I was reading the Monday edition of the Wichita Eagle today and noticed an article regarding FEMA diverting funds originally set aside for the Joplin tornado over to the East Coast hurricane relief. As I read through the article, it was apparent that FEMA funds for disasters were beginning to run low.
This past Saturday, according to the article, House Appropriations Committee Chair Harold Rogers of Kentucky said this of the Obama administration: He said that the Administration “has let the fund reach critically low levels, putting continued recovery at risk, without a plan for the future or a clear method for dealing with new disasters.” Mr. Rogers is, it seems, lambasting the Executive for not having more funds in the FEMA account.
OK. Let’s have a Civics lesson here. Last time I knew anything, it was the Congress that authorizes expenditures, appropriates money, and lays and collects taxes in order to fund those appropriations. The Executive branch, to my knowledge, although it may request funding, does not have the authority to provide that funding. The job of the Executive is (in a perfect world) to see that the laws of the United States are “faithfully executed”. The Executive doesn’t make laws; it enforces them.
“Well,” you might say. “If the Congress doesn’t know that the Executive needs more money, how can it appropriate more?” Good question. Except the article goes on with these words: “In anticipation of a shortfall, FEMA began providing congressional appropriators with weekly updates on funding levels in May; daily updates began this month.”
So, if the article is to be believed, Mr. Rogers has known since May on a weekly, and now daily basis, that FEMA funding is running low; yet he blames the Administration for allowing the account to go under the recommended amount (one billion dollars). Business as usual.
This is what I talk about when I say I am sick to death of the politics going on right now. I don’t care if Mr. Rogers is a Republican or Democrat; nor do I care if the Administration is Democrat or Republican. This kind of talk serves no useful purpose. It only inflames. It is counter-productive. It does not provide more funding for disasters. It only tells part of the truth. It is deceptive.
The more truthful comment from Mr. Rogers would have been something like this: “Although the Administration has provided weekly, and now daily updates on the status of FEMA disaster funding, Congress has not yet acted to fill that gap. I call on the Congress to shorten their month-long congressional vacation, and provide funding for the natural disasters that have plagued our nation this year, and do so as quickly as possible.”
No wonder the congressional approval rating is sitting at 13%.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
The War of all Wars
I was talking with Scott, our minister to adults at our church recently. Our conversation got off-track, and we started conversing about the unseen world that is described in places in the Bible. A little background is in order here.
Paul and Peter both talk about God delivering his people out of darkness and from the power of evil (I Peter 2:9 and Acts 26:18). This occurs when we become Christians, followers of Christ by the power and grace of God.
Paul in Ephesians chapter 6 talks of putting on the armor of God so that we may stand against the principalities and powers (world forces) of darkness (Ephesians 6:11-12). Other places in the Bible also allude to or talk about this unseen spiritual world in which there is great struggle between good and evil. It is this unseen world of the principalities and forces of darkness and the struggles that go on there that we were discussing.
It is interesting to note that R. C. H. Lenski in his commentary on Ephesians 6 says this about this struggle: “The darkness is not merely the absence of light; it is the absolute antagonism to light and thus denotes the fearful power that is hostile to god who is ‘the light’ and whose are the ‘children of light’ (Ephesians 5:8). From ‘this darkness’ and the dominion of these ‘world tyrants’ Christ has delivered us; hence their war is waged in order again to subjugate us under their tyranny.”
Scott and I were talking specifically about a passage in Daniel 10 where Daniel had received a vision, but didn’t understand it. He prayed, asking God for understanding (10:12). The entity that came to Daniel (evidently an angel of God) told Daniel that from the first day, he had been sent by God to Daniel, but had been delayed 21 days in coming because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” was withstanding him. Although we don’t know exactly what was going on here, most scholars agree that what was being described by the angel of God here was a conflict in the unseen spiritual realm that prevented him from completing his mission as sent by God until Michael, another angel of God, came to his aid.
Just think of that for a minute. If the scholars are correct, here is an angel of God, given a mission by God Himself, yet was unable to fulfill it until given help by another angel of God. Can you imagine what kind of conflict that must have been to have prevented this angel from completing his mission for three weeks until someone came to help?
Scott and I also talked of Paul saying in the first Thessalonian letter (2:18) that he wanted to come to see the Thessalonians, but “Satan thwarted us.” What that consisted of we don’t know with certainty. But we do know that Paul wouldn’t have written this had it not been true…evidently, Satan somehow kept Paul from going back to these people. You may be able to think of other places in the Bible where the “principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness,” and so on, are mentioned.
I don’t know what you think, but there is enough in scripture, including the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, that tell me that there is one hellish war going on in a realm we only glimpse faintly through the words of the inspired writers. I have to wonder if one reason we see things happen in our reality that seem to defy logic or explanation (mass killings, abuse, torture, etc) is that these are times when that war breaks through the barrier, so to speak, between the spiritual and the material worlds, and we see the results.
I don’t have the answers, and working with topics like this brings more questions than I originally had before I started. Yet, it is worth a look from time to time; if for no other reason than to understand that we don’t understand...we don’t know. We do know, however, that God loves us passionately, intensely, and forever. Ours is to return that love as best we can and know how, and to work just as passionately and intensely to bring God’s kingdom to every place we go and to every person we meet. For when we do that, we help in the great battle going on in the unseen realms…the war of all wars.
Paul and Peter both talk about God delivering his people out of darkness and from the power of evil (I Peter 2:9 and Acts 26:18). This occurs when we become Christians, followers of Christ by the power and grace of God.
Paul in Ephesians chapter 6 talks of putting on the armor of God so that we may stand against the principalities and powers (world forces) of darkness (Ephesians 6:11-12). Other places in the Bible also allude to or talk about this unseen spiritual world in which there is great struggle between good and evil. It is this unseen world of the principalities and forces of darkness and the struggles that go on there that we were discussing.
It is interesting to note that R. C. H. Lenski in his commentary on Ephesians 6 says this about this struggle: “The darkness is not merely the absence of light; it is the absolute antagonism to light and thus denotes the fearful power that is hostile to god who is ‘the light’ and whose are the ‘children of light’ (Ephesians 5:8). From ‘this darkness’ and the dominion of these ‘world tyrants’ Christ has delivered us; hence their war is waged in order again to subjugate us under their tyranny.”
Scott and I were talking specifically about a passage in Daniel 10 where Daniel had received a vision, but didn’t understand it. He prayed, asking God for understanding (10:12). The entity that came to Daniel (evidently an angel of God) told Daniel that from the first day, he had been sent by God to Daniel, but had been delayed 21 days in coming because “the prince of the kingdom of Persia” was withstanding him. Although we don’t know exactly what was going on here, most scholars agree that what was being described by the angel of God here was a conflict in the unseen spiritual realm that prevented him from completing his mission as sent by God until Michael, another angel of God, came to his aid.
Just think of that for a minute. If the scholars are correct, here is an angel of God, given a mission by God Himself, yet was unable to fulfill it until given help by another angel of God. Can you imagine what kind of conflict that must have been to have prevented this angel from completing his mission for three weeks until someone came to help?
Scott and I also talked of Paul saying in the first Thessalonian letter (2:18) that he wanted to come to see the Thessalonians, but “Satan thwarted us.” What that consisted of we don’t know with certainty. But we do know that Paul wouldn’t have written this had it not been true…evidently, Satan somehow kept Paul from going back to these people. You may be able to think of other places in the Bible where the “principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness,” and so on, are mentioned.
I don’t know what you think, but there is enough in scripture, including the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, that tell me that there is one hellish war going on in a realm we only glimpse faintly through the words of the inspired writers. I have to wonder if one reason we see things happen in our reality that seem to defy logic or explanation (mass killings, abuse, torture, etc) is that these are times when that war breaks through the barrier, so to speak, between the spiritual and the material worlds, and we see the results.
I don’t have the answers, and working with topics like this brings more questions than I originally had before I started. Yet, it is worth a look from time to time; if for no other reason than to understand that we don’t understand...we don’t know. We do know, however, that God loves us passionately, intensely, and forever. Ours is to return that love as best we can and know how, and to work just as passionately and intensely to bring God’s kingdom to every place we go and to every person we meet. For when we do that, we help in the great battle going on in the unseen realms…the war of all wars.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Time for a Brain Change
I am posting this because of a comment made by my sister on FB regarding her brain being full and it's only Tuesday. Several years ago, I wrote a column for the Hays Daily News when we lived out that way. What is below is one of those columns. It uses an email my sister mailed to some of us regarding a "brain change." Read and enjoy.
We are turning into a nation of old people. Life expectancy is as high as it's ever been (except in the Garden of Eden), people are healthier, and life is generally good, or at least tolerable for most of us who are over 50. The one thing that there seems to still be a problem with is the capacity of the human brain to keep up, at times, with life and the culture around us older folks. So we tend to make our own lives and culture in which there is a palpable deliberation in our lives. We take more time to go to the store, go to the bathroom, go to the church…just about everything we do takes awhile. And while the youngsters around us become frustrated at our deliberate pace, we tend to dig in our heels even more.
