Tut Homicide Ruled Out

Probably the most famous Egyptian discovery, King Tutankhamen, has had a cat scan. It confirmed that he was not knocked on the head and murdered. The assumed head injury was found to be the result of handling, either at discovery or during the first round of x-rays and not some dastardly plot to assassinate the young monarch. There goes the sinister and romantic association to the young Egyptian king.

Okay, so this is not a profound concept. It does lead me to a story. The last time Tut was on tour in the United States, in the late 70’s, he made a stop at the Chicago Museum of Natural History. I belonged to a youth organization called DeMolay and a group of us went up on a weekend trip to see the sites. After going up in the Sears Tower, seeing the Museum of Science and Industry and several other local landmarks, we were going to see the Tut exhibit on Sunday morning and head home that afternoon. The best laid plans of mice and men certainly took a bad turn in the road because we missed seeing the exhibit.

Now you could assume it was teenage mischief or an unplanned breakdown of communication but what actually happened was that breakfast took 2 hours. We got to the restaurant before the museum opened. Our group of about 12 young men and the chaperone ended up ordering our breakfast 3 times before it was served. The waitress kept misplacing our orders or the cook kept throwing them away. Either way, the museum had been open for 40 minutes by the time we got there and the wait to see Tut was into the afternoon; too late for us to get in. We each soaked a penny in syrup and stuck it to the table as a tip for the poor service. At least there was some gratification to the whole debacle.

Icool


Cobb

Stuck In The Mud

Almost every article I read on Earth’s changing weather conditions continues to doom the whack jobs from the pseudo-science of environmentalism. (I know, another global warming rant.) The latest on Yahoo is “Galactic Baby Boom Influenced Life On Earth.” The gist of the article is that the forming stars and the resultant explosion from those births bathed Earth in cosmic radiation that changed the weather on the planet. Huh, cosmic rays change the weather on Earth. I cannot imagine that change occurring overnight. Those kinds of changes do not appear to be normal and usual for our planet. They would happen over a period of time. Can anyone say global warming?

This unending mantra of fossil fuels and carbon dioxide causing the change in the Earth’s temperature are a broken record. It has been pounded into us by the media and more importantly by the school systems. These pagan preachers that pretend to be science teachers in our public school systems are trying to brain wash our children into believing these gross exaggerations of fiction. Every argument they present can be shot full of holes and even their follow up stories to cover the holes are slightly more than used gauze. If it wasn’t for the constant pounding by the media and Hollywood, it would already be yesterday’s fish wrap.

You have to admit that their presentation becomes louder when there is a natural disaster. The weather changes every day. Sometimes it rains and sometime the sun shines. If it happens to rain harder or longer one day, we are looking for a reason. If it gets colder or warmer we are trying to find someone to blame or thank. When they tried to blame the tsunami in Asia on global warming, it really made my day. When the hurricanes devastated the gulf coast, global warming got the attention. I did not hear any global warming accusations about the lack of hurricanes this year. I guess you don’t notice unless the weather is bad. So, as the chicken little wanna bes continue to bog us down with the same of lies, put your mind in 4 wheel drive and pull out of the quagmire.

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Cobb

One Trick Pony

One of my greatest fears is that my limited interest would become prohibitive when writing a blog. After all there are only so many areas that provide the right amount of interest for me to pay attention to them. Sports and the whole area of competition and hunting/fishing are a wasteland of disinterest. That removes a significant portion of what most men are interested in. Now I do enjoy golf (I am not even good enough to be a poor player but I enjoy the feel of a sweet drive) and watching my children compete so I am not a complete sports hater. I just do not see the need to sit in front of a television all weekend long when there are so many other things to do. What even causes more confusion to my pea sized gray matter is the bragging and posturing by supporters on each side. Maybe I am just genetically deficient when it comes to that area of socialization.

So that leaves quite a few areas of interest, right? There is science, politics, religion, my family and home life, and things that just plain piss me off. Since the election, I have not been focusing on politics. I am waiting until the newly elected government officials start making fools of themselves before I travel that path. In science, there is only so much to cover. After debunking global warming again and again and again, contributing anything additional is a little mundane. And since most of the information on the pseudo-science of man being the cause of global temperature changes gets to be old and boring after a while. Unfortunately, they have most of the world hoodwinked into thinking they are actually discovering an actual truth as opposed to fiction.

