state . . . Drudge 9/28

. . . GERMANY

"Bottoms up, fire's out:  Man puts out flames with beer in Germany. A German motorist is being credited for his quick thinking after his engine caught fire on the Autobahn. He turned to a slightly different foam extinguisher to douse the flames:  bottles of beer . . . Pulling over, the man spotted flames under the hood of his car. He quickly grabbed bottles of beer from a case in his car & quenched the fire. Authorities say the fire department responded, but there was nothing left for them to do." --Norfolk Daily News 9/25

WHAT FINAL GRADE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THESE STUDENTS' PAPERS?

Retired English teacher Tim Clancy collected some insightful quotes from his students' works.

• I would recommend this book because it teaches that prisons aren't as fun as they look on TV.
• Most of the people in Huck Finn are kind of disgusting. They're either drunks or women in bonnets.
• To his dismay, he gets killed.
• If I didn't have to read & write, I would really enjoy English class.

--Reader's Digest, June 2019

IMPEACHMENT

Does impeachment make sense in this case? I can see how Trump’s words and actions could add up to an impeachable offense here, but I don’t think it makes sense to impeach him for it. Impeachment is a political choice, to be made prudentially, and a year before an election, at a time when public trust in government is so dismally low already, and given that it’s pretty clear how such a process would end, impeachment doesn’t look wise. It would be just another performative exercise that undermines everyone involved. --Yuval Levin, National Review Online

HUMAN LIFE

Abortion has always required the acceptance of a lie. For years, the dominant lie was this: “It’s a fetus, not a baby.” Thus, an abortion only terminates a pregnancy, it doesn’t end a life. But then science revealed the truth. Within a few short weeks, this “clump of cells” has fingers and toes, eyes and a nose, a beating heart and a developing brain. This is not a bundle of tissue, but rather a bundle of joy, a life made in the image of God. --James Dobson, Townhall

Thought for Today + Why I Am a Lutheran

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

That is, if God is real, there is something irrational about thinking in terms of an entity that can be manipulated; if there is such a thing as truth, there is something ridiculous about defining it to suit ourselves. But we do this regularly. --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

Why I am a Lutheran, Part II

5. We have the best hymns. Let me just name a few off the top of my head: "A Mighty Fortress," "Thy Strong Word," "Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying," "Salvation Unto Us Has Come," "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," "The Tree of Life" & on the list goes. Plus, need I remind you of the music director of St. Thomas Lutheran Church in Leipzig, a guy by the name of Johann Sebastian Bach? Yeah, we've got that music thing going for us.

6. We embrace Christian freedom. "For freedom Christ has set us free," Paul says in Galatians. "Therefore ... do not submit again to a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1) Lutherans understand, on the one hand, that no amount of fastidious rule-keeping will make us right with God, but only the redemption won for us by Christ--therefore we can enjoy God's gifts with grateful hearts. On the other hand, we understand that this freedom is an opportunity "through love to serve one another" (Gal. 5:13). One can do no better than to quote the Reformer's [Martin Luther] paradoxical formulation in his "Treatise on Christian Freedom": "A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all."

7. We put Jesus front & center. Did I say that already? Well, it bears repeating. Like St. Paul before us, we cling solely to "Jesus Christ & Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:2) as the source of our identity, our common mission--and our joy.

These are just a few of the reasons why I am joyfully Lutheran, & while there are certainly many more I could list, I could also have stopped with the first one. For as our Lord Himself said, "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, & that your joy may be full" (John 15:11). To be fully joyful, & "Joy:fully Lutheran," is simply & solely to be His. --"Seven Reasons to Be 'Joy:Fully Lutheran,'" by Ryan Tinetti, The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2019

Free-for-All Friday

EVOLUTION

It is absurd for the Evolutionist to complain that it is unthinkable for an admittedly unthinkable God to make everything out of nothing, and then pretend that it is more thinkable that nothing should turn itself into everything.  --G.K. Chesterton, Slice of Infinity

PRECEDENTS

I worry the precedents that are being set by Democrats in order to assassinate Trump's character will redefine our political landscape. Open debate is American. Having your own opinion is fine. However, debasing our system of checks and balances by pursuing any and all means to distract the public and embarrass and attack our president are patently un-American. --Armstrong Williams, Townhall