We can transplant hearts, livers, teeth, lungs, and who knows what else. We can fix our eyes, ears, and other assorted parts of our bodies with assorted parts gleaned from laboratories, pigs, and organ donors. One area, however, has remained rather off-limits. We still have no clue how to transplant a brain or get new memory.
I have two sisters. One lives in Michigan and the other lives in the other end of Kansas. (I also have three brothers, but that is beside the point for this column.) We all communicate rather frequently by means of email and an internet messenger service.
Not long ago, my sister in Michigan discovered that her computer needed more memory in order to operate a genealogy program she wanted to use. Her old PC, which runs Windows95, needed an update in the RAM memory area. Yes, I know. They don't support the 95 version any more and she needs a new computer. They are raising small children and just can't quite afford that right now, so she opted for the memory upgrade.
She removed her one memory stick, took it to the Office Max place nearby, and asked for more memory similar to what she brought in. After some conversation with the nice computer teenager at the store, in which there was evidently mention made of "old" and "outdated", the nice computer teenager found a memory stick that would work in her machine. She took it home, installed it without incident, and now has an old PC running on a WIN95 platform that does everything she wishes to do. The stick cost her $10.
She wrote to my sister in Kansas by email, explaining the process of opening up the PC and removing and installing the stick, a first for her. My sister in Kansas, bless her soul, is always quick of wit and penned the following response to Sister Linda in Michigan. And since there's no way on God's green earth I can improve on what she wrote, I'll sign off and let you read it for yourself without further comment from me.
And Linda, heavens. Installing memory! Wish we humans could do that…can you imagine taking your spouse in to the "Human Max" store:
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I need some new memory here for this brain." (Opens skull, removes corroded memory stick.)
"Hmmm. That's an old one there! They don't even make those anymore! Frank! Come and look at this!"
"Wow, Mr. Bass, you've got a real antique there!"
"Well, she quit working a week ago, just sputtered and konked out as she was trying to remember the recipe for biscuits and gravy. What can you fix me up with? I'm starving!"
(Checking parts list...) "Looks like we can fix you up with a Super Duper Memory Capacity Chip-it'll run you about $300.00. You want us to install it?"
"Yeah, and can you also install the backup files? I need her to remember that I got her flowers for our anniversary 53 years ago."
"No problem. Can you leave her with us for a couple of hours?"
"Yeah, but I'm getting an entire brain replacement myself in a couple of weeks. Call me if I don't show up to get her in a few days!"
We are turning into a nation of old people. Life expectancy is as high as it's ever been (except in the Garden of Eden), people are healthier, and life is generally good, or at least tolerable for most of us who are over 50. The one thing that there seems to still be a problem with is the capacity of the human brain to keep up, at times, with life and the culture around us older folks. So we tend to make our own lives and culture in which there is a palpable deliberation in our lives. We take more time to go to the store, go to the bathroom, go to the church…just about everything we do takes awhile. And while the youngsters around us become frustrated at our deliberate pace, we tend to dig in our heels even more.
We can transplant hearts, livers, teeth, lungs, and who knows what else. We can fix our eyes, ears, and other assorted parts of our bodies with assorted parts gleaned from laboratories, pigs, and organ donors. One area, however, has remained rather off-limits. We still have no clue how to transplant a brain or get new memory.
I have two sisters. One lives in Michigan and the other lives in the other end of Kansas. (I also have three brothers, but that is beside the point for this column.) We all communicate rather frequently by means of email and an internet messenger service.
Not long ago, my sister in Michigan discovered that her computer needed more memory in order to operate a genealogy program she wanted to use. Her old PC, which runs Windows95, needed an update in the RAM memory area. Yes, I know. They don't support the 95 version any more and she needs a new computer. They are raising small children and just can't quite afford that right now, so she opted for the memory upgrade.
She removed her one memory stick, took it to the Office Max place nearby, and asked for more memory similar to what she brought in. After some conversation with the nice computer teenager at the store, in which there was evidently mention made of "old" and "outdated", the nice computer teenager found a memory stick that would work in her machine. She took it home, installed it without incident, and now has an old PC running on a WIN95 platform that does everything she wishes to do. The stick cost her $10.
She wrote to my sister in Kansas by email, explaining the process of opening up the PC and removing and installing the stick, a first for her. My sister in Kansas, bless her soul, is always quick of wit and penned the following response to Sister Linda in Michigan. And since there's no way on God's green earth I can improve on what she wrote, I'll sign off and let you read it for yourself without further comment from me.
And Linda, heavens. Installing memory! Wish we humans could do that…can you imagine taking your spouse in to the "Human Max" store:
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, I need some new memory here for this brain." (Opens skull, removes corroded memory stick.)
"Hmmm. That's an old one there! They don't even make those anymore! Frank! Come and look at this!"
"Wow, Mr. Bass, you've got a real antique there!"
"Well, she quit working a week ago, just sputtered and konked out as she was trying to remember the recipe for biscuits and gravy. What can you fix me up with? I'm starving!"
(Checking parts list...) "Looks like we can fix you up with a Super Duper Memory Capacity Chip-it'll run you about $300.00. You want us to install it?"
"Yeah, and can you also install the backup files? I need her to remember that I got her flowers for our anniversary 53 years ago."
"No problem. Can you leave her with us for a couple of hours?"
"Yeah, but I'm getting an entire brain replacement myself in a couple of weeks. Call me if I don't show up to get her in a few days!"
Monday, August 22, 2011
A Little Catching Up
I haven’t written in awhile. My, has it been since 5 August? Sometimes feelings get in the way of the catharsis of doing something one enjoys. And that seems to be what’s happened here. Although I can’t explain it, and am not sure I want to try, it seems that I just haven’t been worth much lately. However, it’s time to get out of that mode and into a mode that is more attuned to life and living than being and existing.
One thing that has helped that considerably was being at the last performance of our church’s black light puppet troupe last night. For some reason, and somehow, I knew that there was no better place for me to be and nothing better for me to experience than what was going on there at that time. Although I have some difficulty with some of the music and lyrics (understanding them…didn’t they say the same thing about us back in the 1960’s?), the energy was palpable, the crowd was delighted (and delightful), and the environment was electric.
The new troupe needs to get organized and have a show ready for Oklahoma by October 2. That’s only about 6 weeks, and will involve some intensive planning and practice. And with the flooding in our church basement ruining some of the puppet props, there is an urgency that wasn’t there before to make sure everything is ready to go.
Everyone involved has a lot of other things to do besides puppet shows. The kids are starting school; parents are working and maintaining a family; staff has other duties including a new Sunday School year, and everyone seems to be going 3 miles a minute. Somehow, though, in all of this, I suspect that the new show will be a hit and folks will come through in spades.
I am excited about the new church year (although our fiscal year starts February 1, I think of our church year starting when school starts), and am looking forward to watching and participating in God’s working in the lives of His people. The Kingdom of God is, I believe, wherever God is, and He is alive and well in His Kingdom in Wichita, Kansas.
So, come with me this next year. I can’t promise I’ll write twice a week, or that I’ll tell you all that is happening. But this promises to be the “day the Lord has made.” We will indeed “rejoice and be glad in it.”
One thing that has helped that considerably was being at the last performance of our church’s black light puppet troupe last night. For some reason, and somehow, I knew that there was no better place for me to be and nothing better for me to experience than what was going on there at that time. Although I have some difficulty with some of the music and lyrics (understanding them…didn’t they say the same thing about us back in the 1960’s?), the energy was palpable, the crowd was delighted (and delightful), and the environment was electric.
The new troupe needs to get organized and have a show ready for Oklahoma by October 2. That’s only about 6 weeks, and will involve some intensive planning and practice. And with the flooding in our church basement ruining some of the puppet props, there is an urgency that wasn’t there before to make sure everything is ready to go.
Everyone involved has a lot of other things to do besides puppet shows. The kids are starting school; parents are working and maintaining a family; staff has other duties including a new Sunday School year, and everyone seems to be going 3 miles a minute. Somehow, though, in all of this, I suspect that the new show will be a hit and folks will come through in spades.
I am excited about the new church year (although our fiscal year starts February 1, I think of our church year starting when school starts), and am looking forward to watching and participating in God’s working in the lives of His people. The Kingdom of God is, I believe, wherever God is, and He is alive and well in His Kingdom in Wichita, Kansas.
So, come with me this next year. I can’t promise I’ll write twice a week, or that I’ll tell you all that is happening. But this promises to be the “day the Lord has made.” We will indeed “rejoice and be glad in it.”
Friday, August 05, 2011
An Adventure
OK, I need to tell. We went to a reunion in Kentucky this week. I didn’t want to say anything on line, and didn’t have the means to get on line at the resort. I think I’ll do a little mulling over some things I saw and experienced in this adventure.
