"Things I'm Thankful For, #6"

Starting on the 25th, a month before Thanksgiving Day, I've been listing Things I'm Thankful For on my Facebook. This is today's entry...

THINGS I’M THANKFUL FOR # 6—“The Abundance, and Easy Availability, of God’s Word Here in America”!! (Bear with me here, this will need a little “setting up”)!!

Okay....each morning, as part of my devotional exercises, I read TWO versions of “Our Daily Bread.” One is the version with 3 month’s worth of readings mapped out for, currently, October-December 2021. (That’s the version most are aware of). The SECOND version is the “90 Day Introductory Edition” which just goes from readings #1-90, you can read it ANY time of the year. I presently use both editions, along with DEEPER devotional material as well (and, of course, I recommend a good translation of THE BIBLE, ITSELF as the ultimate means of spiritual edification)!!

In the photo are my two versions of “Our Daily Bread” opened up side-by-side. On the left is yesterday’s reading. And on the right is TOMORROW’S reading (I read ahead on Saturdays). THEY ARE BOTH DEALING WITH THE SAME SCRIPTURE PASSAGE, though they are by different AUTHORS with slightly different PERSPECTIVES. To me, the way my mind works, it’s a reminder of how abundantly available God’s Word is to us here in America...we have an OVERFLOW of opportunities in this nation!! Not one, but TWO devotionals on an obscure passage like that one!! Let us never forget that To Whom much is given, much WILL be required, by God The GIVER of it all!!

As the celebration of The Reformation is tomorrow, let’s remember that God’s Word the Bible has NOT always been accessible to the common folk like it is to us now. And, let’s be thankful and SHOW our gratitude by using the resources we have at our disposal!! I do thank God for ALL the good materials, starting with BIBLES, that we can obtain legally and *****cheaply***** here in America!!

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"Reasons I'm Rooting For The Braves in the World Series"

 Starting with MY team (the New York Yankees), every baseball team I've rooted for in this postseason in both leagues has been eliminated. Now, the World Series (which starts tomorrow night), is down to TWO teams....the Atlanta Braves (National League) and the Houston Astros (American League). I am DEFINITELY rooting for the Braves, and here's why...

1.) The Houston Astros CHEATED to win the 2017 World Series (look it up on google, I don't feel like explaining again what they did....or search "Houston Astros Cheaters" in my blogs). Bottom line, the crooked players were never REALLY penalized for their theft and they don't even deserve to be IN baseball's ultimate showcase....never mind WIN it!!

2.) The Liberal politicians chased the ALL-STAR GAME out of Atlanta this year to protest "Racist Voter Laws" in Georgia. Now, Stacey Abrams and Co. face two, maybe THREE games of the World Series being played in Atlanta, and the hypocrites wouldn't DARE chase those away!! I love it. It shows what phonies they are if they DON'T move the games but there'll be a RIOT if they DO.

3.) Baseball's TRUE Home Run King, HANK AARON, #44, was a lifelong Brave and he died in January of this year. Unlike Barry "The Cheater" Bonds, who passed Hank by ONLY  7 homers, Aaron did not use artificial substances to aid him. It'd be nice if the Braves won it all "for" Hammerin' Hank!! I know that wherever Hank is now HE doesn't know or care, but some of us who deeply respect that guy would love to see the Braves prevail "in his honor."

4.) The Braves haven't been in the World Series in this century!! Their last appearance was in 1999, when my Yankees beat them AGAIN. The Astros HAVE been in the Fall Classic recently.

5.) The Cleveland INDIANS had to drop their "Indians" moniker this year due to Political Correctness. It'd be nice to see the BRAVES win it all, and stick it to the P.C. phonies. (Let the P.C. crowd then DARE to demand that the World Champs change their name)!!

6.) My Pastor is a BIG Braves fan, and a TRUE fan, and I'd like to see them win it all as kind of a "Pastors Appreciation Month" present for him. He's a good man and a big FAN of those Braves.

And, 7.) The Braves got this far DESPITE the distraction of the All-Star game being moved and DESPITE LOSING ONE OF THEIR STAR PLAYERS KIND OF EARLY IN THE YEAR. They beat a team (the Dodgers) with a MUCH better regular-season record than them in the NLCS, and I love underdogs and COMEBACKS. Yeah, I'm an American League guy in the regular season but I want the Astros, who cheated my Yankees in the ALCS (2017) to fall. 

Conclusion: I am rooting for the Braves...I just hope I finally get ONE pick right this postseason!!

 

"If You See a Rape Occurring: CALL 911!!"