For the other two areas, it is a matter of inspiration or events occurring. If I feel an inspiration from the Holy Spirit to discuss an area of my spiritual life, I become almost possessed and consumed with pouring it onto a page. It is a most unusual feeling and the most satisfying writing I do. With my family, they are always entertaining but not always fodder for the cannon. Many of the things they do are not for the blog. They are parts of the overall pattern of life and provide the background for the paths I travel. So, as I wonder if I am a one trick pony, I realize that as long as you can vary the trick enough, it appears to stay fresh.

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Cobb

Taking A Break

I took a little vacation so this is my first post in a week. It was a nice relaxing time and I could have used an other few days but... Thanksgiving was a great day. We found out that my wife's brother and his family were coming early in the week. It was a family event but that is what holiday's are for.

I prefer to make something other than turkey on Thanksgiving. It is okay but I have had turkey every year and last year started grilling marinated pork tenderloin. The only complaints are that we aren't having turkey. They love the tendeloin but the tradition is to much for them (the senior crowd) to get around. I always make two tenderloins. One is marinated in soy sauce, garlic and fresh rosemary. The other is put in straight molasses. This year I smoked them before I finished grilling. Tasty.

We did not go out shopping on Friday. I have done that once and would rather dance with a paper shredder than go through that again. Not being one for crowds, I do not enjoy masses of angry people waiting to get to the cash register so they can hurry to the next store for bargains. I prefer to shop after Christmas for the things that I might have missed. They are usually cheaper and the stores less crowded. Until I have more to say....

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Cobb

How To Quit Smoking

The day I am writing this entry is Great American Smoke Out Day. It is a great service this day does to promote ways for people to stop their cigarette addiction. I do not know how many people actually stop smoking because of the one day event, but it at least draws national attention to a potential health issue. As a former smoker, I know how difficult it is to quit the nasty habit and have come to realize that the best way to stop smoking is to never have started. Unfortunately that does not help those who currently are addicted.

I know that I quit smoking at least 10 times before I quit for good. I am from a house where both parents smoked while I was growing up. Both my parents quit smoking but it was long after I started. I was 13 years old and it was an easy transition. I never stole their cigarettes because they did not smoke the cool brand Marlboro. My father smoked Kool and my mother smoked some non-menthol 100 length. I smoked for 12 years and during my last year in the Army, stopped for good. How did I achieve this feat that I had failed at 10 times previously?

I ran out of cigarettes and went to grab one from my roommate. He had two left and the next day was payday. He threw a fit and told me I could not have it. I got pissed at him for being so stingy and stopped talking to him for a week. At the same time, I told myself that I would show him and stopped smoking. My trigger was to get angry at someone and that provided the bridge to get past the cravings. I also started drinking orange soda. I hated orange soda but for some reason it helped diminish the desire to have a smoke. I have been smoke free for 20 years and my lung capacity is back where it was before I started smoking. Of course I have put on 50 pounds since I stopped. Now I need to find the trigger to get me to stop stuffing my face. Maybe I should go look up my old roommate.

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Cobb

Days Until Christmas

As the holiday season approaches, I keep hearing that question, “How many days until Christmas?” It does not even seem to be remotely possible that we have gone through another year. I can still picture last New Years Eve and now we are planning this years’. There is something horribly wrong with that image. That must be why we are told to live every day as if it were our last. That seems to be the advertising posted on the side of the train that continues to roll ever faster down the hill side.

There is always that bright spot when you get to a new year. For some reason, January offers that feeling of new hope and possibility. There is that anticipation in the air, as we enter the beginning of the year, which seems to evaporate completely by November. Of course this may just be me or the changing of the seasons and the adjustment of being able to go outside in a tee-shirt as opposed to a parka.

So as the number of days until Christmas flow past like an ice cube in a hot skillet, you will have to make the decision of who to buy for and how much. Those careful shoppers have been steadily picking up things all year long and planning who and what. My wife and I have that pretty much mapped out. I even have her Christmas presentation sketched out. Nothing bought of course but “what and how” I am presenting are pretty well in the bag. Now it is the constant running and non-stop parties that start right after Thanksgiving. So enjoy your turkey (we are having grilled pork tenderloin) and dressing and try to enjoy what is left of the year.

