AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT
While I was in Walmart today, having my purchases scanned, I heard a snippet of some music on the store speaker system.
It was enough, just a second or two, to remind me of some other song.
That set my mind racing to try to figure out what the familiar song was.
It took only a few more seconds before I had it - “She Walks This Earth”.
Then, as my mind started “playing” what I could recall of this song.
I instantly became homesick for my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.
Strange, how my mind works.
I was going to say, strange how our minds work, but I am not sure my mind works like that of other people.
In some ways, I am certain that the workings of my brain are similar to that of many other people.
In other ways, I wonder if I my brain function has much in common with anyone.
Except my sister.
Which is unfortunate for her. Ha!
THE RUN
The temperature this morning was 50 degrees at 5:30 AM.
(This was at the Huntsville airport according to The Weather Channel.)
That is right at the dividing point where I change my clothing layers for running.
Below 50, I cover arms and torso with two layers of CoolMax polyester knit, and legs with stretchy nylon tights (don't try to visualize this – it might damage your eyes) and (looser) nylon windpants, as well as coverings for ears and hands.
(And, for the sake of full disclosure - running shorts are under the above and my feet have sox and shooz to keep them warm.)
Above 50, the leg coverings come off, as well as one layer of the upper body protection.
In addition, the ear and hand coverings also stay in the bin at home.
But what does one do when the temperature is EXACTLY 50?
I chose a middle path.
One layer on legs (running pants – no tights) and torso (a heavier knit one here), knit gloves and ear covering.
What helped me decide was the cloudiness (very), wind (10-20 mph), and possibility of rain.
This choice proved to be perfect.
As soon as I started out – at 6:07 AM – my left hammy started telling about all the effort it had expended this week during weight workouts, installing equipment and cables at work and whatnot.
Running Central and the Coach in me duly took note of the complaints.
The Coach tactfully suggested that a nice little three-mile run might be just the thing to work out all the stiffness.
The Coach's advice proved correct.
I was quite tired last night and went to bed a little early.
So, in the back of my mind, I was ready for a more difficult time this morning.
But I had a splendid time on the road today.
I found myself daydreaming much of the time.
Hill One and Hill Two were both a bit more challenging than I wished, but there was no accelerated breathing required by either incline.
Somewhere near the end of mile two the gloves came off the warm (now) hands.
And the left hams were happily flexing and relaxing with no more complaints.
At the end, there was no sprint, but I was strong all the way to the crack.
The time was 6:45.
So I was just a bit slower than normal – 43 minutes.
I made up my mind somewhere along the way that I was going to return to the Cotton Row course and run a portion of it when the weather warmed up.
SUM THOTS
Several years ago, as I was doing my daily Bible reading, this section was scanned by my eyes.
16 Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
-2 Corinthians 5:16-19
I have read this portion of the book many times, but as God often does, he gave me some new insights into his words.
Though verse 17 is the most familiar of these, it is verse 16 that sets it up.
It says “...we regard no one according to the flesh...”
Because we have been saved – changed, transformed, altered, adjusted, modified – our perspective has been changed such that we do not “see” other people as we used to.
We see the inward part of them now, as well as the outward part.
And seeing the inward – spiritual – component of people changes how we “see” them – what motivates them, drives them, their fears, their reaction to problems and circumstances, and how they cannot see some of the things we now see.
Because of this new perspective, verse 17 starts with “therefore” - because of the previous information just presented, the following statements are justified.
Because of this new perspective, we are a new creation.
Most of the time, ministers just read verse 17 and stop.
But since my Bible reading plan entails that I read the entire chapter, I kept on going to verse 18.
It says that God “...has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ...” (not news to me) and because of this, he has given to each of us “...the ministry of reconciliation...”
Wow.
That stopped me in my tracks.
In all my Christian life I had never heard this concept preached.
And just to be sure we understand the concept, Paul expands the view a little in verse 19:
“...that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
In this verse, he explains the following about reconciliation:
How – God, through Christ
What – reconciling all the people of the world to himself by not imputing (keeping count) of their trespasses (sins).
He defines reconciliation as “...not imputing their trespasses to them...”
Or, not counting the sins committed by people against them.
Or, not keeping a tally or holding against people the things they have done against God's laws or will.
And God has placed into our hands the task of telling people about this wonderful news.
I knew that the Gospel means “good news”, but I never grasped this perspective of the good news in this way.
Reconciliation.
1 – to re-establish friendship between,
2 – to settle or resolve a dispute,
3 – to accept
4 – to make compatible or consistent.
The roots of the English word literally mean “back” (re-) “meeting” (concile).
The Greek word is “kat -al-las'-o”, which means to change mutually, come to an agreement.
Now, the changed perspective, on my part, has changed how I view other people – whether they claim to be “saved” or not.
If they claim to be saved, I just accept them on the basis of their testimony.
I know that most people who say they are saved, are not.
But I spend very little time anymore trying to sort out who is saved and who is not.
That is the business of God.
He is the one who can read the inner part of people, I cannot.
If I see some action or words that are not consistent with the Bible guidelines for a saved person, I will point it out at an opportune time.
And, who knows, a person may BE saved, but not aware of a certain part of holy behavior presented in the Bible.
God may be “not imputing” that part of their actions/thoughts at this time while he works with them on some other spiritual issues that are more pressing.
Who knows?
If the person makes no profession of salvation, then I look for an opportunity to share with them the good news of reconciliation.
Sin and our sinful society can distort reality for people and it is rare to hear a simple presentation of how to be saved anymore.
