We're All Alike     
           After these many centuries, smart people have discovered there is no difference between men and women, male and female. You can be whatever you want to be. 

   These guys must be smart, because they're college profs, or scientists or something equally important. 

   So, we'll take their word for it and apply it to the rest of the animal kingdom - all products of chance, of course. 

~ ~ ~

   There is no difference between a bull and a cow, whether we're talking cattle, elephants, whales, oxen, seals, bison, buffaloes or goats. In the deer (including moose) and antelope families, there is no difference between a stag (or buck) and a doe. 

   A cock, or rooster, is the same as a hen. A drake and a hen are the same thing on a duck pond.

   There is no difference between an ass (or jack) and a jenny, among donkeys. A gander is one and the same as a goose.

   Drones are found in every colony, but don't tell the queen it is a worker. Yeah. There's some mystery in the bee hive. 

   A stallion (or gelding) horse, mule or zebra is just like the mare.

   Finally, there is no difference between a sire (dog) and a bitch, and the same can be said of a tom and a molly (which is called a queen or dam after motherhood). 

   Any questions?

       Jimmy

Faulty First Impressions    

   We all do it. How could we not?  

   There's a first impression for everything and everyone, and that can be okay...or not.

   Tuesday I was about to park outside the barbershop. Another car occupied two spaces, at an angle of 20 degrees or more. 

   An elderly woman was walking around the car, I assumed, 
checking her position. She moved toward the driver's door, 
again I assumed, to straighten out her vehicle.

   I parked in the next space and entered the shop.

   There's my first impression: "a little old lady" who didn't park straight, but she was going to make it right.

   Wrong. She followed me into the shop.

   Her husband was getting a haircut from a female barber. The other barber also had a customer, so I sat down to wait my turn, perusing the newspaper. 

   The male barber normally talks non-stop. He is informed on many subjects. But Tuesday he was silent. 

   Then I became aware that the lady, her husband and his barber were discussing a difficult subject. The lady of this story has cancer, apparently without prospect of a cure.

   Now, her parking skills were no longer important. 

       Jimmy

PS. We've been thinking lately about how often we evaluate people based on just one fact - age, or looks, race, gender, clothing, politics, religion, etc. One fact may be overriding, but one fact can get someone wrongly jailed or even killed. Maybe five or ten facts about a person would be a good beginning. What was it that Jesus said about the plank in our own eyes?

He Heals All Our Diseases    
    
   Isn't that what Christians read in the Bible? Isn't that why one sect of believers won't go to doctors?

   The Lord promises abundant life, and joy, no matter what.

   Well?

   We know that Christians as a whole are healthier than people with unhealthy habits. But Christians also can get most any disease known to man.

   Even mental illness comes calling.

   Prayer doesn't always comfort, and Bible verses quoted by friends don't always help, writes Janie B. Cheaney, WORLD magazine.

   In a world that works contrary to God's ways, our problems may be physical, spiritual or emotional. 

   Jesus is in the moment, every moment, and the Holy Spirit is in the believer's soul, even when a body is sick or broken. We are not greater than our Lord, who suffered and died for us, his body broken.

   The power of God, writes Simonetta Carr, works "in ways that are counter intuitive, mysterious, even imperceptible." 

   The peace from Jesus is "not as the world gives" (temporary and superficial), adds Cheaney.

   Some are healed. One can witness even more powerfully, perhaps, by praising God when physical healing does not come. Ultimate victory is in the next life, where there are no more tears. 

   Last year we wrote of our daughter who carried to term a son that the world would have aborted. She and her husband let Sovereign God determine his life span.

   God allowed the extra chromosomes. He allowed the parents to choose life, spend 26 precious hours with their baby, and then He took the child home. All is well.  

    Jimmy




   

Never Understanding     
      
   A Chinese government official has accused the West of using Christianity to weaken the country's political power. He called for obedience to a socialist interpretation of religion.

   He threatened "people who try to subvert national security under the guise of Christianity."

   "Only by continuously carrying forward and practicing the core values of socialism can Christianity truly be suited to socialist society," he said.

   The government has cracked down on religious groups it views as a threat to the Communist Party. China plans to rewrite the New Testament based on Buddhist and Confucian teachings. 

   Maybe the Lord Budda will say, give unto President Xi Jinping what is his. Period.  