Icool

Cobb

Free Firewood

We had a family outing on Saturday to pick up some firewood. My mother had asked during the summer if I would be interested in going to her brother-in-laws to cut up some trees that had fallen down. She said that I could have the wood if I wanted it. At the time, it was the heart of mosquito season and I did not want to end up looking like a vampire victim or coming down with West Nile virus. So we set up to go over last Saturday and cut up some trees.

The day started out drizzly and we decided not to venture out in the cold dampness. By the afternoon, the drizzle had stopped and after a short convincing by my mother, we loaded the car and went out. Now I had picked up a tarp and five pair of gloves to keep the mess and slivers to a minimum. My middle child had pulled an all nighter at a local church lock in, so she was in no condition to assist. We took two cars and went westward young man.

When we got there, he had a stack of wood that was several years old. Instead of cutting up new wood, we were given what we wanted from the already cut wood. There was plenty of wood that needed to be cut up and split. We were asked if we wanted to come back in the spring and help clean up. I volunteered my family for that project. After all, we would get the firewood and we could help repay for the free stuff we received. I’ll have to pick a Saturday when the kids do not have all nighters planned for the day before.

Icool

Cobb

Dull Men’s Club

Reading through Yahoo’s Odd News, they had an article about a club for dull men. I started reading through the article and realized that I wanted to be a member of that club. At first I was offended by the idea of being, well, dull. But who cares. It is what I enjoy doing. Not everyone can be extraverted and exciting. Not everyone is charismatic and bold or thinks they are. Of course, it if you spend time watching television, everyone is fun to watch, good looking, has some quirk that makes them fascinating. Well, unless their show gets cancelled.

The club has what I would call interesting things on their web site. The article picks a few like the percentage of airport carousels that rotate clockwise or the discovery of soap. I find those Jeopardy, nerd, useless fact, information to be fascinating where most people would rather watch paint dry or ice melt. I would find the rate at which various paints (latex vs. oil) dries or the variations in ice melt times due to humidity and temperature interesting. It is more for informational purposes than actually knowing to be able to use the facts. I guess I would fit right into that Dull Men’s Club.

That is one of the reasons I started this site. I find the mundane, little known tidbits to be interesting. Well, most of them anyway. If you ask me about sports, I know a few things but to quote stats or who plays or played for which team when is beyond my ability to care. But sports are not for dull men. Sports are exciting times with plenty of cheering and yelling. Well, maybe curling could be considered a dull man sport. But then again, sports enthusiasts are not big curling supporters. There is no National Curling League with teams in most metropolitan areas. But the team names could be fun. You could have the New York Curling Irons, the Miami Curling Q’s, the Denver Hair Curlers or the Boston Broomers. Well, it may be dull but at least you learn a few useful skills like ice skating, how to brush ice, and how to say eh with the right accent.

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Cobb

Platform On The Eve of War

The most ferocious battle ever fought by the United States was with itself. Our civil war was the bloodiest battle ever fought by Americans and it happened on American soil. In retrospect, it is viewed as a battle between the industrialized northern states and the slave dependent southern states. With the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South no longer believed that they would be allowed to use slave labor. The great compromises of the previous 20 years were beginning to unravel as additional states entered the union. The stage was set to set American against American in a struggle for survival.

Abraham Lincoln started his political career in 1846 as a member of the US House of Representatives from Illinois. His verbal sparring with then President Polk over the Mexican American war created political suicide for the freshman congressman. After one term, he returned to a private law practice. He remained active in politics but did not run for office again until the Presidential election of 1860. By then, he had switched from the Whig Party to the newly founded Republican Party. On the 3rd vote, he was elected as the Republican candidate. His platform for that election opposed the expansion of slavery westward, endorsed a protective tariff, proposed a transcontinental railroad, and promised to give free land to settlers.

The platform for the northern Democrat candidate, Stephen Douglas, proposed a federal slave code in the territories, the acquisition of Cuba, and the construction of a transcontinental railroad. We all know that Lincoln won the election but it is interesting that both parties understood the necessity for improved transportation from coast to coast. With the west opening up, both sides knew that they needed to be able to get out there more quickly and be able to transport the raw materials back east to the population centers. Even on the eve of war there was common ground between the parties.

