TO SLEEP: PERCHANCE TO DREAM …

“Ah, there’s the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause … “

Ah, the Bard could really turn a phrase, couldn’t he? Hamlet was considering suicide. But Hamlet and therefore the Bard seems to have missed a point. Both of them are going to die. As a contemporary wit has observed, “Nobody gets out alive.” All of us are going to die. It is not a matter of “if.” It’s a matter of “when.”

Just about a year ago I began to have severe pain when I twisted my torso even a little. A couple of weeks later I was in the hospital. I could not even get in bed; the pain was excruciating. I had to sleep in a recliner. As I understand my doctor a common gut bacteria managed to somehow get into my blood stream. They settled in my spine and right knee and began to munch away. Now my left knee was already shot, but I managed to get around by putting the stress on my right knee until, that is, the surgeons had to cut out all the infected parts of the right knee.

After 2 weeks in the hospital they implanted an IV port near my collar bone and sent me to a rehab facility to try to help me walk. The IV allowed the rehab facility to give me a “cocktail” of antibiotics. I’m a little fuzzy on the exact dates, but I know with certainty that the second day I was at the facility was the day that Gov. Hogan locked down all such facilities. After about two months I was finally able to crawl into my bed with limited pain. That was with the help of 2 Oxicotin and 4 Oxicodine a day. After the 3rd month they finally sent me home after a short visit back to the hospital to remove the IV port. I still had to take Amoxicillin for another 2 months and have several more MRIs. They could not operate on my spine which already had severe arthritis.

My orthopedist has got me walking better, but I need to use a “walker” to help straighten my spine and because of the stress and pain in my back I tire easily. I’m starting physical therapy on my back next week.

So this is my tale of woe. My 74th year was a waste. I’ll be 75 this weekend and I think I’m about to the end of the line. I may have a month or another year, but this I know – I am going to die. And so are YOU. It’s just a matter of when. My family doctor won’t give me anything stronger for the pain than Tramadol so I am still in a lot of pain.

Like Hamlet I have considered ending it early. Not by suicide. That is not allowed for us Christians. But I do think occasionally about stopping all my meds and stopping my numerous doctor visits and allow the natural course of events to play out.

I am ready to go anytime. Many, many years ago I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and be my Lord. What I do think about a lot is all my friends who are not saved. Over those many years I’ve heard a great variety of ideas about God and Jesus. A coworker once told me he thought Jesus was an alien from outer space. A good friend told me he thought going to church fairly regularly would give him a better resume. Then, of course, there are folks who intend to maintain their current lifestyle and accept Christ just before they die. I once had a coworker who was I really nice guy in his forties. Then one day we got word he had died of a heart attack. We can never be certain of the “when.”

I hope that each one of you will give serious thought to your relationship to God. It’s really pretty simple. God loves you. But you (by you I mean all of us) have this problem of sin that separates you from God. Jesus died so that you could be forgiven. Jesus wants to come into your life and provide that forgiveness. There is no shortage of material to help you understand all of this on the internet and in literature. Start by reading the first 4 books of the New Testament. You can access it all online. I suggest you read the New American Standard version or the New International Version. They’re easier to read.

I never got on Facebook to get a long list of friends (the book I used to set up my Blog suggested getting on FB), but I have enjoyed it. If any of you have contact with former coworkers or classmates with whom I have lost contact I would appreciate it greatly if you would share this posting with them.

Please make sure you are saved. Someday we’ll do lunch in Heaven’s cafe.

SIRI

Am I the only one curious about how many baby girls have been named “Siri” in the last 5 years?

WE CHOOSE SHAME . . .

Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in his September 1938 remarks in London concerning the Munich Agreement told those in attendance that the agreement to which he and Hitler had committed was assurance of “Peace for our time.” Future Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed shortly thereafter, “We seem to be very near the bleak choice between War and Shame. My feeling is that we shall choose Shame, and then have War thrown in a little later on even more adverse terms than at present.” Indeed. Many historians maintain that had France and Britain stood up to Hitler in 1938 with a real threat of war that Hitler would have had to back down because he was nowhere near strong enough to challenge the major European powers. And what resulted? Sixty million dead. “Peace for our time?” Hardly.

