Lamb or Lion? 

   Believe or not believe, what do you think about Jesus?

   Was he a teacher, Mary's child grown up, a miracle worker crucified by jealous insiders? If you believe the gospel story, do you still think of him in human likeness, way up in heaven, unable or unwilling to crush evil on earth, far removed from your daily life?

   Meet the Lion of Judah, who gave his elderly disciple John visions setting the stage for his Revelation - the tribulation and ultimate victory.

   I saw...someone like a son of man (a) dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet (b) and with a golden sash around his chest. (c) His head and hair were white like wool (d) and his eyes were like blazing fire. (e) 

   His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace (f) and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. (g) In his right hand (h) he held seven stars (i) and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. (j)

   His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (k)   

a. Daniel 7:13-14

b. as worn by priests, judges, rulers and kings; Hebrews 4:14-16

c. a mark of triumphant royalty; Matthew 28:18-20 

d. absolute purity and holiness; Daniel 7:9-10 

e. penetrating wisdom and righteous judgment; Daniel 10:6

f.  strength; his victory over Satan  

g. full and strong; Ezekiel 1:24, 29; 43:2 

h. the hand of action

i.  angels of the seven churches; Rev. 2 & 3

j.  sword of the Spirit, the Word of God; Isaiah 11:4-5; Rev. 19:15

k.  glory too bright for Moses (Exodus 33:22-23) and Saul (Acts 9:3, 9)

   And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. 

 Rev. 1:12-17                   

Impeach Who?   

   We know from the book of Revelation that bad guys will meet their Maker. Meanwhile, what do we do with Afghanistan, as if God gives us the power? 

   Republicans filed impeachment articles - not against the president - but Secretary of State Antony (without the h) Blinkin. Over - not the goal - but the shameful way the withdrawal became a crisis evacuation. Why him? 

   We googled the 59-year-old government figure. He studied at Harvard and Columbia, the same stops many Democrats make enroute to Washington, including Obama. Blinkin also studied in Europe. His late stepfather was a Holocaust survivor. 

   Over much of the past 30 years he worked for Senator then VP Biden. He admits "we made errors in Iraq - we did too much - and Syria - we didn't do enough."

   Maybe, like Goldilocks, he was due to get Afghanistan "just right." Sorry. 

   As for ISIS initially, he considered them "no threat." We remember President Obama calling ISIS the "jayvees." Well, the junior varsity just killed 13 U.S. troops and seriously injured 20 others. Let's hope they don't become the varsity. 

   In his favor, Blinkin believes, "Force can be a necessary adjunct to diplomacy." Too bad he didn't think of that this summer. To his shame, he invited the UN - of all people - to visit America and investigate our racist inclinations.   

   We were troubled by disagreements in Trump's early White House days. Now we realize it takes a range of diverse opinions to produce better governance. Don't Democrats love diversity? Not in Washington!   

   And now we know state department - "Foggy Bottom" - academics are in charge of all things Afghanistan. Not the Dept. of Defense. Republicans chose the right culprit, not that he has to worry.  

   The blinkin truth is that egocentric President Biden was on board with the so-called strategy, and made it even worse. 

   Enemies of the Afghan people have been killing them and American and allied troops for two decades. Watch for U.S. planes flying to Kabul with our tax dollars, if only the medieval, murderous Taliban plays its cards right. For Democrats, every purpose starts and ends with money.  

   But first - beware Foggy Bottom's response to hostage takers.  

       Jimmy

  

"Sitting at Jesus' feet" 

does not mean passively waiting.

Jesus often desires that we are active,

choosing, risking, stretching and doing.

It does mean he is present here and now.

We don't have to pretend we control the universe.

GOD IS CLOSER THAN YOU THINK            

 

The Art of Letting Go

What keeps us from living in the presence of God?

Many of us have good intentions.

But we miss out on his presence because 

we get overwhelmed by preparations for life.

We get distracted.

Worry.

Sometimes we live as if worry helps us control our world.

Some things are completely out of our hands. 

Why Write to Rep. Clyburn?

   He is in South Carolina. We're in Florida; not his constituents. 

   James Clyburn is the only SC Democrat elected to the U.S. House (1993) His district is the largest of seven. We don't fault him for naming buildings and seeking $ millions for his district.  

   He is the House Majority Whip - who helps set agendas, unite his party, and broker deals. Remember "broker deals," because deals can affect all of us.