 

I’m sure many of us have heard about the sickening incident of the woman in Philly getting raped on a train while people used their phones to FILM it instead of calling for help, or even (Heaven forbid!) PERSONALLY intervening.

ASIDE from the fact that sinful man is depraved and capable of ANYTHING, I had a few other theories regarding how this could ever happen.

These theories will focus not on the sin of COMISSION (the rapist) but the sins of OMISSION (those who did not help the woman).

1.) Women are valued less and less in our society, and this is partly due to the influx of those men from other countries who bring that mentality of rape with them (look up the incident of the Afghan rapist in Montana). This might explain why no one seemed to really try to help the victim.

2.) American society shows too much violence against women on TV, as if it’s “entertainment.” Consequently, when an actual rape is in progress, people reach for their phones to record “Live Entertainment,” as opposed to trying to thwart a crime-in-progress. The viewing of rapes on TV, or video games, desensitizes us to it!!

And....

3.) Our “phones” are no longer phones with cameras, they are CAMERAS with PHONES. Watch the ads for cell phones, most of them emphasize CAMERA upgrades, above all else. They are CALLED cell phones, but they are really HANDY CAMERAS, and so instinctively people think of RECORDING a crime (camera) before they think of REPORTING a crime (phone).

CALL 911, IF YOU SEE A RAPE OCCURRING!! And, consider personally and physically intervening IF you are in condition to do so!!

CLARIFY TO SAY: "Christianity Is Not JUST a Religion, It's a Relationship With God Through Jesus Christ"

 

One of the things many Christians are now fond of saying, when trying to share their faith with the unsaved, is "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship." This well-intentioned statement is meant to emphasize that Heaven is not obtained by keeping a bunch of rules and regulations, we get to Heaven by BEING RIGHTLY RELATED TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. And, I agree with the idea that it is HE ALONE Who can forgive us and make us fit to dwell with Him forever and ever if we are connected to him by faith. HE ALONE is the way to God, we can and we MUST have a saving relationship with Jesus!! 

But here's the problem with "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship." You're not being specific enough, if that's all you say.  It's an oversimplification, in my opinion. The title I've given to this particular blog is MUCH more accurate, as I will try to demonstrate.

You see, *I* understand what's meant by "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship" and most of the people who use the saying as a witnessing tool understand it, also (hopefully) !! But remember, you are most often speaking to people who do not yet know the Lord in a saving way.

And is "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship" really TRUE, without some clarification and qualification?? Is it TOO simple of a statement to pass on to the unsaved, who can't "fill in the blanks" in their heads like Bible-believing Christians can?? 

Does "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship" give the impression that the Lord Jesus Christ is only a fellow human being we can have a relationship with WITHOUT having to worship Him?? If so, well, that's not Christianity. He is God AND man, but "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship" only emphasizes His humanity and minimizes His Deity.

          * IN SCRIPTURE: James 1:27 gives a description of "pure and undefiled religion before God" (emphasis mine) and in the context of James 1, James is clearly talking to Christians and defining Christianity. In James 1:26, he even speaks of a type of Christianity ("religion") which is useless!! So the word "religion IS in Scripture but  Strong's Concordance NOWHERE mentions the word "relationship" in the Bible, (though the concept IS implied, just like "religion" is implied repeatedly).

          * IN THE DICTIONARY, one of the definitions of "religion" is "a particular system of faith and worship" and this describes Christianity perfectly if you add "practices" to that. Christianity is a system of TRUE religion and frankly, every other system is a system of FALSE religion. We shouldn't be ashamed of the word "religion" because again, it IS specifically in the Scriptures. And Christianity is not only A religion, Christianity is THE religion!! Jesus said HE is "THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life" (emphasis mine) and before you say "Chet you just proved the point you're trying to refute, He didn't say CHRISTIANITY is the only way to God, Jesus said HE is"....hold on for a sec!!

          * IN ORDINARY CONVERSATION, WHEN YOU SAY CHRISTIANITY IS A RELATIONSHIP without clarifying and qualifying it, but leaving the listener with the impression that "religion"....that system of beliefs and practices...plays no part in the "relationship," they can easily wind up with the idea that AS LONG AS I HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE WHO IS A RELIGIOUS FIGURE, IT'S OKAY. And that's not true!! Please bear with me and et me give you a huge "for instance."

