Dear Rev. Jeremiah Wright,

You should be ashamed of yourself. And you should take some lessons from the Pope about how to act in the name of God. But let me tell you one thing. You are so wrong about the white government conspiring against black progress. What do you think the last 40 or so years have been all about? What planet have you been living on?

What do you think about the white government's raid on an all white polygamist compound? Do you think that's a conspiracy against anyone? It sure looks to me like a conspiracy against white religious pimps (and pedophiles). Maybe it would be fair if the government raided some black "compound" full of pregnant underage girls who might not even know who're the fathers. All they'd have to do is pick a public housing project of any major city, and I'm pretty sure they would find a comparable number of underage mothers and mothers-to-be. And I'm also pretty sure that most of those fathers are not underage. Surely you are capable of doing those calculations. And if you really cared about "your people" you would want the government's help to end the exploitation of your people's young women. I mean, Lord have mercy, are you really that dumb or is it just an act? Either way, you are not doing anything to help improve the world, and you are supposed to be a minister of God's Word and Love for all people. Honestly, how well do you think you're doing at that?

I will pray that God puts it heavy on your heart to do the right thing. And to say the right thing.

Sincerely,

Rae Ann (aka Vicious Momma)

Fancy Cement Pond

The title comes from The Beverly Hillbillies show I grew up watching. They called their swimming pool a "cement pond."



Well, ours isn't quite as fancy as theirs, but it's not too bad:



They just finished the fence today, but the pool itself has been done for a little over a month. We still have some landscaping, etc, to finish. The kids couldn't wait for the water to warm up, so they went swimming when it was still 68 degrees. Last week the water warmed to about 74 so I got in it too. But now it's colder again because we're having a cold snap. We can't wait until summer when it's consistently warm. And the way my body has been aching lately it will be very therapeutic too.

Here are pictures of the building process which began last October:







Well, since I didn't get to have a big party for my 40th birthday, maybe I'll just have a big pool party this summer. ;-)

I'm very pleased with the builders and recommend them to anyone in our area who's looking to build a pool.

Pools By Heritage

L & M Ornamental Iron (fencing)

Hot Chocolate

I got this in an email and decided to post it since I haven't been posting much lately, and I like it.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a
reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now
retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about
stress in their work, and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the
professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot
chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain
looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to
the hot chocolate.

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said,
"Notice that all the nice looking , expensive cups were taken, leaving
behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only
the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.
The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot
chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even
hides what we drink. What all of you wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup;
but you consciously went for the best cups...and then you began eyeing each
other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position
in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life.
The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate
God has provided us. God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cup.

The happiest people don't have the best of everything.
They just make the best of everything that they have.


Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

And enjoy your hot chocolate!


(I think I'll have a cup of that now, with a shot or two of Kahlua. ;-) )

The Best of Times

Tonight's the night we'll make history, honey, you and I
And I'll take any risk to tie back the hands of time
And stay with you here tonight
I know you feel these are the worst of times
I do believe it's true
When people lock their doors and hide inside
Rumor has it it's the end of Paradise
But I know, if the world just passed us by
Baby I know, I wouldn't have to cry

The best of times are when I'm alone with you
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime
We'll take the best, forget the rest
And someday we'll find these are the best of times
These are the best of times

The headlines read 'these are the worst of times'
I do believe it's true
I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide
I wish the summer wind could bring back Paradise
But I know, if the world turned upside down
Baby, I know you'd always be around, my my

The best of times are when I'm alone with you
Some rain some shine, we'll make this a world for two
Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime
We'll take the best, forget the rest
And someday we'll find these are the best of times
These are the best of times

When I'm alone with you everything's alright
Babe, you brighten up my night

And so my friends we'll say goodnight
For time has claimed it's prize
But tonight will always last
As long as we keep alive memories of Paradise...

I heard this song on the radio the other night and it just seemed so timely in so many ways, even though it's a 27 year old song. As they say, the more things change the more they stay the same.

Losing (literally and figuratively) so many male figures in my life over the last year has made me appreciate that much more the one that has been my rock and foundation through it all, the one that I never have to doubt or question his devotion. I know I haven't expressed enough all my appreciation and love, so I want to say, the best of times are when I'm alone with you.

