Life Through the Son

   Jesus healed an invalid on the Sabbath.

   He had told the man to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Authorities told the man, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” 

   Jesus told them, “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” 

   “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. A time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” 

   “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out... By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” 

                                             John chapter 5

Coming next week: God is all powerful. Why doesn't he use it?

About Relationships   

   The angel of the Lord spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22.) 

   Might the Lord also use a poodle? 

   Little Foxy is all about relationships. If her owner goes on an errand, Foxy parks herself where she will be first to know when he comes home. 

   When she visits us and I leave on an errand, Foxy sits in the kitchen watching the door. 

   It is clear she has the four of us ranked: Sister-in-law No. 1, her husband No. 2 (after all, she lives with them), Mrs. Donut No. 3 and I am last...but still useful when Foxy wants to play, "Catch me if you can." 

Our Lord is all about relationships.

   So much so, that...If anyone loves me (Jesus) he will obey my teaching and we (Father and Son) will come to him and make our home with him.  - John 14:23

   Isn't that amazing? We cannot and don't have to understand this like we know that the sun is hot and rain is wet. We believe.  

   We can experience the presence (I have) and love of the Father and Son by means of the Holy Spirit. One God. Three Persons.

   In Matthew 11:28 Jesus offers his gracious invitation... Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. And freedom, mercy, peace, grace and spiritual help. 

   So we go to him and he comes to us. Awesome is our Creator! And he wants to be No. 1 among all our relationships. 

   There awaits an eternal home. No errands necessary.

          Jimmy

The Blind Can Praise 

   Recently, when I awake sometimes the music of a hymn goes though my mind, over and over. I try to recall at least a few words - hymns we haven't sung in church for decades.

   Last Saturday morning - nothing. Shortly after breakfast I needed more rest ... and fell asleep. When I awoke, there were a few notes, and gradually, three words ... ye little children. 

   I entered those words in my computer and found the children's song, Praise Him, Praise Him all ye little children...

   But why would the Lord remind me of a song for kids? With Mrs. Donut's help - she had played the organ at church - we found the hymn for adults: Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer! 

   It is one of some 9,000 hymns written by Fanny Crosby in the 19th Century. Mrs. Crosby was blind. At six months of age, her eyes were inflamed and a doctor's errant treatment blinded her for life. 

   She never held a grudge: "Blindness cannot keep the sunlight of hope from the trustful soul. One of the easiest resolves that I formed in my young and joyous heart was to leave all care to yesterday and to believe that the morning would bring forth its own peculiar joy." 

   The first of three stanzas:

Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!

Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!

Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory;

Strength and honor give to His holy name!

Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,

In His arms He carries them all day long;

     Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness;

     Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song! 

   

 

Christian or Jew  

   Here are suggestions for memorization this week, from the New International Version:

   I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. - Psalm 121:1-3

   Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. - Isaiah 12:2

   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

   Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6 

   Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. - Psalm 55:22

   

Jesus said that we do not

live on bread alone, but on every word

that comes from the mouth of God.

As our bodies are fed by food, so our spirits are fed 

by words with ideas and images.

In this age when we are flooded with misleading words,

we need to rely each day on truth, the Word of God.

GOD  IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

 

Cleaning Up

David asked God to,    Cleanse me...wash me...

In the morning when you wash or shower, pray

"God, just as this water is cleaning my body, 

may your Word and your Spirit

cleanse my mind and heart.

Whether intentions, desires or thoughts

that lead me away from your presence -

cleanse them entirely."

Be still for a few moments. Allow God time to speak, if he chooses.

- John Ortberg 

GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK

Does God Really Listen?  

   Long, long ago the devil asked Adam's wife, Did God really say...? 

   So began the downfall of the human race, right there in a beautiful, safe garden that God pronounced as very good. 

   Don't know about you, but we've fallen for many a doubt ... Does God have time for me? Is he listening to my prayers? Does he know what I'm doing? What I'm thinking? Is he okay with my lukewarm faith? 