   Along with harassment and detainment, China has demolished crosses on more than 4,500 church buildings over the past year. Some Chinese Christians vary service days and times to avoid surveillance by officials. 

WORLD online

   American Christians might reconsider any thoughts about voting for socialists in 2020 or ever. The spirit behind Chinese authoritarianism and America's so-called democratic socialists is one and the same.

     Jimmy

   

Reasonable or Ridiculous?      

   For half a century, some people have advocated slavery reparations. Rep. John Conyers has introduced a bill annually for more than 25 years. 

   Some legal scholars have filed class-action lawsuits. Civil-rights leaders and black elites generally support reparations, says John Riley in the Wall Street Journal. A small percentage of whites agree.  

Riley

   Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders all opposed reparations when they ran for president. Either they recognized the illogical basis, or they didn't want to offend white voters. Duh.

   This year, 2020 Democratic candidates - Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker and Julian Castro - are pro-reparations. Either they don't agree with MLK adviser Bayard Rustin, who called it "a ridiculous idea," or they just want traction with black voters, at least through the primaries. Duh. 

   Riley, a columnist with the WSJ, writes that holding slavery responsible for black America's current problems ignores the progress blacks have made.

   During the first 100 years after emancipation - though poverty rates were higher and racism still widespread - violent crime and trauma in poor black communities were nothing like today, he says. 

   Sociologist William Wilson wrote, "In ghetto neighborhoods the first half of the 20th century, rates of joblessness, teenage pregnancy, out-of-wedlock births, female-headed families, welfare dependency and serious crime were lower." These "...did not reach catastrophic proportions until the mid-1970s."

   Riley asks, "Is it possible that something else is primarily responsible for the outcomes we see today?" 

       Jimmy

   

   Four Who Recognized Truth   

    

Someone took the rap for us.

It's amazing to read how much of his ordeal

was "described" in Psalm 22

hundreds of years earlier.

Jesus wasn't part of the "swamp" in Jerusalem.

He cared for children, befriended sinners,

healed lepers, and drew attention to needs of the poor.

As we near Easter, a month away,

here are four people who didn't 

agree with the hateful mob.

The Thief

Don't you fear God? 

This man has done nothing wrong.

Judas

I have sinned, for I have

betrayed innocent blood.

Roman Centurion

 Surely this was a righteous man.

Pilate

I found no fault in him.

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

Amendment VIII Applies to All     
     

Excessive bail shall not be required,

nor excessive fines imposed,

nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

   

   The U.S. Constitution's prohibition of excessive bail and unusual punishments have long been applied to state and local governments under the due-process clause of the 14th amendment. Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously included excessive fines. 

   The case involves a factory worker who became reliant on painkillers after a foot injury. One thing led to another, finally to small-time heroin dealing. 

   After he was sentenced, Indiana forced him to forfeit a Land Rover he had bought with his father's life insurance. Maximum monetary penalty for his crime is $10,000. The Land Rover cost $42,000. 

   A U.S. Chamber of Commerce study found that "60 percent of municipal and county agencies relied on forfeiture profits as a 'necessary part' of their budget." The Institute for Justice said, "Increasingly, our justice system has come to rely on fines, fees and forfeitures to fund law enforcement agencies."

   The ACLU said that in 2017, 10 million people owed more than $50 billion in criminal fines, fees and forfeitures. A $100 ticket for a red-light violation in California carries an additional $390 in fees. New Jersey's $100 fine for marijuana possession can lead to more than $1,000 in penalties.

   Justice Thomas wrote, "This system - where police can seize property with limited judicial oversight and retain it for their own use - has led to egregious... abuses." He also noted an investigation into tactics resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars collected from motorists not charged with crimes. 

   Justice Ginsburg announced the court's opinion, writing, "Exorbitant tolls undermine other constitutional liberties," and "fines may be employed in a measure out of accord with the penal goals of retribution and deterrence."

Washington Post

      Jimmy

We're Drinking Again    

   Water, that is. 

   No less than three plumbers' trucks sat outside our home yesterday morning. Wonder what the neighbors thought.

   The men installed four faucets, a water heater, and replaced a hard-to-reach, shut-off valve that was leaking. 

   We're back to normal, a little poorer, but still more fortunate than millions worldwide who still lack safe drinking water.

Golf Carts vs. Cars   

   If you don't live in the South you might not understand this article.