With my new (it has been over two years since this new perspective was experienced) perspective, I find it easier to open the subject with folks.
Sorry to rattle on.....
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
A Surprising Run and Sum Mo Comments
THE RUN
The run was educational.
I took Good Friday off from work. (for no particular reason other than we were given half the day off as a holiday, so I decided I wanted a whole day. So I took it.)
I spent Friday installing new brake pads on my car (this took about thirty minutes) and sanding the two tables I am building for the church sound room (which took a couple of hours).
Even though I took a nap Friday, I went to bed Friday night a bit sore and tired.
This did not bode well for the planned Saturday festivities.
Sure enough, Saturday morning I woke up still a bit sore and tired.
But a plan is a plan, and the Coach in me said, the deal was still on, let's get to it.
So I dressed for the run.
The temperature was in the mid 40's so it was the full set of double layers top and bottom (I will be SO glad when it warms up. 8-( ).
As soon as I took my first steps my left hams and glutes began mumbling about all the effort they had been through the previous day and how they needed more time off, etc.
The Coach would have none of this.
Running Central was instructed to ignore all communications from the left leg for the duration of the party.
And, wonder of wonders, after a couple of minutes in run mode, the left leg joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons all shut up and did their jobs.
Knowing I was tired from my efforts of the previous day, I was expecting some diminished performance ( speed/time, accelerated breathing, etc.), I just did not know how it would manifest itself.
Hill one went fine, though I could feel my sub-prime strength.
But my breathing remained comfortably elevated.
Hill two went similarly well, much to my surprise.
Mile two usually is uneventful (assuming the police leave me alone) and this day was no exception.
Mile three sometimes is where my weaknesses make themselves known.
But today, in spite of my cautionary expectations, I only felt a little more fatigued.
As I wound my way through the parking lots of the office center in my final quarter mile, I felt tired but not desperately so.
And then an amazing thing happened.
I forgot I was tired.
As I approached my finish line/crack I was chugging along thinking about something not related to running (I forget what), and when I came up to the line - I did not want to stop.
Amazing.
My time was forty-two minutes.
I was pleased and surprised.
This leads me to again consider extending my course a few more thousand feet.
Or perhaps go back to the Cotton Row course and run Bankhead hill and the roads on either side again.
SOME COMMENTS
As I mentioned last time, I find the statements of "Reverend" Jeremiah Wright most revealing of his theology and his political inclinations.
While I simply formulated some questions about those comments broadcast by the media last time, I will now present those statements and my comments about each of them.
It has been argued by some who seek to defend Reverend Wright, that the broadcast statements were taken out of context, one wonders how any context could change the meaning or interpretation of those words.
Judge for yosef......
Wright's comments include the following:
"The government gives them [African Americans] the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.
No, no, no, not God bless America; God d*** America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people.”
It is a statistical fact that 25 percent of all Negro men in the United States either are currently in or have been in jail.
While some percent of these people have been falsely accused, they are still significantly more prone to lawlessness than any other racial group in this country by a wide margin.
This makes them less innocent than Mr. Wright's assertion.
“God d*** America for treating our citizens as less than human.”
He is probably referring to the 3/5's compromise when the Constitution was being drafted, where slaves in the southern states were counted as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation.
While it was a dehumanizing action, it was not the only dehumanizing act by a nation.
It was a reasonable compromise in the circumstances of the time.
Those times are long gone.
The United States has not had any slaves in over 140 years.
All Negro people in this country are protected by numerous laws and several amendments to the Constitution to ensure their “humanness” and equality with other citizens.
While some unfair and ugly things have been done to black people in this country since the freeing of the slaves, they are becoming more rare.
I suggest Reverend Wright and his sympathizers get over the civil war.
“God d*** America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
If he does not likes the way “America” - whatever that is in his mind (the government, the white population, what?) acts, one has to ask, how should “America” act to please Reverend Wright?
And if God were to condemn America, what exactly would that accomplish?
If God were to condemn America, what would happen to Reverend Wright and his sycophants and followers?
Does Reverend Wright feel that he and his sycophants and followers are not Americans?
Does Reverend Wright feel that he and his sycophants and followers would somehow escape the condemnation of America by God?
“We Bombed Hiroshima.
We bombed Nagasaki.
We nuked far more than in New York and the pentagon, and we never batted an eye.
Yes, we did.
It should be pointed out that we were AT WAR at the time.
The Japanese had killed thousands of our men – black and white.
We were attacked first. (remember a place called Pearl Harbor?)
Is the Reverend suggesting that we not defend ourselves when attacked?
"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards.”
Reverend Wright has it wrong (again).
The Palestinians are not a peace-loving people.
They desire, as a stated policy, to destroy the nation of Israel and wipe it off the map.
They claim this end as a duty of their religion.
They attack the nation of Israel daily.
We support the right of a peaceful nation to defend itself against those forces which seek to destroy it.
South Africa is another story.
Segregation and discrimination were national policy for many years.
But that has changed now.
Apartheid has been over for several years.
It is time for Reverend Wright to get over this issue as well.
“America's chickens are coming home to roost."
“Jesus was a poor black man who lived in a country and who lived in a culture that was controlled by rich white people.”
Point one -
Jesus was “poor” by choice.
For most of his life he was a carpenter.
He earned a living for himself and his widowed mother. (we can assume that his brothers and sisters also contributed to the support of his mother.)
But after he began preaching, he was surrounded by people who wanted him to become king.
They were willing to fight for him to become so.
Jesus preached that we would have the poor with us ALWAYS. (Mark 14:7)
He also preached that true riches were spiritual, not material.
