Monday Musings: The Things I Just Cannot Understand Edition

So much to say, but I’m told that a good blog post doesn’t go over 500 words.  I’ll do my best.

 

My dog, Rocco.  He doesn't understand, either.

Democrats turning on each other.  Ohio representative Tim Ryan is challenging Nancy Pelosi’s minority leader position, that makes him sexist.

People who are okay with illegal immigration.  Where do we draw the line (or build the wall) against the flood of bodies we must support, at the very least temporarily, if not for the duration of their stay?  People wanting to house our vets, feed our hungry, give jobs to those living in poverty, and insist people enter our country legally are xenophobic.  It’s a real problem…the conviction records for criminal activity by illegals prove it.

Most words ending in “phobic.”   Disagreement with another person's lifestyle or their ideology is not fear, nor is it hate.  (There are exceptions...bigots and racists do indeed exist in our fine country.  Every once in a while, they are the very ones calling others racists and bigots.)

But then again…Christaphobics/Biblephobics…We run into/read about them every day.   If you stand up for what the Bible says, you are often met with disdain, and far, far worse.  Jesus said it would happen.  Folks seem to be drawing from their own hate and fear-filled emotion and attach it to others.  

Christians who didn’t diligently pray and fast for our nation before the election.  Many did.  Many more did not.

Mitt Romney being considered for any position President Trump’s administration after his actions and degrading comments over the past year.

Jill Stein demanding a recount.  What?   From the moment I heard this one, I felt Hillary was behind it, and when she “joined the effort,” my belief was validated.  Did HRC and Soros donate the dough to fund the effort?  Stein’s reasoning, apparently, is that the results didn’t match the polls.  Trump supporters may have, for obvious reasons, declined to answer pollsters.  Or perhaps the only ones polled were wearing “I’m with her” paraphernalia.   

The recount is just one more way old slew foot is trying to maintain control of our country.  We can’t expect the devil to give up easily, can we?   He’s not omniscient, so he didn’t know Donald Trump was going to win, either.

It’s all about control.  It always was, and until the Lord comes back, that’s what it will be…a battle for control.  I read the end of the Book.  Christians win.

Barbara Boxer’s proposed bill to abolish the electoral college.  Those who do not understand the electoral college should go take a civics class.  America’s legislative branches should not be determined by the blue: 

This puts "popular vote" into perspective, doesn't it?
Do we really want only a few counties calling the shots for the whole country?

Unopposed widespread lawlessness.  That’s where we were quickly headed, and that’s what the devil wants.  We are on a better path now.  If you don’t believe it, then please pray for our country.  Diligently.  Persistently.  Without ceasing.   If you do believe it, pray the same way.   There are still dark days ahead because the devil has many tools walking about doing his dirty work. 

I hope your week is just as wonderful as you are!

PS:  I managed to keep it within 500 words.

Tuesday Museday

Reflections...Deibert Park

Did you lose any friends over the whole political ordeal?   It really was an ordeal, wasn’t it?   Oddly enough, I still have the same liberal friends; other relationships may or may not have survived…time will tell.  It’s incredible how deeply entrenched we can get with our own beliefs, isn’t it?  

Scanning the news headlines, which is normally all I can stomach, I can’t help but wonder why President Obama said he will “speak out against Trump” if he thinks US ideals are at risk, but still remains silent about violent protests, or “peaceful” protesters blocking freeways and doorways?   I am not sure which ideals he would be talking about...what is ideal to liberals isn't ideal to conservatives, hence the two very different political parties.

Facebook is now saying they will “crack down on false news stories.”  It’s about time!  I’ve been preaching “Truth Matters” for quite some time!   I wonder if that is just for conservative sites, or will they pinch the liberal sites as well?  Both are equally destructive to the rebuilding of a healthy, united America. 

 

My very first blog some twelve or so years ago was with America Online, and they were called journals then.   The name of it was In Quest of Truth, and most of my posts titles began with “In Quest of…whatever the post was about."   I recently found out the domain, inquestoftruth.com was available again.   I bought it, of course!  I don't know what I'll do with it just yet, perhaps write some truth?  Sadly, I have found that people do not like truth…

…but they do like false teaching sites like Jory Micah.  I am not sure if she believes what she’s pushing, or if she just talks to get followers.  Examples from her self-named “ministry” on her Facebook page: “There is no greater feminist than God almighty.” and “God thinks we are all her kids, and is hoping we will get along over Thanksgiving.”   She shows herself to be prideful, seemingly has an aversion to men and correction, but women (and some men) cheer her on.  Always, always study the scriptures!   It's the only place we'll find absolute truth in this sea of deception in which we live!