First, it is also hot in places other than Kansas. Western Kentucky actually has Kansas beat in terms of the “feels like” temperatures because the humidity is even higher there than it has been here. Temps were 100 or better and the humidity made the feels like temps close to 120 degrees. Humidity stayed high overnight, too. Windows in the cabins fogged over due to the humidity and temperature differentials.
There were no mosquitoes, however. Oh, once in a while we’d get one buzzing around, but for the most part, damp as it was and close to a lake as we were, it was really pleasant outdoors, except for the heat. I’m not sure why the bugs weren’t there, but it was really kind of weird.
Parts of Kentucky (and Illinois and Missouri) are pretty, to be sure, but places where the forest is thick don’t lend themselves to beauty, in my view. After all, if you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen ‘em all, so to speak. I longed for the plains of Kansas where I could see more than just a few feet away from the asphalt of the roadway.
I did wonder how the explorers and settlers blazed through the thickness, swampiness, and steaminess of the land. No wonder they used the rivers to a great extent. There’s no way a person could go more than a mile or so in a day in that forest. And there were swamps that were so large I wondered it they might actually be lakes of some kind.
I don’t like to run down a place of business, but when one finds a salamander in the room where we were staying, the place automatically obtains the designation of “rustic” in my view. Additionally, we had burned out light bulbs, a pull-out bed that was broken down (we also found a pair of handcuffs in that pull-out bed…hmmm), and carpet that could definitely use a steam-cleaning. It certainly wasn’t worth the price we paid.
High temperatures and high humidity make for an interesting reunion. We couldn’t do much outside because of the heat and humidity, and there wasn’t much of a place for thirty five people to gather in the cool. We had to visit and catch up with one-another as we could during the time we had.
They trim the grass very short there. Seems like it’s cut no more than an inch or so high. I also don’t know what kind of grass or grasses grow there. It was different, to say the least.
Our old car made it just fine. It has about 200K on it, and with the work we had done on it, we were hoping it would work well, and it did. We need to get several more months (or a year or two) out of it before we do anything rash. Cheap insurance, cheap taxes, and not that much in maintenance. I like it.
Traveling with a family that has three pre-school kids makes for more stops and longer stops. ‘Nuff said.
First, it is also hot in places other than Kansas. Western Kentucky actually has Kansas beat in terms of the “feels like” temperatures because the humidity is even higher there than it has been here. Temps were 100 or better and the humidity made the feels like temps close to 120 degrees. Humidity stayed high overnight, too. Windows in the cabins fogged over due to the humidity and temperature differentials.
There were no mosquitoes, however. Oh, once in a while we’d get one buzzing around, but for the most part, damp as it was and close to a lake as we were, it was really pleasant outdoors, except for the heat. I’m not sure why the bugs weren’t there, but it was really kind of weird.
Parts of Kentucky (and Illinois and Missouri) are pretty, to be sure, but places where the forest is thick don’t lend themselves to beauty, in my view. After all, if you’ve seen one tree, you’ve seen ‘em all, so to speak. I longed for the plains of Kansas where I could see more than just a few feet away from the asphalt of the roadway.
I did wonder how the explorers and settlers blazed through the thickness, swampiness, and steaminess of the land. No wonder they used the rivers to a great extent. There’s no way a person could go more than a mile or so in a day in that forest. And there were swamps that were so large I wondered it they might actually be lakes of some kind.
I don’t like to run down a place of business, but when one finds a salamander in the room where we were staying, the place automatically obtains the designation of “rustic” in my view. Additionally, we had burned out light bulbs, a pull-out bed that was broken down (we also found a pair of handcuffs in that pull-out bed…hmmm), and carpet that could definitely use a steam-cleaning. It certainly wasn’t worth the price we paid.
High temperatures and high humidity make for an interesting reunion. We couldn’t do much outside because of the heat and humidity, and there wasn’t much of a place for thirty five people to gather in the cool. We had to visit and catch up with one-another as we could during the time we had.
They trim the grass very short there. Seems like it’s cut no more than an inch or so high. I also don’t know what kind of grass or grasses grow there. It was different, to say the least.
Our old car made it just fine. It has about 200K on it, and with the work we had done on it, we were hoping it would work well, and it did. We need to get several more months (or a year or two) out of it before we do anything rash. Cheap insurance, cheap taxes, and not that much in maintenance. I like it.
Traveling with a family that has three pre-school kids makes for more stops and longer stops. ‘Nuff said.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wonderful World
My sixteen year old nephew has entered the wonderful world of politics. We've been sparring back and forth on Facebook. As his comments are on the web, he won't mind, I'm sure, my posting one of his postings here and my response to it. I think you'll find his thinking rather mature for a sixteen year old.
John, my nephew:
Garrett, I think government could get rid of the defecit pretty easily if it diverted unnecessary spending to paying off the defecit. However, I don't think Obama has any intention of doing that. He's added I don't know how many trillion to it and i think all he's gonna do is say "that's not my problem" and then pass on the defecit to the next guy, and whether or not anything gets done about it will depend on whether the next guy is a republican.
Jay, ultimately it is Obama spending the money, though, right? He's the one who makes the budget.
i apologize for the misinformation (i didn't know the dates cuz i was 13 back then and didn't give a hoot about politics), however i'm pretty sure republicans would not do anything so obviously harmful and unrealistic/idealistic as telling mortgage companies they can't deny anyone.
the way i see it, democrats don't want to cut anything, because they think spending is the purpose of government and that somehow, the economy will be fixed if government spends enough money. also, i think that democrats are more emotional and ideological than republicans. i think more often than not republicans have economical benefit in mind as reasons for there viewpoint, whereas democrats (my friends and family who are participating in this debate seem to be in the smarter portion of democrats when they want to be) try to reason with emotions or divert attention by saying "look at that heartless republican trying to kill grandma!" or whatever.
There is more than enough money to pay the pledged money without raising the debt ceiling if, for example, government cut spending on shrimp treadmills.
we agree on one thing, politics is a very complex game, and its easy to sit on the sideline and yell at the players.
Also, nobody has commented on the fact that there is no recovery like the liberal media is trying to tell everybody, so I'm assuming that you guys agree on that one, right?
My response:
Yes, John, Mr. Obama spends the money, but he does so because Congress passes a law that tells him that he must do it. They tell him sometimes in broad terms how to spend it, and sometimes very specifically. Sometimes the law says that (and this is only an example) the Department of Fish Security (hopefully there is no such thing ) is to spend two million dollars this year. Mr. Obama, or his subordinates, then decide how many employees this department will have, how much office space to rent, how many fish to secure, etc.
Other times the Congress writes into the law specific items, such as nine million dollars to build a new six lane bridge that is 1,200 feet long and 65 feet high over the Missouri River on Interstate 70 in Kansas City, or two million dollars to fund shrimp treadmills. Sometimes the law is permissive…you can spend up to this amount…sometimes it is specific…you have to spend this amount. But it’s the Congress that writes all of that and passes it. The President then either signs the laws or vetoes them.
The point is that ALL spending is authorized and funded in some way (taxes or raising the debt) by the Congress. Mr. Obama’s job is to “faithfully execute” the laws that are passed. He can suggest laws. He can suggest spending or cutting. He can submit a suggested budget to Congress. But he cannot unilaterally make those decisions without the Congress. And if he spends money the Congress has authorized, but now doesn’t like, they can always cut funding for that specific item or items. And they have done that from time to time.
Yes, there is more than enough money to pay the pledges. But the Congress has to pass a law that nullifies previous laws that have been passed to spend money. Mr. Obama cannot just unilaterally cut those things out; otherwise he would be violating the law.
You are correct in your assessment that Democrats are more “touchy-feely” and tend to want to “make investments” in this or that, which in plain English is “spend money.” You are correct also in your assessment that Republicans in general wish to hold the line on spending and taxes. There are all kinds of exceptions, however, and the lines that used to define Republicans and Democrats are becoming more blurred all the time. Both Democrats and Republicans are ideological; however Democrats are generally more willing to compromise, in my view, because of their more liberal leanings.
Yes, Republicans have economical benefit in mind; but their idea of that, in my view, is to allow the wealthy to keep more of their wealth in the prospect that they will spend it and so power our economy. Democrats also have economical benefit in mind, but they tend to want to tax the wealthy and redistribute those funds to the poorer and middle classes. Which is right? It all depends on which class you are in.
Although Mr. Obama seems to want to do so, neither party in the Congress seems to be interested in funding the IRS, CMS, and other agencies with enough money to catch those who cheat on taxes, submit fraudulent billing to Medicare, or otherwise scam the government. It has been said that for every dollar the IRS would spend on finding tax cheats, they could take in an additional ten dollars (source: The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030106451.html) Also, Wiki has an article titled “Medicare Fraud”. You might want to read it.