By that measure, Jesus was never “poor”.
Point two -
Jesus was not a “black” man.
He was Jewish, a descendant of inhabitants of the Middle East.
Jews and Arabs are not considered “black”, racially, nor do they look black.
Point three -
The Jewish nation in Jesus' time was occupied by the Romans.
Jewish society and religion were allowed to operate largely without interference by the Romans.
Some of the richest people in Jesus' time were Jews – his countrymen.
Point four -
ANY society is controlled by the “rich”.
Specifically, the richest members of that society.
It was true then, and it is true now.
“The Romans were rich.
The Romans were Italians.
Which means that they were Europeans.
Which means that they were white.
And the Romans ran everything in Jesus' country.”
Not all the Romans were rich – ask the soldiers.
Jesus told them to be content with their wages. (Luke 3:14)
No one has to be “content” with wages if they are “rich”.
The implication here is that there is something wrong with being either white or rich, or both.
"It just came to me within the past few weeks, y'all, why so many folks are hating on Barack Obama.”
Who has said or written “hateful” things about Barack Hussein Obama in the last few weeks?
“He doesn't fit the model.
He ain't white, he ain't rich, and he ain't privileged. “
Reverend Wright has his facts wrong.
Barack Hussein Obama IS rich.
He is a member of the United States Senate, one of the richest, most privileged assemblies in the world.
He is paid $165,200 per year.
I call that rich.
“Hillary fits the mold.
Europeans fit the mold, Giuliani fits the mold.
Rich white men fit the mold.“
What mold do rich black men fit?
“Hillary never had a cab whiz past her and not pick her up because her skin was the wrong color.”
Are you sure that was why the cab passed the black-skinned person?
Maybe the cab had to be somewhere to pick up someone else?
“Hillary never had to worry about being pulled over in her car as a black man driving in the wrong.
“I am sick of Negroes who just do not get it.”
What do these Negroes not “get”?
That they should hate everyone who has more material wealth than they do?
They they should envy the rich, and express this envy with insults?
That because of abuse of their ancestors, they should feel that they are owed something special by the current society/government?
“Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home, Barack was.
Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people.”
Hillary grew up in a county and culture that was controlled by rich white people, too.
So did I.
So what?
Name a culture that is not controlled by rich white people, unless it is in Africa, where the culture is controlled by rich black people.
African governments are well known for their corruption and the wide disparity between the rich and poor.
Why is that?
Could it be that riches corrupt regardless of race or skin color?
If you don't like a country and culture that is controlled by rich white people, why don't you go to a country and culture that is controlled by rich black people?
Hillary can never know that.
Hillary ain't never been called a nigger.
Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.
“Hillary has never had her people defined as non-persons."
No, but who in this country is defined as a “non-person” now?
"Hillary ain't never had to work twice as hard just to get accepted by the rich white folk who run everything.
Or to get a passing grade when you know you are smarter than that C student sittin' in the White House.
“Oh, I'm so glad that I got a God who knows what it is to be a poor black man living in a country that is controlled by and run by rich white people.”
It seems that the implication here is that the “rich, white people” do things that are unfair to the “poor black man”.
Some questions -
Who passed the law that ended slavery?
Who passed the “war on poverty” laws?
Who passed the equal opportunity act?
Who passed the voting rights acts?
Who passed all the laws guaranteeing equality to black people?
Was it all those rich white people in the U.S. government?
“He taught me, Jesus did, how to love my enemies.”
If you love your enemies, reverend Wright, it is difficult to see it in your rhetoric.
What I see in your words is anger over past events and circumstances that no longer exist.
So why the anger if you love your enemies?
I see envy in your words against “rich white” people.
Why is that?
They are the people who are in a position to offer you a job and pay you for working.
Do you resent that?
“Jesus taught me how to love the hell out of my enemies.”
In the light of the teachings of Jesus, what exactly does this mean?
It sounds and reads like sarcasm.
If not, it would be useful to understand what you mean by this statement, and how you justify it by the teachings of the Bible.
“And not be reduced to their level of bigotry, hatred, and small-mindedness.”
Unfortunately, based on your previous statements, it appears to me that you are totally and altogether reduced to a level of bigotry, hatred, and small-mindedness that so throughly debilitates your thinking and actions that you must find it nearly impossible to function in this society.
“Hillary ain't never had her own people say she wasn't white enough.”
Okay, Hillary is not white enough.
“Jesus had his own people siding with the enemy.”
The enemy of a holy, loving God is sin, hatred, rebellion, and lies.
Which side are you on, Reverend Wright?
Are you trying to communicate the love and holiness of God to the rich white people, or are you more interested in inflaming human passion and animus against people not of your race?
Where is your message of forgiveness for past wrongs done to your people and ancestors?
Where is your message of love and restoration?
Where is your offer of understanding and dialog to those with whom you disagree?
“This is why I love Jesus, y'all.
He never let their hatred dampen his hope.”
That is because he knew who he was – the son of God.
If you are a saved person, you also are a son of God.
By the way, on your church website, nowhere does it state that you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?
....................................................
It should be pointed out that while these statements were being made, the audience was not silent.
Many of them were shouting in agreement.
I copied these quotes from a news article, then watched the video on uTube to verify the accuracy of the printed statements.
Corrections were made based on the video.
The run was educational.
I took Good Friday off from work. (for no particular reason other than we were given half the day off as a holiday, so I decided I wanted a whole day. So I took it.)
I spent Friday installing new brake pads on my car (this took about thirty minutes) and sanding the two tables I am building for the church sound room (which took a couple of hours).
