"Jackie Robinson's 100th Is Today"

Jackie Robinson, the man who courageously broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball, would have been 100 today!!

I never saw Jackie play, but if it wasn't for HIM my two favorite all-time players, Willie Mays (#24 for the New York / San Francisco Giants and New York Mets) and Mariano Rivera (#42 for the New York YANKEES) might never have had THEIR chance to dazzle us!!  (Mariano, by the way, is the last Major League player to wear Jackie's #42 before it was retired. He wore it WORTHILY.)

I highly recommend this BOOK (above) about Jackie, by Fox News's Ed Henry.  It explores Jackie's Christian FAITH which helped him overcome the racism he faced!! I have an autographed copy, and I treasure it.

I also recommend this wonderful MOVIE about Jackie starring Chadwick ("The Black Panther") Boseman and Harrison Ford.  Excellent, EXCELLENT tribute, to a great man!!  There are OTHER "Jackie" movies, but this is The Best, by FAR.

"Appreciating Old Friends"

About a year ago, I began wondering Who has been my friend the longest? (By "friend" I mean someone I've known who I still keep SOME contact with, on an annual basis, and who I am presently in regular contact with.) WHY I thought about this I'm not sure, but I came up with Wayne and John (49 years), Phil and Mittie (48 years), and a whole bunch of others who are 40-PLUS years, including my best friend (other than my dear wife), Bob.

Well, just yesterday, an old friend, CAROL MILANO, called me and I realized SHE has been my friend for ***50*** years, this coming September!!  I had totally forgotten her, until yesterday!!

Carol became good friends with my MOM in 1969, and was primarily my mom's friend before mom died...I guess that's why it didn't immediately occur to me that she is MY friend, TOO (but she is.)  She has definitely kept in touch with my sisters and me since mom's passing 12 years ago.  The older I get (64 next month), the more I appreciate old friends, those who've stood the test of time and have been able to overlook my faults enough to still call ME their friend. Admittedly, if I don't WORK at it, though, I tend to take old friends for granted.  And I shouldn't.

Carol will be 75 in March and I've put it on my schedule to send her a card and tell her she's my oldest friend in terms of longevity (NOT "oldest" in terms of AGE, Lol!!), and how I appreciate her. This new year I intend to express my appreciation to old AND new friends (ALL friends, in fact) more than ever before.

We don't know how much time we have left, to do so!!

"Will 'Leaving Neverland' End The Idolatry of Michael Jackson?"

A new documentary aired at the Sundance Film festival in Utah last week, entitled "Leaving Neverland."  According to reviewers, the film will do to Michael Jackson in the Court of Public Opinion what no one could accomplish in a Court of LAW while Jackson was still alive, namely, prove that he was a child molester.  One reviewer claims that, after it is aired on HBO this spring, no one will be able to listen to Jackson's music again without feeling creepy, and some may be unable to even listen to it at ALL, ever again.

I never listened to his music ANYWAY so this documentary won't change my ability to enjoy it...I didn't have any!  But I certainly have my opinions about Michael as a PERSON and I suspect this film will only reinforce them.

As I've said many times in the past, Michael was cute as that spunky 8 year old kid in the Jackson Five when they debuted almost 50 years ago, but his change to weirdness, in my opinion, began in the early 70s with his song "Ben," sung to a RAT.  Through the years he got worse and worse...though God made him a handsome black MAN he rebelled and gradually morphed into someone who looked white, and appeared somewhat effeminate.  Jay Leno joked that "America is a great country, where else can a poor black boy grow up to be a rich white woman?" but I was not laughing...I was trying to raise 3 kids and had to explain why all of America embraced this black / white /guy / gal and that THEY shouldn't.

Three Presidents, Reagan, Clinton and Bush 43, unwisely honored Michael Jackson and when he died, Jackson's brother Jermaine said Barack Obama never would have been elected if not for Michael Jackson's influence (I believe that.).  Obama, of course, didn't just HONOR Michael, he danced to "Thriller" at the White House and the two infamous influences HE had in his Presidency were 1.) endorsing abortion and 2.) openly endorsing Homosexuality.

It cannot be fairly said that killing children in the womb was something that Obama endorsed because Michael influenced him....Michael LOVED kids. But, as this documentary supposedly proves, he "loved" them in the wrong way, as a freaky pedophile.  There's nothing inherently wrong with men "loving" children in the right way, mind you....JESUS loved children, but Michael Jackson failed to heed the warnings of Scripture about "avoiding the appearance of evil" and slept with them in his BED. My all-time favorite musician, Cat Stevens, once sang "Where Do The Children Play?" because he loves children, but he never gave cause for the allegations of "games" that JACKSON allegedly played with kids...such as the mock "wedding" Jackson supposedly had with one (according to reviews of the documentary.)