Liberal media, conservative media. Listen to them all, then make up your own mind. Thanks for your reasoned response, John. It is discussions like this that enable all of us to learn more. It’s videos like what were posted a day or two ago that only inflame and divide, in my mind. See you Sunday.
John, my nephew:
Garrett, I think government could get rid of the defecit pretty easily if it diverted unnecessary spending to paying off the defecit. However, I don't think Obama has any intention of doing that. He's added I don't know how many trillion to it and i think all he's gonna do is say "that's not my problem" and then pass on the defecit to the next guy, and whether or not anything gets done about it will depend on whether the next guy is a republican.
Jay, ultimately it is Obama spending the money, though, right? He's the one who makes the budget.
i apologize for the misinformation (i didn't know the dates cuz i was 13 back then and didn't give a hoot about politics), however i'm pretty sure republicans would not do anything so obviously harmful and unrealistic/idealistic as telling mortgage companies they can't deny anyone.
the way i see it, democrats don't want to cut anything, because they think spending is the purpose of government and that somehow, the economy will be fixed if government spends enough money. also, i think that democrats are more emotional and ideological than republicans. i think more often than not republicans have economical benefit in mind as reasons for there viewpoint, whereas democrats (my friends and family who are participating in this debate seem to be in the smarter portion of democrats when they want to be) try to reason with emotions or divert attention by saying "look at that heartless republican trying to kill grandma!" or whatever.
There is more than enough money to pay the pledged money without raising the debt ceiling if, for example, government cut spending on shrimp treadmills.
we agree on one thing, politics is a very complex game, and its easy to sit on the sideline and yell at the players.
Also, nobody has commented on the fact that there is no recovery like the liberal media is trying to tell everybody, so I'm assuming that you guys agree on that one, right?
My response:
Yes, John, Mr. Obama spends the money, but he does so because Congress passes a law that tells him that he must do it. They tell him sometimes in broad terms how to spend it, and sometimes very specifically. Sometimes the law says that (and this is only an example) the Department of Fish Security (hopefully there is no such thing ) is to spend two million dollars this year. Mr. Obama, or his subordinates, then decide how many employees this department will have, how much office space to rent, how many fish to secure, etc.
Other times the Congress writes into the law specific items, such as nine million dollars to build a new six lane bridge that is 1,200 feet long and 65 feet high over the Missouri River on Interstate 70 in Kansas City, or two million dollars to fund shrimp treadmills. Sometimes the law is permissive…you can spend up to this amount…sometimes it is specific…you have to spend this amount. But it’s the Congress that writes all of that and passes it. The President then either signs the laws or vetoes them.
The point is that ALL spending is authorized and funded in some way (taxes or raising the debt) by the Congress. Mr. Obama’s job is to “faithfully execute” the laws that are passed. He can suggest laws. He can suggest spending or cutting. He can submit a suggested budget to Congress. But he cannot unilaterally make those decisions without the Congress. And if he spends money the Congress has authorized, but now doesn’t like, they can always cut funding for that specific item or items. And they have done that from time to time.
Yes, there is more than enough money to pay the pledges. But the Congress has to pass a law that nullifies previous laws that have been passed to spend money. Mr. Obama cannot just unilaterally cut those things out; otherwise he would be violating the law.
You are correct in your assessment that Democrats are more “touchy-feely” and tend to want to “make investments” in this or that, which in plain English is “spend money.” You are correct also in your assessment that Republicans in general wish to hold the line on spending and taxes. There are all kinds of exceptions, however, and the lines that used to define Republicans and Democrats are becoming more blurred all the time. Both Democrats and Republicans are ideological; however Democrats are generally more willing to compromise, in my view, because of their more liberal leanings.
Yes, Republicans have economical benefit in mind; but their idea of that, in my view, is to allow the wealthy to keep more of their wealth in the prospect that they will spend it and so power our economy. Democrats also have economical benefit in mind, but they tend to want to tax the wealthy and redistribute those funds to the poorer and middle classes. Which is right? It all depends on which class you are in.
Although Mr. Obama seems to want to do so, neither party in the Congress seems to be interested in funding the IRS, CMS, and other agencies with enough money to catch those who cheat on taxes, submit fraudulent billing to Medicare, or otherwise scam the government. It has been said that for every dollar the IRS would spend on finding tax cheats, they could take in an additional ten dollars (source: The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/01/AR2011030106451.html) Also, Wiki has an article titled “Medicare Fraud”. You might want to read it.
Liberal media, conservative media. Listen to them all, then make up your own mind. Thanks for your reasoned response, John. It is discussions like this that enable all of us to learn more. It’s videos like what were posted a day or two ago that only inflame and divide, in my mind. See you Sunday.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Stretch
I attended a funeral today. It was for one of the members of the church where I too am a member. It was actually a memorial service as the graveside was first and had already been completed. The folks who conducted the service did very well and I learned a lot about the deceased that I had not previously known. That’s not really unusual in a larger church. Many times we don’t know much about someone else in the church except for their name, and perhaps something of their family.
Funerals aren’t my favorite cup of tea (or is it coffee…). I normally don’t like to sit through them, and suspect that many people feel as I do. However, it is good to do from time to time, because funerals tend to make us think of our own mortality and the legacy we leave when we leave this life.
There are other things we don’t normally like to do that are actually good for us. One is to visit someone in a nursing or care facility. Another is to do something for someone who is “down and out” that involves direct contact of some kind. Still another would be to volunteer at some kind of service or charitable organization.
Now, I know that for some folks those things are not an issue. But for most of us, those kinds of things are things that we feel a little “uncomfortable” doing. And that’s really the good thing. It’s good for us to stretch our comfort zones and take on something that we are not used to doing.
So next time there is an opportunity to do something you don’t normally do or maybe don’t particularly like to do, remember that you can usually be of service to someone else in times like these, and stretch yourself a little. You’ll be glad you did.
Funerals aren’t my favorite cup of tea (or is it coffee…). I normally don’t like to sit through them, and suspect that many people feel as I do. However, it is good to do from time to time, because funerals tend to make us think of our own mortality and the legacy we leave when we leave this life.
There are other things we don’t normally like to do that are actually good for us. One is to visit someone in a nursing or care facility. Another is to do something for someone who is “down and out” that involves direct contact of some kind. Still another would be to volunteer at some kind of service or charitable organization.
Now, I know that for some folks those things are not an issue. But for most of us, those kinds of things are things that we feel a little “uncomfortable” doing. And that’s really the good thing. It’s good for us to stretch our comfort zones and take on something that we are not used to doing.
So next time there is an opportunity to do something you don’t normally do or maybe don’t particularly like to do, remember that you can usually be of service to someone else in times like these, and stretch yourself a little. You’ll be glad you did.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
An Answer?
Let’s see. Three people plunge to their deaths over a waterfall at Yosemite National Park. They went into the river above the falls to have, we think, their pictures taken. There are warning signs and barriers to warn people not to go into the river. However, when one person slipped on a rock in the river and began to be pulled away, another in the river tried to get him and a third then tried to rescue the second. All three perished. Their bodies have yet to be recovered because the river is flowing too swiftly for the safety of rescuers.
I have yet to develop the ability to fathom such a scenario as the above; yet it happened in just the last day or so. And it happens regularly, all too often. And people die. And people’s lives are changed forever.
It just saddens me to hear about such things. And yet I know that I’ve done boneheaded things in my life. I’ve just not been caught as these people were, and paid for my deeds with my life. I cannot cast stones at these folks because I’ve been there, done that.
What makes people like this? Why do we think we can get away with things like this? What are we thinking? Or are we thinking? Someone have an answer?
I have yet to develop the ability to fathom such a scenario as the above; yet it happened in just the last day or so. And it happens regularly, all too often. And people die. And people’s lives are changed forever.
It just saddens me to hear about such things. And yet I know that I’ve done boneheaded things in my life. I’ve just not been caught as these people were, and paid for my deeds with my life. I cannot cast stones at these folks because I’ve been there, done that.
What makes people like this? Why do we think we can get away with things like this? What are we thinking? Or are we thinking? Someone have an answer?
Monday, July 18, 2011
Economics 101
The specific information that follows is courtesy of the Wichita Eagle Sunday, July 17, 2011. The commentary is mine.
We Kansans as well as virtually everyone else on earth, think Kansas is an agricultural state, and so it is. However, there is a wide range of manufacturing that goes on here that is really unnoticed by most except those who work in those sectors.
The following is a sample of things manufactured in Kansas and the companies that have located here. I have omitted the obvious…aircraft plants and most agriculture.
Chance Manufacturing—world’s leading manufacturer of amusement rides.
Pioneer Balloon Co.—nation’s largest manufacturer of latex & foil balloons.
Celestaire—Leading exporter of sextants for air & sea navigation.
Russell Stover—Boxed chocolates and other products.
Miller’s Professional Color (film developing)—Largest professional lab in the U.S.