Ordinary World

Came in from a rainy Thursday
On the avenue
Thought I heard you talking softly

I turned on the lights, the TV
And the radio
Still I can't escape the ghost of you

What has happened to it all?
Crazy, some are saying
Where is the life that I recognize?
Gone away

But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive

Passion or coincidence
Once prompted you to say
"Pride will tear us both apart"
Well now pride's gone out the window
Cross the rooftops
Run away
Left me in the vacuum of my heart

What is happening to me?
Crazy, some'd say
Where is my friend when I need you most?
Gone away

But I won't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive

Papers in the roadside
Tell of suffering and greed
Here today, forgot tomorrow
Ooh, here besides the news
Of holy war and holy need
Ours is just a little sorrowed talk

And I don't cry for yesterday
There's an ordinary world
Somehow I have to find
And as I try to make my way
To the ordinary world
I will learn to survive

Every one
Is my world, I will learn to survive
Any one
Is my world, I will learn to survive
Any one
Is my world
Every one
Is my world

"Ordinary World" by Duran Duran

My own words are failing me a lot these days so I have to turn to music to say what I feel. Just like the song says, the ordinary world I used to know is gone and I have to learn to survive and deal with all the ghosts who've left me to the "vacuum of my heart." Going through my dad's house, tying up loose ends, all the things we have to do when our last parent dies... it's all "just a little sorrowed talk" in the midst of a much bigger and uninterested, ordinary world. I don't cry for yesterday, but I do cry for today (and tomorrow).

Comic Relief

It's all the Curse of the (Dead) Black Widow In the Jar, at least according to my husband's jokes. Spider Karma or something.

I heard a funny joke about a sperm being the most intelligent cell in a woman's body. Of course, a feminist would say it's the egg since it's the one that chooses which sperm to let in. ;-) But I also thought it could be a come-on: "Hey, baby, I need an intelligence injection..."

Oh, and in response to Earth Day, I think we "climate realists" should start celebrating an annual Carbon Dioxide Day.

I keep thinking of things to write but can't get to the computer before deciding that it's not that interesting anyway, or just plain forgetting what it was, which means it really wasn't that interesting after all. ;-)

Real life has been intense, heavy, and difficult over the last several months. When that happens I sometimes turn to frivolous things to help lighten things up. I've really gotten into watching all these reality shows on Bravo. First it was Project Runway, but it ended so then I started watching Top Chef. It's pretty interesting, but surprisingly I've gotten pretty engrossed the The Real Housewives of NYC. Well, it's just funny and interesting to watch people who are so different from me. They aren't what I'd consider "real" housewives in the same sense that I am, but maybe I'm more a homemaker than a housewife. Not that it matters anyway. It's just for comic relief.

Landslide

(this is for you, Daddy)

I took my love and I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
'til the landslide brought me down

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?
I don't know

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'cause I built my life around you
But time made you bolder
Children get older
And I'm getting older too
So

I've been afraid of changing
'cause I built my life around you
But time made you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too
I'm getting older too

So, take this love, take it down
Climb a mountain and turn around
If you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide will bring it down, down

And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well maybe the landslide will bring it down
Well, well, the landslide will bring it down

"Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac

My dad always thought Stevie Nicks was very beautiful and sexy, even though she got 'fat' as she got older.

Many thanks to those who have left comments in the last couple of weeks, and I'm sorry for not being able to acknowledge them sooner. The last 6 or so weeks have been incredibly intense and exhausting, and I'm trying to slowly process it all. Probably at this point I'm in the numb stage, until some small thing happens to trigger a landslide of emotions. Please forgive me if I seem to dwell on these things in the coming weeks and if I keep bringing it up. I'm not sure what I've said here already so I should go back and reread the recent posts. I'm also sorry if I repeat myself a lot. That's just part of the grieving process. It all still seems so surreal.

Dad's Obituary

For details and funeral arrangements please see my dad's obituary in the Knoxville News-Sentinal and online.

He's Gone

My dad passed away at about 1:30 am this morning. He was very peaceful because he had just gotten home from the hospital and set up with hospice. We'll be making funeral arrangements this afternoon.

Good Times, Bad Times

This week has been pretty eventful so far, and my dad is back in the hospital for a few days. I don't have time to give all the details at the moment but will come back to that when I do have time. Good thoughts and prayers are always appreciated. Thanks.

I Can See Clearly Now

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day

"I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash

Happy Easter Sunday, the most holy of the Christian holidays. Easter is early this year, and our weather has been pretty cold but pleasant enough. We had some egg hunts at my dad's house this afternoon. He's not doing as well as he was, mostly because the stupid doctor on Friday told him he was "worse off" than a week ago. You'd think by now they would understand the powerful psychological consequences of their words on their patients. Well, whether we acknowledge it or not our minds and psychology are quite powerful and influential in our fates.