That, my friends, a guy / gal "marrying" an underage boy, is even weirder than singing to a rat.

I do believe, however, that Michael Jackson, the popular guy / gal DID influence President Obama to openly endorse Homosexuality.  Look at the way even professing CHRISTIANS tried to say Michael went to Heaven when he died 10 years ago, even though there wasn't a shed of evidence of repentance on his part!  Obama might never have DARED to take that stand when running for re-election three years later if not for this proof of America's willingness to accept perversion. And now we have a world where, according to some, there are DOZENS of new genders (I have a list that suggests there are 100 and counting) whereas, before Michael Jackson there were only TWO which were universally acknowledged.

I, for one, hope that "Leaving Neverland" WILL cause many to stop being able to enjoy Michael Jackson's music, and dance steps, and see who he WAS and the harm he's BROUGHT to the world.  I doubt that it will happen, though, because too many have now openly embraced the perversions Michael modeled...too many IDOLIZE him...it's why you have people weirdly identifying as different sexes, different colors, different AGES than they really are now.

But whether or not his standing changes in the Court of Public Opinion, GOD'S Court has never failed to bring perfect justice to all outside of Christ, I rest in THAT as I await watching the documentary.  The same will be true AFTER I see it, no matter what it proves or doesn't prove.

"Prayer-Poem About My Speech"

I wrote this poem as I was praying about my SPEECH this morning.  By "speech" I mean the many different elements of my speaking.  Ironically, I have no title for this prayer-poem...!!

Lord, help me to listen more

and not be quick to speak

and know that saying where I'm wrong

does not prove I am weak.

Humility, I seek!

Forgive the times, the times I spoke

words that were harsh and mean

Forgive the times that I've told jokes

the slightest bit unclean

Oh Lord, please wash me clean!

Teach me just to sympathize

and not try to explain

when I can't see through others' eyes

and truly feel their pain

for sometimes, words are vain.

Show me how to bare my soul,

share what you've done for me

Declaring how you've made me whole

for all the world to see...

Now, set my dull mouth free!

Forgive my quest for being right

when done in a wrong way

and help me, when for Truth I fight

to speak Love in the fray

Help me, Lord, I pray!

Help me not to hold my tongue

when Truth's truly at stake

for angry man has never won

a battle for GOD'S sake.

Please hear this prayer I make!

And when I teach or preach Your Word

help me "divide" aright

Help me reach those who've not heard

and may my speech shed light

to pierce the dead of night!

"What 'Closet' Are We In? / Beauty TO Ashes / My Letter Printed"

The other night I was in a store buying ice cream, and came across..."BIG GAY ICE CREAM" (photo above.) And I'm old enough to remember when Homosexuals were "in the closet" instead of on the top shelf of my local store where I couldn't help being reminded of their sin as I looked for "Chunky Monkey" and "Oreo" ice cream.

How did this happen?? How did the entire world, it seems, get turned upside down??

The answer is simple....CHRISTIANS have gone "in the closet," cowering in fear and shame like the gays once did.  And the GAYS are now bold, and outspoken, like "we" used to be.

Now, if we are "in the closet" like JESUS said, to PRAY (Matthew 6:5-6) well that's a GOOD thing.  But most of the time, "we" are not in THAT (prayer) closet...we are in the closet that the GAYS used to be in when THEY were ashamed.  Perhaps when we get alone with God we should pray and ask Him to search our hearts and show us which closet we're really in, our prayer closet or our fear closet, and if we SHOULD be in the one we're in.

And we should not hide our LIGHT "in the closet," either.

Beauty TO Ashes.  On 9-19-'19, it will be 25 years since my grandfather died.  He was the first one I knew who was cremated, and it hit me really hard when I got that box of his ashes back from the funeral home.  I've grown kind of USED to the Ashes thing, however because yesterday at the Memorial Service for my adopted mom, Bea (see photo above), the urn with her ashes was right there in plain view and it didn't faze me in the least.

It was an interesting memorial.  It was led by a WOMAN pastor, and, after the eulogy by Bea's nephew, I read my POEM to Bea (see January 11th blog) from the same pulpit.  In my head, I was remembering how beautiful Bea was (she was in her 80s when this photo was taken) and how I used to tell her "You can't spell  BEAUTIFUL without B-E-A" to cheer her up when she was down.