Even though I took a nap Friday, I went to bed Friday night a bit sore and tired.
This did not bode well for the planned Saturday festivities.
Sure enough, Saturday morning I woke up still a bit sore and tired.
But a plan is a plan, and the Coach in me said, the deal was still on, let's get to it.
So I dressed for the run.
The temperature was in the mid 40's so it was the full set of double layers top and bottom (I will be SO glad when it warms up. 8-( ).
As soon as I took my first steps my left hams and glutes began mumbling about all the effort they had been through the previous day and how they needed more time off, etc.
The Coach would have none of this.
Running Central was instructed to ignore all communications from the left leg for the duration of the party.
And, wonder of wonders, after a couple of minutes in run mode, the left leg joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons all shut up and did their jobs.
Knowing I was tired from my efforts of the previous day, I was expecting some diminished performance ( speed/time, accelerated breathing, etc.), I just did not know how it would manifest itself.
Hill one went fine, though I could feel my sub-prime strength.
But my breathing remained comfortably elevated.
Hill two went similarly well, much to my surprise.
Mile two usually is uneventful (assuming the police leave me alone) and this day was no exception.
Mile three sometimes is where my weaknesses make themselves known.
But today, in spite of my cautionary expectations, I only felt a little more fatigued.
As I wound my way through the parking lots of the office center in my final quarter mile, I felt tired but not desperately so.
And then an amazing thing happened.
I forgot I was tired.
As I approached my finish line/crack I was chugging along thinking about something not related to running (I forget what), and when I came up to the line - I did not want to stop.
Amazing.
My time was forty-two minutes.
I was pleased and surprised.
This leads me to again consider extending my course a few more thousand feet.
Or perhaps go back to the Cotton Row course and run Bankhead hill and the roads on either side again.
SOME COMMENTS
As I mentioned last time, I find the statements of "Reverend" Jeremiah Wright most revealing of his theology and his political inclinations.
While I simply formulated some questions about those comments broadcast by the media last time, I will now present those statements and my comments about each of them.
It has been argued by some who seek to defend Reverend Wright, that the broadcast statements were taken out of context, one wonders how any context could change the meaning or interpretation of those words.
Judge for yosef......
Wright's comments include the following:
"The government gives them [African Americans] the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.
No, no, no, not God bless America; God d*** America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people.”
It is a statistical fact that 25 percent of all Negro men in the United States either are currently in or have been in jail.
While some percent of these people have been falsely accused, they are still significantly more prone to lawlessness than any other racial group in this country by a wide margin.
This makes them less innocent than Mr. Wright's assertion.
“God d*** America for treating our citizens as less than human.”
He is probably referring to the 3/5's compromise when the Constitution was being drafted, where slaves in the southern states were counted as 3/5 of a person for purposes of representation.
While it was a dehumanizing action, it was not the only dehumanizing act by a nation.
It was a reasonable compromise in the circumstances of the time.
Those times are long gone.
The United States has not had any slaves in over 140 years.
All Negro people in this country are protected by numerous laws and several amendments to the Constitution to ensure their “humanness” and equality with other citizens.
While some unfair and ugly things have been done to black people in this country since the freeing of the slaves, they are becoming more rare.
I suggest Reverend Wright and his sympathizers get over the civil war.
“God d*** America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."
If he does not likes the way “America” - whatever that is in his mind (the government, the white population, what?) acts, one has to ask, how should “America” act to please Reverend Wright?
And if God were to condemn America, what exactly would that accomplish?
If God were to condemn America, what would happen to Reverend Wright and his sycophants and followers?
Does Reverend Wright feel that he and his sycophants and followers are not Americans?
Does Reverend Wright feel that he and his sycophants and followers would somehow escape the condemnation of America by God?
“We Bombed Hiroshima.
We bombed Nagasaki.
We nuked far more than in New York and the pentagon, and we never batted an eye.
Yes, we did.
It should be pointed out that we were AT WAR at the time.
The Japanese had killed thousands of our men – black and white.
We were attacked first. (remember a place called Pearl Harbor?)
Is the Reverend suggesting that we not defend ourselves when attacked?
"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards.”
Reverend Wright has it wrong (again).
The Palestinians are not a peace-loving people.
They desire, as a stated policy, to destroy the nation of Israel and wipe it off the map.
They claim this end as a duty of their religion.
They attack the nation of Israel daily.
We support the right of a peaceful nation to defend itself against those forces which seek to destroy it.
South Africa is another story.
Segregation and discrimination were national policy for many years.
But that has changed now.
Apartheid has been over for several years.
It is time for Reverend Wright to get over this issue as well.
“America's chickens are coming home to roost."
“Jesus was a poor black man who lived in a country and who lived in a culture that was controlled by rich white people.”
Point one -
Jesus was “poor” by choice.
For most of his life he was a carpenter.
He earned a living for himself and his widowed mother. (we can assume that his brothers and sisters also contributed to the support of his mother.)
But after he began preaching, he was surrounded by people who wanted him to become king.
They were willing to fight for him to become so.
Jesus preached that we would have the poor with us ALWAYS. (Mark 14:7)
He also preached that true riches were spiritual, not material.
By that measure, Jesus was never “poor”.
Point two -
Jesus was not a “black” man.
He was Jewish, a descendant of inhabitants of the Middle East.
Jews and Arabs are not considered “black”, racially, nor do they look black.
Point three -
The Jewish nation in Jesus' time was occupied by the Romans.
Jewish society and religion were allowed to operate largely without interference by the Romans.
Some of the richest people in Jesus' time were Jews – his countrymen.