   Growing up in a mainline church, we wouldn't miss Sunday service ... choir procession, hymns, repetitive prayers and scriptures, and a sermon. Repeat.

   It wasn't until my mid-30s when Dad had a temporary lapse of mental health that our family earnestly sought God. And it wasn't until my late-40s when divorce was coming and our kids were hurting that I - a church deacon - thoroughly emptied myself before God and pleaded for - demanded? - answers. 

   I think - no, I know - he was finally pleased with me. But it took two months of desperate prayer and repentance. There was no healing for the marriage or the kids.    

 [As a youngster, I wasn't taught to seek God Monday-Saturday, but except for those Sundays, I might never have become - much later - a true believer.]

   YouVersion offers encouragement for those wishing to draw near to God. 

1. Keep it simple. God isn't looking for eloquence. He wants to spend time with you. 

2. Keep it real. God doesn't get mad at you for being honest. Nothing can separate you from his love. Not sure what to say or how to say it? Tell him so. 

3. Keep showing up. The more you pray, the easier it becomes. Make prayer a habit. Ask him to help you pray. 

   We have a (retired) pastor in the family. He uses ACTS when he prays: 

Adoration. Confession. Thankfulness. Supplication. 

             Jimmy 

    

Someone is Waiting for You 

   The angel of the Lord spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22.) 

   Might the Lord also use a poodle? 

   Little Foxy is all about relationships. If our brother-in-law goes on an errand, Foxy parks herself where she will be first to know when he comes home. 

   When she visits us and I leave on an errand, Mrs. Donut says Foxy sits in the kitchen watching the door. 

   It is clear she has the four of us ranked: Sister-in-law No. 1, her husband No. 2 (after all, she lives with them), Mrs. Donut No. 3 and I am last...but still useful when Foxy wants to play, "Catch me if you can." 

Our Lord is all about relationships.

   So much so, that...If anyone loves me (Jesus) he will obey my teaching and we (Father and Son) will come to him and make our home with him.  - John 14:23

   Isn't that amazing? We cannot and don't have to understand this like we know that the sun is hot and rain is wet. We believe.  

   We can experience the presence (I have) and love of the Father and Son by means of the Holy Spirit. One God. Three Persons.

   In Matthew 11:28 Jesus offers his gracious invitation... Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. And freedom, mercy, peace, grace and spiritual help. 

   So we go to him and he comes to us. Awesome is our Creator! And he wants to be No. 1 among all our relationships. 

   There awaits an eternal home. No errands necessary.

          Jimmy

Making an Up Turn  

   Here at Views By the Sea we've been thinking. 

   That may surprise you. (No laughing.) We've almost completed seven years of blogging ... everything from automobiles to ziggurats. 

   You don't remember the ziggurats? Oh, rats! 

   We've enjoyed writing, often summarizing the work and wisdom of people a thousand times more knowledgeable. We've also provided personal stories ... interesting but nothing to boast about.  

   Part of our enjoyment is meeting the demand to post something every day of the year, and to assure every word is spelled correctly and every comma is in place. 

                Tomorrow: Can a poodle teach us about God? >

   Of course, you can get worldly information anywhere. Today's news is not pleasant. Views cannot fix it. Our news media could do its duty - investigation and truth - but mostly it is in bed with would-be tyrants.    

   Here's the Up turn (not U turn): We'll let this message sit until Thursday, when we begin a new emphasis, Lord willing. 

   Views By the Sea can interest you for a few minutes, or we can bless you long term, as we hope now to do. If you say, "no thanks," no hard feelings.  

   I'm not a "preacher," but I have Bibles, helpful commentaries, and sometimes a nugget of truth from someone far more knowledgeable. I need to learn and be reminded of what I once learned as much as anyone.  

   I'd rather pass along spiritual fruit for endless days, than worldly crumbs like flowers that bloom today and tomorrow are thrown into the fire. Kings come and kings go. Salvation is everything.  