And now, all of that outward beauty was GONE (until the resurrection, at least) and reduced to ashes in that tiny URN a few feet from where I spoke..

The Bible talks about God giving us "beauty from ashes" but the fact is, our bodily beauty will go TO ashes one day, whether by the cremation process OR natural, gradual disintegration (if the Lord tarries that long.)  We should therefore not be proud of whatever outward attractiveness God may have blessed us with NOW, for it is truly a case of  "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust."




My Letter Printed....  Finally, my letter about Mariano Rivera (see yesterday's blog) was printed today in ONE of the New York papers!!  And just like my STAN LEE letter (Nov. 15th), I'm in the top spot again, for which I'm grateful.

It's unlikely now that the OTHER big NY paper will print it, but who knows. In any event, I'm glad they left my reference to Mo's FAITH in there!!

"Mariano's Good Character / The Government Shutdown"

       

What else can I say about the great Mariano Rivera, elected UNANIMOUSLY (a first) to Baseball's Hall of Fame last night??  See my blogs for June 5th, August 3rd, December 15th of last year and January 17th of THIS young year, for my thoughts about him.

And after his election last night, I sent this letter to both major New York papers.  I hope they print it.

Editor,

Much will be said about the on-the-field achievements of the great Mariano Rivera, and rightfully so.  But if there were a Hall of Fame for having good Character, Mo would enter that Hall unanimously, as well.

When Mo took over for John Wetteland as the Yankees' closer in '97, he was quoted as saying he didn't know if he could fill his shoes, but he went out and did his best, anyway.  Then, when he failed in a big spot during the 1997 playoffs, and the team was eliminated, Rivera bounced back the next year and led the Yankees to another World Title, closing all four victories in the 1998 World Series (he led them in '99 and 2000, as well.)  On New York talk radio the night he was inducted, people called in to praise Mo and everyone who has personally met him (myself included) was impressed at his decency, genuineness and humility.  Unlike many talented sports stars, Mo credits God for his success rather than himself...and you can sense he really means it.

Last week, your paper carried the sad story of Mr. Wetteland's arrest for some very serious charges, but there has never been a hint of scandal for the man who more than filled his shoes, namely, Mariano Rivera. The contrast between the two only serves to make us appreciate Mo's good Character even more.

We love you, Mo!!

Chet Jelinski



The photo above is a sample of how MANY are trying to "make MONEY" off of MO (Lol!! )

The Government Shutdown.  Finally, some are wondering why it is that the Government has been shut down for over a month, and I've written about OTHER stuff that (they think) is less important. Here's the answer.

The Government is not something I depend on much, so its absence is not keenly felt by me.  Personally, I'd like to get the Government shut UP instead of shut DOWN (Lol), but that's another story.  We have "too much" Government today, in my opinion.   WAY too much!!

My heart DOES go out to those negatively impacted by the shutdown, yes, but the bottom line is BUILD THE WALL, keep illegals (a.k.a. criminals) OUT of America and let the shutdown end THEN.  It's just that simple to me.

"Alcohol Can Kill You (Horrors of Alcoholism, Part 2)"

My Uncle Steve (pictured) died 48 years ago today...at age 29.  He tragically, literally drank himself to death.  I drew this picture of him a few years back from memory, as no one had any PHOTOS of him.  It depicts him playing chess with me when I was only 12.

Every year on January 21st, I think of Uncle Steve with great pain in my heart.  In my blog "The Horrors of Alcoholism" (9-9-'18), I mentioned that I am a "Total Teetotaler," based on the fact that my dad and step-father were Alcoholics and I saw how drunkenness degraded them.

You see, I had ALREADY made the decision to steer totally CLEAR of booze when Steve passed away so suddenly right as I was about to turn 16.  His Liver Failure-induced death only CONFIRMED me in my decision, ditto for the fact that one of my young friends from high school got killed that summer (1971) by a drunken driver.

Now, God used BOTH of those tragedies to put the fear of sudden death in my young heart, and to cause me to seek to get right with Him, but again, I was confirmed in my path of not drinking alcohol.  I saw that drunkenness not only made you do hurtful things and act stupid, but that alcohol can literally KILL you...or someone else.

As I mentioned in Part 1, the Bible condemns drunkenness but NOT drinking alcohol, per se.

I honestly judge no one who can enjoy alcohol in moderation, if it doesn't harm them or OTHERS.

But as today happens to be the day that my Uncle Steve died, and I only had barely started blogging here LAST January (so I was silent about this LAST January 21st), I just want to say (again)...Alcohol can KILL you.  

Please....If you have a problem in that area, please....seek out your nearest "A.A.," for there is HELP, and there is HOPE for you!!  Don't be like my Uncle, please!!



