WHAT I'M WATCHING

Lois & I have been watching Without a Trace on Roku. Since she's at Sister Bash in California, I've been watching movies. On Sunday night I watched Quantum Solace, a James Bond movie. On Monday night I watched John Wayne in The Cowboys. Last night I watched El Dorado, another John Wayne movie. And I recently finished watching all 9 seasons of The Office.

WHAT I'M READING

* I just finished reading "The Best & the Brightest," by David Halberstam. I thought it would be a history of the Vietnam War. Instead, it was about the politics behind the war during the Kennedy & Johnson administrations. Very interesting. Very informative.

* I just started reading "The Right Side of History," by Ben Shapiro. He's very conservative, but he's no lover of President Trump.

TRENDING

> "Man killed in dispute over line at Michigan haunted house"  Drudge Report 9/29

> "Woman plans plastic surgeries to look like Kamala Harris, surgeon says" Ditto

> "Record alligator drags boat around lake for 2 hours before hungers kill" Ditto, 9/30

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest, July/Aug 2020

"Louie was shipwrecked & lived alone on a desert island for years until he was finally rescued. Before leaving the island, he gave the rescue party a tour. 'I built myself a house. That's it there. Here's the barn, & over here is the church I worshipped in,' he said. 'What's that building over there?' one of the rescuers asked. Louie sneered, 'That' the church I used to belong to.'"

A PAIN IN THE NECK, CONTINUED

My injections on Monday were a little more complicated. I received multiple facet injections. I have a degenerative disc condition with some bad arthritis. I also have a bone spur, which is impinging on the nerves. I may have to have it removed. I see the pain specialist again in two weeks.

ROAD TRIP REDUX

Highlights of my bus tour to the Black Hills last week:

* The Fort Hayes Chuck Wagon Dinner & Music Show, especially the music show

* The Buffalo Round-Up at Custer State Park

* A t-shirt spotted at a souvenir shop in Keystone, which read, "Black Hills Matter"

PAIN IN THE NECK (& A LITTLE WHINING)

Earlier this summer I received two epidural injections to relieve a chronic pain condition in my neck. I only received temporary relief from each injection. When the pain is especially bad, I have a difficult time holding my head up. Today I'm receiving what's called a facet injection. It may take several weeks, & I may need more than one injection, but hopefully it will bring me some relief.

TRENDING

> "Driverless cars cause widespread death, destruction on world's roads" Drudge Report

> "French man says tattoos cost him kindergarten teaching job" Ditto

> "Less than 1% chance of catching COVID-19 flying?"  Ditto

> "Mom's remains go missing after being mailed to wrong address" Ditto

> "Dead squirrels washing up on Lake Michigan beach" Ditto

> "Newsom bans cars to prevent people from escaping California" Babylon Bee

> "NBA players wear special lace collars to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg" Ditto

BIG MEN

"The times demand big men. Not men who are big shots (they're useless) but men who are big in heart & mind. Great men! Large-souled men! Men with a vision--whose feet are on the ground but whose eyes are on the far horizon. Farsighted, selfless men. Men with a goal! Men whose hearts God has touched. Men committed--dedicated to God & His holy, high purposes! Men of integrity!"  Richard Halverson, Men's Devotional Bible

SEXUALITY

"We believe, based on the clear & unchanging teachings of the Bible, that all human beings are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26). We believe that all are loved by God (John 3:16). We believe that 'all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God' (Rom. 3:23). We believe the sacrificial death & resurrection of Christ is for all (2 Cor. 5:19). We believe that all are sinners. We are thankful that Jesus 'receives sinners & eats with them' (Luke 15:2). The Law calls all of us to repentance & to faith in Christ. And we are all to 'bear fruit in keeping with repentance' (Matt. 3:8).

"Christians want all people to be treated with dignity. The founding documents of this nation guarantee human rights, such as 'life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.' But we are now entering new territory. The fundamental teaching that God has made us male & female; that the sexes are not interchangeable; & that lesbian, gay, bisexual & transsexual uses of our created male & female sexuality are not in accord with divine will is clearly & repeatedly revealed in Holy Scripture."  Rev. Matthew Harrison, The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2020

KNOWING GOD 

"We need time to know God, & He has given it to us."  Tim Stafford, Men's Devotional Bible

SOCIAL MEDIA

"Your progressive friend, conservative friend, religious friend, work friend, church friend, family & more are watching & reading what you post. They are interpreting you & the Christ you represent based on what you post. As a Christian, your social media wall is not a 'free speech zone' where you can say whatever you want. Your identity in Christ trumps your identify as an American & seen as an individual with opinions. Every time. No exceptions . . . Is there political unrest? Christ answered that on the cross. Is there a pandemic? Christ answered that also. Did your preferred political leader get elected? Christ on the cross speaks to that. His death & resurrection define our existence in this world. You won't win many arguments or more political points with this approach & you may end up making people even more angry; the world hates Christ (John 12:18; 1 John 1:1). But you might confess Christ & His promises more clearly to those in your circles that desperately need Him."  Peter Stayton, The Lutheran Witness, Aug. 2020