Fast forward to 2006. It would appear that the party platforms have switched and there is little commonality between what each side wants. The slavery issue was handled when Lee surrendered at Appomattox, but the war between the sides has continued with the continuation of social issues and foreign policy concerns. I guess that is why you have government. It is not to accomplish things. It is more for the side show they put on. I guess that is why Ronald Reagan was such a great President. He had already been in front of the camera in Hollywood and knew that reviews are nothing but one man’s opinion. It is how many tickets you sell that really matters.

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Cobb

Terrorists Repeat Pearl Harbor

The Japanese mistook America for a sleeping giant that would rather roll over and sleep that get engaged in any kind of conflict. They sent their fleet in to attack America at Pearl Harbor without the follow up of an invasion and occupation of those islands. The Japanese fully expected a slow and exhaustive response to a dastardly sneak attack. What they got was severe radiation burns and 60 years of occupation by American troops. Some mistakes come with a big price tag.

When September 11 happened, the terrorists figured that they were safe from retaliation due to their status as having no country of origin. That did not stop the sleeping giant from once again raising its fists and smashing the nearest target; the Taliban. America accomplished in weeks, something that nations for hundreds of years had been incapable of doing. Britain and Russia both attempted to take control of Afghanistan and failed. America took over the nation in record time. Chalk another one up for the Yanks.

So here we are at the cusp of another crisis. American policy since WWII has been to finish the job and insure it stays finished (with the exception of the media driven pull out in Vietnam). We still have troops in Germany, Japan and Korea long after the wars are over. We will probably have troops in the Middle East for many years to come, unless we have a major shift in foreign policy. If that should occur, the terrorists may get bold again and we will experience another attack on our local soil. The sleeping giant will once again arise and hopefully this time have the stomach to finish the job they started.

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Cobb

Does It Come With Gravy?

One of my favorite children’s books is James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. This is the same genius that brought us Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If my memory serves, my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Euler, read this book aloud to the class. I have read it several times since and enjoy the movie that was put out several years ago.

The book is about an orphan, James, who is forced to live with his two selfish spinster aunts. They are very cruel to him. He does all of the chores, gets very little to eat, sleeps in a hole of a room, and is forced to live on the memories of his parents for any kind of warmth. His aunts have a stunted peach tree in their yard and kind hearted James is given some magic by a passer by. He accidentally trips and spills the magic at the base of the peach tree. Miraculously, the peach tree grows this enormous peach. His aunts make a spectacle of the large fruit and James is assigned to clean up the mess. While cleaning up around the fruit, he ends up finding an entrance into the heart of the peach and crawls inside. In the pit, he finds a spider, a worm, a grasshopper, centipede, a ladybug and a glow worm. The peach breaks free of the tree and rolls across country into the ocean. After sharks try to eat them, they use the spiders silk to capture seagulls and they lift the peach on a trans-Atlantic flight. The journey and ending are a delight to both read and watch.

In one of my favorite scenes from the movie, they are worried about starving to death when they come to the realization that they are inside of a giant fruit. Well that solved the problem and they break into song. The glow worm, who is blind and slightly hard of hearing asks, “Does it come with gravy?” Yuk. Peach and gravy are not a combination that sounds remotely appealing. In the end, James reaches the America and has the love and adoration of his insect friends. What more could a little boy want.

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Cobb

Finally, A Law To Enforce

A Yahoo headline says “Lack of Illegal Immigrant Childcare A Concern.” This certainly intrigued me as I could not fathom why illegals would need child care. Well, the article goes into the detail that the children are US citizens because they were born in American hospitals but the parents are in the country illegally. It made sense. The illegals are not applying for Medicare because they are afraid they will be deported. I feel sorry for the children but the parents have plotted to gain access to America, illegally, and now they need to go home or find a way to get citizen status themselves. It is not a matter of compassion. It is a matter of legality.

One way to skirt the issue would be to pass a law saying that hospitals can declare themselves international territory. It would be like hospitals have similar rules like the United Nations. That way when illegals have babies in our country in an attempt to get them US citizenship, it would be in international territory and not the US. This would solve the problem of applying for government aid. They wouldn’t need to as they would not be eligible. Call your congressman (or woman) now and get the ball rolling.