   The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 2017 some 17,800 injuries were treated in the ER due to the use of golf carts. 

   People use carts to take kids to school, go shopping, or just go for pleasure, sometimes using streets. We used to ride for fun while visiting our late aunt in a golf-cart friendly community in Georgia. 

   Safety people suggest adding seat belts, turn signals, parking brake, exterior windows, windshield, head and tail lamps, and a power train capable of 20 to 25 mph. Then have your cart inspected and get a registration and insurance. 

   Your cart will be legal for a licensed driver to operate on roads where the speed limit is 35 mph or less.

   Some folks actually use golf carts to drive themselves to the golf course in their community. Imagine that.

      Jimmy

A Lousy Day in Paradise     

   We awoke to a cool morning, with anticipation of new counter tops for our two bathrooms and laundry room. All went well.

   After the counter tops were glued in place, holes cut for sinks and faucets, the plumber arrived to assess his work for the next day (today), after the glue is dry. 
Oh oh! 

   We chose under-mount sinks. These lower drains, coupled with high feeder pipes, creates an unworkable problem for the plumber. 

   He returns this morning, hopefully with a solution. 

   Shortly after he left the house, we discovered our water heater leaking big time, in the garage. All sorts of items were wet, and water seeped under three large cabinets and a two-drawer chest. (See ya later.)

   After relocating about a thousand items, we left a message for the plumbing company. They called, saying that someone could get to us before 5 o'clock. 

   The morning plumber returned, concluding our heater was shot (they don't make them like they used to), but he couldn't do the work until tomorrow (today). He killed the electricity and we emptied the tank.

   No faucets in the bathrooms. No hot water. Boiled water to do the supper dishes. 
Woe is us? Naw.

   There are homeless people within walking distance of our development. There are poor people in homes, and kids needing outside help for shoes and nourishment. There are veterans seeing no reason to live.

   Overseas, there are uprooted people living in refugee tents or drowning in frantic attempts to flee unlivable circumstances. 

   Pray for them. We're fine.

      Jimmy





   

Tale of the Tail     

   Could this be more evidence of intelligent design?

   Lobsters' hard outer armor protects them from predators. A segmented tail propels them through the water. 

   Engineers have yet to develop a material as flexible, yet sturdy, as what God designed for the lobster tail. MIT researchers have explored how the membrane - that covers joints of lobster tails - allows both flexibility and protection. 

   They found that the hydrogel membrane, mostly water, provides as much strength as industrial rubber composites used in car tires, garden hoses and conveyor belts. It protects the lobster's underside along rocky ocean floors. 

   Researchers found they could cut halfway through the membrane and still stretch it as far as an uncut piece without breaking it. 

   When the membrane reached twice its natural length, it stiffened and became progressively tougher, unlike other tough hydrogels. 

   Only a quarter of a millimeter thick, the membrane contains tens of thousands of layers. Each single layer is oriented at the same angle, exactly 36 degrees, offset from the layer of fibers above it.    

   Does that sound like chance?

   While researchers credit evolution, the lead researcher describes the fibers as "guided" architecture. 

WORLD online

In the beginning...      

the

Word

with

God

was

God

    One and Only       __|__      from the Father

            the life             |         the light of men

  |

   Lamb of God

    grace & truth

    takes away sin

    baptizes with

   Holy Spirit

   believe

   receive

     born again

John chapter 1      

Odds & Ends More Odds
 
Out With Robots  
   A Japanese hotel chain terminated its front-desk staff, cleaners, porters and in-room assistants. All robots, they were expensive to service and unable to answer many customer questions. 
  
   One in-room assistant interpreted snoring as a command and woke up a guest. 
  
Medicare for All?  
   Before biting on universal healthcare, consider the man in England with a toothache. He requested a dental visit in 2017. Some 18 months later, the desperate 62-year-old took needle-nose pliers and pulled his own tooth.

It's a Fraud?
   A transgender (born male) now calls such procedures, "A fraud perpetrated by psychiatry, the likes of something the United States and (the world) hasn't experienced since the lobotomy era." 

Choking a Cat
   A trail runner in Colorado survived a mountain lion attack by wrestling the cat to the ground and choking it to death. 

Unthinkable
   A Down syndrome man said he doesn't want to make abortion illegal. "I want to make it unthinkable," he told Congress in 2017.