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"Grief is lessened when we have an eternal center fo our lives. The good news of the Bible is simply this:  men & women may have a relationship with the eternal God through faith in Jesus."  Haddon Robinson, Men's Devotional Bible

ROAD TRIPS

Lois & I are both hitting the road this week. On Wednesday she's leaving for Lincoln. On Thursday she's flying to California for Sister Bash. She's be joining her sisters in Kingsburg, where her oldest sister Wanda lives. On Wednesday morning I'm leaving on the WJAG travel club trip to the Black Hills. Our itinerary includes the Corn Palace in Mitchell, Fort Hayes Chuckwagon Dinner, 1880 train ride, Mt. Rushmore light lighting ceremony, bison round-up at Custer State Park, & Badlands drive. These road trips will give us 12 for the year. My goal was to average one per month.

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* courtesy of Reader's Digest, July/Aug 2020

An elderly couple go to Burger King, where they carefully split a burger & fries. A trucker takes pity on them & offers to buy the wife her own meal. 'It's all right,' says the husband. 'We share everything.' A few minutes later, the trucker notices that the wife hasn't taken a bite. 'I really wouldn't mind buying her her own meal,' he insists. 'She'll eat,' the husband assures him.'We share everything.'Unconvinced, the trucker asks the wife, 'Why won't you eat?' The wife snaps, 'Because I'm waiting for the teeth!'" 

TRENDING

* "Election-time toilet display lands homeowner in hot water" Drudge Report

* "Robots gear up to march to fields to harvest cauliflowers" Ditto

* "Genius Trump nominates Joe Biden to Supreme Court forcing Dems to accuse him of sexual assault"  Babylon Bee

* "Biden says Trump is responsible for all deaths throughout all human history since the dawn of time" Ditto

* "Man sticks to keto diet for full 12 seconds" Ditto

OUR CALLING

"What we are being called to in this world is not to spread a message of God’s love without ourselves living God’s love in ethical action. No, we are called to share this message and listen for cries of help and seek justice, as this is to love our neighbors.We are called to restore shalom in vertical and horizontal dimensions. The call to immersion in community is like baptism: the genuine heart will not remain unchanged. Let us seek immersion in the milieu of the other so that they may be other no more."  Derek Caldwell, Slice of Infinity 

 CRIMINAL MINDS

> "Man traveled on Greyhound bus with dismembered body parts in suitcases" Drudge Report, 9/17

> "NFL fans brawl at socially distanced game" Drudge, 9/18

> "Tesla driver pulled over going 93 mph...completely asleep" Drudge, 9/18

> "Kids at Republican rally in Philly pelted with eggs in drive-by attack" Drudge, 9/17

TRENDING

* "States that just voted to reduce penalties for pedophiles not sure why God keeps lighting them on fire" Babylon Bee

* "Socialist utopia ruined after child shakes up ant farm" Babylon Bee, 9/18

* "Family films massive alligator swimming in floodwaters outside home" Drudge, 9/18

* "STUDY:  People happier spending time with friends than spouse" Drudge, 9/18

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING

"A man is arrested for stealing a can of peaches & is brought before the judge. The judge asks, 'How many peaches were in the can?' The man replies, 'Six, your honor.' 'In that case, you will go to jail for six days, one for each peach.' Hearing that, his wife stands & says, 'Your honor, he also stole a can of peas.'"

SUFFERING & MISERY 

"God is not caught off-guard because of human suffering and misery, even as God in Christ identifies with all that it means to be human. “We hope because in Christ, God has taken on human suffering and death so that they are emptied of their ultimate sting.”(4) Margaret Manning Shull, Slice of Infinity

HOPE

"Hope at on the conviction that God will complete the work that He has begun even when the appearances, especially when the appearances, oppose it . . . The most practical thing we can do is hear what God says & act in appropriate response to it . . . Hope-determined actions participate in the future that God is bringing into being." Eugene Peterson, Men's Devotional Bible

 "Pastor livestreams sermon so congregation w on't have to look up from their phones" Babylon Bee

"It would be embarrassing trying to explain what an appetizer is to someone from a starving country. 'Yeah, the appetizer--that's the food we eat before we have our food. No, no, you're thinking of dessert--that's the food we have after we have our food.'"  Jim Gaffigan, Reader' Digest, July/Aug 2020

"First the doctor told me the good news:  I was going to have a disease named after me."  Steve Martin, Reader' Digest, July/Aug 2020

POLITICAL POTPOURRI

I'm trying to write a kinder, more gentle blog & avoid politics. Recent events & ongoing issue have made this increasingly difficult. I need to continue my efforts to avoid fanning the flames. 

