Free-for-All Friday

BUCKET LIST + IMPEACHMENT + PRAYER + DIET COKE + MORE

BUCKET LIST

Tonight we'll be traveling to Grand Island for a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas concert. We can then cross this off our bucket list.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

We've taken to binge-watching Midsomer Murders on Prime Video, then watching an episode or two of Major Crimes on Roku.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND

Lois is working hard to teach Sammy to lie down. She seems to be succeeding.

IMPEACHMENT

Already before Trump was elected, Democrats were talking impeachment. Now it's a done deal. It's a foregone conclusion that the Senate will not vote to convict. Impeachment is purely a political act, & it remains to be seen whether it will have a bearing on the 2020 election.

My heart really isn't in writing about impeachment. I'm thinking about making one of my 2020 resolutions not blogging about impeachment. For sure one of my resolutions will be not writing anything political in my Mental Health Monday blog posts.

A PRAYER FOR THE NATION

"Almighty God, You have given us this good land as our heritage. Grant that we remember Your generosity & constantly do Your will. Bless our land with honest industry, truthful education, & an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, & confusion, from pride & arrogance, & from every evil course of action. Grant that we, who came from many nations with many different languages, may become a united people. Support us in defending our liberties, & give those to whom we have entrusted the authority of government the spirit of wisdom, that there may be justice & peace in our land. When times are prosperous, may our hearts be thankful, & in troubled times do not let our trust in You fail; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." --Lutheran Service Book

THE COMING OF CHRIST

"For the centrality and supremacy of love for God and love for neighbor are clear in the teaching of Jesus whose love is costly and sacrificial. Jesus takes the notion of the common good, the other, and grace itself very seriously. The love of God is both an alternative and an antidote to the strident self-centeredness and selfishness that is fostered by our culture. It is a love that cares, that shows compassion, that reaches out, and yes, that stands for truth while being willing to bear the cost vulnerably. The birth, life, and example of Jesus gives us much to reflect on. 

          "This is a call to renunciation that hits us all at the deepest level but it is also one which would have a serious impact on our own lives and those around us if it were to be embodied faithfully. Am I willing to love others with such a cost involved? Am I willing to deny my right to be right, to win, or to dominate? When in doubt, I turn my gaze to the one who so loved this world that he stepped into it not as a conqueror, but as a vulnerable child. The coming of Christ as an infant in Bethlehem is not just an event or a symbol, it is an invitation to a new way of being." --Stuart McAllister, Slice of Infinity

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"Drinking Diet Coke means more likely to put weight on, docs warn" --Drudge Report 12/19

"Half adults will be overweight by 2020" --ditto