Hate Itself is the Root 
   Jews murdered in Pittsburgh. Muslims murdered in New Zealand. Christians aren't the only people stalked by haters.

Finally... 
   Is some social media actually "anti-social?" 

     Jimmy

Putting on the Squeeze      
    
   Who among Christians are most isolated from the worldwide Body of Christ - those of us with religious freedom, or those suffering persecution?

   Mindy Belz, WORLD magazine, says the 2019 World Watch List confirms high levels of persecution in 73 countries. State authoritarianism and nationalism contribute to the rise. 

   The top four offenders are North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia and Libya, countries "whose repression impoverishes their own people." Christians in Iraq and Syria face extinction. [Just noticing...those where U.S. power has been most engaged in recent years..... JD] 

   It is finished




  
   Roughly 70 percent of world Christians live without the right to worship freely. The 30 percent of us with religious privilege have much to learn from the persecuted church, Belz says. We are isolated from the global perspective. 

   Belz, who travels the world, reminds us of John's definition of love in 1 John 3:16-18: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ...let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.

   She offers a plan:

   Pray. Consider using a prayer guide. 

   Support missionaries and others who stand against the tide in areas of persecution.

   Receive. Receive the work of Christ on the cross and add nothing to it. 
Allow news of persecution to deepen our appreciation for the cost of following Christ. 

NY Times Strikes Out       

   Some of you know my background is in journalism and other forms of human communications. So, I enjoy Marvin Olasky's take on the New York Times, with a "three strikes - you're out" metaphor.

   Strike one. NYT headline: BOLTON'S REQUEST TO COUNTER IRAN ALARMS PENTAGON. Olasky says the article was designed to make readers believe they were taking in fact. 

   The article: "Senior Pentagon officials...Defense Dept. and senior American officials...a senior American official...a senior administration official...  the senior American official...a former senior administration official...the senior American official...the senior American official...these officials...a senior administration official." (Who's on first?) 

   Strike two. NYT headline: TRUMP FACES NONSTOP WAR FOR SURVIVAL.

   The lead: "So it has come to this: The president of the United States was asked over the weekend whether he is a Russian agent. And he refused to directly answer." 

   On the same day's editorial page, his direct answer: "Not only did I never work for Russia, I think it's a disgrace that you asked that question because it's a whole big fat hoax." 

   Strike three. NYT reporting about the U.S.-Mexico border contradicted its previous stories. 

   The article: "Poor, sick immigrants released from government detention are overwhelming local governments and charities." (A crisis?)

   Previous NYT reporting made Trump's border concerns sound as though he was "manufacturing" a crisis. The Times also reported that California was doing little to help...but previously portrayed California as heroic for its sanctuary cities. 

We don't have to believe everything we read in the papers 

or whatever appears in someone's blog.

😏

      Jimmy

Technology Detox, Anyone?   
    
   Not many years ago, I played solitaire online. 

   Intending to play one game, my session would last for three or more. Intending to stop by 10 pm, I played on. Then I quit, and within a few weeks the desire was gone.

   What if my "relaxation" had been Fortnite? 
A teen was playing 12 hours a day. He fell asleep in class and his grades suffered. Another quit school at age 15.  

   Parents, teachers and employers around the world grapple with the consequences of a billion-dollar business - Epic Games - which has addicted more than 200 million people. While the game is free, Epic works with sports leagues to sell add-ons. 

   A divorce service in the U.K. says 200 petitions cited Fortnite and other games as the reason for marriage breakup. 

   Pro athletes are getting hooked. An NHL hockey club had trouble getting players to meetings and dinners. Fortnite may have given pitcher David Price wrist problems; he was scratched from a start against the Yankees last season.

   Some baseball players use their stadium's Jumbotron system to play Fortnite while waiting to take batting practice. 

   The World Health Organization has designated "gaming disorder" a disease.

   We all observe people engrossed in lesser trouble, buried in their cell phones. What companies claim will draw people closer together may be driving them apart.

   Then there's the NBA team so obsessed with social media they aren't talking with each other in the locker room. Good luck on the court!   

        Jimmy


   

Heir of Righteousness    
As it Was in the Days of Noah    

   Jesus confirms the life and example of Noah; his second coming, like the flood, will come without warning.  

