partsofspeaking

From July 21 to July 31 I was out of the country. My niece and her husband live near the Hague (den Haag from now on) and her parents were visiting, so I met them for part of their time and then spent some time alone in Amsterdam. That is the last trip I take to Europe on my own--I'm too old for this kind of adventure. Also, timing is everything, and the world is traveling post-COVID. That means the streets were packed, and the airport was a literal nightmare. More on that later.  So I am going to post my photos and thoughts over the next few days. I did not want to post while I was away for security reasons, but I am almost home now.  First, five things you need to know about the Netherlands: You need a smart phone. You will need to download apps, like the National Transportation System (NS) one. You will need help with directions and walking. You will have to show tickets to museums online because you can't just walk into them.   You have to ride the train

I found this depressing and yet truthful in the best way:   https://mikeglennonline.com/church-attendance-is-down-but-why/?fbclid=IwAR0zQlXnltUimucUgrPqWvyMJd76ylOzT7fMKGjaqXkg4r9QpEYV2U3H5V0 If we have no truth, no authentic faith and devotion to Jesus Christ to offer others, why shouldn't they go to their kid's travel team game? (my attitudes towards such things notwithstanding).

I added this Emotion Wheel for those who might be helped by it, but it is not in alignment with my view of Scripture and Bible. We don't read the Bible for little pills that help us when we are down, stressed, etc. We read it to learn Christ and become like Him.  R&J is my least favorite Shakespearean tragedy. Sorry not sorry.  

We hear about this a lot today in terms of gender. Biological sex is binary and non-changeable (DNA is DNA no matter what a person looks like). Gender expression is not, but that is where it gets complicated. I have written elsewhere that we are more entrapped by stereotypical thinking about gender than ever. If a little boy wants to play Barbies with his sister simply because he has no other playmate, that has nothing to do with his "gender expression." He just wants a playmate, for Pete's sake, like I did when I played with Erector Sets.  A female who like the outdoors and a man who arranges flowers are not to be seen as "abnormal." Why would we in a world of such beauty and diversity? (I recognize there are congenital and other conditions that complicate the sex/gender distinction We can also argue binaries in terms of theology. I spent most of my life with the "saved-unsaved" dichotomy.  The problem was that "saved" meant "your exper

 Right now, this is what the Church (big and local) needs to display more than anything. And to display them with integrity, they must be real, internal, authentic.  Love is action springing from deepest awareness of God's love for us. Integrity is truth throughout, inside and outside.  Now that this is post 2701, I will strive to blog that way. Speaking the truth in love, yes. We humans have a hard time doing both. We either gush with love, or pronounce in judgment in adherence to truth and truths. Only the Holy Spirit and mindfulness of the right kind affirm and empower for both.

Yes, this is the 2700th entry to this blog. I've been typing away since 2006, now over 16 years.  I've also lived in my house for a year this week.  This morning in Life Group class, someone had left a "live" Alexa in the room. We played with it a bit, had a laugh, then unplugged it; Alexa protested when Yoka said she was going to turn her off. Good grief. One woman asked Alexa if she believed in Jesus. She gave a condescending answer about different religious viewpoints. Alexa is downright creepy. Big tech already knows too much! That being said, I could write more, but there are some parts of my life I would like private.   I did pick blackberries today, though; they weren't plump, and it was hot, but it's still a joy.

 Signs of two pro-choice protesters:   “Cut off their d---s.”   “Children are gross and I don’t want any.”      So, mutilation of men is what they want, and apparently these women don’t realize they were children at one time? Two of the uplifting phrases on protest signs in downtown Smallville. Class acts. There were others, equally as bizarre.   They live by emotion, not logic or the facts. And it's not a happy emotion. 

In this lesson we are introduced to one of the main characters of the Bible, David, son of Jesse, great grandson of Ruth and Boaz, ancestor of Jesus. He is extremely important in the Old Testament and the history of Israel. His time as king was sort of the pinnacle of Israel as a nation.   But, David is not a role model, not really. He does love God and seeks God’s heart, but he is often led by his anger, emotions, and hormones in destructive ways. He is not a good father or husband, not really. He is more of a warrior than a wise king. He makes a lot of mistakes, is very charismatic, and humbles himself   before God. His posture toward God is always worship. In short, he is very human.     I do not want to allegorize or spiritualize David. I don’t want to say, “See, David did this, so we should do that.” Or “David did bad, don’t do bad.” We already know that. The Bible is about how we should be like Christ, not any other character. The story of David is val

  Trust and prayer are not synonymous. More time in prayer does not mean more units of trust.   I am not even sure it’s a Venn Diagram, or correlation; trust would lead to prayer. I’ve been taught all my life that the time (4:00 a.m.?)  and the minutes allotted to prayer is a gauge for how good your prayers are. All that is nonsense. 30 minutes in prayer everyday—what does that prove other than an ability to focus, or pretend to. I’m being sarcastic now, but   one can pray for hours and not trust, not depend on God, not believe for the answers, not submit to His will in those answers.