Wisdom

      If you’re in a pick-up traveling at the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Why isn’t phonetic spelled the way it sounds? Why is it when you transport something by car or truck it’s called a shipment, but when something is moved by ship its called cargo? If a cow started laughing uncontrollably, would milk come out her nose? If you tied buttered toast to the back of a cat, and dropped the cat from a height, what would happen? Could the world get any more confusing? It seems our young people are constantly being bombarded with “cultural changes” at the speed of light and the longer I live the more oxymoron’s I have to deal with. No, an oxymoron is not a hyperventilating fool, although I think in the midst of the humanitarian invasion upon the private citizenry of this country, an additional meaning of sort could possibly be applied to the actions of some people today. An oxymoron is a figure of speech combining contradictory words. For example: act naturally; bittersweet; calm wind; constant variable; deafening silence; extinct life; found missing; freezer burn; guest host; half naked; larger half; plastic silverware; pretty ugly; real potential; paid volunteer; working vacation; liquid gas; little giants; least favorite; minor miracle; almost exactly; clearly misunderstood; even odds; good grief and my all time favorite – government organization. There are hundreds more in our “my way” vocabulary mold, but there just isn’t room for anymore today. Why do they put brail dots on the keypad of the drive-up ATM?
      The kindergarten class settled down to its coloring books. Willie came up to the teacher’s desk and said, “I ain’t got no crayons.” “Willie,” the teacher said, “you mean, ‘I don’t have any crayons; You don’t have any crayons; We don’t have any crayons; They don’t have any crayons.’ Do you see what I’m getting at?” “Not really,” replied Willie. “Say, what happened to all them crayons?”
      The teacher of the earth science class was lecturing on map reading. He spent the class time explaining about longitude and latitude, degrees and minutes. “Suppose I ask you to meet me for lunch at 23 degrees, 4 minutes north latitude and 45 degrees, 15 minutes longitude. Where would we be eating lunch?” A student’s voice broke the confused silence, “I guess you’d be eating alone, sir.”
      [Ecclesiastes 2] Solomon, the teacher, wanted it all, tried it all, experienced it all and had it all. In the midst of it all he never lost his wisdom, of which he recorded in the book of Proverbs. I think mankind is loosing all sense of wisdom in his daily affairs. The pleasures and follies that are satisfying man today are ever widening the chasm between man and God, which will eventually become an abyss that can no longer be bridged. The “innocent lie” has full blown, blossomed and flowered, into a lifestyle of complete contrast to the will of God for His creation. Wisdom will continue to decline and lawlessness will continue to bloom. Even the Lord’s church is suffering as the world is being forced into the pews and the pulpit. It’s like forcing a square peg into a round hole. Hammer on it all you want, you can’t change the Word of God, or the church, to fit your personal preferences, without chiseling away at the precepts of God’s wisdom. Solomon says wisdom, knowledge and happiness comes from God and it is given to those who please God. It’s all meaningless without the wisdom of God.

God's Standard Gauge

      I really don’t want to get on a rant here, but I have to tell you, I’m very disappointed in the major television networks with their continued support of alternative lifestyles and the “in your face” total lack of support or portrayal of the basic traditional family life. The fall “line-up” is almost completely void of any moral standards or teachings for our younger generations to learn from. Some say my ideals of morality are strictly Judeo-Christian (whatever that means) out of date ideals that I’m trying to force on others so they can be just like me. Well, look around. Do you truly think that total free-will is working out? It seems nobody is responsible for their actions anymore. It’s always somebody else’s fault that caused the decisive action taken at the time. Laws aren’t broken until one is caught breaking the law. I believe our grandparents were right. We would be better off without television. That’s all I got to say about that.
      I love learning things that really don’t amount to a hill of beans, most of the time, but they’re fun facts to know. I received this factoid about three years ago and to share it I had to clean it up a little from the language I received it, but none the less a fascinating story. Did you know that the width of the Space Shuttle solid booster rockets, those round things on either side of the white winged vehicle, was determined by the width of two horses’ behinds as they stand side by side? The U.S. Standard rail gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. An odd number, don’t you think? That’s how the railways were built in England and English engineers helped design the first large scale usable U.S. railways. Pre-railroad tramways (horse drawn) used the same gauge copying that of the common freight wagon using the same manufacturing jigs. Why did wagons have that particular wheel width? It was the width of the already existing ruts in the roads all over the known world. How did they get there? The Roman Empire. The wheel width of the mass manufactured Roman chariot matched the width of two horses side by side. The wheels of the chariot would ride in the horse’s gait, re-packing the dirt loosened up by the horse’s hoofs. To keep from breaking wheels, everyone used this gauge. So, the solid rocket booster designers at Thiokol in Utah had a problem. In order to ship the finished rockets by rail from the factory, the train had to pass through several tunnels on the way. The tunnels are only a little wider than the rail gauge, setting the maximum width of the rocket body. I’ll let you expound on the story in your own way as you put this new information to work.