   As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 
...they (the wicked) knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. - Matthew 24:37-41

   If Jesus Christ the light of the world says it, we believe it! 

   There will be no signs before Jesus' partial return to receive believers, pre-Tribulation. The Holy Spirit also will withdraw. Be ready! 

   About 590 B.C., the prophet Ezekiel heard, "the word of the Lord:" 
...if a country sins against me...and I stretch out my hand against it...even if...Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the sovereign Lord. - Ezekiel 14:12-14

   Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it...even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. - 14:19-20

   By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. - Hebrews 11:7 

   Peter also writes about Noah. - 1 Peter 3:19-20; 2 Peter 2:5

   Jesus didn't distinguish between the two phases of his second coming. But, new believers during the seven-year Tribulation will know when to expect his full return. Unbelievers will suffer an unexpected fate as did the wicked of Noah's day.
  

   God said rainbows are a sign He will never flood earth again. 

He didn't say there wouldn't be

          fury, wrath and a fiery lake of burning sulfur. 

Adrift on the High Seas    
    
   Do you know who your "greatest" granddaddy is? We understand that we descended from Noah and one of his sons - Shem, Ham or Japheth. 

   Long ago, free will resulted in wickedness, the old serpent apparently having his way. Every inclination of man, Genesis reports, was evil all the time. The earth was full of corruption and violence. Sound familiar? 

   But Noah was blameless, and found favor with the Lord, who otherwise was grieved, the book says. Mankind, animals, creatures and birds would have to die. 

   The Creator himself was about to do violence to his earth, releasing water from underground along with torrential rains. There needed to be a "lifeboat" for Noah, his wife, sons and their wives. 

   Who knew anything about ship building? No one had ever seen rain, much less a flood. 
 

Replica

Authority matters
   
   God chose Noah, because he knew God  and walked (lived righteously) with God.  His unqualified but faithful family got the assignment.  

   The Lord gave the instructions they needed. 
We know today - the dimensions were ideal for floating on rough seas. Boarding, by invitation only, included seven of each species God wanted to save. 

   God himself is considered the builder. The ark had no propulsion, no sails, no controls, no compass...and only one door. It was unsinkable.

   Noah's family believed God and built. He did not know when the water would rise until all were aboard and God closed the door. 

   Just a story? Genesis dates the beginning of the flood: 600th year of Noah on the 17th day of the second month. 
 

Tomorrow: What we can learn from it

* This writing based on yesterday's sermon.

   

   

Jesus said to her,

    

I    am  the      resurrection 

&  the       

                       life. 

He    who  believes       

                                         in me,  

        

         though  he  may  die, 

he  shall                

           live.

John 11:25

Pursuit of Happiness?   

   Our founders gave us freedom from autocracy...and with it, freedom to be cracy, that is, crazy. 

   Consider the following:

   In Tampa, billionaire David Straz, former banker, philanthropist, spent $400 for each vote he received, running for mayor. His personal $3 million for gifts etc. got him 15 percent of the vote, 32 percent behind Jane Castor, former Tampa police chief. 

   She fell just short of 50 percent, while spending only $500,000, so the two will have a run-off. 

   Meanwhile, the Democrat-leaning Tampa Bay Times published a long feature on Chinese immigrant Cindy Yang, 45, who formerly operated massage spas in Florida. Her family still owns several Tokyo Day Spas in South Florida. 

    Some spas are under investigation for prostitution and human trafficking. The owner of the New England Patriots NFL team was a recent customer, though he denies any illegal activity. 

   In 2016, Yang became interested in politics, donating large sums to Republican campaigns. She is pictured with President Trump at his Super Bowl party, which Kraft also attended. She is also photoed with Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Sen. Rick Scott, and governor-candidate Ron DeSantis in a 2018 group photo. 

   People can pay large sums to have their picture taken with politicians. The Times "allows" readers to think Yang is a trafficker and Republicans are okay with that. After reading the article a second time, we note that none of the spas that were shut down are owned by Yang or her family, nor was she charged with wrong doing. 

   Nevertheless, we don't know the whole truth. 

   Then there's disgraced former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen. We've long known that Congressional hearings are normally, primarily opportunities for politicians to grand stand on TV. Hearings usually result in nothing but to influence voters.

   It's worse. Democrats on the committee which interviewed convicted liar Cohen met privately with him four times before the public hearings, according to a report on TV, if accurate. How's that for collusion?