P.S., I am well aware that Dr. King's birthday is celebrated today...see my two blogs referencing him at the end of last week!!

"What About The 'Toxic INHUMANITY' Of Abortion?"

GILLETTE, whose ad condemns "Toxic Masculinity," has donated $333, 000 to the Planned BARRENhood (as someone put it) Abortion business.....


https://www.lifenews.com/2019/01/16/gillette-condemns-toxic-masculinity-but-donates-333665-to-planned-parenthood-abortion-biz/?fbclid=IwAR3TNH6DEdnD8GczbtNP-9j7xDWIfGHkyGJduilIQeRp8qFW6fYk0hIIQLg


Sure, guys who abuse women or bully people are dead wrong...I've been preaching that since I was a kid and saw my dad and step-father do it REPEATEDLY to my mom and ME.  That is why *I* never did those things, and even before I became a Christian, I sought to cultivate gentleness and respect to all.

But now that Gillette is changing THEIR message to try to be Politically Correct...and now that it's come out that they LITERALLY support murdering babies in the womb, I have to ask this question:



What about the "Toxic INHUMANITY" of ABORTION, Gillette??

The same can be asked of women who complain, very often falsely, about the "Toxic Masculinity" of men who allegedly abuse them, yet support killing babies (male AND female) in their wombs when it's convenient.



What about the "Toxic INHUMANITY" of ABORTION, you "Pro-Choice" ladies??


Instead of waiting till Super Bowl Sunday to officially air their "Toxic Masculinity" ad, it would've been nice if Gillette aired a DIFFERENT ad on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, (tomorrow), condemning the "Toxic INHUMANITY" of killing innocent babies in the womb.

They don't have the courage to do THAT, though.

"How I Will Protest the Gillette 'Toxic Masculinity' Ad / John Wetteland: He's NO Mariano"

I never, ever got my view of manhood from GILLETTE, and the razor company's viral new ad isn't going to begin to influence me NOW!!  I'm into HOODIES, and my John Wayne hoodie, above, expresses my view about wholesome masculinity. As far as I know, The Duke never harassed women or bullied anyone, yet he was a take-charge, LEADER type and that's what God equipped men to do....LEAD IN A LOVING MANNER. (Of course there are many Christian men I know personally who are examples of wholesome masculinity, but I'm writing about figures known to "everyone.")

These next three pics show OTHER hoodies I've worn out in these last five years...that's my grandson CHRIS (below) reading to me, BTW.

.....and in the pic ABOVE, that's my MAUREEN SHEA hoodie!! Moe is the real-life boxer who trained Hilary Swank for her role in the Clint Eastwood movie "Million Dollar Baby." I have been a HUGE supporter of Moe's boxing career!! (And I like Clint ALSO, though he DOES "cross the line" sometimes.)

..

Above is the NEW hoodie I'm ordering, featuring Stallone's "Rocky Balboa" character...a guy who (after he got straightened out, Lol) never abused anyone but was brave and DETERMINED...an example of WHOLESOME masculinity!! And make no mistake about it, the feminists and the gays HATE real men and there's a war on us...the Gillette ad is just the most recent example of that war.

Wetteland: He's No Mariano!  This week, legendary New York Yankees pitcher and Pitching Coach MEL STOTTLEMYRE died.  One would think the Yankee family couldn't receive worse news in the same week, but ANOTHER former Yankee pitcher, John Wetteland, was arrested because of terrible allegations of Child Sex Abuse.  Here are the headlines from yesterday's New York papers...

Wetteland was the Yanks' star CLOSER in 1996 and is a professing CHRISTIAN (the paper was quick to point this out, of course.)  He left the Yanks after helping us win the 1996 World Series and gave way to the great MARIANO RIVERA, who became the greatest Closer of all-time and is going to be voted into the Hall of Fame next week (hopefully, as the first UNANIMOUS entry.)

Wetteland had never even been CONSIDERED for the Hall, and never will be.

Mariano is ALSO a Christian, but one who has never even had a HINT of any kind of scandal attached to his name!!

John Wetteland, of course, is innocent till proven guilty but as a CLOSER and as a CHRISTIAN, he is no Mariano in my opinion.

Pardon the pun, but they're not even in the same ballpark.

"Let's Start Honoring Dr. King This SUNDAY"

Barack Obama was the first President in our history to openly endorse Abortion (2008) and Homosexuality (2012).  Yet, for some reason, he is considered by most to be a good "Family Man" compared to our PRESENT President.  How does endorsing killing babies in the womb and "marriages" which go against Scripture, Society and Sanity make one a good "family man"??