Of course that is not the answer. We need to stop the influx of illegals and send those that are here home. That is what you should be calling on your congressman (or woman) to get done. If you can come into the country legally, great, welcome to America. If not get out, go home, and work on coming here the right way. The need for illegals worrying about child care would be a non-issue if we could get the laws we have in place enforced. Unfortunately, we have a government that is trying to curry favor with a voting block that does not exist. Get a grip. To quote my favorite line in the original Tim Burton Batman movie, “This town needs an enema.” That about covers how most Americans feel about our elected Federal politicians. Their inability to follow what the majority really wants is a serious bowel obstruction. Flush twice, it’s a long way to the border.

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Cobb

Tuesday After The First Monday

I am sure that I am not the only person in this country that has started switching the channel on the radio when the commercials start. I don’t mind listening to a few of them but lately it has been one person bashing another person in order to be elected to be a legal thief (politician for those who enjoy paying taxes.) What your opponent has or hasn’t done can be warped into just about anything depending on how you slant it. There is an ad for a local judge where the incumbent says that his opponent does not have one iota of judicial bench time. Well, at one time, he did not have any time in the robe either. Does that make him a bad judge?

What I would like to see for each candidate to present what they have accomplished or what they stand for. The negative ads should be against the election code of conduct and if you use them, it negates your right to be elected. Through out the election cycle, you could have numerous candidates. Until you get someone that is willing to tell you what they will do and not that their opponents are evil and corrupt, it could be a kaleidoscope of seekers.

I look forward to the slow down in revenue for media advertising that starts on the Wednesday after the first Monday in November. This is the day when we no longer are forced to change the radio station after every song. It is the day that everything changes but stays the same. I have told my children the tried and true adage about politicians. It is you know that they are lying when their lips are moving. It does not matter what they say, because anyone can push warmed, deoxygenated air from their lungs while manipulating their lips and tongue. All that matters is the actions they perform while occupying the office to which they are elected. I do not see a lot of actions aping the stream of air flowing from their lips. I guess that is why we clump politicians and lawyers together; can’t trust either of them.

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Cobb

Where’s The Skipper?

I remember watching Gilligan’s Island after school. It was a goofy show but entertaining as Gilligan was always thwarting every effort for rescue through some occurrence that was no fault of his. He shared a hut with Skipper who was forever swatting Gilligan with his hat. It was kind of a Laurel and Hardy relationship. The balance of the cast was a bizarre mix with some very unlikely discount cruise takers. I can’t imagine Mr. and Mrs. Howell on the USS Minnow, not with all of the luggage, money and jewels in tow. Ginger must have been on a big rebound to be on such a low budget trip. The professor must have thought it was a scientific expedition. The only realistic passenger was Mary Ann. I know the high-jinx would have been much tamer with just the three of them, although John Ritter made a good show with Chrissy and Janet. Sorry, I am way off track.

I really wanted to segue into a boat without a skipper kind of scenario. My boss just announced that he is leaving the company. It is a sad occasion for me because he was the person that hired me and has been a great person to work for over the last four years. His management style was to let you do your job and as long as you took care of business, he left you alone. If he needed something, drop what you’re doing and get it done. Keep him off the radar. Being number one is not something he wants. Be third or fourth out of ten and he’s happy. It was good to know that you were appreciated. That is what I will miss.

Now I have an uncertain future. I do not do well with new bosses. The last two I had were arrogant and partial to their favorites. I am not a great butt kisser and unlike most of the male population, do not enjoy the constant chats about sports, coaches, upcoming games, series, fantasy leagues, ….. I could go on all day about how much I don’t care about the wide world of sports. This was a big part of the chatter between my boss and the rest of the folks that work here. I made my smart ass remarks, commented when appropriate and kept my mouth shut the rest of the time. As the saying goes, why speak and remove all doubt. So I once again march into the unknown of who is driving the boat and wonder who will be at the helm by the New Year. I know it won’t be me. I like my free time and although the pay increase would be substantial, money ain’t everything. In this case, it ain’t nothing.

Icool

Cobb

Living On The Edge Again (Part 4)

I remember growing up during the hippy movement. There was always a band of long haired types hanging out somewhere. My father always spoke in a very derogatory way about their long greasy hair and unwashed bodies. I remember hearing them one day inviting others to join them in worshipping Christ. I can still hear that voice in my head saying that they had done so many drugs that they had wasted their brains and grabbed onto the last thing that made sense to them, religion. I felt sorry for them for wasting their short lives and knew that I was better because I had not chosen that path. Now I realize that it was my father’s voice that I was hearing through his constant comments about the youth culture of the time.