EASTER WITHOUT GOOD FRIDAY

"The world would look so much different if Christians truly lived this. I’m praying to recommit myself to be a person of victory, a person who shows His love in all I do. I’m a mess, but I want to be His light. I want to remind people that there is more than this election cycle or the destruction of their business, or even the loss of life. Evil is not the end of the story. Always remember there is no Easter without Good Friday. But we are an Easter people, Christians."  Kathryn Jean Lopez, National Review Online 9/15

 THOUGHT FOR TODAY

"The Christian story speaks of the promising hope of Father, Son, and Spirit as something that does not expire, but rather, continues to transform generation after generation. "Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them," writes the psalmist. "I have learned from your words and acts that you established them to last forever." Personally I know how often I have lived with quite a different assumption, thinking that surely modern thought has improved this or that idea, only to find myself returning to things generations old with new intrigue. The story of one who takes creation so seriously that he joins us within it is one such idea I cannot seem to remove haphazardly from the shelf because it seems to defy the notion of shelf life. A God who can come that near and be that available, while remaining really God, is a gift that won't be outdated. It is the sort of thing that rearranges everything else on the shelf."  Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity 

GOING TO CHURCH

Because Lois & I are quarantined until 9/21, we weren't able to attend church in person this morning. Instead we were able to participate in on-line worship with our brothers & sisters at Grace Lutheran Church in Norfolk, NE. You may not have been able to return to church in person yet, & you have many options for on-line worship. You can find find our Sunday morning worship at Grace Lutheran via Facebook or via the Grace Lutheran website.

THE LOVE OF CHRIST

"When the apostle Paul wrote that nothing can remove the love of Christ—neither "trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword"—he was referring to struggles that were dangerously real to him and the people to whom he was writing. He is insistent that God's love is more enduring than famine or suffering, racism, cancer, or injustice. It is stronger than death, as unyielding as the grave. How do you put this in to words without trembling? How do we explain the crucifixion or the resurrection without falling to our knees in shock, in wonder, in speechless gratitude?

"Stumbling over words to describe the hope we profess, we can be broken again by the mystery of it all and even our misplacing of it. We can be stopped by our loss of its realness, our overlooking of the immensity of Christ and the immovability of his love. Christ has died; Christ has risen; Christ will come again. In the silence of our tangled thoughts, the one behind the creeds calls to us over and above the words." Jill Carattini, Slice of Infnity

FULFILLMENT

"I have come to realize that God does not want to punish us but, rather, to fulfill our lives. God created us, loves us, & wants to help us to realize our potential so that we can be useful to others."  Ben Carson, Men's Devotional Bible

COMFORT

"As those who are suffering in Christ, so we can also comfort one another as He comforts us:  "As we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too" (2 Cor. 1:5) And though we pray the cry of abandon, we also continue Psalm 22 & move from pleas to confidence. For our Lord Jesus fulfilled this psalm on God Friday & then by His bodily resurrection, God answered Jesus' plea for aid (Psalm 22:19). "You who fear the Lord, praise Him ... glorify Him ... for He has not not despised or abhorred the afflictions of the afflicted, & He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard, when he cries to Him" (Psalm 22:22-24) The Psalm moves from abandonment to certainty:  "All the ends of the earth shall remember & turn to the Lord, & all the families of the nations shall worship before You. For kingship belongs to the Lord, & He rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:27-28).  Dr. Kenneth Wieting, The Lutheran Witness, May 2020

POLICITICAL POTPOURRI

You may have noticed that I haven't posted anything political for awhile. I've just lost my taste for it. I'm disheartened by both sides. One of my New Year's resolutions was to avoid political posts on my Mental Health Monday blog, & I've been pretty successful at that. I hope that people turn out for the election & vote their conscience. I can't abide voting for those who support the killing of unborn babies.

WHAT I'M READING

I am a voracious reader. I recently finished "The Pioneers" by David McCullough. I would give it a B. Now I'm reading "The British Are Coming" by Rick Atkinson. He wrote a trilogy about World War II, concerning the war in North Africa & Europe. This book is the first in a trilogy about the American Resolution. It has a copyright of 2019, so it will be awhile before the next volume comes out.

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

We're watching "Without a Trace." Soon we should be able to watch the new seasons on CBS, including NCIS, NCIS New Orleans, Blue Bloods, FBI, & FBI Most Wanted. We're also looking forward to new seasons of Midsommer Murders & Call the Midwife.

QUARANTINE

Last weekend we were exposed to Covid 19, so we are quarantined until 9/21. We could get tested, but we were told that we would be quarantined regardless of the result, so we opted not to get tested. I have to admit that we're getting a little stir crazy, & we still have a ways to go.