24 Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others when Jesus appeared to them.

25 So they told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But Thomas said, "First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!"

26 A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples

27 and said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!"

28 Thomas replied, "You are my Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said, "Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!"

John 20:24-29

Resurrection is psychologically pleasing. And I really cannot see or find any totally convincing argument against the possibility that our consciousness lives on after the physical body dies. Believe me, I have looked and many people have tried to tell me over the years.

Free will is inherent in humans. It is one of the traits that separates us from the "lower" animals. We determine (or limit) our destiny by our choices. I hope I don't really need to list examples to prove my point. This is a basic fact.

If one chooses to reject an afterlife he is essentially committing spiritual suicide. As a conscious entity, the mind determines whether or not it goes on. If the mind has convinced itself that physical death is the end of its existence, then it will be. This is completely consistent with the Christian idea of accepting, or not, that Jesus's teachings are the true path to God and His (our) Heavenly home (afterlife for our consciousness/mind/soul) somewhere in the whole of the Universe (other than the dimensions we know in physical life). Hell is permanent separation from God, and if the consciousness stops itself at physical death then that's definitely a permanent separation from God, or in other words, spiritual suicide.

Now let me switch over to my shamanic mode for a minute. One of the main jobs of the shaman in a community is to help people prepare for death. Nearly all societies have had some kind of rituals to help people move from one "world" to the next. This is the aspect of shamanism that I have been most uncomfortable about, yet as I look back at my adult life it is one of the most prevalent. Death has been a frequent presence in my adult life. My life situation has always worked out so that I was available to attend to the needs of my aging and dying grandparents. And my mother, and now my father.

I think I've always kind of intuitively known that this was my "purpose," though it has taken many years for me to "fine tune" my understanding (and acceptance) of it. So now, I'm facing the reality of dying and death yet again, and I must use any wisdom gained from all the cumulative experiences to help my dad prepare for the afterlife.

Okay, so in additional to attending to his physical needs during this process I will offer the spiritual support and encouragement that might ease his fear and anxiety about the bodily demise and the soul's movement beyond. I know that he is a believer and that his choice has been made.

Well, I've lost steam for a big finale here. Maybe I'll think of something to add later. Anyway, that is this Easter Sunday's sermonette.



I considered taking a page out of Lee Smolin's playbook and naming this sermonette something very pretentious and academic-sounding like "Resurrection and the Proof of God" (not quite a GUT but almost a TOE). ;-) I mean, now surely, mustn't I be at least as smart (or funny, maybe) as he is? ;-) But my spunky mood faded.

Some Improvements

Thanks to everyone who has offered comments, prayers, and encouragement. Over the last few days my dad seems to be gaining strength each day. His mood and breathing are improving too. He is about halfway through the radiation regime, and tomorrow morning we will get a report from the doctor on how the treatments are working so far. It certainly looks to my untrained eye that something is working. Actually, I feel fairly strongly that my dad will get somewhat better in the next few weeks, as long as the chemo doesn't weaken him too much. His next chemo is on Monday, but he did not have one this week. And I'm pretty sure that's why he's feeling more energetic now.

Happy Spring.

Cancer Sucks

Sorry for the long silence. It's been a busy time and I just haven't felt up to saying much here. My dad is getting radiation treatments daily for the next two weeks and chemo once a week. After the radiation they will probably increase the chemo but we are keeping options open. Right now, the chemo is a low dose of Taxol and Carboplatin. On Friday this week they will do a CT scan to see if the tumor is responding to the treatments. Well, 'needless to say' (I'm violating my personal aversion to and prohibition of that phrase) it's very difficult to see my dad so ill. It's especially hard for David because he and my dad are very close and it's been less than a year since his dad died. Sometimes life punches us in the nuts.

So It Is

Sorry to have to say it, but my dad does have lung cancer. We don't know yet the prognosis, etc, but he will begin radiation treatments next week sometime. Well, we all are pretty devastated even though we kind of knew this would probably happen at some point since he smoked all his adult life. I can't get angry at him for smoking because I understand that times and the world were much different when his habit was entrenched. And he did drastically reduce it in recent years.