Siemens—Wind turbine nacelles.
Flint Hills Solutions—Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Tramco, Inc. —Conveyor systems
Aerosol Co. —Original packager of aerosol products. Now makes aerosol cans.
Dessin Foumir—Top manufacturer of furniture.
Brookover Feed Yards—Has fed more cattle than any other yard in U.S.
Cobalt Boats—Leading manufacturer of luxury power boats.
Grasshopper Co. —First viable zero-turn-radius mower.
Moon Marble Co. —Marbles of all sizes and kinds.
Sonoco—Recycled paper products.
Krause Corp. —Top manufacturer of tillage equipment.
Titan Trailer Mfg. —Distinctive trailers.
Stafford Co. Flour Mills—One of the last independent flour mills in the nation.
Hospira—Leading pharmaceutical manufacturer of pain management medicines.
Ferguson Production—Hummingbird feeders (made 10 million in 2010)
Bradbery Co. —Roll-forming and steel coil processing machines.
Tony’s Pizza—What else…pizza.
Philips Lighting—Light bulbs.
ElDorado National—Largest manufacturer of small to midsize transit busses.
This isn’t a full list, but demonstrates the diversity of our economy and the resourcefulness of our residents. I hope this has been as enlightening for you as it has for me.
We Kansans as well as virtually everyone else on earth, think Kansas is an agricultural state, and so it is. However, there is a wide range of manufacturing that goes on here that is really unnoticed by most except those who work in those sectors.
The following is a sample of things manufactured in Kansas and the companies that have located here. I have omitted the obvious…aircraft plants and most agriculture.
Chance Manufacturing—world’s leading manufacturer of amusement rides.
Pioneer Balloon Co.—nation’s largest manufacturer of latex & foil balloons.
Celestaire—Leading exporter of sextants for air & sea navigation.
Russell Stover—Boxed chocolates and other products.
Miller’s Professional Color (film developing)—Largest professional lab in the U.S.
Siemens—Wind turbine nacelles.
Flint Hills Solutions—Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
Tramco, Inc. —Conveyor systems
Aerosol Co. —Original packager of aerosol products. Now makes aerosol cans.
Dessin Foumir—Top manufacturer of furniture.
Brookover Feed Yards—Has fed more cattle than any other yard in U.S.
Cobalt Boats—Leading manufacturer of luxury power boats.
Grasshopper Co. —First viable zero-turn-radius mower.
Moon Marble Co. —Marbles of all sizes and kinds.
Sonoco—Recycled paper products.
Krause Corp. —Top manufacturer of tillage equipment.
Titan Trailer Mfg. —Distinctive trailers.
Stafford Co. Flour Mills—One of the last independent flour mills in the nation.
Hospira—Leading pharmaceutical manufacturer of pain management medicines.
Ferguson Production—Hummingbird feeders (made 10 million in 2010)
Bradbery Co. —Roll-forming and steel coil processing machines.
Tony’s Pizza—What else…pizza.
Philips Lighting—Light bulbs.
ElDorado National—Largest manufacturer of small to midsize transit busses.
This isn’t a full list, but demonstrates the diversity of our economy and the resourcefulness of our residents. I hope this has been as enlightening for you as it has for me.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
A Great Adventure
We got back last evening from a quick trip to Colorado Springs to see our niece retire after a great career with the Air Force. Stationed at the Academy these last several years, the ceremony was an appropriate and dignified way to close out her career. I am grateful we were able to go. The weather was, of course, cooler and nicer there than here. It was enjoyable to be able to take in some cooler temperatures and drier air.
On the trip out and back, we noticed that several areas that normally are very dry this time of the year (Northwest Kansas, Eastern Colorado) have had at least some good moisture. The grass is still green and the dryland crops seem to be doing OK (not great, but OK). Central Kansas, however, is very, very dry and in the midst of a severe drought, as are many other parts of the country right now.
We stopped to visit a friend in Oakley for a few minutes over lunch. The Colonial was about as it always has been, with pretty much the same menu on the buffet as always. For less than nine dollars, however, and just off the Interstate, it was a good deal. I am glad we were able to make that connection with Kathy. She has been, and continues to be a true friend and fellow servant of God.
On the way back, we stopped, as we usually do, at Vernie’s Hamburger House in Hays. Our relationship with that place goes way back to the 1970’s when Vernie himself would make the chili and cook the burgers. Having passed away several years ago, his widow and daughter now are at the helm and have kept things pretty much as Vernie had them many years ago. It was good to re-make that connection as well.
Things do change, however, even when they seem to stand still in time. People get older, buildings get creakier, and prices get higher. Businesses close, people move, and some folks just aren’t with us any more. I was reminded at the retirement ceremony that Angie’s Grandad would loved to have been there…a wounded WWII Marine vet; he would have been, no doubt, the guest of honor. He passed on awhile back.
Life goes on. And as we get back into the thick of it, I am filled with gratitude for the privilege I have of seeing life from my perspective and for those who are going through time and space with me. It’s a great adventure; one that is unique and awesome. Thank you, Lord, for your love.
On the trip out and back, we noticed that several areas that normally are very dry this time of the year (Northwest Kansas, Eastern Colorado) have had at least some good moisture. The grass is still green and the dryland crops seem to be doing OK (not great, but OK). Central Kansas, however, is very, very dry and in the midst of a severe drought, as are many other parts of the country right now.
We stopped to visit a friend in Oakley for a few minutes over lunch. The Colonial was about as it always has been, with pretty much the same menu on the buffet as always. For less than nine dollars, however, and just off the Interstate, it was a good deal. I am glad we were able to make that connection with Kathy. She has been, and continues to be a true friend and fellow servant of God.
On the way back, we stopped, as we usually do, at Vernie’s Hamburger House in Hays. Our relationship with that place goes way back to the 1970’s when Vernie himself would make the chili and cook the burgers. Having passed away several years ago, his widow and daughter now are at the helm and have kept things pretty much as Vernie had them many years ago. It was good to re-make that connection as well.
Things do change, however, even when they seem to stand still in time. People get older, buildings get creakier, and prices get higher. Businesses close, people move, and some folks just aren’t with us any more. I was reminded at the retirement ceremony that Angie’s Grandad would loved to have been there…a wounded WWII Marine vet; he would have been, no doubt, the guest of honor. He passed on awhile back.
Life goes on. And as we get back into the thick of it, I am filled with gratitude for the privilege I have of seeing life from my perspective and for those who are going through time and space with me. It’s a great adventure; one that is unique and awesome. Thank you, Lord, for your love.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Full Volume
Today as I was running errands, I had the radio in the pickup on PBS (as usual). The piece that came on when I turned on the ignition one time was obviously the 1812 Overture by Tchaicovsky, formally known as The Year 1812, Festival Overture in E flat major, Op. 49. The overture does not celebrate the War of 1812; rather, it commemorates Russia defending Moscow against Napoleon’s advancing armies in 1812.
The music is familiar to most of us, even if we don’t know for sure what it is called or who wrote it. Some truly appreciate music like this; others tolerate it. It all depends upon one’s taste in the arts and music in particular.
When I heard what was playing on the radio, I immediately turned the volume up full. My speakers can handle that volume without distortion, and it isn’t loud enough to cause ear damage. However, one can more fully appreciate some of the more obscure runs and instrumentation that comes out more audibly when the total volume is high.
I know some who might ride with me might not appreciate the volume, but no one was with me today, except a fly that was clinging for dear life to a window. I truly enjoyed the performance, as I do many of the classics at that volume level, performed by those who are the ultimate professionals.
Thank you, PBS, for providing people like me with the music I like, and a variety that expands my horizons.
The music is familiar to most of us, even if we don’t know for sure what it is called or who wrote it. Some truly appreciate music like this; others tolerate it. It all depends upon one’s taste in the arts and music in particular.
When I heard what was playing on the radio, I immediately turned the volume up full. My speakers can handle that volume without distortion, and it isn’t loud enough to cause ear damage. However, one can more fully appreciate some of the more obscure runs and instrumentation that comes out more audibly when the total volume is high.
I know some who might ride with me might not appreciate the volume, but no one was with me today, except a fly that was clinging for dear life to a window. I truly enjoyed the performance, as I do many of the classics at that volume level, performed by those who are the ultimate professionals.
Thank you, PBS, for providing people like me with the music I like, and a variety that expands my horizons.
Monday, July 11, 2011
If You Haven't Done the Research...
If, for some reason, you doubt that there is any redeeming value in young people today, I urge you to check it out for yourself and not just take someone’s word for it. Check out an upper level, college prep class at the public school. Volunteer at a high school cross country meet this fall (or just attend one). Check out a JROTC program. Ask someone in scouting about the latest Eagle Scout and his project.
