tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84392901697445894612024-03-19T03:46:41.787-07:00 Musings From The Christian LeftJames Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-54550066118037857022022-11-07T19:02:00.000-08:002022-11-07T19:02:20.610-08:00Political Disagreement Shouldn't Equal Hate -<br />
<i>"But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, 'Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?' So he turned and went away in a rage."</i> ~ 2 Kings 5: 11-12 (ESV)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDykEP8gVaFvCAXBJ0k2ddhzC2m511HQ9uTdlblxxVA4IE72ziKmVhlU-B-9dL1_iUoPJcMrAlfFaTfbmwdbfnonaFREJSlge40zF1EJzB0_IY8XxUTJ0yo5uxey4apnOGzePvJeaRXHwANPQQJjczWxCpbclYXEljVTiXQH307s9d6bWNkMdP60yK7A/s1500/favpng_voting-euclidean-vector-referendum.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDykEP8gVaFvCAXBJ0k2ddhzC2m511HQ9uTdlblxxVA4IE72ziKmVhlU-B-9dL1_iUoPJcMrAlfFaTfbmwdbfnonaFREJSlge40zF1EJzB0_IY8XxUTJ0yo5uxey4apnOGzePvJeaRXHwANPQQJjczWxCpbclYXEljVTiXQH307s9d6bWNkMdP60yK7A/s320/favpng_voting-euclidean-vector-referendum.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Last Sunday my pastor told the story of Naaman. She explained that Naaman let his ego get in the way of the curative advice which had been given to him by God's prophet, simply because the aforementioned advice hadn't been delivered with the proper pomp and circumstance. <div><br /></div><div><b style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Ego:</b> <i>noun, plural e·gos.</i></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>the “I” or self of any person; a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.</li><li>Psychoanalysis. the part of the psychic apparatus that experiences and reacts to the outside world and thus mediates between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social and physical environment.</li><li>egotism; conceit; self-importance: <i>Her ego becomes more unbearable each day.</i></li></ol></div><div><div class="css-10n3ydx e1hk9ate0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-left: 20px;"><div class="css-1gk252f e1q3nk1v2" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: list-item; line-height: 1.5; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-top: 8px; padding-left: 25px; position: relative;" value="3"><span class="one-click-content css-nnyc96 e1q3nk1v1" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="self-importance" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; font-size: 18px; position: relative; z-index: 1;"><span class="luna-example italic" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="day" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; display: block; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;"></span></span></div></div>Pastor Crow was, of course, referring to the third definition; the definition which allows a person to feel superior to others. I don't think the timing was accidental either. As I pen (OK type) these words, Americans are voting in our nation's midterm election. Yes, I know this is my Christian, and not my political, blog. But what's bothers me is more spiritual than political. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>This election is centered around several hot button issues, and emotions are running high. Believing in issues is fine. However, we're becoming a country of people who are willing to vilify our fellow citizens for holding an opposing opinion. Liberals, like me, have a tendency to think of conservatives as being greedy bigots keeping their collective foot on the necks of minorities and the poor. Meanwhile, conservatives can see liberals as lazy perverts who haggle over child-slaves in the back rooms of pizza restaurants. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, none of these labels are accurate across the board and some are laughably false. We let people's political views keep us from knowing, and loving, one another. The thing is, we miss out on knowing some really great people simply because they hold an opposing political view. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>"If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."</i> ~ 1 John 4:20</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-2850111576584989442022-08-05T14:03:00.000-07:002022-08-05T14:03:31.473-07:00Sources of Inspiration<p> -</p><p><i style="font-weight: bold;">All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in </i><b><i>righteousness,</i> ~ 2 Timothy 39:16 </b><u><span style="font-size: x-small;">(English Standard Version)</span></u>.</p><p>Here, the author of 2 Timothy is telling readers to trust scripture; to lean on it, teach it, and take inspiration from it. And I do. The Holy Bible is a very inspiring text, let's get that right. But I find inspiration from other sources too. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Good poetry inspires me, the poems of Robert Frost being among my favorites (although, if one more person quotes the line from <b>Mending Wall</b><i>, "Good fences make good neighbors," </i>to support building a border wall, the men in white may have to fit me for a "special" coat).</li><li>Watching two hard fighting, clean fighting boxers duking it out for twelve rounds can be very inspiring. </li><li>I'm constantly inspired by the people, family & non-family, who selflessly take care of my physical needs. It's not an easy job and the do it with love every day.</li><li>The Vlogbrothers</li></ul>A record screeches and the room falls quiet.<p></p>
<div>
<div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 65%;">
<a href="http://jameskiester.com/jghg1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://jameskiester.com/jghg1.jpg" width="320" /></a>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><center>| Subject: Vlogbrothers - John on the left, Hank on the right |
| Date: 06/22/2021 | Photographers: Vlogbrothers |
| Permissions: This screenshot was part of a video originally uploaded to YouTube under a CC license.