I had two experiences in the last several days that prompted me to take up this topic. Several months ago, my cousin told us that she was gay. Growing up we were never close, (my father hated her father) but as an adult, I have come to have a loving relationship with her. As an adult, she has had a series of unconnected incidents happen to her that would have jaded many people. Through out that time, she has maintained a happy outward disposition but it masked the sadness underneath. She has finally found someone that makes her happy, keeps her focused, and puts up with her crap. For the first time, I have seen her happy with her life and looking toward the future. We spent last Saturday with my cousin and her friend, walking though the model house they are building and breaking bread together. It was very fun and I look forward to getting together over the holidays if not sooner. Unfortunately, her parents have disowned her due to her relationship. This has been the toughest part. I see someone who is happy. They see a daughter who has let them down. What is even more unfortunate is they blame her partner for “converting her”.

The other experience is from the person that introduced me to blogging. He is the Ragarambler and a friend from my formidable teenage years. I remember the first time I met him. He came to my house as part of an interview process before I joined a youth group called DeMolay. He was very animated and a great story teller. When he found out that my father was an avid hunter, he told his story about his first deer hunting trip in up state New York. I can still see him as he described shooting a deer for the first time. He posted a blog entry last week and announced that he was gay. It did not surprise me. Many of the posts on his blog preached of tolerance for people that were different. He always approached it from avenue of the 12 step program (he is a recovering alcoholic) but you could feel the emotions underneath of what he was saying. His blog expressed concern for those who would think less of him when they found out that he was not the heterosexual male he had masked himself to be.

This is the third part of my religious scripture foundation.

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

One of my biggest failures as a Christian is that I find this a very difficult scripture to follow. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged. As a Christian, it is not for me to look at someone and pronounce them unworthy. Who am I? When you are facing God on the Day of Judgment, it will be Him that pronounces your worthiness. Only God has the authority to say yea or nay. As humans, we are sinners and not worthy of the glory of Heaven except through the Son. Since God gave his Son to be the lamb of sacrifice for our sins, God also gave him the authority to command us on how to live our lives. That commandment is to love one another as Jesus loved us. He also told us not to judge one another. That is His job.


John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.



Icool


Cobb

Living On The Edge Again (Part 3)

Growing up we watched Charleton Heston stand before the burning bush and receive the Ten Commandments. It seemed to be an annual event like the Wizard of Oz. It was one of those movies that became a big part of my childhood. Moses would come down off of the mountain and see the Israelites worshipping that golden calf and throw the tablets. So growing up I knew as a certainty that there were ten laws that God had set as the standard for everyone to live by. Most of them are pretty simple. Killing, stealing, remember the Sabbath, no idols, worship only God, do not take the Lord’s name in vain, and honor thy mother and father were pretty clear to a child. Adultery, coveting and false witness I understood as I started getting a little older. During my search for the meaning of life, I quit attending church to seek the “real truth”. Low and behold, I came full circle back to my starting place. My parents must have actually known something after all. When I finally found Christ and accepted Him as my rock and foundation, I discovered an eleventh commandment. It took me a while to grasp the concept of one more rule to live by until I realized that it took the other rules and summed them up.

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

So now I have a direct quote from Jesus telling me that I am to love everyone, just as he loved everyone. That was easy until I figured out who everyone was. The Bible very clearly points out that Jesus did not hang out with people like him. He started out as a carpenter. So you figure he would hang out with people in the building trades; maybe a brick layer or an architect. No, Jesus chose to hang around those people that had been forgotten or simply written off by those in power. It was lepers, prostitutes, and tax collectors. I can’t say any of those are on my list of people I seek out to talk to. But it does represent the groups that were either despised or ignored. I find that there are the same things going on today. Apparently Christ’s commandment does not carry the same weight as the first 10. We have minorities and gays to replace the lepers and prostitutes and these groups are treated in similar ways to those groups. I feel sorry for the IRS agents. I just can’t get my arms around giving Caesar his due but then again, that hasn’t changed.