ROMAN CATHOLICS WHO ADHERE TO THE TEACHINGS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH have more of a "relationship" with MARY than they do with JESUS. But it's based on the FALSE teachings of the Catholic...religion!! Even though the VERY highly-favored Mary confessed (in Scripture) to being a sinner just like all of us, Mary is seen by most Roman Catholics as a co-Redeemer, co-Mediator BORN WITHOUT SIN Being that the Church has exalted to being "The Queen of Heaven"!! Such Catholics pray to Mary BEFORE they pray to Jesus ("If you want the Son to grant your requests, ask His Mother and she will convince her Son") and they pray to Mary MORE than they pray to God or Jesus Christ. Mary shouldn't be prayed to at ALL, she's just a human being and a dead one at that. Yet the RELIGION of Catholicism encourages Roman Catholics to have a RELATIONSHIP with Mary, through prayer. I wrote a whole book about this and I don't have time to unpack all of the proofs, but research the official teachings of Catholicism about Mary and see for yourself!! Some have joked that Catholicism has made Mary the Fourth Member of the Trinity, but if one of "the four" had to be jettisoned to get the total down to three again (Lol), MANY Roman Catholics would keep MARY and get rid of someone else, believe it or not. This is NOT true Christianity, but when you tell Catholics that "Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship" without clarifying that the "relationship" which can save your soul is to be with JESUS and no other human being, you are, without meaning to, opening the door for a FALSE religion such as Catholicism to think that they are Christians....because they have a "relationship" based on a false "religion." 

The result? Those Catholics who think they're ALREADY Christians may not see the need to BECOME Christians, defeating the whole purpose of witnessing to them in the first place.

My solution is to simply CLARIFY your statement to say "Christianity Is Not JUST a Religion, It's a Relationship With God Through Jesus Christ." Yeah, it is not as concise a statement, it weakens the alliteration and therefore may not be as easy for someone to remember. But it's BIBLICAL, and in the end that is all that matters.

It's much more accurate than the other way!! After all, the "Religion" (when based on SCRIPTURE) defines who we are to have the "Relationship" WITH.

"Stones Wave White Flag...over 'Brown Sugar' "

 

I'm not a Rolling Stones fan except for a VERY few of their songs...."Brown Sugar" wasn't one of them. But I'm greatly disturbed that lead singer Mick Jagger announced that, after 50 years, the band won't be performing "Brown Sugar" live anymore. 

It's the REASON given that troubles me!! The song has been around since 1971 but all of a sudden, bowing to Political Correctness, the song is not being played live now because to the simple-minded, shallow, knee-jerk reactors out there the song APPEARS to endorse the slavery of black people and the subjugation of women. IT DOESN'T. When I first heard it 50 years ago, I analyzed the lyrics as a song condemning the hypocrisy of white slavers who beat black women but then used them to fulfill their sexual lusts. As I recall, the Stones clarified their position by including a song "Sweet Black Angel" on that album, an admiring tribute to Angela Davis who they specifically said "ain't no slave."* 

Now, 50 years later, Jagger is apparently afraid that some punk kid in 2021 will come along and see "Brown Sugar" out of context and BUST the Stones as being the dreaded "R" word!! NEVERMIND Jagger's famous duet with Merry Clayton, and NEVERMIND his touring with Tina Turner!! He'll be Tarred and Feathered by this new generation of nitwits who create NOTHING that can last 50 years but are only experts at tearing down what OTHERS have done.

Again, this is not a defense of "Brown Sugar." If Jagger became a CHRISTIAN and said he couldn't perform it anymore because the lyrics are too raunchy, I'd be all for it. That would be a GOOD reason to stop performing the song!! But Political Correctness is NOT a good reason. 

Jagger is "waving the white flag" about "Brown Sugar" BEFORE the battle has even started!! (Wait a minute, can we say "White Flag" anymore....is THAT Racist?? Lol)

The irony is that he apparently made this announcement during the group's "No Filter" tour. 

Yeah, "No Filter" except Political Correctness, Mick!!

*Interestingly, the next year, John Lennon's "Some Time in New York City" came out and a prominent song on the double album MIGHT make some think he was a Racist. But Lennon ALSO included a glowing tribute to Angela Davis...WITH HER PHOTO...on that 1972 album to clarify his position!!

"Shatner / More On Columbus Day / Superman"

* "SHATNER": SO WILLIAM SHATNER, 90, HAS JUST BLASTED OFF INTO SPACE. He is now the oldest person ever to do so. Makes me wonder if he saw, and was inspired by, this movie (pictured) with Richard Dreyfus?? If he DID see it, maybe it's a case of "Life Imitating Art." But if Shatner HASN'T seen that movie yet, well, I hope they don't show it on the flight!! He might find the ending a bit......alarming....(***** SPOILER ALERT: ***** Dreyfus died in space, in the movie).