   You may see a worldly subject once in awhile, but it had better be important. 

               Jimmy

    

Seeing Through the Fog

   Victor Hanson, military history professor, Hoover Institution, provides insight we want to share:

- edited for space -

   "Joe Biden and the Pentagon birthed a terrorist haven, destroyed much of U.S. strategic deterrence and alienated our allies. We were told that the terrorist victors share similar goals to ours...that Afghan refugees (unlike U.S.  soldiers) will not be forced to be vaccinated. 

   "On the very day of the attack that killed American troops, the sergeant major of the U.S. Army tweeted that 'diversity is our strength,' commemorating Women's Equality Day. If so, then is the opposite of diversity - unity - our weakness? 

   "The chief of staff at the Office of Naval Intelligence warned active duty and retired service members they must not criticize Biden, their commander in chief ... citing prohibitions in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Yet until January 20, retired top brass constantly smeared their elected commander in chief with impurity.

   "Retired Gen. Michael Hayden retweeted that unvaccinated Trump supporters should be put on planes to Afghanistan. He had earlier compared President Trump's border facilities to Nazi death camps. 

   "Other retired military officials variously called Trump an emulator of Nazi tactics, a veritable Mussolini and a liar...and deserving removal from office sooner, not later. None of these four-stars faced repercussions from the ONI.

   "More than 50 former intelligence officials (before November's election) signed a letter suggesting that incriminating emails on Hunter Biden's laptop might be 'Russian disinformation.' 

   "Gen. Mark Milley leaked to journalists that he was so angry with Trump that he 'considered resigning.' Consider the irony: If he considered a politicized resignation over a false charge, then surely he could consider a real resignation after overseeing the worst military disaster of the last half-century in Kabul. 

   "Milley had promised to root out white supremacy while recommending that his soldiers read Ibram X. Kendi's racialist diatribes.  

   "Which general allowed more than $85 billion in American weapons to fall to the Taliban - a sum equal to the price of seven new U.S. aircraft carriers? Who left behind biometric devices that the Taliban are using to hunt down our former Afghan friends? 

   "Somehow our new woke Pentagon is bent on losing the trust of the American people - along with the wars it fights abroad."

     

"If your devotional life is sleepy and tired...

God is probably as tired of it as you are." - Frank Laubach

"Wake up. 

As early as you can...

Acknowledge your dependence on God.

Tell him your concerns for the day

and ask him to identify and remove any fear.

Renew your invitation for God to spend the day with you." 

- John Ortberg 

GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK            

The first task of the day is to go to sleep.

The ancient rhythm of days according to the creation account:

And there was evening and there was morning - the first day.

In Jewish life, the Sabbath begins at sundown.

Everything doesn't depend on me.

I go to sleep; God goes to work.

It's his day.

Paul wrote: ...do not let the sun go down on your anger...

Are we angry, anxious, irritable?

The way we go to sleep at night

sets the tone for how we will live come morning.

 Come to Think of It 

   Lifelong politician Joe Biden, king lion of his tribe, a family in pursuit of personal wealth, could have served four years and returned to Delaware with the same reputation with which he took the oath of office. Not so bad. 

   The media and his wife carried his water - moderate president, decades of service, foreign policy expert, friend to all. Unite us all, Joe. 

   All he had to do was be cool, and stay out of major controversy (if that's possible). Never mind his mind, something like elderly Ronald Reagan in his second term.

   But good old Joe from Scranton has an ego as high as Mount Everest. He has to please the Marxists to hold his party together, and he has to prove himself superior to - what's his name? - ah, Trump. He has to command all of us - get vaccinated, because he follows the science. No, it's because his party is bent on controlling all of us...even our personal decisions about health.

   In eight short months he has blown himself out of the water. He can't just be okay. He has to go down in history as great. Democrats are holding ranks, but they must be nervous. 