And check out this URL http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/fromthetop/pages/ sometime. PBS has a show called “From the Top at Carnegie Hall” that features young people performing a wide variety of music on a wide variety of instruments. Watch any episode and you’ll be amazed, gratified, and pleased with how these young people have ordered themselves with discipline, grace, and use of ability and talent. You may not appreciate music as some do, but you’ll certainly appreciate the message of the show.
My wife and I had the privilege of chaperoning a part of our youth group on two trips to help other churches conduct a vacation Bible school. There were fourteen or fifteen youth and several of us sponsors who traveled to Minnesota and also to Central Kansas for these projects. The young people overall behaved quite well and worked hard to see that the experience of those attending was as it should be and we reached our goal of providing good religious education to the kids.
No, not all youth are of this caliber. But then, not all adults are of a high caliber either. All too often we hear the bad news and haven’t a clue what is happening that is good and decent and right. And all too often it is due to our own laziness in accepting what someone else (FOX, MSNBC) wants us to know rather than finding out for ourselves. If you haven’t done the research (Listening to cable news is NOT doing research), don’t express the opinion.
And check out this URL http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/fromthetop/pages/ sometime. PBS has a show called “From the Top at Carnegie Hall” that features young people performing a wide variety of music on a wide variety of instruments. Watch any episode and you’ll be amazed, gratified, and pleased with how these young people have ordered themselves with discipline, grace, and use of ability and talent. You may not appreciate music as some do, but you’ll certainly appreciate the message of the show.
My wife and I had the privilege of chaperoning a part of our youth group on two trips to help other churches conduct a vacation Bible school. There were fourteen or fifteen youth and several of us sponsors who traveled to Minnesota and also to Central Kansas for these projects. The young people overall behaved quite well and worked hard to see that the experience of those attending was as it should be and we reached our goal of providing good religious education to the kids.
No, not all youth are of this caliber. But then, not all adults are of a high caliber either. All too often we hear the bad news and haven’t a clue what is happening that is good and decent and right. And all too often it is due to our own laziness in accepting what someone else (FOX, MSNBC) wants us to know rather than finding out for ourselves. If you haven’t done the research (Listening to cable news is NOT doing research), don’t express the opinion.
Monday, July 04, 2011
Independence Day
Well, it’s Independence Day. Once a year we especially remember the beginnings of this nation and what it has meant for not only us, but for the human race. This year, comments on Facebook run the gamut from ours being the greatest nation on earth to ours being the last hurrah before the unwashed hordes overrun us and we drown in debt, immorality, and corruption.
I admit that I readily do not know which way we are headed. Nor does anyone else, for that matter. We are all entitled to our opinions; however, rather than being orators of doom or paradise, maybe it would behoove us to do the things in our corner of the world to make the world a better place for our having been here.
Even that sounds like something from a fairy tale fantasy at times. But the reality is that we all have ways that we can influence not only our environment, but also those we contact in our everyday lives. Whether family, friends, retail sales people, classmates, the taxi driver, or someone else, virtually all of us have some kind of contact with the environment and with other people on a daily basis. It’s what we do with those routine contacts and interaction that collectively make the difference.
Life is seldom glamorous and glitzy. Routine, boring, and ordinary are all good words to describe what most of us experience on a daily basis. Many times, life seems to be patently unfair. Yet it is the possibility of the future, including the hope of a life that is eternal, that makes it all worthwhile.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence, “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”, made the decision to “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” They saw the possibility of the future. Many of them also knew the hope of a life that is eternal. That, friend, is what made it worthwhile for them, and even today calls us to service and sacrifice.
I admit that I readily do not know which way we are headed. Nor does anyone else, for that matter. We are all entitled to our opinions; however, rather than being orators of doom or paradise, maybe it would behoove us to do the things in our corner of the world to make the world a better place for our having been here.
Even that sounds like something from a fairy tale fantasy at times. But the reality is that we all have ways that we can influence not only our environment, but also those we contact in our everyday lives. Whether family, friends, retail sales people, classmates, the taxi driver, or someone else, virtually all of us have some kind of contact with the environment and with other people on a daily basis. It’s what we do with those routine contacts and interaction that collectively make the difference.
Life is seldom glamorous and glitzy. Routine, boring, and ordinary are all good words to describe what most of us experience on a daily basis. Many times, life seems to be patently unfair. Yet it is the possibility of the future, including the hope of a life that is eternal, that makes it all worthwhile.
The signers of the Declaration of Independence, “with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence”, made the decision to “mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.” They saw the possibility of the future. Many of them also knew the hope of a life that is eternal. That, friend, is what made it worthwhile for them, and even today calls us to service and sacrifice.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Quite Inert
I started thinking today about a new Christian I had heard about via email. I began to wonder what this woman has already learned about the Christian faith and what traditions and dogmas she has been taught. Now, don’t misunderstand. A tradition or a dogma is not necessarily a bad thing. A dogma is simply a belief that a religion holds to be true. And without tradition, we often feel ungrounded and blown about in the sea of life.
There is, however, a tendency for us to allow tradition and dogma to take on roles not suited. And we sometimes mix up dogma and tradition, making dogma tradition and making tradition dogma. We should have at least some idea of the difference in the two and know within ourselves which we hold to be truth and which we merely practice as tradition. In the world of faith, tradition should never be held to the same standard that dogma should be held. We err greatly, I think, when we allow that to happen.
The higher reaches of the particular “brand” of religion we practice should also hold those two separate and truthfully tell its adherents which it believes to be what, and why. All too often, I fear, we who teach others fail to grasp the significance of failure to do this, and the effect it has on those who are being taught. For if we teach tradition as dogma, we then are at some point compelled to explain why. That tends to force us to use the standard by which we measure dogma (for most of Christendom, that is the Bible) to measure tradition and make the standard “fit” our argument that our tradition is really dogma. This, of course, necessitates either changing the standard (New World Translation of the Watchtower Society, for example), or interpreting the existing standard in such a way as to make it work with our teaching. Either way causes the standard to cease to be the true standard and become merely our tool to persuade, control, and manage those we teach.
The Christian faith should be a faith of child-like wonder and a never-ending curiosity that is never quite fulfilled; never quite satisfied. It doesn’t matter if I am 16 or 96, my faith should continue to spark new questions, new thoughts and ideas, and new notions about the God who created us all. If I ever become comfortable in my faith to the point that I ask no questions, think no new thoughts, or never re-examine what I believe and why, then my faith has died within me. I’ve become quite inert and probably odious to my God as well.
There is, however, a tendency for us to allow tradition and dogma to take on roles not suited. And we sometimes mix up dogma and tradition, making dogma tradition and making tradition dogma. We should have at least some idea of the difference in the two and know within ourselves which we hold to be truth and which we merely practice as tradition. In the world of faith, tradition should never be held to the same standard that dogma should be held. We err greatly, I think, when we allow that to happen.
The higher reaches of the particular “brand” of religion we practice should also hold those two separate and truthfully tell its adherents which it believes to be what, and why. All too often, I fear, we who teach others fail to grasp the significance of failure to do this, and the effect it has on those who are being taught. For if we teach tradition as dogma, we then are at some point compelled to explain why. That tends to force us to use the standard by which we measure dogma (for most of Christendom, that is the Bible) to measure tradition and make the standard “fit” our argument that our tradition is really dogma. This, of course, necessitates either changing the standard (New World Translation of the Watchtower Society, for example), or interpreting the existing standard in such a way as to make it work with our teaching. Either way causes the standard to cease to be the true standard and become merely our tool to persuade, control, and manage those we teach.
The Christian faith should be a faith of child-like wonder and a never-ending curiosity that is never quite fulfilled; never quite satisfied. It doesn’t matter if I am 16 or 96, my faith should continue to spark new questions, new thoughts and ideas, and new notions about the God who created us all. If I ever become comfortable in my faith to the point that I ask no questions, think no new thoughts, or never re-examine what I believe and why, then my faith has died within me. I’ve become quite inert and probably odious to my God as well.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Glitz and Glamour
We talked some in class this morning of God working in us through the routine and mundane of our lives. In other words, most of the time God works in us as we go about our normal, ordinary routines of life, work, and relaxation. I’ve taught this before, but it’s always kind of an eye-opener to understand yet again that God often doesn’t come to His people in flashes of brilliance and extraordinary accomplishment (although that certainly happens, I think), but rather in the ordinary things of raising a family, working, going to school, and even more specific things like driving kids to a ball game, fixing lunch, or talking on the phone (that betrays my age…no one actually TALKS anymore).
We many times think of our lives as a boring monotony, broken by the only occasional laughter, fear, or apprehension. I think God may see our lives as anything but boring monotony. And we would do well to understand that as God opens doors for us to walk through, we can always have in the back of our minds the sense of adventure and the promise that our faith, in taking that step through the open door will somehow result in glory coming to the God of all gods.