Point four -
ANY society is controlled by the “rich”.
Specifically, the richest members of that society.
It was true then, and it is true now.
“The Romans were rich.
The Romans were Italians.
Which means that they were Europeans.
Which means that they were white.
And the Romans ran everything in Jesus' country.”
Not all the Romans were rich – ask the soldiers.
Jesus told them to be content with their wages. (Luke 3:14)
No one has to be “content” with wages if they are “rich”.
The implication here is that there is something wrong with being either white or rich, or both.
"It just came to me within the past few weeks, y'all, why so many folks are hating on Barack Obama.”
Who has said or written “hateful” things about Barack Hussein Obama in the last few weeks?
“He doesn't fit the model.
He ain't white, he ain't rich, and he ain't privileged. “
Reverend Wright has his facts wrong.
Barack Hussein Obama IS rich.
He is a member of the United States Senate, one of the richest, most privileged assemblies in the world.
He is paid $165,200 per year.
I call that rich.
“Hillary fits the mold.
Europeans fit the mold, Giuliani fits the mold.
Rich white men fit the mold.“
What mold do rich black men fit?
“Hillary never had a cab whiz past her and not pick her up because her skin was the wrong color.”
Are you sure that was why the cab passed the black-skinned person?
Maybe the cab had to be somewhere to pick up someone else?
“Hillary never had to worry about being pulled over in her car as a black man driving in the wrong.
“I am sick of Negroes who just do not get it.”
What do these Negroes not “get”?
That they should hate everyone who has more material wealth than they do?
They they should envy the rich, and express this envy with insults?
That because of abuse of their ancestors, they should feel that they are owed something special by the current society/government?
“Hillary was not a black boy raised in a single parent home, Barack was.
Barack knows what it means to be a black man living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people.”
Hillary grew up in a county and culture that was controlled by rich white people, too.
So did I.
So what?
Name a culture that is not controlled by rich white people, unless it is in Africa, where the culture is controlled by rich black people.
African governments are well known for their corruption and the wide disparity between the rich and poor.
Why is that?
Could it be that riches corrupt regardless of race or skin color?
If you don't like a country and culture that is controlled by rich white people, why don't you go to a country and culture that is controlled by rich black people?
Hillary can never know that.
Hillary ain't never been called a nigger.
Sticks and stones can break my bones but names can never hurt me.
“Hillary has never had her people defined as non-persons."
No, but who in this country is defined as a “non-person” now?
"Hillary ain't never had to work twice as hard just to get accepted by the rich white folk who run everything.
Or to get a passing grade when you know you are smarter than that C student sittin' in the White House.
“Oh, I'm so glad that I got a God who knows what it is to be a poor black man living in a country that is controlled by and run by rich white people.”
It seems that the implication here is that the “rich, white people” do things that are unfair to the “poor black man”.
Some questions -
Who passed the law that ended slavery?
Who passed the “war on poverty” laws?
Who passed the equal opportunity act?
Who passed the voting rights acts?
Who passed all the laws guaranteeing equality to black people?
Was it all those rich white people in the U.S. government?
“He taught me, Jesus did, how to love my enemies.”
If you love your enemies, reverend Wright, it is difficult to see it in your rhetoric.
What I see in your words is anger over past events and circumstances that no longer exist.
So why the anger if you love your enemies?
I see envy in your words against “rich white” people.
Why is that?
They are the people who are in a position to offer you a job and pay you for working.
Do you resent that?
“Jesus taught me how to love the hell out of my enemies.”
In the light of the teachings of Jesus, what exactly does this mean?
It sounds and reads like sarcasm.
If not, it would be useful to understand what you mean by this statement, and how you justify it by the teachings of the Bible.
“And not be reduced to their level of bigotry, hatred, and small-mindedness.”
Unfortunately, based on your previous statements, it appears to me that you are totally and altogether reduced to a level of bigotry, hatred, and small-mindedness that so throughly debilitates your thinking and actions that you must find it nearly impossible to function in this society.
“Hillary ain't never had her own people say she wasn't white enough.”
Okay, Hillary is not white enough.
“Jesus had his own people siding with the enemy.”
The enemy of a holy, loving God is sin, hatred, rebellion, and lies.
Which side are you on, Reverend Wright?
Are you trying to communicate the love and holiness of God to the rich white people, or are you more interested in inflaming human passion and animus against people not of your race?
Where is your message of forgiveness for past wrongs done to your people and ancestors?
Where is your message of love and restoration?
Where is your offer of understanding and dialog to those with whom you disagree?
“This is why I love Jesus, y'all.
He never let their hatred dampen his hope.”
That is because he knew who he was – the son of God.
If you are a saved person, you also are a son of God.
By the way, on your church website, nowhere does it state that you believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God.
Do you believe that Jesus is the son of God?
....................................................
It should be pointed out that while these statements were being made, the audience was not silent.
Many of them were shouting in agreement.
I copied these quotes from a news article, then watched the video on uTube to verify the accuracy of the printed statements.
Corrections were made based on the video.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Another Good Run and Some Opinions
THE RUN
The temperature this morning was 52 degrees.
There was a light breeze.
Nice enough for abbreviated clothing (it is a large bother to me to have to figure out exactly what to wear for cold weather running – wear too much and I get hot and sweaty, wear too little and I am cold – or parts of me are cold. And when I am cold, I feel stiff and inflexible, which limits my running form, which increases the potential for injury. I do not like injuries.)
Whew.
Got all that?
Thus, no gloves, no long pants, no tights, no double socks, no neck warmer, no ear cover.