KIDS

Think back to when you were 16 and believed you knew it all. At 18, an adult called me "precocious" (he didn't mean it as a compliment). I had to look up the meaning in a dictionary. It was a humbling experience. As their adolescent brains continue to develop, most teenagers know only what their teachers and textbooks tell them and maybe their parents, if they still listen to them. Science textbooks mostly embrace the climate change scenario, so why wouldn't kids believe what they read and what they're taught?  --Cal Thomas, Townhall

American kids shouldn’t be filled with despair over secular, fake news when they should instead be filled with hope and joyful expectancy of the Good News. --Chris Stigall, Townhall

HUMAN DIGNITY

The Christian faith presents a holistic, pro-life ethic that upholds the dignity and personhood of all people. This is seen in the Bible’s first chapter where it explains that everyone is made in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27). Although theologians debate the exact meaning of this term, at the very least it means that man represents God to the rest of creation in a unique way. Whether through our relational, rational, or volitional abilities (or a combination of the three), we image God to the rest of the world; when the world looks at a human being, they get a glimpse of what God looks like. Obviously, bearing the image of God confers incredible value and dignity on humanity. And this dignity is present in every human being, born and unborn, regardless of perceived utility.

Humanity’s capacity for a personal relationship with God is another indicator of our dignity. Incredibly, this personal relationship begins in utero. The Bible says both Jeremiah and Isaiah are formed and called by God to serve Him as prophets while in their mother’s wombs (Jeremiah 1:4-5 and Isaiah 41:9a). In Psalm 22:10, David says, "On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” And in Job 31:15, Job defends the way he has treated his servants by noting: “Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb.” Job understands that unborn life—his own and his servants’—has great value to God.

Contrary to the recent suggestion made by Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, Indiana where Klopfer performed abortions, the Bible does not teach that life “begins with breath.” Instead, the Bible teaches that unborn children have dignity equal to all other humans and for the same reason—they are created by God in his image. The Bible is clear that life begins in the womb and that unborn children possess intrinsic value by virtue of their creation in God’s image (Psalm 139:13-16).

The Christian worldview teaches that God created each person to reflect him, regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin. The Bible asserts that the orphan, the widow, and the sojourner all possess the same human dignity as anyone else (Deut. 10:17-19). God is the maker of “both the rich and poor”( Prov 22:2). --David Clossen, Townhall

Why I am a Lutheran, Part I

Reasons to be joyfully Lutheran

1. We put Jesus front & center. No church worthy of the name would say that it puts Jesus "back & to the side." And yet, in practice, many do. In the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod [LCMS], Jesus is at the heart of who we are & what we do. The Gospel for us isn't just an appetizer; it's the hors d'oeuvre, main dish & dessert. More than anything else, this is why I am a Lutheran:  because of Jesus.
2. We were protesting before it was cool. Nowadays, everybody & their brother is protesting something. It's become almost avant-garde to accept the status quo. That wasn't always so, however. In the 16th century, few would (or could) stand up to the religio-political machine of the Roman Catholic Church, which was getting rich on the forgiveness business. Luther & his confreres stood on the truth of the Gospel, & we are still reaping the benefits today.
3. We don't throw the baby ou with the bathwater. Many people in Luther's day believed that he didn't go far enough in his reforms; many still do. Why retain the liturgy? Why still celebrate the sacraments? Why keep stained glass? Weren't (and aren't) these things too, well, Catholic? Luther's response by word & deed would be, as the Scripture says, "Test everything; hold fast what is good" (1 Thess. 5:21). Lutherans don't try to pretend that nothing good happened in church history between the time of the apostles & the time of the Reformation. We are ancient & modern; evangelical & catholic; sacramental & biblical--all at the same time. Which reminds me . . . 
4. We relish paradox. Scripture is replete with paradoxes--as as life is. We are tempted to loosen the tension & let logic have the last word rather than God. Human agency or divine grace? Saint or sinner? One God or Three Persons? God or man? The surprising Lutheran answer to all of these questions is, "Yes!" We speak where Scripture speaks & remain silent where Scripture is silent. It's not our job to reconcile things the Bible says that we find confusing. When it comes to making sense of these biblical mysteries, we're called simply to confess what we have received from God.