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says that GOD HAS PUT ETERNITY IN OUR HEARTS. Shatner's quest to reach the stars is really, whether he knows it or not, a search for GOD. I hope that one day he finds out he doesn't need to go that far to find Him!! God can be found by ALL of us, through His Word, the Holy Bible. Also, one day all of us WILL meet Him, when we die, and the important thing is to be ready with SINS FORGIVEN THROUGH CHRIST!!

* "MORE ON COLUMBUS DAY" : OCTOBER 12th (yesterday) USED TO BE ACTUAL COLUMBUS DAY NO MATTER WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT FELL ON. Now it’s a different day each year and many say it’s NOT Columbus Day anymore, it’s “Indigenous Peoples Day.”

In like manner, ***FEBRUARY*** 12th USED TO BE LINCOLN’S BIRTHDAY NO MATTER WHAT DAY OF THE WEEK IT FELL ON. Now it’s combined with Washington’s Birthday (Feb.22nd), it’s a different day each year and it’s “Presidents Day”.....ALL Presidents are celebrated now. Even Obama and Biden!!

See the way our role models are being diminished, step-by-step-by-step??

So Happy TRADITIONAL Columbus Day!! And if you want to see more of my Columbus Day thoughts, go back to MONDAY'S blog (Oct. 11th) here....

 * "SUPERMAN": This (below) was in my Yahoo News yesterday morning. I thought Superman DIED a few years ago??!! They shouldn't have brought him back, this is WORSE than death...his son is "The New Superman" and he's Bi-sexual. Ugh.

I'm sorry if this picture offends anyone, but this is the "reality" of the "fantasy" our kids and grandkids are being exposed to...wake up!! That "S" on his chest should stand for "Sicko." Superman USED to stand for "Truth, Justice and the American Way" but now he reflects an America that IS sick, spiritually-speaking. This nation HAS to be sick to let the sin of "PRIDE" progress THIS far.

For the record, "D.C. Comics" have ALWAYS been pathetic, and if Marvel follows suit instead of LEADING, I'll say the same about THEM. If they want to have gay heroes, fine...invent NEW heroes, don't change STRAIGHT ones . The reason they won't create NEW gay heroes is because "nobody" will buy the books!!

NOTE: THE PHOTO OF THE NEW SUPERMAN ABOUT TO KISS A GUY WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY HERE HAS APPARENTLY BEEN REMOVED FOR ME.

CENSORSHIP!!

"Paul Simon Will Be 80 Tomorrow (and why Newark, his birthplace, won't honor him)"

 Tomorrow, Paul Simon (the singer, not the politician) will turn 80.

Simon was born in Newark, NJ which is where I was born. If the powers-that-be in Newark today were smart, they'd be commemorating the milestone and CLAIMING Simon somehow!! (Name a street after him......SOMETHING)!! But the people running (ruining?) Newark now are NOT smart. They are racists, and will no doubt FAIL to even acknowledge one of the great composers of our time because he happens to be a white man. I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but I don't think I am.

Truth is, the hypocrites in Newark City Hall who just celebrated "Indigenous Peoples Day" yesterday have NO compunction about eradicating every recollection of those who came before THEM in that once-great city...unless they are people of color, that is.

In my own way, I'm remembering Simon's birthday by buying one of the books about him...just ordered it off of eBay (pictured above). Ever since I heard Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" as a 13 year old in Newark (1968), I've thought that Simon is a genius composer (at least by TODAY'S standards). Admittedly, in 1968 the white people in charge of Newark then displayed racism against black people. But on top of being racists, the black people running Newark TODAY are bad at math...they apparently believe two wrongs DO make a right.

HAPPY 80th, PAUL SIMON!! I, for one, am proud (in a right way) to have been born in the city you were born in!!

"Happy Columbus Day!!

 

Today, they attack Columbus Day.

NEXT month, they’ll attack the PILGRIMS.

And CHRISTMAS will be under fire again in DECEMBER.

By in large, however, the attackers of our traditions think that “progress” is tied to burning down buildings, tearing down statues and trying to destroy Holidays which are important to others. They begrudge Italians the ONE day (today) a year which officially celebrates them yet black people get a whole MONTH...and a few miscellaneous OTHER days...to celebrate THEIR heritage. And the ones I speak of (of ALL races) are never, ever happy.

Enough of that, let me close by saying HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY....even to those who are “celebrating” a discontented “Indigenous Peoples Day.”

I notice that you never put “Happy” in front of it....at least you’re honest!!