Their <a href="https://nerdfighteria.com/online-nerdfighter-communities/">website</a> states: "YouTube allows users to mark their videos with a Creative Commons CC BY license." |</center> </span></div>
</div><div>Don't feel bad if you don't know who John Green and his brother, Hank, are. I'm probably the only member of their YouTube audience who remembers Bill Clinton's presidency.</div><div><br /></div><div>John writes novels for young adults. To promote his brand, in 2007 John and Hank began posting five-minute videos, addressed to each other, to help young people understand the world around them. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today, 3.4 million young people, known as "Nerd Fighters," belong to an online collective called <b>Nerdfighteria</b>. Rather than using the videos to simply promote John's books, and subsequent movies, the brothers use their unique celebratory status to, in their words, decrease "world suck." In other words, they actively work to make the world better place. </div><div><br /></div><div>And I don't mean making the world better by advocating for one political party, or religion, over another. Since dropping their first video, in 2007, the brothers have raised millions of dollars for such causes as Save the Children, The Against Malaria Foundation, The Ocean Cleanup, and <a href="http://www.fightworldsuck.org/previous-grants/" target="_blank">so many more</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I guess I'm a fan because they're actively trying to make the world a better place. Perhaps if more of us took their lead the world would actually be a better place. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ~ James 1:22</b></div><div>-</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-36612581581675109182022-02-26T15:47:00.000-08:002022-02-26T15:47:33.194-08:00The Importance of Puppies <p> -</p><p><b><i>"The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves."</i> ~ Mark 6:30-32</b></p><p>I had my quarterly Botox injections done this past Friday morning. The doctor saw, from my pain log, that my headaches had taken a sharp upswing lately. I told him I'd been under some stress lately. I was referring to the fact that I'd recently given up my 14-year-old food blog in response to being put on a low sodium diet, and that two days prior my niece's, Natalie's, baby died in the womb, and she had to deliver the dead fetus, named Phoenix, weighing 1.3oz. Fifteen minutes after my niece had gone into twelve hours of induced labor, a friend from my Mormon childhood died from cancer. </p><p>My body tensed. Seeing I was having trouble relaying the causes of my stress, the doctor began to tell me how stressed he was over the plight of the Ukrainian people. He went on to give a rather </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh_5__NUvbhppjiTfCfXjwkFTejk1e-J2WeqICjQmWGfN_X7srHq0BsosTKuBbCl-wFtE5GbBXElRLEUat9PWvIZ6a11OBsTvRFR_I-7GK0uDZmy5utR5M8nVeX_EhoylAais2E1-CuNnp9Tckno3WUVASZkFT-hmBC6rnH9SvS5DF5Ct1N-7ezdqZrQ=s573" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="573" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjh_5__NUvbhppjiTfCfXjwkFTejk1e-J2WeqICjQmWGfN_X7srHq0BsosTKuBbCl-wFtE5GbBXElRLEUat9PWvIZ6a11OBsTvRFR_I-7GK0uDZmy5utR5M8nVeX_EhoylAais2E1-CuNnp9Tckno3WUVASZkFT-hmBC6rnH9SvS5DF5Ct1N-7ezdqZrQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div>uncomplimentary critique of Vladimir Putin's character. Then, I was treated to his, less than flattering, opinion of pro-Putin Americans.