--"Seven Reasons To Be 'Joy:Fully Lutheran," by Ryan Tinetti, The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2019

Whatever Wednesday

TRENDING *

* Compliment of The Babylon Bee

• Democrats Introduce Debate Strategy of Holding Up Small Children Whenever Their Positions Are Challenged
• Parents All 6-Year-Old Son to Begin Transitioning Into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Per His Wishes
• IRS till Waiting for Liberals to Voluntarily Mail Their Refund Checks Back

COMPLAINING WITHOUT SOLUTIONS

It turns out that complaining without solutions isn't actually useful -- at least if you're interested in solving problems. It's political pandering, designed to make solutions more difficult by adding moral condemnation to political infeasibility. That merely frustrates people with the "system," since such pandering falsely suggests that at the heart of the problem lies cruel apathy -- and apathy directed at crying children -- rather than serious political gridlock. It's divisive, rather than unifying, and polarizing, rather than practical. -- Ben Shapiro, Townhall

YOUNG PEOPLE

Everything is so easy now. The stores are so plentifully supplied. You just go in and buy fruits and vegetables from all over the world." Young people ignorant of history and economics "have a sense that this is the way life has always been. Because they've never been exposed to history, they have no idea that these are recent attainments that come from a very specific economic system." Young people led by the likes of Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez fail to realize that capitalism has "produced this cornucopia around us. But the young seem to believe in having the government run everything, and that the private companies that are doing things for profit around them, and supplying them with goods, will somehow exist forever. --Walter Williams, Townhall

CRUISING

Most cruise ships fly the flag of, say, Panama or Liberia, and they're de facto self-governing. Liberia has no capacity to enforce rules on the 3,000 ships that fly its flag. So a captain is a de facto dictator. Why doesn't he become a tyrant? Because people can choose another cruise line. --John Stossel, Townhall

RHETORICAL BLATHER

The grotesque nature of abortion and the industry that profits from it is routinely hidden by the national press beneath a gauzy layer of rhetorical blather about "a woman's right to choose." It's drummed into the public daily: Abortion is a precious civil right and a sacrament of feminism, never a death, let alone a murder. --L. Brent Bozell, Townhall

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBLITY

This is the ugly truth behind the climate change farce.  Democrats by and large do not so much care about the environment as wanting to be perceived as caring about it. This is why they favor the “all or nothing” approach to reform; which affords them the luxury of not having to make inconvenient lifestyle changes, while pursuing extreme measures cloaked in the message of “reform, or we all die.” When climate activists back up doomsday rhetoric with confetti-laced street dancing, and when their movement’s loudest climate advocates – whether in Washington, DC or Hollywood, California – refuse to lead by example with basic lifestyle changes, what value is there in coming to the table with them to parlay?Instead, conservatives will find more success in taking individual responsibility at the local level for environmental stewardship and conservation. They should continue to support private sector innovation (and policies that foster such innovation) for ways to make our energy consumption cleaner and more efficient; whether that be expanded use of natural gas, ever-cheapening solar energy, or something completely new. --Bob Barr, Townhall

Climate Change + Politics + Journalism

CLIMATE CHANGE

If climate change proves a significant challenge, today’s youth will have more resources and technology to grapple with it than any other generation in the history of mankind. --Rich Lowry, National Review Online

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

How about just five simple commandments to see us through until November 2020?

1. I will not lecture on the evils of gun ownership if I own a handgun or if anyone in my security details carries one. Given Joe Biden’s advice just to rely on a few random blasts of a shotgun on the front porch, perhaps his private security guards could do the same.
2. I pledge not to sermonize on the unfairness of wealth distribution or carbon-emission greed if I own more than one home, and if any of my homes is larger than 2,500 square feet.
3. If I continue to virtue-signal about the Green New Deal, I promise that, from this day forth, I will not fly on a private jet, not own a heated swimming pool or hot tub, not own or ride in an SUV, and not own or use air conditioning. The green future starts now, with me!
4. I swear not to rail about the failure of the public schools in general, the evils of non-union and charter schools, and in particular the asymmetries in the quality of our education system — if I place my own children in private academies and prep schools or if I attended a private school myself.
5. Finally, I will cease pontificating about “white privilege” and “white supremacy” if I live in a nearly all-white, non-diverse neighborhood and my children have ever attended a wealthy, predominately white school.

If our multimillionaire scolds would just adopt these five promises, Americans might at least listen to some of the nonsense they espouse. Otherwise, their debate screeds are mostly virtue-signals intended for their own career advancement, and reflections of their own psychological insecurities about squaring the circle of their wealth and privilege — and how much they think they must feign to feel badly about both.  --Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

CONTEMPORARY JOURNALISM

I remember Brinkley saying, "It is impossible to be objective, so we must try to be fair." Contemporary journalism would greatly benefit from re-visiting that high purpose and restoring some degree of public trust in what used to be called a profession, before major media appeared to lean toward the left and advocate for mostly liberal points of view. --Cal Thomas, Townhall

Joy:fully Lutheran

JOY

"Joy begins with God's love for sinners in His Son, Jesus Christ. The free gift of salvation is joy. And the joy that fills His disciples overflows in praise to God & love for others. This is 'Joy:fully Lutheran.'