God gave the promised land to Israel, but He didn’t do it in just a few days or even a few months. The text says that Israel fought “a long time,” and God himself said that it wouldn’t be a quick thing, but it would be a sure thing. I’m sure Israel grew tired of the “routine” of battle and the fact that they couldn’t settle down in the promised land for many years following the beginning of the conquest. Eventually, however, Joshua dismissed the tribes to the land that he apportioned to them and as the text says, “The land had rest from war.”
We want things done now, right away. We want things done in a flashy, almost magical time frame and with all the glitz and glamour that even Vegas would be proud of. Yes, God can be glitzy. God can do glamorous things. Most of the time, though, He does things in His own time and in His own way, with people whose lives are spent in the routine and ordinary…yet doing extraordinary things by the power of God.
We many times think of our lives as a boring monotony, broken by the only occasional laughter, fear, or apprehension. I think God may see our lives as anything but boring monotony. And we would do well to understand that as God opens doors for us to walk through, we can always have in the back of our minds the sense of adventure and the promise that our faith, in taking that step through the open door will somehow result in glory coming to the God of all gods.
God gave the promised land to Israel, but He didn’t do it in just a few days or even a few months. The text says that Israel fought “a long time,” and God himself said that it wouldn’t be a quick thing, but it would be a sure thing. I’m sure Israel grew tired of the “routine” of battle and the fact that they couldn’t settle down in the promised land for many years following the beginning of the conquest. Eventually, however, Joshua dismissed the tribes to the land that he apportioned to them and as the text says, “The land had rest from war.”
We want things done now, right away. We want things done in a flashy, almost magical time frame and with all the glitz and glamour that even Vegas would be proud of. Yes, God can be glitzy. God can do glamorous things. Most of the time, though, He does things in His own time and in His own way, with people whose lives are spent in the routine and ordinary…yet doing extraordinary things by the power of God.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Some Visiting
Yesterday, we went to Pratt, then to Hesston to visit relatives. Our first stop was in Pratt at the local care home where our first cousin, once removed, was living. Now, you might ask why we went all that way to see a cousin that is “once removed”. We do things a little differently in our family. Folks who are related to us are important to us. They are our connection with our ancestors, our heritage, and our upbringing, all of which we value very highly. We also know that she has no other close relatives besides a son who has not visited her in many years. And we know she provides a valuable link to a part of our family that we know very little about.
We then went to Hesston and saw several relatives…an uncle by marriage, a blood uncle and his wife (our aunt as certainly as if she was a blood relative), and a first cousin. We also happened upon a woman in the hall of the assisted living complex who was our first cousin once removed from the other side of our family. She was someone we previously had not known, and know very little about her parents…her mom being our great aunt. She was very willing to visit and invited us back for another visit and look through some of her old photos, etc.
We seldom go as far as third cousins or some such, as that gets rather far afield, although we certainly recognize them and their lineage as it relates to our common ancestor(s). We have a genealogy person in our family who likes this kind of thing, and we sometimes are able to gather bits of data for her. All in all, it was a good day and very satisfying for us. I trust it was for the folks we visited as well.
Each time we visit, I am struck yet again by the stories we tell of those relatives now gone. They lived good lives, but life was in many cases hard and sometimes seemingly cruel. Survival during the Great Depression often meant gathering berries from the roadside in order to have something to eat, or frying a flour and oil concoction in a pan and calling it a meal. Medicine was primitive by today’s standards and quarantines were not unusual. Nor were illnesses like scarlet fever, mumps, measles, or tetanus. Running water and indoor plumbing were not always available and starting over in life was an all-too-routine thing to do. Medicare and Medicaid were but a dream in a progressive’s eye.
These people lived, in good part, with reliance on and faith in Someone greater than themselves. They knew they were at the mercy of the elements, the depression, and the illnesses that plagued them. Yet they persisted, they persevered, they finished the course in this race called life. And for that example, we “moderns” owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
We then went to Hesston and saw several relatives…an uncle by marriage, a blood uncle and his wife (our aunt as certainly as if she was a blood relative), and a first cousin. We also happened upon a woman in the hall of the assisted living complex who was our first cousin once removed from the other side of our family. She was someone we previously had not known, and know very little about her parents…her mom being our great aunt. She was very willing to visit and invited us back for another visit and look through some of her old photos, etc.
We seldom go as far as third cousins or some such, as that gets rather far afield, although we certainly recognize them and their lineage as it relates to our common ancestor(s). We have a genealogy person in our family who likes this kind of thing, and we sometimes are able to gather bits of data for her. All in all, it was a good day and very satisfying for us. I trust it was for the folks we visited as well.
Each time we visit, I am struck yet again by the stories we tell of those relatives now gone. They lived good lives, but life was in many cases hard and sometimes seemingly cruel. Survival during the Great Depression often meant gathering berries from the roadside in order to have something to eat, or frying a flour and oil concoction in a pan and calling it a meal. Medicine was primitive by today’s standards and quarantines were not unusual. Nor were illnesses like scarlet fever, mumps, measles, or tetanus. Running water and indoor plumbing were not always available and starting over in life was an all-too-routine thing to do. Medicare and Medicaid were but a dream in a progressive’s eye.
These people lived, in good part, with reliance on and faith in Someone greater than themselves. They knew they were at the mercy of the elements, the depression, and the illnesses that plagued them. Yet they persisted, they persevered, they finished the course in this race called life. And for that example, we “moderns” owe them a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Just A Short Time
Sometime soon, my sister and I will make a trip to Pratt to visit a cousin who is in the nursing home there. From there we’ll go to Hesston and visit a couple of uncles, an aunt, and cousin. I have somewhat mixed feelings about these visits and I’ll tell you why.
On the one hand, I am eager to see these folks. They have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. For them to honor me with their time is a blessing almost beyond words. But on the other hand, visits like this remind all of us of the inexorable march of time and the toll it takes on the creation and the created.
Our cousin in Pratt is from a branch of the family that we don’t have much contact with anymore, and I haven’t seen her for well over 10 years. Now, that’s my fault, not hers. She has always been in the Pratt area and I just haven’t taken the time to make the trip until now.
The family in Hesston we see more often. We last visited there just a few months ago, it seems, and we enjoy the time we have together, even if its just a short time with lunch thrown in.
Of course, on the way to and from, sis and I will talk of times gone by and reminisce about what we remember (or don’t remember) about these family members. I’m sure they do the same with us when we’re not there…conjuring up what now may be fuzzy images of times long ago gone.
Already, those younger ones in our family are starting to reminisce and remember things that happened with us…can it be that it will be just a short time until we too wait for the visits by the younger ones to brighten our days?
On the one hand, I am eager to see these folks. They have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. For them to honor me with their time is a blessing almost beyond words. But on the other hand, visits like this remind all of us of the inexorable march of time and the toll it takes on the creation and the created.
Our cousin in Pratt is from a branch of the family that we don’t have much contact with anymore, and I haven’t seen her for well over 10 years. Now, that’s my fault, not hers. She has always been in the Pratt area and I just haven’t taken the time to make the trip until now.
The family in Hesston we see more often. We last visited there just a few months ago, it seems, and we enjoy the time we have together, even if its just a short time with lunch thrown in.
Of course, on the way to and from, sis and I will talk of times gone by and reminisce about what we remember (or don’t remember) about these family members. I’m sure they do the same with us when we’re not there…conjuring up what now may be fuzzy images of times long ago gone.
Already, those younger ones in our family are starting to reminisce and remember things that happened with us…can it be that it will be just a short time until we too wait for the visits by the younger ones to brighten our days?
Monday, June 20, 2011
A Bad Day
I went in to my local doctor’s office today to pay a bill that has been outstanding for a month or so. When I went in, I went to the receptionist for my doctor. She was on the phone with someone, so I waited. She mouthed to me during the call that she would be “right with me”. The call took a couple of minutes, but it ended.
I said to her, “Ma’am, I’m John Plank (my legal name), and I’m wondering if I have a balance due on my account, and I know there is a balance on my wife’s account. I’d like to pay anything I owe.”
She starts digging in a drawer beside her that has file folders in it. I’m thinking the drawer contains account information, although I wonder about that since the office is modern and computerized. She can’t seem to find what she’s looking for, turns to me and says, “Do you have an appointment?”
Now I realize that the drawer had all of the day’s patient records in it and she was searching for mine. I said, “No, ma’am. I’m just here to pay my bill.” I’m just a little puzzled by now, thinking I may not be dealing with the brightest bulb on the shelf.
The phone rings again. She asks if the caller could hold. Evidently not, because she listened for a minute or so, then they talked some. During this call, the second line began ringing, but someone else answered it. She hung up her call, and started typing on her keyboard. The first line rang again and she again asked if the caller could hold. This time the caller held.
She punched the keyboard for a good period of time while trying to talk to another staffer about the prior call. She finally told me that I owed $20 on my account, and also told me that my wife owed $134.05. I reminded her of her caller on hold and told her she could go ahead and take the call since I wasn’t going anywhere. I figured that no faster than we were going anyway, it wouldn’t matter much. She looked at me quizzically, then at the phone, saw the blinking button, and answered the call.