      [Galatians 3: 1-25] There are a lot of different opinions in the world today as to how the average “Joe” should live and the tolerant attitude he has to show forth to his fellow man in all circumstances. Christianity is slowly being molded into the total tolerance mold of the new order society that’s laying its rails around the world. The gauge being used by the new order is much wider than that set by God, but they say it will make traveling through life easier. As people switch to the new gauge, I’m surprised they haven’t already seen the wheels coming of our staunch social standards, which have so long governed and sustained our great country. God set the standard long, long ago and if we stray from His Word and substitute our faith for worldly lusts, we’re headed for a huge train wreck. Jesus said, “…narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7: 13-14) If your gauge is too wide, you not going to fit through the gate.

The One You Feed Wins

      Growing up I can’t remember ever hearing anything about a city-wide curfew, but I can remember being reminded often the curfew of my mother, and many other neighborhood mothers, placed on her children, “When the streetlights come on, I want you in this house!” There was no compromise, it was the law. Now, there are exceptions and ways of bending laws and, of course, when two or more children from different families with different ideals of living get together, some very rational schemes of individual development can emerge. During the days of summer the streetlights extended our days of growth and development to nearly nine o’clock at night. But, during the winter school-time months we were cut short of our time by nearly four hours. “Spend that time studying,” we were told, and I wish I had now. Anyway, that was leverage for a real negotiation and an opportunity to exercise a rational argument with mother to stay outside after the streetlights came on. I was also learning to seal selfish deals by laying a guilt trip on one’s senior, “Trust me. I’m not going to get in trouble.” So, we had a “time” we had to be in the house. That also brought about my first wristwatch and little did I know, the beginning of advanced responsibility training. Things must have gotten out of control across the country with kids negotiating after dark privileges, because before long there was a television public awareness commercial asking, “It’s 9 p.m. Do you know where your children are?” I also remember not too many years after that, SNL ran a spoof skit asking the question, “It’s 10 p.m. Do you know where your parents are?” I guess we grew up and forgot to come home at night. It’s sad to think we no longer teach our youth from our mistakes.


      I suppose it will be months if not years before we understand what was going on in the brilliant mind of 24-year-old James Holmes. His planning must have gone on for months as he calculated the fulfillment of his attack How could, and why did he, bring himself to kill 12 people and injure 59 others? Entering probably what will be the last quarter of play in my life, I question my reasoning for being in crowds and staying out after the streetlights come on. I now prefer flying under the radar, out of the line of fire.

      All this brings to mind the old Native American proverb, Two Wolves. One evening an old Native American told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil. It is: anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false, pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is: joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The grandson thought about this for a minute, and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?” The wise old man simply replied, “The one you feed.”

      [Psalm 90] Man is either a lover of God, a negotiator with God to justify his selfish living or a lover of the dark where he feels free. People want to know, “How can this happen?” and “Where is God?” Rest assure yourself of these two facts: God is not a negotiator nor does God live in the dark. If you find yourself in either of these relationships with God, you won’t find Him. If, however, you are a lover of God, you will echo the prayer of Moses. Life is not fair, but God’s love and majesty will make all the trials of life and years of labor worth the glory we will share, if we live in Him.

Tater Bugs

     It didn’t take long for the grass to start turning brown and the back yard gardens to wither and die off. Shades of last year started to creep in with 100+ degree temps and low humidity, putting stress on every living thing in South Texas. What a wonderful surprise to have the weather pattern break, delivering us some much needed rain just in time. The local area has had three to six inches of rain and the forecast for scattered showers extends into next week. This is the kind of weather that glued me to this part of the country and maybe the weather is going to settle down finally, bringing us slowly out of the drought we’ve been under for several years. One can only hope. Change is good, but I’ve already heard someone complain about the rain and the mud. I was told when I moved here the only people allowed to complain about the weather were farmers and ranchers. It’s always too hot or too cold, too windy or too dry, but even they never complain about it being too wet. Water is liquid gold and without it we’ll all wither and fade away. So, for goodness sake, don’t complain about the rain.


     A highly publicized murder trial was about to begin. During the jury selection each side hotly contested and dismissed potential jurors. One prospective juror, Dan, was called into the room for questioning. “Property holder?” he was asked. Dan replied, “Yes I am.” “Married or single?”; “Married, for twenty years.”; “Formed or expressed and opinion?” Dan proudly admitted, “Not in twenty years, Your Honor.”