"God's people receive the fullness of this joy as the church regularly gathers to hear the Word & receive the Sacraments. The locations may vary--from rural Iowa to the highlands of Papua New Guinea--but the same Lord feeds His church in all nations. No matter the geography of their dwelling, abiding in Christ, the church is full of joy.

"Lutheran schools teach this joy & provide opportunities for children to learn as God's own children. Some congregations invite students from public schools for an after-school time of fellowship around the Word of God.

"Lutherans share the joy of Christ in their service to neighbor. Whether it be through after-school programs or individuals loving through their vocation, the people of the LCMS love with the love they have received from their Heavenly Father. And with that love they share the Savior's joy."  --The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2019

National Parks + Stories + Moral Relativism

BUCKET LIST

Earlier this month Lois & I visited four national parks:  Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, Badlands. It was our first visit to Glacier & Teddy Roosevelt. To date we have visited 13 national parks.

• Arches
• Badlands
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison (technically before it became a NP)
• Glacier
• Grand Teton
• Hawaii Volcanoes
• Lassen Volcanic
• Redwood
• Rocky Mountain (I've been there; Lois hasn't)
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Voyageurs
• Wind Cave (we didn't actually tour the cave)
• Yellowstone

We've visited Badlands at least five times. We've visited Yellowstone twice. Next summer we've booked a trip to Alaska. If all goes well we'll add at least national parks to our list:  Denali & Glacier Bay.

STORIES

The story of the Christian is one that remembers the very first and the very last moments of a rabbi and his disciples—a child born, a teacher present, a meal shared, a lamb revealed, feet washed by one who claimed to be both king and servant. It is a story that invites its hearers into a kingdom entirely different than the many stories before them, connecting them with a God who somehow reigns within a realm that is here and now, and also approaching. In the Lord’s Supper, Christians are literally “taking in” this biblical imagination, which unites followers with Christ in such a way that helps us to live as he lived in a world of stories. --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

MORAL RELATIVISM

The history of the United States is a history of the ebb and flow of ideas. There has even been an ebb and flow in religious practice and faith. By historical standards, America isn’t as religious as it once was, but it’s still far more religious than it has been for much of its history. It remains among one of the most religious developed nations in the world, and its evangelical community may well be the single-most politically and economically powerful distinct religious community on the globe. That means that there remains within this country a truly immense amount of spiritual and moral capital to deal with the advance of despair and the challenge of secularism. It is not “moral relativism” to protect the very structures that permit the church to flourish and grant it wide access American hearts. --David French, National Review Online

Thought for Today

In this sense, we find that fear itself is often born out of love. The great love of a parent toward a child is the very thing that fuels the birth of great fears for this child. Likewise, we fear danger and uncertainty because they threaten the things we love most. Understanding the roots of our fears, we discover the one thing we do not have to fear is fear itself. Rather, perhaps our fears can serve to awaken us, to lead us into deeper knowledge, love, and relationship by tracing fear to the question or uncertainty that lingers behind it. Why am I so fearful of death? Why am I afraid of conflict? Why am I afraid to let people know me? Why am I afraid of feeling powerless? Fear, in this sense, taken off its lofty precipices of uncertainty and examined under a magnifying glass of truth can be a gift that compels us to wisdom, to greater love, even to God.

Years ago, on an evening when national uncertainty was elevated and my own sense of fear was foreboding, I overheard someone singing Amazing Grace, and it seems I heard these familiar words for the first time:

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

What we glimpse in these words is the first moment that the love of God bowls over a soul with love for God, when the grace of the Father moves a heart to fear nothing more than the thought of life without this love, this presence, this gift. This same love reminds us that God is not going anywhere and that nothing in life or death can ever change it. In this world of potential losses, deep cynicism, and fearful circumstances, might we find this perfect love in such a way that casts out lesser fears and draws us even nearer. --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

Road Trip Part II + Human Beings + Anti-Discipline

Road Trip, Part II

Here are a a few more factoids about our recent road trip, which I print simply for my own amusement.