<p></p><p>Suddenly, his entire body relaxed as an aura of piece enveloped the man. He said, "it's OK though, because at the end of the day I get to go home and look at puppies." He was telling me that we all need that one thing that gives us pleasure and gives us a break from the rigmarole and negativity of the world. </p><p>He was right. For him, it was cute little puppies. For me, it's an art form which utilizes a series of images, deployed in a specific order, for the purpose of graphic storytelling, i.e., comics. Even the apostles needed a break from spreading the Good News. </p><p>Sure, we need to be responsible and deal with the unpleasant parts of life. However, we need to take time to enjoy the pleasant things life has to offer. </p>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-41474433694779579472022-01-30T21:30:00.000-08:002022-01-30T21:30:07.894-08:00Was Jesus Perfect?<p>-</p>
<b><i>"The woman came and knelt before Him. 'Lord, help me!' she said. But Jesus replied, 'It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.' 'Yes, Lord,' she said, 'even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.' 'O woman,' Jesus answered, 'your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed from that very hour."</i> ~ Mathew 15: 25-28 (ESV)</b>
<div><div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 60%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_B75mMiE1MvYavtej_kAnnQjgvnnToaU30GVneOERrpkuKQ1l9DiOVK1pvjNzqF5dw36_EXdPOxjjd_fItIeUY48aJdZdihSo49B37X6QwQ3lom0fzHrJ9LeDBlGnQvULGcjeraq88CM0FuLcCgH8GcWFraIiXmNDgztFzxjGdu1v_bsV_Nsc9FT3Nw=s1000" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_B75mMiE1MvYavtej_kAnnQjgvnnToaU30GVneOERrpkuKQ1l9DiOVK1pvjNzqF5dw36_EXdPOxjjd_fItIeUY48aJdZdihSo49B37X6QwQ3lom0fzHrJ9LeDBlGnQvULGcjeraq88CM0FuLcCgH8GcWFraIiXmNDgztFzxjGdu1v_bsV_Nsc9FT3Nw=w320-h179" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>I was raised to see Jesus as the only perfect person to ever have walked the Earth. I'd accepted the idea as an axiom (if religious axioms are a thing). Then, I actually read the Bible. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Mathew 15: 25-28, Jesus makes a racial slur, comparing Canaanites to dogs. Unfortunately, this moment of racial insensitivity wasn’t the only tarnish I found on Christ's armor of perfection. </div><div><br /></div><div>In <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%202&version=ESV">John 2: 1-11</a>, when Mary tells Jesus the wedding they're at is out of wine, Jesus calls her, "Woman," and essentially tells her it's not His problem. He talked back to His mother. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+8%3A+22-25&version=ESV">Luke 8: 22-25</a> His disciples wake Him during a storm at sea, and He grumbles at them, "Where is your faith?" Jesus woke up cranky. </div><div><br /></div><div>By my way of thinking, perfect people don't make racial slurs, talk back to their mother, or wake up cranky. By my way of thinking, perfect people are kind and pleasant one hundred percent of the time. <b>Ah, but there’s the rub</b>, I was holding Jesus to <i>my </i>idea of perfection without any objective reason to believe <i>my</i> idea of perfection was correct. </div><div><br /></div><div>I still think racial slurs, flippant remarks, and post slumber crankiness are things to shy away from. In the end though, it's not <i>my </i>idea of perfection that matters. Like I said in a <a href="https://musingsfromthechristianleft.blogspot.com/2021/10/a-question-of-perfection.html" target="_blank">recent blog</a>, I think it's a perfection we don't understand; it's a perfection we need to accept on faith.</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-50695839008464400792021-11-24T20:46:00.000-08:002021-11-24T20:46:12.186-08:00Giving Thanks <p> -</p><p><b><i> Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;<br />
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!<br />