   We are nervous because our ship is listing, and storms lie ahead. In just eight months President Biden is already the worst U.S. president in history. 

   You ask, "How can you say such a thing?" Well, we can't compare him with any president up through the 1800s - a time before electricity, automobiles, airplanes etc. There may be a single issue, such as Lincoln's decision to save the Republic. Biden had his issue - helping Sen. Ted Kennedy squash the nomination of a highly qualified Supreme Court nominee.  

   True socialist Woodrow Wilson in the early 1900s wasn't as dangerous as a weak Biden in 2021. President Carter oversaw a lousy economy, but that was one issue. 

   Biden can reasonably be compared only to presidents serving in recent times - incredible advancements in technology, medicine, mobility, communications - and a smaller world vulnerable to nuclear disaster. 

   Think it over - all major issues including energy, spending, and the unforgiveable border crisis - and tell me where I'm wrong.

          Jimmy

Guess Who  

   He grew up at the best possible time, between 1930 and 1946. 

   He and his peers are the smallest group of children born in the 1900s. His is the last generation that can remember the the world at war which rattled their daily lives. 

   They are the last to remember ration books. They saved tin foil and poured fat into tin cans. They saw cars up on blocks because tires weren't available.

   He remembers milk delivered to the house early in the morning. He is among the last to see gold stars in front windows of grieving neighbors whose sons died in the war. 

   His is the last generation that spent childhood without television. He imagined what he heard on the radio through the 1940s. On Saturday afternoons kids went to the movies, with newsreels sandwiched between westerns and cartoons. Yes, Indians, except for Tonto, were the bad guys.  

   Telephones were one to a house, hung on the wall or sitting on dad's desk. No privacy. Typewriters were the other way to message.

   Government gave veterans help in education, and colleges began to grow. Housing picked up, and factories dedicated to war reorganized to meet peacetime demands. New highways meant jobs and mobility. Vacations were possible.

   His parents were glad he played outside until the street lights came on, and even then kids found games to play under lights. A high school in the county became the first to play night football. 

   He felt secure in a peaceful, church-going town, becoming a Boy Scout, with depression and war in the rear view mirror. A bicycle was his transportation to and from high school, and it was probably a hand-me-down. He had one pair of shoes few clothes to choose from. 

   His is the last generation to experience interlude between national threats, although the Russians, then the Chinese became a concern. Then came the 1960s.

   Guess who?

               Jimmy

$3,500,000,000,000

   Don't worry. We can afford this expenditure the Democrats want to make on roads and bridges, and lots of pet projects that will please their voters. 

   You know we're already $28,000,000,000,000 in debt. 

   But there is money in the corporate world, big tech, and individual tax payers in the top 1 percent (which includes small business owners making $400,000 before taxes). 

   See, Rep. Cortez went to a big fund raiser among very rich people, with large red words on her white dress - Tax the Rich. What a showboat! Of course, when businesses get soaked, we customers make up the difference. Do we think the super rich care about any of us?

   California's ambitious governor faced a recall vote yesterday. President Biden and VP Harris flew there to rally his voters. 

   Do you see what I see? Beautiful California is a real mess: inflation - preventable (large) fires - the homeless - brownouts - high taxes - crime - undocumented immigrants. Residents who can leave the state are leaving. If the Democrats don't give a hoot for middle class Californians, do we think they care about any of us? 

   Then there was the August 31 "deadline" in Afghanistan. Democrats praise their "largest ever" evacuation, which it was, but execution of the exit was sloppy and ill timed. Americans died and others suffered horrible injuries. Not everyone got out, and we also left behind weapons terrorists never would have otherwise. Do we think the administration cares about future terrorism?  

   So they blame Trump for their having to stick to "his" deadline, which by the way was Biden's date. Well, if they were forced to follow Trump's schedule, how's come they didn't have to abide by Trump's "stay in Mexico" policy, which was pretty much effective? They opened the southern gates on Day 1. Do we think they care about safety in our cities?     