Anyway, I managed to insert my run in between two thunderstorms.
The first was about 3-4 AM, the second arrived at about 8 AM.
I did not see the first one – only heard some of it.
The second one was a dandy with lots of lightning and boom booms.
In between 6 AM and 7 AM, it was a pleasant time on the roads.
At least , most of me thought so.
My left hamstring started whining early into the first mile.
Before long, my left hip joined in.
I think all this was leftovers from my weight workout on Thursday.
I pounded the stuffings out of me in that session.
I must have been more productive than I estimated.
No matter.
Running Central took note of the complaints and filed them away.
The Coach in me said, shut up and run.
The runner in me said, these minor complaints will not diminish the pleasure of this session.
And onward we went.
The joint complaints moderated to a nearly inaudible level for the rest of the journey.
I was feeling so frisky at the end that I sprinted (such as I can at my advanced age) to the finish line crack.
It was only then, as I started walking, that my hammy and hip began to complain rather loudly.
My hip was so distressed that it threatened to cause my left leg to collapse.
But this did not happen.
All in all, it was a good session.
OTHER NEWS N VIEWS
I was pleased to see the resignation of Elliot Spitzer, Governor of New York.
I was never impressed in a positive way with his pursuit of financial executives when he was Attorney General of the state of New York.
He ruined the career and reputation of several individuals who were not guilty of violating any laws.
And he was a Democrat.
I like it when pompous, self-righteous politicians, who try to like to tell Republican/conservative/Christian people that they cannot legislate morality, are caught in moral compromises of their own making.
An ongoing relationship with prostitutes speaks many negative things about the man, his marriage, his morality, and his hypocrisy.
It also makes his crusade against Wall Street executives seem even more despicable.
I feel sorry for his wife and children.
Barack Hussein Obama
How interesting to hear the blasphemous, anti-American, irreverent comments of the Senator's pastor, “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright, in a sermon from a couple of years back.
While Mr. Osa... Obama is currently in the process of “distancing” himself from his pastor of 20 years, the mud has been flung and it is stuck on the candidate.
Interestingly, Rev. Wright was on the staff of the Obama campaign as an advisor – until today.
He has been fired.
Mr. Osa...Obama says that he “still respects” Rev. Wright.
I have some questions -
Why does Senator Osam.... Obama respect Rev. Wright if he believes such things about this nation?
If Senator Osam.... Obama does not subscribe to the anti-American views of Rev. Wright, what views of Rev. Wright does Mr. Osa.... Obama support?
If the comments of Rev. Wright were reflective of his feelings when he spoke them in 2001 (or whenever), does he still subscribe to those opinions today?
And if he does not embrace such views today, when did he change his mind?
And if he did change his opinions, what are his views on America now?
And if the Rev. Wright did change his opinions about America, when did he announce such changes in a forum equivalent to that in which he made his original proclamations?
And if the Rev. Wright has NOT changed his opinion about America, WHY is he an advisor to a candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America?
What could this man, with opinions thus stated, possibly contribute to a candidate whose sworn oath is to defend and support the Constitution of the United States of America?
......................
I submit that where will be no satisfactory answers to these questions.
The temperature this morning was 52 degrees.
There was a light breeze.
Nice enough for abbreviated clothing (it is a large bother to me to have to figure out exactly what to wear for cold weather running – wear too much and I get hot and sweaty, wear too little and I am cold – or parts of me are cold. And when I am cold, I feel stiff and inflexible, which limits my running form, which increases the potential for injury. I do not like injuries.)
Whew.
Got all that?
Thus, no gloves, no long pants, no tights, no double socks, no neck warmer, no ear cover.
Anyway, I managed to insert my run in between two thunderstorms.
The first was about 3-4 AM, the second arrived at about 8 AM.
I did not see the first one – only heard some of it.
The second one was a dandy with lots of lightning and boom booms.
In between 6 AM and 7 AM, it was a pleasant time on the roads.
At least , most of me thought so.
My left hamstring started whining early into the first mile.
Before long, my left hip joined in.
I think all this was leftovers from my weight workout on Thursday.
I pounded the stuffings out of me in that session.
I must have been more productive than I estimated.
No matter.
Running Central took note of the complaints and filed them away.
The Coach in me said, shut up and run.
The runner in me said, these minor complaints will not diminish the pleasure of this session.
And onward we went.
The joint complaints moderated to a nearly inaudible level for the rest of the journey.
I was feeling so frisky at the end that I sprinted (such as I can at my advanced age) to the finish line crack.
It was only then, as I started walking, that my hammy and hip began to complain rather loudly.
My hip was so distressed that it threatened to cause my left leg to collapse.
But this did not happen.
All in all, it was a good session.
OTHER NEWS N VIEWS
I was pleased to see the resignation of Elliot Spitzer, Governor of New York.
I was never impressed in a positive way with his pursuit of financial executives when he was Attorney General of the state of New York.
He ruined the career and reputation of several individuals who were not guilty of violating any laws.
And he was a Democrat.
I like it when pompous, self-righteous politicians, who try to like to tell Republican/conservative/Christian people that they cannot legislate morality, are caught in moral compromises of their own making.
An ongoing relationship with prostitutes speaks many negative things about the man, his marriage, his morality, and his hypocrisy.
It also makes his crusade against Wall Street executives seem even more despicable.
I feel sorry for his wife and children.
Barack Hussein Obama
How interesting to hear the blasphemous, anti-American, irreverent comments of the Senator's pastor, “Reverend” Jeremiah Wright, in a sermon from a couple of years back.