I feel a bit numb right now, though moments of emotion break through. It recalls the sadness and disappointment of my mother's and grandmother's illnesses over a decade ago. Knowing that we all face these things in life doesn't make it any easier when it happens.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

War Is Messy

Prayer Request

Dear friends, please, if you ever pray or somehow meditate for better things, my family needs good thoughts sent our way. My dad is in the hospital again with more pneumonia. He just got out of the hospital a couple of weeks ago after a week's stay for pneumonia in his left lung. It seems he went home a little too soon, and now it has spread to his right lung and he has broken a rib from coughing so much. There is some concern about a tumor since he has smoked all his adult life, and they are doing a procedure today to look inside his lungs and take biopsies and cultures if necessary. Sorry for the less than happy news, and thanks for any prayers and good thoughts you can spare.

Sew Fun: Project Runway 4 Finale Tonight

After my appendectomy and I was laid up in the hospital and in recovery at home last year I got into watching Project Runway on Bravo, the network I've always thought of as the gay man's channel. ;-) At the hospital the channel selection was very limited and most of the shows on daytime TV are really awful. But Project Runway really caught my attention because it is a very well-produced "reality" show and because I've always been interested in sewing and have dabbled in designing, especially skating costumes.

It was nearing the end of the season 3 when I started watching, and I like the way that Bravo frequently repeats its popular shows so that you can catch up on what you've missed. I've seen all of season 4, some episodes many times because it is so interesting, though not all in sequence. The best things are the focus on creative projects and not so much on the interpersonal dramas among the designers. There is a little of that, but it's by far not the focus and purpose of the program. The real meat of the show is the creative process.

Almost all the men on the show are gay which is quite entertaining. Gay men can be so hilarious. And there are many various gay male personalities. If I was a 21 year old gay boy I would probably be a lot like Christian. He's a spunky, cocky little androgenous guy who reminds me a bit of myself when I was a spunky, cocky little college girl who wasn't afraid to be myself whether I annoyed people or not. ;-) But if I was any other gay man I'd really love Rami. He's one of those men that we women say "God, what a waste!" about him being gay. He's pretty hot (masculine for a queer) and a very talented designer too. Actually, after viewing the final collections online I think that he should probably win.

Another kind of odd coincidence about the show is that one of the big sponsors is L'Oreal Cosmetics which I used to work for in my pre-vicious momma days. I was only a lowly part time sales rep/merchandiser, but it was a great job that I really enjoyed. We got lots of perks even as part timers.

Ten years ago I was designing and sewing a skating costume for a routine to the music of Madame Butterfly. But oops, I got pregnant with my daughter and didn't ever get to finish it or wear it for competition/exhibition. I still have it in its incomplete form:

Back



Front





Well, I've never been a slave to fashion or an especially stylish dresser and I really don't keep up with all the latest big designers and so on. But I have always enjoyed sewing and creating cute things. My mother was a great seamstress and sewing is a way for me to feel closer to her spirit. I think she would have really enjoyed watching Project Runway too.

Vicious Momma Gang Sign

update: This post has been linked in a paranormal forum thread about strange body markings, and some whackadoodles have suggested that I was somehow paid to post this to "discredit" the people who think aliens are branding them. Sorry, folks, but there is absolutely NO conspiracy going on here. I simply had an accident with a hair dryer and thought it was funny and wanted to share my experience and complain about a really bad hair dryer design. DUH!! Some people have way too much time to sit around worrying about alien conspiracies. And I would bet a chunk of money that nearly all of the "mysterious markings" that people claim are caused by aliens are just self-inflicted cries for attention.



The mark (3 cm) is still there after 8 days. I've been putting stuff on it to help it heal and hopefully reduce the scarring.



Poll Results

What is the mark on my neck?

A. alien ownership branding 1 (6%)

B. allergic reaction to fetish collar 2 (13%)

C. bite mark of robot vampire 1 (6%)

D. gang initiation sign 2 (13%)

E. accident with made in China hairdryer 9 (60%)


Total Votes: 15


I guess I made the outlandish options a little too outlandish. ;-) Indeed, I was burned by a hairdryer, but in my prejudice against made in China crap I erroneously assumed the offending, defective appliance was made in China. But it was made in Costa Rica. (I couldn't edit the poll after I discovered my error.) I didn't know they made anything there. ;-) Okay, evidently they make lots of stuff there, including evil hair products:




As you can see the metal on the end of the dryer extends past the plastic housing. I think it is clearly a bad and dangerous design. I've had this dryer for probably 10 years though I haven't used it a lot since most days I let my hair air-dry. I've checked the government lists of recalled products, but it isn't listed. It should be. Let me explain how easy it was for me to get burned. Last Monday I was in a hurry and upset because my dad had been put in the hospital with bad pneumonia. Somehow while drying my hair the dryer slipped out of my hand and barely brushed my neck. It happened very fast and at first I didn't think I was burnt that bad because the contact with my skin was so quick. But within an hour the burn was very obvious and painful. I don't know how hot that metal gets, but it must be very hot in order to burn like that.