 

That’s all the musing I can muster for one morning.  I hope your day is great, and your Thanksgiving is just as wonderful as you are!  Thank you for sticking with me and reading my words…some of you have been with me since AOL journals.  I appreciate you, my friends.  

Monday Musings: The Moving On Edition

photo from Pixabay.com

The post I was formulating in my head over the weekend looks nothing like the finished product.  In a world of excessive information, it is entirely too easy to get distracted…welcome to my politics-weary, jumbled thoughts.

I hoped the political hoopla would slow down to a crawl after the election, but that has not been the case.  If I weren’t so addicted to scrolling through Facebook, I would go on strike for a couple of weeks.   I may have to unfollow/hide a few more “friends” just to keep my sanity.

There are way too many false “news” sites.  Unfortunately, precious few people research before they repost/retweet articles on social media from such sites.  Posting stories that are untrue helps no one and hurts many.

ChristianTimesNewspaper.com is a false site, which makes me mad because they purposely put the word “Christian” in their name as click bait.

Truth matters, I promise it does.

Trump protestors are starting a scary precedent for future elections.

What exactly are they hoping to accomplish with the protest, anyway?  

Can it really be called a protest when there was no injustice done?   President Elect Donald Trump won fair and square.   Before it is over with, he may have the popular vote, as well.  The fake sites are posting that he already did, but that is not true.  Yet.

When is the current president going to step in and address the rioting/protesting issue?  When is the “other side” going realize that whenever there are riots and volatile protests, it’s always people from that side of the fence?

When are we going to get rid of that “fence?”   United we stand, divided we fall.  The Bible specifically says, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.”

If you are a Christian, stop arguing with unhappy liberals.  Your guy won.  The sooner you quit responding to the complaints, the quicker they can begin to accept the outcome and move on.  They will see the world won’t end because of Donald Trump, just like we saw it didn’t end with Barak Obama.  The world will end when God says it ends.  

If you get entangled in political arguments, you aren’t going to change their minds, they won't change yours; you are just going to be called names you won’t like.  Be happy, but don’t be prideful.  And pray for our country.   

Seriously, pray.  Often.

The election results didn’t catch me by surprise, and it didn’t the devil by surprise, either.  He is still walking about seeking whom he may destroy.   There are dark days ahead.  We cannot be lax about praying, it’s important…it’s imperative that we pray.

I wish I understood prayer better.  But Jesus Himself prayed, and He prayed a lot, so I know that I, too, should pray.  By the way, all those people causing a ruckus from coast to coast?  They are souls who are important to God.  Pray for them.

Washington, WI...I'd like to visit here one day.   Photo from Pixabay.com

::::::::::::::Have a happy, peaceful week::::::::::::::

A Word on Wednesday:

 

The liberal world is shocked by the results of the 2016 Presidential election.  While I couldn’t comprehend why anyone would vote for Hillary Clinton, I do understand the disappointment.   I felt it for the previous two elections, neither of which I prayed nearly as diligently as I did for this one, and I feel certain that many others walked that same prayerful path.

This election wasn’t about the man, it was/is about our future.  Not everyone understands that…yet.  But it is not the time to pridefully gloat, nor should we be resting on our laurels.  Now, more than ever, we need to pray.  We are still battling for our country, and the battle is fierce.  Do not think that the enemy of our souls just threw up his dirty hands up and walked away because of the results of this election!  Today, with Donald Trump as our President Elect (NOT our savior), tolerance is still a lie, lies are still called truth, Truth is still called hate, and hate is still prevalent.  There is a lot of work to be done to heal the great divide…a seemingly impossible task to the human mind, but with God, all things are possible…Godpossible! 

The way to begin to heal America’s division is with prayer.   We keep the wounds gaping when we argue.  We will not change a person’s mind about abortion, our words won’t persuade them that God’s way is best (God proves Himself just everyday), and they will not believe a victory was scored with this election, so don’t be a thorn in their sides trying to convince them.   

The Bible tells us, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.”  Do we want our nation to belong to the Lord? We have to start with ourselves, each one of us individually!  Get in the position God set aside for you.  The body of Christ must come together as one body.  That means that the Pentecostals and the Churches of Christ, the Baptists and the Presbyterians, the Catholics and the Charismatics, all of us…ALL of us…must come together and be one family.  For Heaven’s sake, we must never judge or argue with another brother or sister in Christ because they don’t have the same traditions as our own!