TRENDING

> "Millions embracing raising chickens, bee-keeping" Drudge Report 9/10

> "FLASH:  NFL ratings drop double digits in season opener" Drudge 9/11

> "Nebraska to end social distancing" Ditto

> "Speaking quietly can reduce spread" Ditto

> "Breaking news:  Trump once tore the tag off a mattress" Headline on Townhall 9/11

DEPT. OF SHAMELESS JOKE-STEALING *

* Courtesy of Reader's Digest, July/Aug 2020

"A blind man visits Texas When he gets to his hotel room, he feels the bed. 'Wow, this bed is big!' 'Everything's big in Texas' says the bellhop. The man heads downstairs to the bar, settle onto a huge barstool, & orders a beer. A mug is place between his hands. 'Wow, these drinks are big!' 'Everything's big in Texas,' says the bartender. After downing a few, the blind man asks where the bathroom is. 'Second door to the right,' says the bartender. The blind man heads for the bathroom but accidentally opens the door that leads to the swimming pool & falls in. Popping his head up from under the water, he flail his arms & shouts, 'Don't flush! Don't flush!'"

FREE-FOR-ALL FRI 9/11

9/11

"Remembering the events of 9/11 as well as hearing daily news of conflict that heightens alarms serves to remind me of my own propensity to allow fear to rule my life. And while it is a natural response in the face of danger, too often it rules my life and narrows my vision.

"What do my fears say about my faith or lack thereof? Often our lives bear more witness to what we are afraid of, rather than to the assurances on which faith rests. Oh, there are real fears—situations, issues, and trends—that keep us all awake at night. The issue is not the absence of fear, but whether or not we are building the way we live on a memorial to fear, or a memorial to trust. Indeed, as one who claims to be a follower of Jesus, is my posture toward the world one of fear or faith? The epistle of John encourages me as I strive to build a life on faith: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out all fear.”(1)

"This is a particularly poignant reminder as I think about all those who ran into the buildings to save others, rather than run away; or those who took heroic action on one of the hijacked planes, even as it plummeted to the earth. The way of faith doesn’t always lead to safety, but it surely leads to life. Sometimes with a similar cost, Christians around the world walk towards a savior who walked toward a cross. They walk toward Jesus, who set his face toward Jerusalem, toward death itself for the sake of the world, who offered a way toward faith, a love stronger than fear."

Margaret Manning Shull, Slice of Infinity 

THU 9/10 MEDITATION

THE CHRISTIAN STORY

"At the image of Jesus in his final moments of death, the hymnist inquired, “What language shall I borrow, to thank Thee, dearest friend?” One of the things I find most nourishing about the Christian story is its upholding of this mystery, speaking not in rigid confines but with words that always point beyond themselves and cannot be boxed in, borrowing a language fitting of both the mind and the imagination. There is a richness conveyed in page after page of the stories in the Bible that stretches minds and moves emotions: “O Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, how oft I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not have it” (Matthew 23:37). “As far as the east is from the west, so far [God] removes our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12)."  Jill Carattini, Slice of Infinity

STRESS

"So while I cannot say that a Christian should be totally free of stress, I think I can say that Christians should not allow themselves to become so stressed as to produce damage to their bodies, minds & spirits . . . Christians must wake up to the fact that they are burning themselves just as quickly as everyone else is!"  Archibald Hart, Men's Devotional Bible

RESOLUTIONS UPDATE

My goal was for us to average one road trip per month. My definition of "road trip" is spending 2 or more nights on the road. Last week we vacationed in the Nebraska Panhandle. This weekend we're in Eagan, MN, visiting Nathan, Laura, Calvin, & Claire. We had planned to visit my brother Mark & sister-in-law Christy, but our plans have changed. We'll reschedule to a later date. Even with that change of plans, we've already accomplished this goal. 

> In January we visited Wichita Falls, Dallas, & Eagan.

> In February we visited Lois' sister Kathy in St. Petersburg, FL.

> In March we spent a week in Lincoln, NE.

> In May we also spent multiple nights in Lincoln.

> In June we spent a week in Eagan.

> In July we enjoyed a family reunion in Omaha.

> In August we spent some time at David (Lois' brothers) & Carmen at their summer chalet on Little Island Lake near Nevis, MN. We also vacationed in the Nebraska Panhandle, visiting Ft. Robinson State Park, Chadron State Park, Toadstool Park, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument & Sowbelly Canyon.

> This weekend we're in Eagan.

> Toward the end of September Lois will be at Sister Bash in California. I am taking the WJAG Norfolk Travel Club bus tour of the Black Hills.

> In October we plan to spend a few days in Rapid City. We hope to visit Jewel Cave National Monument or Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, & Devil's Tower.

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