   "People say the president has blood on his hands," I wrote. (Yesterday, that was sadly evident when 13 service members lost their lives - not fighting - helping desperate people escape on airplanes. Another 15 were injured.) 

   "If that's so," I continued, "we haven't forgotten that candidate Biden was going absolutely nowhere until South Carolina's primary, when you rallied Democrats to his candidacy, and all the other states dutifully fell in line. Credit your experience brokering deals." 

   Remember, readers, there is little disagreement about our Afghan exit. The woeful, inexcusable decision was to discard Trump's muscular plan. [Fly out American civilians and Afghan loyalists first, remove or destroy $85 billion of amazing military aircraft, vehicles and weapons, and draw down soldiers and marines last - all while threating the Taliban to be nice, or else.] 

   Meanwhile, we're not buying the president's "sad face" and promise to hunt down the ISIS guys who sent two of their own on suicide missions. What an actor. They could be in Pakistan or Iran by now, if anyone even knows who they are.

Back to Rep. Clyburn

   "Did you know (in 2020) of Biden's extraordinary ego," I asked, "his suspect record on foreign policy, his loose connection with truth, his declining mental state?" 

   And I tossed in - "If FDR had Biden's 'expertise' on December 7, 1941, he might have let the Japanese capture Midway and continue their rampage over southeast Asia. Biden is another James Buchanan." 

   "With your 27 years in Congress," we concluded, "we assume you knew the real Joe Biden. What we'll never know is who put you up to it. No doubt - the same people who muzzled him for most of the 2020 campaign. Disgusting." 

         Jimmy

 

Two Threats; Two Means 

   Many of us are focused on Afghanistan. The White House and Congress - possibly more focused on building their power. 

   Did you see yesterday's step - a spending bill that will obliterate our future, if they get it through the Senate? And how much time the president spent urging Democrats to vote aye, while Americans are stranded in violent Afghanistan? 

   Yes, Jen Psaki, stranded! 

   Observers who know are warning us that Afghanistan is now terror headquarters for the world. Russia, China, Iran and perhaps others are okay with that. We have no way to monitor; no surrounding nations will cooperate, and who could blame them? The jihadists have more tech skills and will have far more fighters than in 2000, or even a few weeks ago.     

   If bad guys from around the world can cross our southern border while agents are tied up with immigrants, so can terrorists. 

   That's one threat.  

   The more immediate is progressive, Marxist Democrats rushing to take control of U.S. elections before the 2022 midterms. Hence, a bill to nationalize election laws.

   There are two ways to cancel people. Radical Muslims cancel by beheading or otherwise killing those they hate, and family members. They may hold thousands of Americans hostage. How much are taxpayers willing to give them? 

   Second. In America, we have a "cancel culture" from coast to coast. 

   The only difference is that one rules by death, the other by politics and indoctrination. with media support.    

   It's past time for all of us to focus. And pray.    

       Jimmy

Crazy Minutes

   Since we will keep the minutes of our homeowners meeting in September - for the first time - we decided to practice by recording a pentagon briefing on Tuesday. Here goes: 

Q. How many Americans are still unaccounted for?

A. Well...ah...it's a...we don't...ah...it changes by the hour.

Is the president firm on an August 31 end date? 

It is...ah...true...a...a...must get to the...airport by the end of August. 

There are blockaids...people are unable to get there. 

We are...working on that...ah...throughput...and processing. 

Some have told their congressional reps they are trapped.

Ah...there is no constraint. It's ah...ah.. retrograde situation.

Are those who helped us a priority?

Ah...the situation...ah...is constantly fluid. There is dissonance.

What do you say to family members back home?

We are facilitating passage...ah...ah...improving visibility.

Does the president have a plan in case people are left behind?

Ah...the dispositions of the draw down are what we are concerned about first and foremost. There is no constraint. You can ask Centcom about that. Ah...there are bottlenecks...and structure...but also deliberations.

We hear our forces in Kabul will begin withdrawal this Friday.

They...they are already beginning to process out. ISIS-K is nearby.

Won't the Taliban then have total control before the 31st? 

Ah...that is speculation. We're in...ah...deliberations with the Taliban, and...ah...trusting they will keep their word. 

So, a collection of terrorists are dictating to the mighty U.S.   

We are constrained by the agreement made by President Trump. 

Does Obama regret freeing those five terrorists from Gitmo? Isn't Biden the vice president who handled the draw down in Iraq, and ISIS emerged from the chaos? And won't terrorists from Afghanistan start coming through our southern border?

Ah...that's all the time we have today. We might update you tomorrow.

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