• We experienced two temperature extremes on our recent trip. It got down to 35 degrees in Glacier NP. It was 94 degrees when we drove through the Badlands.
• Re:  national park, we set a PB by visiting four parks:  Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, Badlands. Our previous best was 2 parks, which we did twice. Back in the 80s we visited Redwoods NP & Black Canyon of the Gunnison. [NOTE:  Technically speaking, Black Canyon had not achieved NP status yet. Four years ago we visited Yellowstone & Glacier NPs.
• Our guide on the Sun Bus Tour in Glacier was a member of the Blackfeet tribe. He was very informative, also very colorful. When talking about grizzlies, he referred to bike riders in Glacier as "meals on wheels." Funny.
• The operative word in & around Glacier was "huckleberries." We enjoyed a huckleberry sundae, huckleberry pie ala mode with huckleberry ice cream, & huckleberry jam, which we just finished yesterday.

Trending *

* courtesy of The Babylon Bee

• New Evidence Suggests Esau Actually Sold Birthright For Spicy Chicken Sandwich From Chick-Fil-A
• New York Times Reveals Source On Kavanaugh Allegations Was Reputable Nigerian Prince

Human Beings

Abortion intentionally ends the lives of human beings. We were reminded of this in a particularly grisly way over the weekend, when 2,246 remains of aborted fetuses were discovered inside the home of former abortionist Ulrich George Klopfer. His family discovered the medically preserved remains on Klopfer’s property in Illinois after he passed away earlier this month. --Alexandra DeSanctis, National Review Online

Anti-Discipline

Anti-discipline advocates claim that they are fighting the “school-to-prison pipeline.” In reality, their policies increase the flow. The idea that not holding kids accountable for their actions will make them more law-abiding as adults is idiotic. If we tell juveniles there are no consequences for misbehavior, we set them up for failure in the workplace. And we put them at risk for a hard reckoning when they find that behavior that didn’t even get them suspended in school gets them a felony charge when they hit age 18. --Andrew Pollack, NRO

Thought for Today + License Plates + Road Trip

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

It seems to me that the story of Christ has endured for innumerable reasons: because in the fullness of time God indeed sent his Son; because knowingly Jesus walked to the Cross and into the hands of those who didn’t know what they were doing; because something really happened after his body was laid in the tomb; and because with great power and with God’s Spirit, the apostles continued to testify of the events they saw. What if the story of Christ remains today simply because it is true? --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

LICENSE PLATES

Those of you who follow my blog know that Lois & I "collect" license plates. When we arrived at Glacier NP on SUN 9/8, we had seen all but three license plates. Then, in parking lots at Lake McDonald Lodge, we found the last three:  Delaware, Vermont, & West Virginia. This is the earliest we've ever found all 50 states, and the first time in at least 5 years that we've found all 50.

ROAD TRIP

• We left Norfolk on WED 9/4 & returned on MON 9/16.
• We put almost 3600 miles on our car.
• We visited four national parks:  Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, & Badlands.
• It was our first visit to Teddy Roosevelt & Glacier.
• We stayed in motels & cabins in Rapid City, SD; Dickinson, ND; Havre, MT; Hungry Horse, MT; Helena, MT; Buffalo, WY; & Chamberlain, SD.
• On FRI 9/6, we spent the day exploring & hiking in Teddy Roosevelt NP.
• On TUE 10/10, we hiked & walked in Glacier NP:  17,500 steps, 7.2 miles.
• On WED 9/11, we drove Going to the Sun Road from West Glacier to Logan Pass, & saw a grizzly bear just outside of Logan Pass.
• On THU 9/12, we took a Sun Bus Tour from St. Mary (east entrance of Glacier NP) to Logan Pass.
• On FRI 9/13, we took a boat tour of Gates of the Mountains, north of Helena, MT.
• On SAT 9/14, we drove through Yellowstone NP on our way to Buffalo, WY.
• On SUN 9/15, we drove through Badlands NP on our way to Chamberlain, SD.
• On MON 9/16, we drove through water on I-90 & found our route blocked on U.S. 81, north of Yankton, SD, due to water on the road; & had to drive over 50 miles in a detour to Yankton.