If I was the suing kind, I think I'd have a decent claim of product liability. I might could even get enough money to pay off the swimming pool. But I kind of think it's immoral to sue just because you can. Well, maybe I'm just an idiot who's passing up a chance to get some money?

Anyway, so all week I've been joking about it being a gang sign or something like that. Some of the most practical advice surprisingly came from my sister who told me to just "wear it with pride." Yeah, what other choice is there? ;-) I've done some research into symbolism and discovered that my mark is pretty similar to the Native American medicine wheel:



But it most resembles a weapon's crosshairs:



Well, I've decided to call it my Vicious Momma gang sign (for leader of the GESDVMs), but some might rather call it the Mark of the Beast, especially considering how evil I was last week. Hopefully, no one will see it and think it is literally a target to shoot. I do think it's kind of ironic how it all went down. In my own personal and private imagination it really does seem like a shamanic initiation mark with some powerful symbolism. For many years I thought I wanted a tattoo but never could decide what and where exactly. Looks like as soon as I got over my desire for a tattoo, I ended up with something anyway. Maybe it won't really be a permanent scar, but I suspect that it will.

Flirtin' With Disaster: The Annotated Ten Commandments

I’m travelin’ down the road,
I’m flirtin’ with disaster.
I’ve got the pedal to the floor,
My life is running faster.
I’m out of money, I’m out of hope,
It looks like self destruction.
Well how much more can we take,
With all of this corruption

Been flirtin’ with disaster,
Y’all know what I mean.
And the way we run our lives,
It makes no sense to me.
I don’t know about yourself or,
What you want to be - yeah.
When we gamble with our time,
We choose our destiny

"Flirtin' With Disaster" by Molly Hatchet

Civilization has always been flirtin' with disaster. Diseases, climate changes, migrations, invasions, wars. It's always something. Sorry if I've inadvertently plagiarized something I've read somewhere.* It's so hard to remember sometimes. Anyway, what do people do to create order and harmony in the world? Make rules forbidding those things they have learned will cause conflict. And make rules requiring certain things known to reduce conflict. People have known this for millennia. It isn't some new idea created by Fundamentalists, or "evangelicals" or however you say it, who just want to make life a little more complicated than an animal's instincts.

The most important role of religion is to instruct and instill a moral code of living in harmony with others and nature. If you try to get rid of religion in a society and transfer its role to some other institution, you always have worse problems than you were trying to solve by eliminating religion in the first place. History tells us this, but many "intellectuals" don't want to acknowledge it. They only want to point out the original problems and how religion contributed to the problems, blah, blah, blah.

Okay, so back in the beginning of civilization there were some wise people who taught the others how to get along. The wise guys didn't know how they got this information that others didn't have, so they decided that it must come from the Source of all the other cool stuff our minds can do that none of the other creatures can do. Those old wise guys could intuit that we really are made in the image of the Creator (and Destroyer).





What Is and What Should Never Be

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." Exodus 20

These are usually considered the First and Second Commandments, though there are some variations among different Christian traditions. They were meant to establish the authority of the Source. They mean 'look to Me first and don't think that something or someone else is where all of the world comes from or who has the answers.' Wouldn't we expect the creator of something to be the ultimate source of how things work and how to make them work better? Anyone with half a brain would know that we don't come from a Golden Cow or any other silly idols that people have worshipped over the ages. An idol can be anything that people give more power and influence than they give the Source. The "no graven images" means that we shouldn't try to limit God with our own imaginations and creations. It doesn't mean not to take pictures or make artwork or whatever. As long as we don't worship them and give them power over us they aren't forbidden as idols.

7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain." Exodus: 20

This means that people should never use God's name for their own personal gain. It has nothing to do with cussing, contrary to popular mythology. What this is talking about is what Joel Olsteen does, and many other people who sell God's word for their own profit. Basically these people are not living as God commands and are encouraging others to live that way too.