   Speaking of Biden, did you know, wherever he goes, the White House staff will cut his mike when he's about to make a boo-boo? Don't know how that works, but then there's a lot we don't know, like who is behind the curtain.

           Jimmy

 Face to Face With God  

   The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with a friend."  -Exodus 33:11

   Sophia Lee, born into a missionary family, writes, "My parents shone on me flickers of the God they knew, but they couldn't make me know and love God on an intimate, heart-to-heart level. It's easy to fill your head with so much knowledge of Christ ... yet never fully develop a relationship with Him because your daily life already feels stuffed with Christianity."  

   "But isn't that what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross?" she asks. "He tore the veil of the temple that separates man from God and made available to us the indwelling of His Spirit." 

Pastor Jack Hibbs says "Jesus cannot, not live within us."

He prayed, Righteous Father...I will continue to make you known...

and that I myself may be in them. John 17:25-26

God cannot lie.

   Many resources are helpful, says Ms. Lee, "but how much time do we spend drawing direct insight and revelation from the primary source?"

   "Perhaps I lack trust and experience in the Wonderful Counselor who lives in me, whom Jesus promised would teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.  - John 14:26

   "So I'm trying something new. I still love my books and podcasts, but I'm also embracing moments of silence, so I can hear God speak. I want my face time with God, even if I don't get the immediate, clear-cut answers I want. Even if sometimes I get more the quiet stillness of God's presence, because that is enough." 

WORLD magazine

          Jimmy

  

Enough Already! 

   Our neighbors are just asking for milk, for food, for medicine, for liberty. 

   Salaries have gone up for some, but prices increased more. Hospitals lack basics, and public transportation often breaks down. One might travel to a nearby town without knowing if he or she can make it home the same day.

   These are our Cuban neighbors, who are protesting conditions, and pastors are beginning to speak out...all at risk. A Catholic priest decided he had to say it: "Communism is a big lie." 

   Clergy should avoid politics? He notes the Bible's emphasis on helping the poor, "and if people are suffering because of a system, you have to denounce it. Not to talk - while a parishioner is in prison - is to leave people (without a voice)." 

   Jatniel Perez, a Reformed Baptist pastor, publicly demanded the release of two pastors detained by Cuban police during large street demonstrations. The Cuban president declared an "order of combat." 

   Police violently clashed with protesters and detained hundreds around the country. Some may face long prison sentences. 

   Police had jailed two pastors who teach at the seminary Perez founded. He called for their release on social media and spread the news, including in the U.S. Security officials called several times, ordering him to stop. He refused and responded on Facebook, saying he was unafraid of their threats.

   "I am Jatniel Perez ... If it bothers you that I am saying these things, then you know very well where I live." 

WORLD magazine

   We who are flirting with "socialism" need to speak for freedom before we have to fight for it all over again. 

              Jimmy

People tolerate behavioral patterns that will destroy their own lives.

A husband nurses his resentment even though 

he knows it's destroying his own heart.

An addict returns to the Internet even though 

he knows it's destroying his marriage and eating him up with guilt.

A man is drowning in debt. He goes to a financial seminar

and is so impressed he orders $600 worth of material

and puts it on his credit card.

What matters?

God is present in this instant, offering to partner with us.

Our failure to embrace the present moment 

keeps us from being fully present to God right here, right now. 

Scripture says:

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'today.'

GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK         

Some people remember where they were

when they heard about Pearl Harbor

when they heard that the Japs stopped fighting

when they heard JFK had been shot

when they heard the twin towers were aflame

and the Pentagon and Flight 93

And some were there ... and some died 

Some day there may be another ... and another

~

A coming event that erases the memories of all the others

is written in the book.

Real all about it in Revelation 18-19

Fear the Jurors 

   It was 1995. I returned to the office to be greeted by coworkers gathered around a radio. They wanted to know my prediction. 

   A "jury of his peers" was about to reveal their decision. Was O.J. Simpson guilty or innocent in this "trial of the century." 