Following the call, she went to the back and asked a woman how she should process the payment since I was paying on two bills at once. They wanted to know how I was paying. I held up my credit card and they talked some more. The woman told her to run the card for the total and note the separate numbers on the receipt that they would keep.
I gave her my card after she came back to the desk. She turned toward her calculator and started punching in numbers. I wondered what she was doing, since the two numbers were $134.05 and $20.00. That easily totals in one’s head to $154.05. I thought she might have found some other charges. No, she turns to me after at least 30 seconds at the calculator and says, “The total is $154.05.”
The rest of the interaction was relatively uneventful and I left, thanking God for the ability to add in my head and multi-task. I would never disparage or make fun of anyone who does not have those abilities (although I admit to having done so in the past), but I have to wonder why someone like that is working in a position that requires some proficiency in those areas. Hopefully, she was just having a bad day, and it got better…quickly.
I said to her, “Ma’am, I’m John Plank (my legal name), and I’m wondering if I have a balance due on my account, and I know there is a balance on my wife’s account. I’d like to pay anything I owe.”
She starts digging in a drawer beside her that has file folders in it. I’m thinking the drawer contains account information, although I wonder about that since the office is modern and computerized. She can’t seem to find what she’s looking for, turns to me and says, “Do you have an appointment?”
Now I realize that the drawer had all of the day’s patient records in it and she was searching for mine. I said, “No, ma’am. I’m just here to pay my bill.” I’m just a little puzzled by now, thinking I may not be dealing with the brightest bulb on the shelf.
The phone rings again. She asks if the caller could hold. Evidently not, because she listened for a minute or so, then they talked some. During this call, the second line began ringing, but someone else answered it. She hung up her call, and started typing on her keyboard. The first line rang again and she again asked if the caller could hold. This time the caller held.
She punched the keyboard for a good period of time while trying to talk to another staffer about the prior call. She finally told me that I owed $20 on my account, and also told me that my wife owed $134.05. I reminded her of her caller on hold and told her she could go ahead and take the call since I wasn’t going anywhere. I figured that no faster than we were going anyway, it wouldn’t matter much. She looked at me quizzically, then at the phone, saw the blinking button, and answered the call.
Following the call, she went to the back and asked a woman how she should process the payment since I was paying on two bills at once. They wanted to know how I was paying. I held up my credit card and they talked some more. The woman told her to run the card for the total and note the separate numbers on the receipt that they would keep.
I gave her my card after she came back to the desk. She turned toward her calculator and started punching in numbers. I wondered what she was doing, since the two numbers were $134.05 and $20.00. That easily totals in one’s head to $154.05. I thought she might have found some other charges. No, she turns to me after at least 30 seconds at the calculator and says, “The total is $154.05.”
The rest of the interaction was relatively uneventful and I left, thanking God for the ability to add in my head and multi-task. I would never disparage or make fun of anyone who does not have those abilities (although I admit to having done so in the past), but I have to wonder why someone like that is working in a position that requires some proficiency in those areas. Hopefully, she was just having a bad day, and it got better…quickly.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
We Go On
Wow! Has it really been since the fourth of June that I’ve written? Well, now that I’m retired and have nothing to do (cough cough), I should right every day, huh.
So much water under the bridge (so to speak) that I won’t bother to summarize, except to say that Minnesota was much, much cooler and more pleasant than the weather currently in effect in Southern Kansas. We even slept with the windows open, and were very comfortable there.
One would think that with retirement would come hours and days of nothing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Already my social and work calendar is being filled with this place to go, that thing to do, etc. The honey-do list has started (replacing the kitchen sink and faucet) and I am struggling to find time to do some of the things I wanted to get started on right away.
Of course, the heat outdoors is keeping some of the outdoor work and activity at bay. The mosquitoes are also bad now, with the big black ones attacking, not even circling, but zeroing in on exposed flesh like a dive bomber. Thankfully, they are large enough that I normally can feel them land and have a chance to swat at ‘em before they take a liquid meal. And they strike even in the heat of the day, to say nothing of early morning and evening.
So we go on. Mosquitoes and heat notwithstanding, we trundle on in life, only somewhat cognizant of what lies ahead, or what we’d like to lie ahead. We hurtle on into the great abyss of the future in faith that it will all work out OK; that things will make themselves known at the right time; that our faith will carry us through to the end.
To borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee, “And so it goes.”
So much water under the bridge (so to speak) that I won’t bother to summarize, except to say that Minnesota was much, much cooler and more pleasant than the weather currently in effect in Southern Kansas. We even slept with the windows open, and were very comfortable there.
One would think that with retirement would come hours and days of nothing to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. Already my social and work calendar is being filled with this place to go, that thing to do, etc. The honey-do list has started (replacing the kitchen sink and faucet) and I am struggling to find time to do some of the things I wanted to get started on right away.
Of course, the heat outdoors is keeping some of the outdoor work and activity at bay. The mosquitoes are also bad now, with the big black ones attacking, not even circling, but zeroing in on exposed flesh like a dive bomber. Thankfully, they are large enough that I normally can feel them land and have a chance to swat at ‘em before they take a liquid meal. And they strike even in the heat of the day, to say nothing of early morning and evening.
So we go on. Mosquitoes and heat notwithstanding, we trundle on in life, only somewhat cognizant of what lies ahead, or what we’d like to lie ahead. We hurtle on into the great abyss of the future in faith that it will all work out OK; that things will make themselves known at the right time; that our faith will carry us through to the end.
To borrow a phrase from Linda Ellerbee, “And so it goes.”
Saturday, June 04, 2011
I Know
I had opportunity today to think back over my work career. I don’t know if you’ve ever done something like that or not, but it might be worth the effort. I must say that my career has been varied, both in location and vocation, and I’ve had wonderful opportunities to do things and touch the lives of others in ways I would never have imagined at the start of my vocational endeavors.
I learned customer service early on through work with one of the corporate giants, the 3M Company. I learned that I had the capability to take on projects and be successful in what I did through my work at a radio and television station where I was responsible for the physical re-location of the studios of the radio station in an overnight move. I also had responsibility for all remote broadcasts (which were done frequently back then) and had that procedure down to a science.
Other jobs taught me that life wasn’t always fair; that superiors don’t always appreciate competence, and that people can be difficult to work with and are surely illogical and unpredictable. I also learned that I wasn’t perfect; that I didn’t have all the answers, and that I sometimes was just flat wrong in my assumptions about some thing or some one.
I learned the value of developing relationships with vendors, consultants, and people in other professions who could be helpful, and the knack of calling on those folks at the right time for the right reasons. And I learned that it can be a lonely experience at the top, and that “been there, done that” isn’t such a bad thing to say after all.
I know that I can do almost anything I set myself to do. I have the capability to learn on the fly, and can be quite successful when I decide to do so. I can also slough off and get by, and have managed to become quite good at that as well.
I am becoming aware that I have a life of experience and living that many people do not have, and am willing to share that wisdom with others who ask for it. I’ve learned that some people actually do ask that I share what I know, and seem to be grateful for the advice and counsel.
It’s been a great ride. Most of my experiences I wouldn’t trade for a hundred million dollars, but I have no desire to ever do them again. As I go into the next phase of life and living, I hold to the past in some ways, but look forward to what lies ahead in other ways. And whether that future is one day or one decade long, I know I have been blessed.
I learned customer service early on through work with one of the corporate giants, the 3M Company. I learned that I had the capability to take on projects and be successful in what I did through my work at a radio and television station where I was responsible for the physical re-location of the studios of the radio station in an overnight move. I also had responsibility for all remote broadcasts (which were done frequently back then) and had that procedure down to a science.
Other jobs taught me that life wasn’t always fair; that superiors don’t always appreciate competence, and that people can be difficult to work with and are surely illogical and unpredictable. I also learned that I wasn’t perfect; that I didn’t have all the answers, and that I sometimes was just flat wrong in my assumptions about some thing or some one.
I learned the value of developing relationships with vendors, consultants, and people in other professions who could be helpful, and the knack of calling on those folks at the right time for the right reasons. And I learned that it can be a lonely experience at the top, and that “been there, done that” isn’t such a bad thing to say after all.
I know that I can do almost anything I set myself to do. I have the capability to learn on the fly, and can be quite successful when I decide to do so. I can also slough off and get by, and have managed to become quite good at that as well.
I am becoming aware that I have a life of experience and living that many people do not have, and am willing to share that wisdom with others who ask for it. I’ve learned that some people actually do ask that I share what I know, and seem to be grateful for the advice and counsel.
It’s been a great ride. Most of my experiences I wouldn’t trade for a hundred million dollars, but I have no desire to ever do them again. As I go into the next phase of life and living, I hold to the past in some ways, but look forward to what lies ahead in other ways. And whether that future is one day or one decade long, I know I have been blessed.
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