While Mr. Osa... Obama is currently in the process of “distancing” himself from his pastor of 20 years, the mud has been flung and it is stuck on the candidate.
Interestingly, Rev. Wright was on the staff of the Obama campaign as an advisor – until today.
He has been fired.
Mr. Osa...Obama says that he “still respects” Rev. Wright.
I have some questions -
Why does Senator Osam.... Obama respect Rev. Wright if he believes such things about this nation?
If Senator Osam.... Obama does not subscribe to the anti-American views of Rev. Wright, what views of Rev. Wright does Mr. Osa.... Obama support?
If the comments of Rev. Wright were reflective of his feelings when he spoke them in 2001 (or whenever), does he still subscribe to those opinions today?
And if he does not embrace such views today, when did he change his mind?
And if he did change his opinions, what are his views on America now?
And if the Rev. Wright did change his opinions about America, when did he announce such changes in a forum equivalent to that in which he made his original proclamations?
And if the Rev. Wright has NOT changed his opinion about America, WHY is he an advisor to a candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America?
What could this man, with opinions thus stated, possibly contribute to a candidate whose sworn oath is to defend and support the Constitution of the United States of America?
......................
I submit that where will be no satisfactory answers to these questions.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
The Blizzard of '08 n Mo Pichers
THE RUN
Yes, I am still running on Saturday mornings.
And today was an interesting session.
Contrary to pattern, it really did snow last night, as predicted.
So when I went out to my car this morning to travel to my running path, I had about an inch of nice, fluffy ice crystals covering it.
Some light scraping and about a half gallon of hot water on the windows improved visibility sufficiently to allow safe driving.
I walked down the driveway to my street to assess the ice situation.
The road and driveway were wet and the light snow flakes that were falling were not sticking to them.
It was not icy – there (more on this shortly).
I was careful on the drive over to Research Park and it was well that I was as the roads had patches of ice here and there, especially on overpasses.
I must cross three to get to my parking spot and they all were slippery.
As I started out, there was light snow falling and a lovely 20 MPH wind blowing the 26 degree air from the north-west into my face.
It was 6:11 AM.
I wore my windbreaker over a single mesh layer which proved to be just about right for the journey.
But I needed goggles.
The wind was blowing the snow so hard that the flakes were hitting my eyes.
They stung like sand.
I ran carefully today, and it was just as well I did.
The parking lots, roads and sidewalks all were a mix of dry pavement, wet pavement (like home) and icy pavement.
I did my best to avoid the ice, but it was everywhere.
I could not go very far before one or both of my feet would slip on an icy patch.
I pondered aborting the session in the interest of personal safety, but there was enough non-icy surface that I felt I could do the whole circuit.
Hill number one appeared more formidable than usual because of the white patches that covered nearly its entire surface.
Stepping carefully, I found a narrow band of dry pavement next to the yellow line in the left-hand lane. (there is no traffic on this road so I run in the middle of the street.)
As I topped the hill and followed the turn I wondered if I would be skiing down the west side.
It proved to be fine.
Hill two was a bit more of a challenge because I run on the sidewalk (because of all the traffic coming in and out of the Dish Network facility there), it is more narrow than the road (duh) and it is steeper than hill one.
Again, there was some slippage of footage which required careful foot placement.
.......... NOTE ........................
Running on ice is not recommended.
But when one does, one must take pains to plant each step straight down.
This includes trying to match the angle of the area on which you step, such as driveways, and transitions between sidewalks and roads, etc.
One cannot put any lateral (horizontal) pressure on the placed foot.
This means no increasing or reducing speed or turning or changing direction.
Such moves must be done carefully and gradually – preferably on a dry patch of pavement.
.................................................
At the beginning of mile three there was a huge patch of ice that covered the whole road from curb to curb and was almost a quarter of a mile long.
For this area, I retreated to the grass of the median.
While the grass was not slippery, it was uneven, and reminded me of why I hate to run on any surface other than pavement or a track.
Early into mile three, my left knee, hamstring and hip all started complaining about the extra stress the careful running was inflicting on them.
Running Central commiserated but refused their request to walk the rest of the way to the car.
By the last quarter mile the sun was trying to break through the snow clouds and it seemed warmer (though that might have been an illusion because the wind was coming from my back now).
I was feeling strong and, while I did not sprint to the finish-line crack, I was able to push myself a little.
It felt really good.
I love endorphins.
It was 6:55 AM.
That comes to forty-four minutes for a “careful” run.
I was pleased.
And, in spite of all the ice, I did not fall.
MORE PIKTERS
This and the next picture were taken at Devil's Churn on the Oregon coast.
It was quite windy and the waves were really showing off as they played on the rocks.
As you might guess by now, I like to watch the waves splash on the rocks.
Being able to modify the exposure of a picture on my computer is really a treat.
As you can see, it really helps bring out the colors and contrast.
On the last day (I think) a rainstorm passed over us and then the sun broke out for a few minutes giving us a nice rainbow over the ocean.
Pretty smooth, huh?
This was taken at Depot Bay as we were coming home.
The clouds were breaking up and the sun was playing peek-a-boo which set off some interesting contrasts with the clouds.
A few more pictures next time.
Yes, I am still running on Saturday mornings.
And today was an interesting session.
Contrary to pattern, it really did snow last night, as predicted.
So when I went out to my car this morning to travel to my running path, I had about an inch of nice, fluffy ice crystals covering it.
Some light scraping and about a half gallon of hot water on the windows improved visibility sufficiently to allow safe driving.
I walked down the driveway to my street to assess the ice situation.