       Jimmy

  

Socialist Thinking    
     
   This has been around, but if you haven't seen it (with my tweaks)...


1. Socialists say America is capitalist and greedy - yet half the population is subsidized. 

2. Half the population is subsidized - yet they think they are victims.

3. They think they are victims - yet their representatives normally run the government.

4. Their representatives run the government - yet the poor keep getting left behind (until 2017). 

5. The poor keep getting left behind - yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.  

6. They have things that people in other countries only dream about - yet they want America to be more like those other countries. 

One by One
Kicking Them Out      

   The central government of China is cracking down on foreign missionaries. Beijing is ridding the country of all foreign influences, especially Korean and Western missionaries.

   Even entire mission agencies have been kicked out, and missionaries who remain know their time is limited.

   One missionary, interrogated for days, concluded: "My life is in God's hands, whether I die or continue to live, everything is up to God." Then he felt "enormous peace." 

   The Chinese crackdown is a radical turn not seen since Mao's reign. The pressure goes along with demolishing crosses of state-sanctioned churches and barring Communist Party members and minors from attending church services.

   Persecution of South Koreans is even more severe, as the government is less afraid of diplomatic push back. 

   Not all is lost. The expulsions provide an opportunity to help Chinese missionaries planning to minister in the Middle East or Southeast Asia. 

   Chinese have little training and support. But foreign missionaries are receiving teams of Chinese into different countries around the world, helping them adjust. 

WORLD magazine

Letter to the Editor      
   
   "What this (2018) and every year should teach us is that no matter how nutty liberals seem to be this year, next year will be much worse. 

   "The secular, statist religion that tries to create heaven on earth leads to hell on earth." 

#

Girls Found Alive     
   
   What a wonderful surprise, that the 8- and 5-year-old sisters survived 44 hours in a Northern California wilderness. 

   Friday, they had asked their mom if they could go for a walk. She said "no," but apparently they didn't take no for an answer. 

   The girls had some survival training from their 4-H club, granola bars and rubber boots. Perhaps that training gave them the notion they could go it alone.

   They were dehydrated and cold when found Sunday, about 1-1/2 miles from home, but apparently in good spirits. 

Dummy Docks 

   More great news on Sunday. A SpaceX space ship with a dummy aboard docked successfully at the International Space Station, up there somewhere, 260 miles above earth. It is the first time since the space shuttle was scuttled in 2011 that an American craft made the trip. 

   Now that we know the dummy had the "right stuff" - I say, excuse the astronauts from next summer's launch and let two dummies do it. Much cheaper. And dummies don't mind splashing down in the ocean.

   Let's not stop there. Think of all the ways dummies can help humanity.

   They already model clothes and test vehicle safety. Dummies could relieve police officers along highways. Provide realistic target practice for soldiers. Hold your spot in line for concert tickets. 

   We can even imagine a blogger dummy writing Views By the Sea when Jimmy Donut is out of town. You would never know the difference. 

No Kid-ing Around    
    
   Do you have adult children? Did they follow after you, extensions of yourself? 

   With some parents, kids follow in their ways. Other times, a son or daughter sees a better way, and takes it. I learned something about parenting while observing my own kids raising the grand kids. 

   In any case, responsibility is required. God says so.

   We Christians have ideas about how our kids should behave and what they should believe. It's a calling.

   But, how they "turn out," that's on them. Janie B. Cheaney writes in WORLD magazine that "Even in the womb, children are mysteriously themselves." 

   We parents "know how to program, but God knows how to create," she says.

   She notes that Christian parenting is "relentless" in a hostile culture. There are no guarantees. Parents have a duty to raise the children right, but, Cheaney says, God himself creates children...for himself. - John 1:12. 

   A time comes when we take hands-off.

   My first son was turning 4 when I adopted him. One of the first things I did was look for a church for him, though my faith and knowledge were sorely lacking at the time. 

   Then came my daughter and my other son. I wish now I had been more engaged, but like my father, I left most of the "raising" to their mother. Maybe they didn't know how deeply I loved them, because I was out working for them, attending to relentless house and property maintenance, and "church work." 

   Two are solid in the faith, and someday the third will see the light. But all three are good-hearted and talented beyond anything I could have taught them. Yea God! 

      Jimmy