8 “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. 11 “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

Even God took a day off. After He created the world he stood back and said, "This is good. I'm taking a break." That six day creation is symbolic, and that day of rest is too. How can we truly appreciate and enjoy our world and our lives and our Source if we don't take at least one day a week to focus on all of this wonderful creation? People really lose their humanity when they stop appreciating all of these things. Our minds have evolved to need time to rest and process our experiences of life. Dreaming is one way of doing that, but of course, our awake minds and bodies need resting and processing time too.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you."

Again, respect your Source. All of these first Commandments are about acknowledging and honoring our Source.

13 “You shall not murder"

This is the first of the restrictions on our behavior. Murder always causes more conflict than it could solve. It's kind of a no-brainer rule, but sometimes the animalistic instincts overtake people and cause them to break the rule. There are lots of arguments in our modern world as to what exactly is murder. What about self-defense? Abortion? The death penalty? Well, there is probably something in the Bible about self-defense, but at the moment I'm not interrupting my limited quiet time to write in order to find it. There is a lot in the Bible about people being punished with death. I personally believe that some criminals, like murderers, etc., have forfeited their right to live. And I also do personally believe that abortion is murderous, but I also recognize that women should have 'control' over their own bodies. This isn't a topic I really want to explore right now though.

14 “You shall not commit adultery"

This is one of the reasons for murder, so it's natural to forbid activities known to cause other bad things to happen. Makes sense.

15 “You shall not steal"

Stealing causes more conflict than it solves. And it indicates that one does not trust and honor the Source.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor"

.

Again, lying only causes more conflict than it solves. This Commandment means that we shouldn't falsely accuse others of wrongdoing. We shouldn't lie in someone's defense either.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Coveting means to want or envy that which others have. Coveting is probably the cause of most adultry, stealing, and lying. When we compare ours with others' we are on the road to coveting. God was wise to recognize that coveting leads to other sins and to warn against it. If we all could actually follow the Great Commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves, then we would be happy for others' wealth and blessings instead of feeling jealous and resentful.

So you see, there is a lot of wisdom in those old holy words. People who hate God and religion are only showing how much they don't understand about it.

18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.” 20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin.”

It's all about getting along with others. It's so simple and maybe even elegant. Not that it is always easy to follow all those simple rules, it isn't. As humans we still have many animalistic instincts and urges. We modern people are no different from the ancients in that way. All of our knowledge and technology have only increased the sophistication and complexity of our sins, but they haven't really changed the basic nature of them. And in many ways, the "intellectuals" today have made their own knowledge into idols that they worship and place before the Source. Well, no matter how smart they think they are they are still flirtin' with disaster. ;-)

And that's today's sermonette.



*I wasn't following the details of the "Clinton accuses Obama of plagiarism" story, but what I heard was that Obama said some of those typical, classical inspirational phrases of the 1960s. The "I Have a Dream" and "Ask not what your country can do for you...." ones. Well, you know, you better free your mind instead. Oops, I guess I just plagiarized. ;-)

Georgia Disputes Tennessee Border

Hey, let's all go down to Georgia and protest. It might be fun to go down there and burn something in the streets. ;-) Of course, I'm joking. But some snooty, self-righteous Europeans et al might think that this border dispute isn't important enough to protest. Well, to some residents of the large city of Chattanooga, TN, and some of the smaller nearby towns, it's a big deal because Georgia has an income tax and Tennessee doesn't. Also, it requires the agreement of Congress to change state borders so it's pretty much just a publicity stunt for Georgia. Georgia just doesn't want to have to pay Tennessee for some water.

And honestly, I'm not making light of the situation in Serbia/Kosovo, well, maybe I am a little. But that's because I'm a childish American. ;-) Okay, so to try to think like a wise European, let's just say that if our border got changed just because of surveying errors back in the old days, then you'd have a bunch of other states trying to grab land from each other too for the same reason. Hey, it might even start a new Civil War. I bet the high-and-mighty, patronizing Europeans et al would just love that. ;-)

News Links:

WBIRTV Feb. 7, 2008

WATETV Feb. 20, 2008

Foxnews Feb. 21, 2008


Disclaimer: Oh, good grief, now I guess I'm going to have to explain myself. I am in no way anti-European et al. I've just got a little evil streak, and sometimes it comes out as some Vi Mo cruel tutelage. So if you don't consider yourself high-and-mighty, patronizing, snooty, and self-rigteous, then I'm not talking about you. :-)