A short time ago we (the USA) suffered a similar experience. The Democratic Party broke all kinds of laws in the pursuit of stealing the 2020 Presidential election. It has been widely circulated that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court engaged in a shouting match with other Justices in his refusal to examine the case because doing so might result in violent conflict on American streets. So he choose shame over his oath to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States. Have you seen recent photos of the Nation’s Capitol and many State Capitols? That worked out well, didn’t it?

Lest you think that the lofty chambers of SCOTUS are immune to questions of judgement, my retort would be that if anyone in contemporary times should be impeached it is, in fact, Chief Justice John Roberts. To demonstrate that the Chief Justice should not be treated as perfect in his judgements I would point out that perfect people are in short supply on this side of eternity. Consider.

In March 1857, the Supreme Court issued a 7–2 decision against Dred Scott. In an opinion written by my fellow Marylander Chief Justice Roger Taney, the Court ruled that a Black man named Dred Scott was not a human being.

In 1927, as the “progressive” left was espousing the wonderful future embodied by the principles of eugenics, laws were passed in a number of states that allowed the state to sterilize those who did not deserve the right to reproduce. A young woman named Carrie Buck was found so “undeserving” and a State Court ordered that she be sterilized. It was amply demonstrated that Carrie was of fairly normal intelligence. She could read and write. But she was also accessed as being of loose morals. Morals that today are not only accepted, but promoted by the welfare laws. The case ended up in the Supreme Court and in the majority opinion written by Associate Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, the Court ruled that a state statute permitting compulsory sterilization was Constitutional. He added that, “Three generations of imbeciles are enough.” So Carrie Buck’s reproductive rights were sacrificed on the alter of Margaret Sanger.

I believe that the future damage of John Robert’s choice will not only be shame, but will bring much misery to the people of this country.

A few quotes from the late Democratic Senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan

“The steady expansion of welfare programs can be taken as a measure of the steady disintegration of the Negro family structure over the past generation in the United States.”

“There is one unmistakable lesson in American history: A community that allows a large number of young men to grow up in broken families, dominated by women, never acquiring any stable relationship to male authority, never acquiring any set of rational expectations about the future.”

“If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people.”

“Am I embarrassed to speak for a less than perfect democracy? Not one bit. Find me a better one. Do I suppose there are societies which are free of sin? No, I don’t. Do I think ours is, on balance, incomparably the most hopeful set of human relations the world has? Yes, I do.”

“The Lord looks after drunks and Americans.”

OLD MARLEY WAS DEAD …

The Republican Party is as dead as a door-nail. Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of Ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that The Republican Party is as dead as a door-nail.

Mr. Dickens assistance notwithstanding, I stopped donating money to the GOP during the second Bush administration because I was upset by the poor support he was receiving from GOP politicians. When I think of all the time I wasted defending him with “comments” to media articles it makes me sick. Had the far reaching evil and power of the “Swamp” been known to me then I never would have donated at all. But it took Donald Trump to expose the Swamp membership of the Bushes, Mitt Romney, John McCain et al.

The way I envision it the swamp is dominated by the Gators – the deep cruisers like Pelosi, Soros and Schumer. They are unchallenged and may feast on whatever they please. The deeper they cruise the more money and power they have. RINO Republicans are like the water birds with long spindly legs scavenging the scraps left by the Gators which wash up along the edge of the shore. If the birds aren’t careful they may occasionally fall victim to one of the Gators.

But expose it Trump did and in the future we will be lucky if we are free enough to recognize that publicly. To be sure I still believe that God will work a true miracle and keep Trump in office. As I’ve said before, though, we have turned so far away from God, He may have decided to let us go to the same fate as Israel in the 8th century BC. We don’t know how many children were sacrificed to Baal, but you can be sure it was a tiny, tiny fraction of the 60 million unborn people we have sacrificed on the alter of Margaret Sanger. But God can give us a miracle in the next few days if we are faithful and He has not given up on us.

Whether Trump gets a second term or not, though, I think on January 21, Trump should create a new legal entity (or party) called something like the “MAGA Party” or the “American Patriot Party.” I’m fairly certain that some 70 million people will begin changing their affiliation from Republican to whatever the new party is called. Strategically, we might want to delay the change for 2 or 3 years in order to try to “primary-out” as many RINOs as possible – especially if the challenger seems likely to change affiliation as soon as he takes office.