     Look hard enough and one can always find something to complain or worry about only to ruin a perfectly good day. One summer day a farmer sat in front of his shack, smoking a corncob pipe. Along came a stranger who asked, “How’s your cotton coming?” “Ain’t got none”, he answered. “Didn’t plant none; ‘fraid of the boll weevil.” “Well”, the stranger pursued, “how’s you corn?” Again came the response, “Didn’t plant none; ‘fraid of the drought.” ”And your potatoes?” the stranger asked. “Scairt of tater bugs,” the farmer replied. Finally the stranger asked, “Well, what did you plant?” “Nothin’,” answered the farmer. “I just played it safe.” Sounds like the guy of whom it is said: “He made no mistakes; He took no wrong roads; He never fumbled the ball; He never went down ‘neath the weight of a load; He simply did nothing at all.”

     [Matthew 6: 25-34] “Said the Robin to the Sparrow, ‘I should really like to know why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so?’ Said the Sparrow to the Robin, ‘Friend, I think that it must be that they have no Heavenly Father such as cares for you and me.’” (Elizabeth Cheney) Most of the people of the world spend each and every day worrying about the next day instead of making the most of the day given to them. In John 14: 1-14, Jesus delivers two very important messages to His followers, including all of those of the promise; you and me. (Acts 2: 38-39) One; There is more to come after this life is over. Two; He is God. We can also conclude from John 14: 6 that; “Without the (His) way, there is no going; without the (His) truth, there is no knowing; without the (His) life, there is no living.” (Thomas Kempis) Then comes the human rational, “I’ll become a follower just as soon as I get my life in order” and “I’ve done so much wrong in my life Jesus will never forgive me of my sins.” Just trying to play it safe, I suppose. What makes a person think their past can handicap the power of GOD? Repent of your earthly ways, be baptized and your sins will be forgiven by God.

Dig For More

     When one thinks of Easter Island, located in the southern Pacific Ocean, an image of one thousand plus “head statues” comes to mind. At higher elevations the statues are full bodied and very large. Since its discovery in the 1700’s, a mystery has hung over the island as to how the statues got there in the first place. In an attempt to solve the mystery of the head statues, and their placement all over the island, archeologists gained permission to excavate the ground surrounding two of the heads. They hoped to find the remains of tools and such to help them understand the meaning of the statues and how they got there. What they found was not at all what they had expected. As they dug, they discovered the “head statues” are not only “heads” but full bodied statues buried in the dirt, every bit as big as the statues above ground. The dirt that buried the statues was washed down from higher elevations and not deliberately placed there to bury, protect or support the statues. The statues were carved and erected in place, and stand on stone pavements (a man-made foundation). Evidence of how this was accomplished has been found and possible engineering scenarios have been theorized, but are as yet to be confirmed. The thing is, the whole island still remains a mystery and digging around only revealed what has always been there, adding even more intrigue to investigating minds searching for the truths of a forgotten people.

     Children don’t have a problem with questioning what they don’t understand. Little Johnny’s kindergarten class was on a field trip to the local police station where they saw pictures, tacked on the bulletin board, of the ten most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. “Yes”, said the policeman. “The detectives want him in particular very badly.” Little Johnny asked, “Why didn’t you keep him when you took his picture?”

     Other children just need more time to unbury the truths and ways of the world. A little boy was in a relatives wedding. As he was coming down the aisle he would take two steps, stop, and turn to the crowd (alternating between the bride’s side and the groom’s side). While facing the crowd, he would put his hands up like claws and roar. So it went on; step, step, ROAR; step, step, ROAR all the way down the aisle. As you can imagine, the crowd was near tears from laughing. The little boy, however, was getting very distressed from the laughter and was also near tears. When asked what he was doing, the child sniffed and said, “I was just being the Ring Bear.”

     [Galatians 1: 1-10 & 5: 7 – 6: 10] Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia expresses much frustration as Paul had discovered that someone had come into the congregation teaching something different than the gospel he taught, causing much confusion among the brethren. Confusion in the church is nothing new and it doesn’t have to be that way. Too many people simply maintain their religion by what they hear and are taught. They hear conflicting messages and eventually form personal thoughts about God and heaven, life and death and return to the world. Like the “head statues”, most believers’ introduction to the gospel is good, and they can see the truth. Can we accept that everything we are told from that point forward in our Christian walk is good gospel, or do we need to dig deeper into God’s word for a more complete understanding of God’s will? Investigate what you hear. (Acts 17: 10-11) Discover the whole body of Christ.