Wednesday Meditation

PAIN

And only in Christian theism is love preexistent within the Trinity, which means that love precedes human life and becomes the absolute value for us. This absolute is ultimately found only in God, and in knowing and loving God we work our way through the struggles of pain, knowing of its ultimate connection to evil and its ultimate destruction by the One who is all-​good and all-​loving; who in fact has given us the very basis for the words good and love both in concept and in language. --Ravi Zacharias, Slice of Infinity

AUTHORITY

Cultural preferences don't diminish the authority & nourishing power of God's Word. --Michael Zeigler, The Lutheran Layman, Summer 2019

CALLED BY GOD

While the idea of being called by God to a new & vibrant life may seem alien in the 21st century, God's been doing it from the beginning. He's in the business of transformation--a complete renovation of the human heart, done from within & evident without. There is no one not in need of this divine touch of forgiveness. No one is excused from the sin in their life. "For there is no distinction:  for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, & are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:22b-24), & again, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness & transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13-14)

As we can see here, God's calling isn't merely an invitation to a better life. It's His declaration to us that the ransom has been paid:  the doors have been flung open; the chains have been loosed; we are free to go. No longer captive, because of Jesus we are God's people now--redeemed & set apart. "You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). This is truly good news . . .   --The Lutheran Witness, Summer 2019

Road Trip + Trending + Thought for Today

ROAD TRIP

Tomorrow, WED 9/4, we leave for Teddy Roosevelt & Glacier National Parks. We've been looking forward to this trip for a long time. It's our first major road trip since we traveled to Grand Teton & Yellowstone National Parks in 2015. Here is our itinerary.

• WED 9/4:  Travel from Norfolk to Rapid City.
• THU 9/5:  Travel to Dickinson, ND, & spend THU & FRI exploring Teddy Roosevelt NP.
• SAT 9/7:  Travel from Dickinson to Havre, MT.
• SUN 9/8:  Travel from Havre to Hungry Horse, MT.
• SUN 9/8-FRI 9/13:  Explore Glacier NP while staying at Martins Vacation Log Cabin in Hungry Horse.
• FRI 9/13:  Travel from Hungry Horse to Helena, MT. Spend 2 nights in Helena; visit Gates of the Mountain.
• SAT 9/14:  Travel from Helena to Buffalo, WY.
• SUN 9/15:  Travel from Buffalo to Chamberlin, SD.
• MON 9/16:  Return home.

TRENDING *

*Courtesy of Drudge Report 9/3

• STUDY:  Patience thresholds lower than ever before . . . Tech to blame . . . Average person frustrated after waiting 16 seconds
• American Airlines passenger takes emotional support horse onto flight
• Junk food diet left teen blind & deaf

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

No matter our object of worship, the same is true of our lives today. That which claims the most thorough part of our hearts, minds, and time both reflects and shapes our lives. We most certainly live in a time when focusing our minds on one thing is a challenge met with a constant parade of options vying for our attention. The Christian story introduces a God who longs to gather, whose arm is not too short to save (even from ourselves) nor ear too dull to hear, who is the same yesterday and today . . . If faith is only a part of life, then it has become as optional as pursuing one more hyperlink or skimming one more article. But those who fully approach the God of all possibilities find rest and focus, wisdom—indeed, possibility—for their souls. --Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

Depression + Thought for Today

DEPRESSION

One of the reasons I started blogging was to offer insights into the subject of depression. I was diagnose with clinical depression some years ago. I blog as a form of self-therapy, but I also aim to share information that may be a help to those who suffer from or suspect they are suffering from depression.

Here are some symptoms of depression. (I can relate to most if not all of them.

• Little interest or pleasure in doing things. 
• Feeling down, depressed or hopeless. 
• Trouble falling or staying asleep, or sleeping too much.
• Feeling tired or having little energy. 
• Poor appetite overeating, or considerable weight changes. 
• Feeling bad about yourself--that you are a failure or having a lot of guilt.
• Difficulty concentrating on things or making decisions. 
• Moving or speaking slowly, so that other people have noticed, or being so restless that you've been moving around a lot. 
• Thoughts that you would be better off dead, or of hurting yourself in some way.

If you can relate to some or most or all of these symptoms, you should seek out a mental health provider. A diagnosis can be a first step in putting together a treatment plan.

What to do if you suffer from clinical depression:  Here are some possibilities. DISCLAIMER:  Just as symptoms may vary widely, so may various treatment plans.

• Medication
• Therapy
• Exercise
• Writing, journaling
• Finding a support group

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

This, then, is both the challenge and the opportunity of the gospel. Because it is an invitation broad enough, wide enough, and good enough to include even me, it also reaches out and welcomes those I might not expect and bids me to serve alongside. It challenges me to leave my preconceptions behind, as the door to the kingdom of God swings open to fellow sinners who will become saints. And it ushers us into a community of new allegiances, a body only God could create. --Margaret Manning Shull, Slice of Infinity