Whatever else those of us who trust God need to PRAY ask His favor. KEEP THE FAITH, BABY ! ! !

MIRACLES – PART 2

Have you noticed the visceral hatred of Trump by the Demoncratic Party? Have you noticed that even Trumps so-called political allies and members of his administration have turned against him? With less than 10 days left in office Nancy Pelosi demands that he resign or that his cabinet remove him or she will impeach him. Some Demoncrats want him criminally charged with sedition. All of this despite the fact that millions of ordinary Americans voted for him. Why these vicious attacks on Trump? It is a message to anyone who might consider challenging the “Swamp” in the future.

I have written several times previously about what happened when Israel turned its back to God. God had built a hedge of protection around Israel. By the 8th century BC, they had purged God from their national life, mocked and persecuted the tiny faithful remnant and replaced God with idols of all sorts. They were even sacrificing their own children to the pagan god Baal. That hedge or protection was removed. In 732 BC The Assyrians attacked and destroyed Samara (Israel’s capitol) and carried off many of the inhabitants. They did not respond to this by turning back to God, but arrogantly vowed to rely on their own strength. This is recorded in Isaiah 9 : 9 &10. They were pronouncing judgment upon themselves. The Assyrians attacked Israel again and utterly destroyed the nation. Most of the Jews were carried away into slavery.

We have murdered 60 million unborn human beings. Our culture has turned its back to God. Have we pronounced judgement on ourselves? Perhaps, but I don’t think so. Based on some things I heard I believe that Trump may well have been chosen by God to facilitate this nation turning back to Him. That was my hope, but we need to keep history before us. God is loving, but He is also Just.

God does not need a month to perform a miracle. He doesn’t even need a week. He doesn’t need any politician, judge, court, lawyer or a media mogul to perform a miracle. What He wants, though, is for you and I to be faithful and PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.

My time in this mortal coil will end soon. But most of you have many years left. I have no children or grandchildren. But most of you do or will. Do you want your grandchildren to live in a Marxist hell?

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MIRACLES

Like many of you I was very hopeful that Trump would win a second term. Based on some things I heard I believed that Trump may have been chosen by God to facilitate this nation turning back to God. That was my hope, but we need to keep history before us. God is loving, but He is also Just.

I registered as a Republican as soon as I was eligible to vote. Due to casual conversation with an election official I found out there were 78 Republicans and over 1400 Democrats in my voting precinct. With only a few exceptions in my early voting days I have voted Republican. With the current Governor I made the mistake of voting for his first term. The second time I wrote in Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck – something like that. I can tell you one thing. The Republican Party is dead. Yesterday even those who claimed to support POTUS scattered like roaches when a light is turned on. I hope I’m not offending the roaches too much.

The Demoncrats and the media are telling and getting away with lie after lie about Trump AND his supporters. Everyone is piling on. They failed to cover the violent shenanigans of BLM and Antifa across the nation. When Antifa terrorized the wife and child of a GOP Senator and vandalized their house not one word came from the Dems to condemn it. And it happened night before last. The media says Trump sent yesterday’s protestors to commit violence at the Capitol Building. The organizers had already planned to go there to protest before yesterday and at the end of Trump’s speech at the rally he admonished them to be peaceable when they went there. I’m sure you’ve heard all the lies from the left.

When God made his covenant with Abraham He promised certain blessings He would bestow upon the nation that Abraham would father. God built a hedge of protection around Israel, but, while that covenant would last forever, that hedge would be removed if Israel rebelled against Him. And that’s exactly what happened. The Assyrians destroyed Israel’s capitol. Rather than turning back to God Israel arrogantly vowed to rely on their own strength. The Assyrians attacked Israel again and utterly destroyed the nation. Most of the Jews were carried away into slavery. Have we turned so far away from God that he will allow us to be destroyed by the Communist, Fascist Left? How does this apply to Christians in the context of this election? I see many postings on Facebook about praying for God to give Trump the victory despite the election fraud. But have we looked to politicians, lawyers and judges to provide this “miracle?” What we really need to do is pray in complete obedience to God and depend on God completely to provide that “miracle.” I am not saying we should not be in the struggle against the deep state. We Christians must simply turn this completely over to God to produce a “miracle” according to His Will – whether that be another term for Trump (which I personally believe and pray it is) or to chastise us for turning away from Him. One thing is for certain in light of yesterday’s events. If Trump is still POTUS on January 21st NO cowardly, lying politician will be able to claim any credit for it.