This is NOT a defense of Donald Trump's "family values," mind you, but it's only a plea to be FAIR here.

There are a lot of Americans who let Obama get away with endorsing murder (that's what abortion is...murder) who are coming down WAY too hard on Trump.  Now, I realize that Trump, a white guy with many obvious flaws, is an easy target, but as we honor Martin Luther King's 90th birthday on Monday, let's do as he said...let's judge BOTH by the content of their character and not give ONE of these Presidents a free pass because of the color of his skin.

In fact, let's start honoring Dr. King this SUNDAY, I say.

You see, this Sunday, Jan. 20th, is SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE SUNDAY, a day to mourn the murdered unborn in America, a day to pray for FORGIVENESS for the national sin of legalized abortion and that it would soon END, and a day to support groups which present ALTERNATIVES to abortion.

This Sunday is also ten years to the day since our nation, sadly, inaugurated President Obama for his first term.

We need to stop remembering Obama as the first BLACK President, for that is doing exactly what Dr. King said NOT to do...judging him by the color of his skin.  We need to recall Obama as the first President who openly endorsed ABORTION and HOMOSEXUALITY, judge him by the content of his character, in other words.  Perhaps then we will judge the man by a right standard, (his HEART), and not a superficial one (his outward appearance).

And, perhaps also this Sunday we should even mourn the fact that this country is so wicked that it ELECTED Obama, in the FIRST place!! The quote in the photo above is from March 2008, when candidate Obama first RAN for President, you see. His endorsement of same-sex marriage came in Spring of 2012, when he was running for RE-election...and yet he was granted a second term by the majority of voters in this nation.

His election and re-election shows OUR national heart!!

Yes, let's begin on Sanctity of Human Life SUNDAY to recall, and implement, King's wise words as we look back on the 10th anniversary of Obama, who pushed abortion, Homosexuality AND set race relations way back, to boot, during his 8 years.  Above all, let's remember Obama NOT for the color of his skin, but for the content of his character, as Dr. King said we should.  THAT is how to honor Dr. King's memory.


In closing, below is a poem I wrote for Obama, the day he was first inaugurated.      Peace out.

"Moving Day / Dr. King's 90th Today"

"Moving."  We moved on Saturday and, Lord Willing, it will be my last move in this life!!  I STRONGLY DISLIKE moving (though in this case, our new house is a serious upgrade and we thank God for His blessing to us.)

It occurred to me that each of us are going to have to move FROM this life one day...and we don't know when that day is, unlike our present moves.  I refer to the "move"that will take place either when Jesus returns or WE leave HERE, to go into Eternity.

Where WILL you go, when you move from Time into Eternity?? The Bible says there are only two choices, Heaven or Hell, and this life is the time to determine where your permanent, eternal move will be.  We must each prepare for our "Moving Day" by reading, and heeding, God's Word NOW.



"Dr. King's 90th Today." Yes, I know Martin Luther King's birthday isn't celebrated till Monday, the 21st, but his REAL birthday is today, the 15th...and King would have been 90 today.  Therefore, I choose to remember him in my blog TODAY.

Dr. King was a great man, in my opinion.  He was not PERFECT mind you...but he was a matchless proponent of  fighting racism in a non-violent, sincere way.  His quote about judging others "by the content of their character, not the color of their skin" is TIMELESS and yes, BIBLICAL.

Compare him to the black minister "Civil Rights Leaders" of TODAY, "Rev." Sharpton and "Rev."Jackson,  the White Guilt Exploiters, and King's star shines all the brighter.

THOSE guys have it backwards...they judge people by their skin color, as if all whites are bad and all BLACKS are GOOD...and not, as MLK said, by their individual CHARACTERS.  I do not like the rendition of Dr. King in this famous new statue of him, however.  He looks more like Fox News analyst Juan Williams, than MLK!!

In closing, it's LONG but if you get a chance to watch the 4 hour movie "KING," (the 1978 version with Paul Winfield as Dr. King and Cicely Tyson as Coretta), well, watch it.  The movie gives us SOME idea of what Dr. King went through to help bring about improvements in race relations....(at least the ones which WERE obvious before Obama came along and divided us!!)

"A Poem for Bea / Congresswoman a Child Abuser?"

A Poem For Bea.  I wrote a poem for BEA, my adopted mom who died Monday (see last post.)  Here's the poem...