   I hadn't mastered all the evidence, but we know his blood matched that found at the scene of the murders. It was found in his Bronco, several places in his home, on his size XL glove, and he had fresh cuts on his hand. 

   DNA was a new wrinkle at the time. It and other evidence may have been mishandled. 

   O.J.'s "peers" would be those living in his upscale neighborhood. Or his fellow athletes and Hollywood actors. Not in this case. The trial was in the inner city.

   I confidently said to my coworkers...GUILTY.  

   How broken - America's system of justice. How timely - on the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the planners now in Gitmo are still on trial. Someone predicted they will never be executed, just die in prison - at the cost of $13 million per defendant per year. 

   Our justice system was designed to punish wrongdoers while protecting the rights of the innocent. Joel Belz in WORLD magazine thinks many of us have lost confidence that justice prevails. 

   Look at the convicts or those accused of serious crime being released with ankle bracelets, some of whom break more laws, even commit murder. One "progressive" official said she doesn't even read all the charges. She just wants to remake the system, or words to that effect.

   Belz claims "the problem isn't with the jury selection procedure, It's with the people who get selected." 

   Judges. Witnesses. Lawyers. People who have been shaped over the decades.  

   Belz says, "You can't tell people that there is no such thing as truth and that nothing is absolute - and expect them to take truth seriously."

           Jimmy

  

Creation, Compassion, Community 

   The Jewish New Year's Day, Rosh Hashana, commemorating creation, ended yesterday at nightfall. 

   We quote Marvin Olasky, raised Jewish, writing in WORLD magazine: 

~

   "Jewish talk show host Dennis Prager calls Genesis 1:1 'the most important verse in the Bible.' I place 'Jesus wept' (John 11:35) next to that verse." 

   "The New Testament shows how God came among us and showed ultimate compassion by weeping (over our unbelief*) and then dying for us." 

   "Prager, of course, does not see New Testament and Hebrew Scriptures as equally God-breathed. And yet, Genesis itself raises questions to which I found satisfactory answers in the New Testament." 

   "In Prager's commentaries on Genesis and Exodus he notes that 'God uses flawed individuals to show His redemptive powers or, as Christians put it, God's grace.' He mentions that 'Protestants led the modern world's abolition of slavery.' Right. Protestants, Catholics and Jews today should work together against our modern form of child sacrifice, abortion." 

   "Prager says God chose Jews 'to serve as a vehicle for God's blessing of the world ... to minister to humanity and bring as much of it as possible closer to God.' But Prager notes the 'tension between the command to be a holy nation and the fulfillment of the purpose. Too much separation makes the Jews' task ... almost impossible. It is difficult to influence people if you have virtually no contact with them.'" 

   "God now brings American Christians and Jews into very close contact. In His mysterious providence He has also turned people such as me into bridges."

   (Next week) "brings Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement - and more Jews now believe that Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." 

* my contribution

 Working for Peanuts  

   Does this strike you as wrong?   

   Here in wealthy America we have workers making less than $15,000 per year. Their living and working conditions are in the minor category.

   Seven workers in Alabama crowded into a three-bedroom apartment. Those in California sleep in camper vans at trailer parks, while others catch sleep in their cars. Some are known to steal. 

   One group on a two week job site considered sleeping in their cars. A hotel bill would have consumed 80 percent of their paychecks. 

   "Quality food" for one group of employees is a cheese sandwich on shriveled white bread with a scoop of coleslaw. Meals don't come with dessert. 

   You may balk at this, but it's all in the game for minor league baseball players. Many of them never make it to the big payoff.  

   One team's general manager speaks of "fine-tuning the way the industry invests in player development." Translation: Teams will pinch pennies for as long as they can. 

   All this, despite the fact that Major League Baseball last winter eliminated 40 teams, restructuring its minor league system. 

   So, where's the money they saved? 