The road and driveway were wet and the light snow flakes that were falling were not sticking to them.
It was not icy – there (more on this shortly).
I was careful on the drive over to Research Park and it was well that I was as the roads had patches of ice here and there, especially on overpasses.
I must cross three to get to my parking spot and they all were slippery.
As I started out, there was light snow falling and a lovely 20 MPH wind blowing the 26 degree air from the north-west into my face.
It was 6:11 AM.
I wore my windbreaker over a single mesh layer which proved to be just about right for the journey.
But I needed goggles.
The wind was blowing the snow so hard that the flakes were hitting my eyes.
They stung like sand.
I ran carefully today, and it was just as well I did.
The parking lots, roads and sidewalks all were a mix of dry pavement, wet pavement (like home) and icy pavement.
I did my best to avoid the ice, but it was everywhere.
I could not go very far before one or both of my feet would slip on an icy patch.
I pondered aborting the session in the interest of personal safety, but there was enough non-icy surface that I felt I could do the whole circuit.
Hill number one appeared more formidable than usual because of the white patches that covered nearly its entire surface.
Stepping carefully, I found a narrow band of dry pavement next to the yellow line in the left-hand lane. (there is no traffic on this road so I run in the middle of the street.)
As I topped the hill and followed the turn I wondered if I would be skiing down the west side.
It proved to be fine.
Hill two was a bit more of a challenge because I run on the sidewalk (because of all the traffic coming in and out of the Dish Network facility there), it is more narrow than the road (duh) and it is steeper than hill one.
Again, there was some slippage of footage which required careful foot placement.
.......... NOTE ........................
Running on ice is not recommended.
But when one does, one must take pains to plant each step straight down.
This includes trying to match the angle of the area on which you step, such as driveways, and transitions between sidewalks and roads, etc.
One cannot put any lateral (horizontal) pressure on the placed foot.
This means no increasing or reducing speed or turning or changing direction.
Such moves must be done carefully and gradually – preferably on a dry patch of pavement.
.................................................
At the beginning of mile three there was a huge patch of ice that covered the whole road from curb to curb and was almost a quarter of a mile long.
For this area, I retreated to the grass of the median.
While the grass was not slippery, it was uneven, and reminded me of why I hate to run on any surface other than pavement or a track.
Early into mile three, my left knee, hamstring and hip all started complaining about the extra stress the careful running was inflicting on them.
Running Central commiserated but refused their request to walk the rest of the way to the car.
By the last quarter mile the sun was trying to break through the snow clouds and it seemed warmer (though that might have been an illusion because the wind was coming from my back now).
I was feeling strong and, while I did not sprint to the finish-line crack, I was able to push myself a little.
It felt really good.
I love endorphins.
It was 6:55 AM.
That comes to forty-four minutes for a “careful” run.
I was pleased.
And, in spite of all the ice, I did not fall.
MORE PIKTERS
This and the next picture were taken at Devil's Churn on the Oregon coast.
It was quite windy and the waves were really showing off as they played on the rocks.
As you might guess by now, I like to watch the waves splash on the rocks.
Being able to modify the exposure of a picture on my computer is really a treat.
As you can see, it really helps bring out the colors and contrast.
On the last day (I think) a rainstorm passed over us and then the sun broke out for a few minutes giving us a nice rainbow over the ocean.
Pretty smooth, huh?
This was taken at Depot Bay as we were coming home.
The clouds were breaking up and the sun was playing peek-a-boo which set off some interesting contrasts with the clouds.
A few more pictures next time.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
More Travel Pichers
Sorry for the delay in new postages.
I have been busy with other stuff (finishing touches on the bathroom that is supposed to be "finished", extended emails with someone with some problems, building some furniture for the church sound room, etc.)
Notwithstanding, here are some more images from my latest visit to Oregon.
Just to give you an idea how things can change at the coast, these first two pictures (yes, I can spell it correctly) were taken within thirty minutes of each other.
As yoo kan see, the sky went from grey/cloudy to blue/sunny in just a few minutes.
When it looked like the rain was stopping and the sun was coming out, we quickly got our stuff together and jumped in the truck.
One of the places that we wanted to see was Cape Perpetua.
This was taken from the state park there.
The place were we took our pictures is about 800 feet above the ocean.
What you cannot see is that the wind was blowing about 45 miles and hour.
It was so strong that it nearly blew us off our feet as we tried to take pictures like this one.
Here is Devin after taking a picture from were my previous shot was taken.
Here is a slightly adjusted shot of the clouds and waves.
They were really putting on a show for us because of the powerful wind.
More to come....
I have been busy with other stuff (finishing touches on the bathroom that is supposed to be "finished", extended emails with someone with some problems, building some furniture for the church sound room, etc.)
Notwithstanding, here are some more images from my latest visit to Oregon.
Just to give you an idea how things can change at the coast, these first two pictures (yes, I can spell it correctly) were taken within thirty minutes of each other.
As yoo kan see, the sky went from grey/cloudy to blue/sunny in just a few minutes.
When it looked like the rain was stopping and the sun was coming out, we quickly got our stuff together and jumped in the truck.
One of the places that we wanted to see was Cape Perpetua.
This was taken from the state park there.
The place were we took our pictures is about 800 feet above the ocean.
What you cannot see is that the wind was blowing about 45 miles and hour.
It was so strong that it nearly blew us off our feet as we tried to take pictures like this one.
Here is Devin after taking a picture from were my previous shot was taken.
Here is a slightly adjusted shot of the clouds and waves.
They were really putting on a show for us because of the powerful wind.
More to come....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)