 

 

Focus on sowing seeds:  Be nice.  Be helpful.  Be complimentary and less judgmental.  Be giving.  Be a light.  Be prayerful.  Don’t get caught up in a war of words (or a battle of Facebook comments).  I promise, you will only make each other mad.  Scatter your seeds and pray over the harvest.   

We cannot talk the talk if we don’t walk the walk. 

Sow a seed of kindness in someone you don’t like.

Start planting today!    

My Friends, my brother and sisters in Christ…time is short!  The world is dark, and we must be the light…the salt of the earth.   Please keep praying. 

 

Committed Thoughts: The Political Prayers Edition

The day before the election! It seemed to take forever to get here while we were besieged with negative ad after negative commentary, but here we are! If the Lord tarries and allows it, we will choose a new leader tomorrow. There has been a lot of prayer, and there will be a lot more over the next 24 hours; fasting, too. I can’t say there’s ever been a more important election in my lifetime…or ever.

We have polar opposites vying for the title. For some, who to choose has been/is confusing. Others knew right away who they would NOT vote for, therefore, another candidate got their vote by default. Some are sitting this one out. And some are confidently casting their vote. Alabama doesn’t allow early voting, or I would have already got it over with.

My prayer points for this election:

• His will be done in America as it is in heaven.
• For Godly wisdom and clarity.
• That the Holy Spirit be a part of this election.
• For Truth and Light to shine through the deception and darkness.
• Blind eyes to be opened.
• That each vote will be  protected.
• For peace.
• Protection for every person involved in the process, from the candidate to the voter, and everyone in between.

May God have mercy on America. 

“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Thursday’s Thoughts: The Vacation Edition

Roaring Forks, Gatlinburg (Fall, 2016)

Last week, Ole Boy and I trekked to the Great Smoky Mountains!  We spent a couple of nights in North Carolina, and the rest of the week in Tennessee.  It is one of my favorite place to be…though we are giving thought to going somewhere different next year for our fall vacation.  Any suggestions?

Gatlinburg Bypass Overlook (Fall, 2016)

Have you ever heard of EmiSunshine?  We stopped in Sweetwater, TN for a night and went to her “concert.”  It was an auction house, where, I understand, she got her start when she was around 8 years old.  She is now the ripe old age of 12.  She has been on the Grand Ole Opry 13 times, sang with Loretta Lynn in Branson, and other TV appearances, such as the Today show.  It was a fun night. She caterwauls at times, but overall, she’s pretty talented, singing, and playing the ukulele and guitar.  She and her mother write a lot her of her music. She also sings bluegrass and old country songs.  She yodels pretty well, too.

Places to eat play a big part of my planning for a vacation.  Don’t judge. Some people going to the Great Smokies ask my advice about where to eat…and where to stay…they know I am in the know (at least that’s what I tell them).  We stayed at Jack Huff’s, which is very conveniently located near the Parkway in Gatlinburg.  We can walk the strip at night, shopping and listening to live music. It’s uphill all the way to the other side, but going back to the room is all downhill.  I prefer downhill…both ways...but it never works out that way for some reason.  It was also conveniently (by car, not foot) located to the Little House of Pancakes that served the best waffle I may have ever eaten.  Breakfast there beat out The Old Mill, and that is saying a lot!

Great Smoky Mountains (Fall, 2016)

Diet-wise, don’t ask!  Healthy eating and vacations are not good matches.  Let’s just say fudge and waffles won out those last few days.

We ate at my favorite barbecue place, Bennett’s, and we also ate at Joe’s Crab Shack in Pigeon Forge. Somehow that can of Bumblebee “premium” crab meat I had for lunch yesterday didn’t quite measure up…nowhere near up…to Joe’s.  If you are recoiling just thinking about it, be very, very glad you didn’t taste it.  With a little salt and “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” zero calorie spray, I managed to eat about half of it. 

:::shudder:::

(Involuntary response from thinking about the canned crab.

It was as bad as it sounds!  (My dogs didn't mind the taste one bit.)

Great Smoky Mountains (Fall, 2016)

I had lost 11 pounds before we left…I am now at 13 pounds gone. Low carb. I know you’re wondering, especially after I admitted to fudge and waffles.  One day maybe food won’t be such an obsession/passion of mine. For now it is, so I am already looking forward to Thanksgiving…top three reasons to love Thanksgiving:

♥Family.

♥Food.

♥It kicks off the Christmas Season.

Image from Pixabay.com

You are cordially invited to participate in my Survey Monkey Political Poll. Seven little questions, that’s all. Come on, you know you want to!  CLICK HERE!

GSM National Park Near Cosby (Fall, 2016)