   It's not like owners are broke. Ticket prices are way up, as are TV dollars. Every player promoted to the majors ends up in the top 1 percent of American wage earners (while it lasts). Before unionization a few decades ago, even major leaguers had to work off-season to make ends meet.

   Now, all-stars negotiate for millions and more millions. When will owners treat the farm teams as well as farmers treat their animals?

   You know the song: Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks...

   It's the minor leaguers who need the peanuts...more peanuts!   

           Jimmy

Fear the Boom

   There were seconds to decide. We were on vacation in Canada with some of our relatives.

   I could sail my sloop, but was not an expert. We headed across the lake, my young daughter and a niece aboard.

   Wind was blowing over the port side, giving us a good ride. We neared the opposite shore. There wasn’t enough room to make an easy turn with the wind,  so we would need to make a hard 180 into the wind.

   The mainsail had a metal boom along its bottom. The kids were sitting on the port side, elevated as the boat listed to the right. 

   Executing the necessary maneuver into that wind would result in a violent swing of the boom, knocking them out, and possibly out of the boat.     

   I yelled, “When I say GO! duck your heads and move to the other side! Don’t let the boom hit you!” When I was sure they understood…

   I did a metaniono.

   The first command John the Baptist gave to those who flocked to him was “repent.” The first command Jesus gave when he began to preach was “repent.”

   Jesus repeated this numerous times, warning those who don’t repent. 

   The risen Jesus, in Revelation 2, complimented the Church at Ephesus for numerous good deeds, hard work and perseverance amid hardships. But he scolded them for forsaking their “first love,” declining to love and obey the Lord himself. He ordered them to repent, else he would remove them from his kingdom.

   In Greek, repent is metaniono, a 180-degree turn in life.

   So, I yelled "GO!" and pushed hard on the rudder. Our sailboat swung around, rocked a bit, and no one died. 

   Fear the Lord…and you will have hope of eternal life, forever free from the troubled world we wrote about yesterday.  

               Jimmy

 

Is the End Near?  

   We don't claim the Great Tribulation begins next week. But we see previews of it in history and in present-day troubles.

   You know about the Four Horsemen in Revelation chapter 6, as revealed to John. 

   First is a white horse. Its rider is "a conqueror bent on conquest." 

   We think of the Pharaohs, Alexander, Napoleon, British kings, Hitler, Stalin, Tojo. Could we include Hussein, Bin laden, Chinese communists and militant Muslims? 

   Second is a red horse. Its rider makes men slay each other. 

   Examples: civil wars, homicides, extremists and terrorists. 

   Third is a black horse. Its rider symbolizes a specific famine, inflation and hunger. 

   Refugees are increasing by the tens of thousands. We've known of floods, famines and hunger in various places. Inflation is coming again.

   Fourth is a pale horse. Its rider is named "Death," a time of intense war, famine, plagues and disease. 

   During the Tribulation's last 3-1/2 years, there will be all-out persecution of Christians and Jews. Martyrdom has been most frequent in the last century-plus. Satellites and other inventions will enable the political antichrist to exercise authority over every tribe, people, language and nation (Rev. 13:7). 

   Kings, princes, generals, the rich and mighty will know their time is up. The Almighty will shake the world, and cosmic upheaval will terrorize. 

   Chapter 6 is only the beginning. Satanic wrath will be answered with judgment on this ungodly world. There will be silence in heaven, as horror descends upon the earth. 

   Our opinion: From here, world turmoil will only worsen. Our republic, which has lost its Judeo-Christian influence, is struggling to survive as founded.  

   We pray the Lord will revive us one more time.

        Jimmy

Relationship, not religion

If we are going to be with God at all,

we must be with him in this moment.

This is the day the Lord has made.

This moment is the ONLY place where you can meet God.

In church tradition, a sacrament is a means of grace.

It is the water used in baptism.

The cup of communion. 

Each moment can be a sacrament, 

a vehicle for God's love and power. 