There is still a large segment of the population that does not understand the message. Christ commanded us to love everyone. He does not allow for escape clauses simply because we do not want to. It is not peppered with exceptions to the rule or any other changes we wish to make. Ignoring it does not make the 11th commandment any less powerful. For a Christian, this should be the center of faith. This is the core upon which all the other teachings are based. I do not understand how someone can ignore “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” and still profess to call themselves a follower of Christ. That however, leads me to part four of this entry. Until then…..


John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:


Icool


Cobb

Living On The Edge Again (Part 2)

For those who are parents, your children are a big part of your life. Their sorrows become your sorrows and their victories are your victories. We live vicariously through the lives of our children, some with more gusto than others (football fathers and cheerleader mothers). We have our own lives to lead but it is our job as parents to be there for our children whether it is to be the disciplinarian or the encourager. So imagine investing your life in a child. To love and encourage, to watch grow and mature, only to have that child die before they have had the opportunity to experience their full potential. That is a parent’s biggest fear. It is why we make all of those silly rules about when to be home and whom you can ride with. It is why we express concern about the choice dating options or friends. The fear of losing a child is one of the greatest for a parent.

Now imagine having a son and knowing that he will be sacrificed to pay for the sins of all mankind. Imagine being so loving that you are willing to bring a child into this world, give him the gifts that show how we are to treat each other, the ability to heal the sick, perform miracles, and the authority to tell us how to live our lives. Imagine watching that child die in an agonizing and tortured way. That is what God has done for us.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

God knows that we are not perfect. He is our creator. God provided us with his Son, to teach us how to live, show us how to treat one another, how to love and most of all how to live forever, in the glory of God. It is up to us to heed the call and follow the path that Christ has provided. We are distracted from that path by the daily sirens that surround us. They are only distractions but some become enamored with the call and stray from the path. We are called upon to believe in Christ, the Son of our heavenly Father. It is through him that we gain everlasting life. This is the first step to becoming a Christian. By accepting the Son as your way to the Father, you are beginning your journey as a Christian and a heavenly existence when the Father calls you home. You are now living on the edge with a safety net. The Father and Son are there for you. The journey begins.

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:


Icool


Cobb

Living On The Edge Again (Part 1)

This is a great song by Aerosmith (see post from Feb 14 2006). It also very accurately describes how most people live their lives. For many people on our planet, they live on the edge of starvation. It is a daily struggle to get enough food to feed themselves and their families. For others, they live on the edge of conflict between how they want to live and forces that would choose to change the way that they live. There are those that are oppressed and do not know day to day whether they will be the next to fall under the microscope of the tyranny of those that call themselves leaders. There are many macro visions of how people live on the edge. For the individual, living on the edge takes on an entirely new dimension.

Many people suffer with their personal demons. If there were not personal demons, the great books of the world would be non-fiction, movies would all be documentaries and the news of the world would be about boats safely docking or the winner of the best in show. We all have had trauma in our lives whether it is a death in the family, an auto accident, a medical issue, over eating, under eating, drinking, drugs, run in with the police, divorce…. I could go on for pages. It is the things that happen to us that make us who we are. It provides the canvas for us to continue to paint our lives and allows us to look back and reflect on what we have done and where we would like to go. For some, a personal demon freezes them in time and prevents them from making any further progress on the canvas. They do not seem to be able to get beyond the incident in their lives and it clouds every action they take. The phrase walking wounded seems to fit the description.

For those who have maneuvered around the roadblocks of life and continue to be productive and functional have found a way to reduce or eliminate the psychological affects of life’s traumas. They say time heals all wounds (or is it time wounds all heals) and memory is a great equalizer on that front. The further away you are from the event, they less affect it has on your daily struggle. Another well traveled path is to give your burden to the One who can handle it. The One who can handle your troubles is God. For those who have found Jesus Christ, turning your troubles over to him is a great relief. You know that you are not alone in your travel through life and the burdens become like a feather in the breeze. It comes down to communicating to God, through prayer. He knows your problems but is waiting on you to open the lines of communication to have personal time with just you.

The three verses from the Bible below have had the most influence on my life as a Christian (so far). They are taken from the KJV of the Bible because that is what I first started reading and I enjoy the old English way of saying things. It is also the only “true version” of the Bible for the Shiite Christians. I have talked about one of the verses in a previous post but events of last weekend have provided strengthening of my relationship with Christ and have allowed me a better understanding of some of my Earthly relationships. More later.


John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 15:12
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

Luke 6:37
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:


Icool


Cobb