"BEA  (THERE)"

 Away you've gone, your pain is done,

   and soul has fled the flesh

But There, in Heaven, you live on

each joy is joy afresh

The sun does rise and never sets

but moon and star will pass

   I think of you, still, better yet

I'll see you There, at last

The SON is There, and we'll all see

His Glory, yes, and Perfectly!!

   His Grace has made that Perfect Place

and Bea, you're There

   ahead of me.

This poem is meant to be read at Bea's upcoming Memorial Service AND I've sent it to our local paper, the one I've referred to as allowing a Muslim man to teach false doctrine without allowing a direct response  from Christians (see my blogs for Dec. 21st and Jan. 5th.)

Good news!!  The editor has already committed to publishing the poem, which, if you examine it closely, asserts the superiority of JESUS over Islam (Jesus is "pictured" by the sun / the SON and, of course, Islam is the moon and star which yields to the rising sun, in my poem.)

It is not clear if the editor "got" my poetic, "slipped-in" view of Islam, but again, she has committed to PRINTING it (next issue due out the end of January.) And though it's a shame that Christians have to speak truth in "code" and Muslims can speak lies OPENLY now,  if this poem appears in print as is, I'll TAKE it!!  Thank you to everyone who prayed that I'd have wisdom regarding my relationship to the paper...as long as they give me SOME ability to assert Christ and rebut Islam, I am happy (I can't speak for the OTHER two Christians mentioned in those previous blogs, though.)






Is the new Muslim Congresswoman a Child Abuser?  Rep. RASHIDA TLAIB (Democrat, Michigan) recently told her son....her SON, mind you....her SON...that President Donald Trump is a "Mother****er."

Sorry about the bad language, but if it offends you that I repeated it HERE at least be fair (and not afraid) and complain that SHE said it HERE....
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jan/04/democrats-congress-trump-impeach-rashida-tlaib

It seems to me that if this was a REPUBLICAN CHRISTIAN MAN who said this to his son, the Dems would accuse him of Child Abuse and demand his removal from office.

Obviously, though, because she's a DEMOCRAT MUSLIM WOMAN, well, SHE is allowed to use the word "Mother****er" to her son and get away with it.  (About our President, no less.)

We Christians better wake up, because when WE are in Heaven one day our grandkids are going to be living in Islamerica and wondering why WE didn't fight the descending darkness NOW.

"Remembering Bea.......and my Catholic Days"

Two months ago today I asked prayers for BEA, my "adopted mom" who was struck by a car.  Yesterday, the Lord took her Home to Himself and her suffering is over, for the Scripture says "Absent from the body, present with the Lord" regarding those who have had their sins forgiven by the Lord Jesus Christ.  I will MISS Bea, of course, but I am happy for HER, you see.

There is SADNESS, yes, but I am "looking up" as this photo (I think) from many years ago expresses so well...

Below is a drawing I did for Bea 14 years ago when she was having major surgery for cancer.  The Lord spared her life, gave her 14 more years and she lived to the ripe old age of 91!!  The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher in my drawing ALSO expresses how I feel right now...SAD, but "looking up." Bea had a long and basically happy life, though she never had kids and I was really like a son to her.

Bea is the THIRD different "adopted mom" of mine who passed away, and who I've written about, in this past 10 months (see my blogs for March 9th and April 3rd, 2018.)  And frankly, it has made me wonder why I've had so MANY "adopted moms," is there something WRONG with that??  For, you see, when THREE come to light within a year, it's a cause to PAUSE for a little reflection.

Perhaps my preoccupation comes from once being a fervent Catholic, I have wondered.

See, in the Catholic church, Mary is venerated as almost being a "Fourth Member of the Trinity," (Lol), and until I began to really examine Scripture, and learned that she herself confessed to being a sinner (Luke 1:47), I really believed she was the Perfect Mother.  (In the Gospels, yes, Jesus HONORED Mary as a good Son would, but He certainly never treated her like an equal member of the Godhead!!)

When I got saved and left the Roman Catholic church, did I miss MARY as my "Perfect Mother," and seek to fill that void with "adopted moms"??  It's a valid question.

And the answer is NO.

In Mark 10:28-31, Jesus promised that those who "leave all to follow Him" will receive "brothers and sisters and mothers and children" (among OTHER blessings) to make up for what they left behind.  In my case, among other things, when I left the Catholic church in 1975 to follow Christ and His Word, I left behind the "Perfect Mother" who was never REALLY what the Catholics teach. And, the Lord has Providentially given me a succession of OTHER imperfect moms to fill the void....especially since my REAL mom died many years ago.  (Note: in that Mark 10 passage, there is no mention of FATHERS being given by the Lord as a compensation....only MOTHERS!!  Did the Lord anticipate that Catholics who converted would feel the need of MOMS More?? We can't say for sure, but......Hmmmm.)