To discover God in the most ordinary things,

as well as the greatest, is to possess faith. 

GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK       

THE GREATEST MOMENT

The greatest moment of our life is now.

This tick of a clock. This beat of our heart.

Every past moment is irretrievably gone.

If you live there, you lose your life.

This moment is God's gift to us.

This moment is where God is.

- John Ortberg

This is the day the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

God's mercies never fail because

they are new every morning.

The Declaration of Dependence  

   With a decent Respect to the WOKE Opinions of every approved person, we are required to declare the causes which impel us to present a Declaration of Dependence, to render our history null and void, and to dissolve the racist, hateful U.S. Constitution written by white-supremacist males, among them slave holders. As follows:

   WE hold these opinions to be self-evident, that all 52 varieties of gender evolved with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are guaranteed income, free healthcare and education, and the pursuit of voting privileges in any or all states. That to secure these Rights, the Democratic Party is formulated among the elite, to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as the elitists shall seem most likely to effect their Loyalty and Compliance. Prudence will dictate that this Government will be long established and not abolished for any Cause not warranted by the Powers that be. Experience has shown that the proletariat are enslaved by capitalism. The suffering masses must right themselves by Depending on Government to deliver them from Despotism. When a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations reduce them so, it is their Duty to throw off such Government. Their patient Sufferance constrains them to look to the Democratic Party in pursuit of happiness. 

   WE therefore, the Representatives of the Masses, by our Authority do solemnly Publish and Declare, that all citizens ought to be Governed and Dependent; that they are totally dissolved, free and independent of white-male domination and religion; and that they have full Power to appeal to Government for basic needs and dismissal of charges. Under the Just Powers of the Government, citizens also have the Right and Duty to surrender all firearms, and contribute such Taxes as is fitting to the welfare of the new privileged. 

   WE the Caretakers reserve the right to cancel Obstructionists who resort to interference with any person's Opinion as to the nature of Life, and the conduct thereof. 

   

President's Positives 

   We decided today, rather than complain about our president's negatives and those of others in leadership roles, we should be fair and list the accomplishments of these public servants:  

   

   And remember, the Bible says, "Pray for those who are in authority." God loves them too.

              Jimmy

Allies Flabbergasted

         Enemies Smell Blood   

   This is our view after our embarrassing evacuation from Afghanistan, including the sacrifice of 13 troops "protected" by the Taliban.  

   Our president painted it mostly successful, but no allied leader can count on him, and no enemy will fear him. Watch your back - Taiwan, Ukraine and others. 

   Attending the arrival of 13 flag-draped caskets at Dover Air Force Base, the president put his hand over his heart, then looked at his watch. What? Was he told to get Air Force One back to Washington before sundown?  

   Here's one example of the character of leadership Democrats provide Americans. Arne Dunkan was Secretary of Education for eight years under Obama. This week he tweeted that anti-vaccination and anti-mask citizens have the same mindset as terrorists who killed 13 troops at the Kabul airport.  

   If you hadn't already seen that, take a deep breath and avoid sharp objects until you feel better.

   Hey! I know what to do. They told trapped Americans to go to the airport...simple as that. Well, that door has closed, but now they can tell them to go to Mexico...and walk home. 

   We never wanted to use Views By the Sea for political rumblings. But, these know-it-alls impact our lives - to advance their own careers. We're not crazy about Republicans, but they aren't as divisive or bent on permanent control. 

Our Generous Gifts 

   We don't know the condition of $85 billion in military assets now in Taliban hands. They were meant for the Afghan government, mostly deposited in Marar-i-Sharif, Kunduz, Herat, Kabul, Gardez, Lashkar Gah and Kandahar.

   73,672 Humvees, mine-proof vehicles, personnel carriers, trucks and SUVs.

   549,364 machine guns, assault rifles, pistols and artillery guns.

   174 helicopters, transport planes and other flying machines.

   300,699 Afghan troops had access to all this in July, but no matter. 

            Jimmy