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CHRISTIANS ! ! !

Have you succumbed to the godless powers of our society? I have written before that I believe that God has chosen Donald Trump to serve His purposes for this country. But God is also just. To find out what happens to a nation that has been bountifully blessed by God and then turns its back to Him, read what happened to one nation that did so in the 8th century BC. They had purged God from their national life, mocked and persecuted the tiny faithful remnant and replaced God with idols of all sorts. They were even sacrificing their own children. Sound familiar? They did not respond to the chastening allowed by God by turning back to Him. You can find out what happened by reading in the Bible Isaiah, Chapter 9.

We have certainly turned our back on God. We have even sacrificed 60 million of our children on the alter Margaret Sanger. A just God may be done with us. But I agree with many others who feel God is not done with the United States.

Trump has lost the election. Or so says the world. Is the Law Giver of the Universe subject to puny human Congressmen? Is the Judge of the Universe subject to puny human courts and judges? Is the Commander of the Angels subject to puny human “law enforcement?” God once used a jackass to deliver a message to Israel. He is not limited.

What can we do? All that we can do is give God our faith, trust and our supplication through prayer. I joked in an earlier post that a well placed meteorite might solve the problem. And later that God might send Angels visit the electors and motivate them properly. You and I can do nothing except follow Paul’s admonition to be good citizens and obey the law. But we can trust God to find a way to work His will. That might not be our Will, but we need to trust Him.

CHRISTIANS !

I have commented on this topic previously, but it was in the context of the our nation as a whole. Last night I realized that it very specifically applies to us as individual Christians. Like many of you I was very hopeful that Trump would win a second term. Based on some things I heard I believed that Trump may have been chosen by God to facilitate this nation turning back to God. That was my hope, but we need to keep history before us. God is loving, but He is also Just.

When God made his covenant with Abraham He promised certain blessings He would bestow upon the nation that Abraham would father. God built a hedge of protection around Israel, but, while that covenant would last forever, that hedge would be removed if Israel rebelled against Him. And that’s exactly what happened. Despite the warnings of the prophets, Israel drifted farther and farther from God. By the 8th century BC, they had purged God from their national life, mocked and persecuted the tiny faithful remnant and replaced God with idols of all sorts. They were even sacrificing their own children to the pagan god Baal. In 732 BC The Assyrians attacked and destroyed Samara (Israel’s capitol) and carried off many of the inhabitants.

They did not respond to this by turning back to God. When the time came to rebuild, they arrogantly vowed to rely on their own strength. This is recorded in Isaiah 9 : 9 &10. They were pronouncing judgment upon themselves. The Assyrians attacked Israel again and utterly destroyed the nation. Most of the Jews were carried away into slavery.

How does this apply to Christians in the context of this election? I see many postings on Facebook about praying for God to give Trump the victory despite the election fraud. But have we looked to politicians, lawyers and judges to provide this “miracle?” What we really need to do is pray in complete obedience to God and depend on God completely to provide that “miracle.” God’s power to work His will does not depend on the tools we wield. The power of Satan is far reaching but not infinite. The deep state could be bribing, blackmailing or extorting politicians, lawyers and judges. The recent revelations of a Chinese “honeypot” helping Rep. Swalwell could be the tip of an iceberg of evil power. I am not saying we should not be in the struggle against the deep state. We Christians must simply turn this completely over to God to produce a “miracle” according to His Will – whether that be another term for Trump (which I personally believe and pray it is) or to chastise us for turning away from Him. As I jokingly posted before, the election could be settled by a meteorite or, more seriously, God’s angels could visit members of the electoral college. We Christians think in human terms, but God is not limited. Surrender yourself to God’s Will in this election. Nothing else counts.

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AN IMAGINATION IS GOOD, BUT . . .