Then, of course, when Jesus was on the cross, He appointed someone to be a son for Mary and take HIS place in her life, as He was dying for the sins of all who believe, John 19: 25-27.  He gives SONS to adopted moms for the MOM'S sake!!

Yes, the LORD gave me Bea, and the others, as a reward of His Grace to ALL of us.  And now SHE (Bea) is receiving HER reward (again, only by God's Grace) of eternal life because of what Jesus suffered on that cruel cross.

I will miss Bea, but, one day I will see her again in Heaven....not because we have earned it, like the Catholics taught us (Bea was an ex-Catholic ALSO), but by the grace of God in Christ ALONE!!

Amen.

"Remembering Beth"

40 years ago today, I married my first wife, Beth, who passed away to Heaven almost 2 years ago.

The fact that I'm happily REmarried now (see my December 28th blog) does not cause me to forget or fail to be THANKFUL for her.

About 5 years before I met Beth, as an 18 year old young man, I began to ponder seriously about who I would marry one day (this was two years before I became a Christian.) The song "Hard-Headed Woman," by Cat Stevens, influenced my immature thinking very much.



"I'm looking for a Hard-Headed Woman / One who will make me do my best / And if I find my Hard-Headed Woman / I know / The rest of my life will be blest, yes, yes, yes."



I didn't know much in those days (though I thought I did), but I knew I needed a "Hard-Headed Woman" simply to find someone who'd PUT UP WITH ME.

You see I was, and in many ways, I still am, a very stubborn guy.


When I got saved two years later, and began reading God's Word every day, I realized I needed a GODLY "Hard-Headed Woman."  And after dating several young ladies from my church and other churches, and of course PRAYING a lot, I met Beth out in Michigan, in 1978.

Beth was the Godliest Hard-Headed Woman there could be...she was a woman of faith to MARRY me in the first place and a woman of strength and grace to STAY with me AFTER we were married. She WAS stubborn, but kind, gentle, patient and LOVING. She DID, with God's blessing, "make me do my best" because she was so advanced in grace that I had to GROW in God's grace to retain any possibility of having the appropriate spiritual leadership in our home.

And, as it turns out, it wasn't "the rest of my life" that was blest, but the next 38 years sure were!!

Thankfully, with God's Help AND Beth's, I grew by leaps and bounds over the years.  When she died, Beth left me "in better shape than she FOUND me" and with three wonderful kids who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, to boot.  When I contemplated REmarriage, I thought more about what I might GIVE to a marriage, rather than how it would benefit ME, you see.

Marriage to Beth is over now, but on this 40th anniversary of its inception, I thank God for her and for all that she meant to me, and to so many OTHERS.

"A Follow-Up and a Foul-Up"

A Follow-Up.  In my Dec. 21st blog, I wrote about the Muslim who misrepresented Christ, Christianity, Islam and even what our American DICTIONARY says, in our local paper!! At the end of that blog, I said how I e-mailed the editor of the paper and asked if I can respond from a CHRISTIAN standpoint, with a column of my own, in the interest of equal time.  My request was cordial.  Update: though she professes to be a Christian, the editor's cordial response was, basically, that I should stick to submitting my poems and artwork to the paper.  It's clear she has NO interest in me rebutting the Muslim who attacked our mutual faith, and, if I had to guess, she probably can't even see why I'm objecting.  (Lol, she may even suspect I have "Islamophobia," who knows.)

Frankly I was surprised that the editor even responded, but very disappointed that our excellent working relationship these past five years didn't count for much, when push comes to shove.

Well, I have a Christian friend who ALSO submits poems and art to the same paper and she, too, was horrified to see the Muslim's hit job in the Christmas issue. It's not only that the Muslim was allowed to lie about us, but the editor failed to print my friend's PRO-Christmas poem, you see!! My Christian friend got her hubby to write a BRILLIANT column rebutting the Muslim, but the professing Christian editor said she won't print it because it's "too controversial."  Even though it was factual, DEFENDING the Christian faith (not ATTACKING anyone) and written with a kind spirit, it wasn't good enough so he's trying to "tone it down" to see if she can squeeze it into the next issue (at the end of January.)

Bottom line:  THE MUSLIM IS ALLOWED TO SAY WHATEVER HE WANTS, UNEDITED, WHILE CHRISTIANS AREN'T PRINTED AT ALL, OR ELSE TOLD TO "TONE IT DOWN."

And this is a professing "Christian" editor, remember!!

I'm sick of professing Christians who won't "contend earnestly for the faith delivered once to the saints" (Jude 1:3.)  It's not just that they fail to oppose Muslims who spread lies, but they actually think that these people are "the Mission Field coming to US" and that WE (those who dare to object to their demonic doctrines) are the problem here!! They actually give such people a PLATFORM TO SPREAD LIES and think they are being good Christians, in the process.  Anyway, I'm considering not submitting my stuff to the paper anymore if a rebuttal isn't allowed and frankly, my friend has a LAWSUIT against this paper, if he wants to go that route.  I'd support him if he did.  These folks are NOT "the Mission Field coming to us," we are THEIR Mission Field and an editor who helps them in their quest deserves to be penalized financially.  I, personally, do not regard a professing "Christian" who helps spread Islam and favors Muslims over Christians as a Christian at all so, in my mind, the Scriptural prohibition against Christians suing other Christians does not apply here.




A Foul-Up.  In my last blog, January 2nd,  I mentioned I was getting the Tommy Morrison book (pictured above) to read and see if there was any hope that he might have turned to Christ before he died (like Mickey Mantle did.) I got the book and read it and, sadly, I find nothing to give me comfort.

Tommy was a Seventh Day Adventist, a CULT, and he was married to two different women named "Dawn" at the same time.  One of them says she's a Christian and she tried to get Tommy right with the Lord,  However, the book contains a HUGE error which diminishes its credibility (and HER credibility, in particular.) 

"Dawn 2" (as she was known) claimed Tommy was found to be HIV Positive in February 1997.  It was actually a year before that. February 1996.  How this incredible, all-important foul-up got beyond the writer and editor of the book is simply mind-blowing....so even if "Dawn 2" said Tommy turned to Christ (she didn't), I'd have a hard time believing her, frankly.

"The judge of all the earth will do right" regarding where Tommy Morrison is today, and only HE knows for sure, and I've given up my quest to look for some hope concerning his soul!!

"Morrison and Mantle"

Boxer Tommy Morrison would have been 50 today.  Instead, he died a little over 5 years ago, at age 44,  because of complications from AIDS. His life and death story is a very, very sad one.

I've written about Tommy here before (see my Feb. 23rd, 2018 blog), comparing HIS defeated life to the triumphant life, and death, of (of all people) BILLY GRAHAM.  And today, on the 50th anniversary of Tommy's birth, I'm likening him to New York Yankees' legend, the late, great Mickey Mantle.  (See, I do think about Morrison a lot, but it's almost like I can't bear to write about JUST him, I have to tie his tragic tale to someone a bit more positive.)

It seems to me that Morrison and Mantle had much in common.  Both were Irish, blond haired, good looking, charismatic, strong  "country boys" who excelled in their sport.  Both were womanizers and heavy drinkers and totally self-destructive.  Morrison starred in "Rocky V" (1990) and The Mick appeared in "Safe At Home," as himself, in 1962.  (So how is MANTLE "a lot more positive," you ask?? )

........Bear with me.  

I'm getting there!!

When Mantle found out he was dying of liver cancer in spring of 1995, he told the world that they should consider him a role model of what NOT to do (destroying your body with alcohol.) He died in August and six months later, Feb. 1996, Tommy Morrison announced he was HIV Positive.  He contracted it from sleeping with hundreds of women during the peak of his popularity, and he ALSO told the world that he wasn't a good role model.

Tommy lived 17 years after his death sentence but there's no evidence that he ever repented before God and got saved.  But as for MANTLE??...the testimony of his former teammate, the solid Christian minister Bobby Richardson, is that Mantle WAS saved in his last months before he left this world.  Richardson ministered to The Mick at the end and says Mick is TRULY "Safe at Home" now, in Heaven, because of the grace of God in Christ.

THIS is why Mickey's story is "a lot more positive."  I don't mean to be funny, but the only thing really positive about Tommy's story is his HIV results...and in that case, "positive" is very bad news.

I've ordered a new book about Tommy Morrison which promises to shed light on details of his religious beliefs.  When I get it, and read it, if there's any solid reason to hope that Tommy is with the Lord now, I will come back and write about THAT.  Until then, I'll go on in 2019 writing about various topics and people as I did LAST year (see the Index of my 2018 blogs, a few posts back.)

It would really, really be nice to write something upbeat about Tommy Morrison "by himself" for a change.  If  I'm able to come back and honestly affirm that there is hope about his eternal soul, I will do just that (God Willing)!!

For today, however, on his 50th, I mourn a man who gained the World  boxing Title in but, to all appearances, lost his soul in the process.