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;<br />
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!</i> ~ Psalm 95: 1-2</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghvRTcFCgrDZfDv2sXYMq1WPnimrbXWfsx1TuM8mRiyWBO6GczMcrfH8_XiVv3RxLz68Hnisa1iFbMJVTx2armi_-7KL_LNTLeLfXAoUXc-x_iqxsnqqFdywAeNaCwv9OQyGDkeva4FEVYraL5T17XXHi4MqY0lbv-BXcAH1Y0lnYA44d6MPCkC3rcxQ=s800" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghvRTcFCgrDZfDv2sXYMq1WPnimrbXWfsx1TuM8mRiyWBO6GczMcrfH8_XiVv3RxLz68Hnisa1iFbMJVTx2armi_-7KL_LNTLeLfXAoUXc-x_iqxsnqqFdywAeNaCwv9OQyGDkeva4FEVYraL5T17XXHi4MqY0lbv-BXcAH1Y0lnYA44d6MPCkC3rcxQ=s320" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghvRTcFCgrDZfDv2sXYMq1WPnimrbXWfsx1TuM8mRiyWBO6GczMcrfH8_XiVv3RxLz68Hnisa1iFbMJVTx2armi_-7KL_LNTLeLfXAoUXc-x_iqxsnqqFdywAeNaCwv9OQyGDkeva4FEVYraL5T17XXHi4MqY0lbv-BXcAH1Y0lnYA44d6MPCkC3rcxQ=s800" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></a></b></div>
I pray a lot. I pray when I wake up. I pray when I boot my computer up each morning, revealing a picture of Christ displayed on my desktop's wallpaper. I pray when a friend tells me of their struggles. And, I pray before I go to sleep at night. <div><br /></div><div>During these prayers, I always dedicate a line to <i>thanking God for all He's done for me and all the good people He's put into my life.</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>I say the line every time. The problem was, I was regurgitating the line, somewhere in the middle of a laundry-list of requests, without really thinking about the line. It was a line, but I wasn’t feeling the <i>thanks.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Saying, "thank you," without feeling gratitude is hollow, just empty words. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanksgiving is upon us; a holiday based on giving thanks. I think it may be a good time to a prayer, purely of thanks, to my daily repertoire. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>My Father in Heaven, thank You for all You've done for me throughout my life and all good people You've put into my life. I say thank You in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, Amen. </i></div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-39676154705124343632021-10-14T14:52:00.004-07:002022-01-27T17:00:47.807-08:00A Question Of Perfection<p>-</p>
<div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><b><i style="font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 16px;">"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." </i><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Arial"><i>~ </i><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A48&version=ESV" target="_blank"></a></span></span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205%3A48&version=ESV" target="_blank">Matthew 5:48</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHObjZh1NboI1tl4NBZp7wYZ_mec_Jsjeh5P5pmoDTrpPffU8k4gmBneLhtmkDGSM1Meg3vXU8ExNcIrxoFPle91WqMFc2HLFBZArBdheqpsGNsK5caBiOTDOSRuve_F0X4pPTOFvdF7QeZPfRdJcOvApcKALR2ALJAOZ_pZcyTuYuLBkBOw8NTEv8Rw=s699" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="699" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHObjZh1NboI1tl4NBZp7wYZ_mec_Jsjeh5P5pmoDTrpPffU8k4gmBneLhtmkDGSM1Meg3vXU8ExNcIrxoFPle91WqMFc2HLFBZArBdheqpsGNsK5caBiOTDOSRuve_F0X4pPTOFvdF7QeZPfRdJcOvApcKALR2ALJAOZ_pZcyTuYuLBkBOw8NTEv8Rw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">A few days ago</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, I was talking about religion with a friend, and self proclaimed WICCAN</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. Yes</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, I know religion is supposed to be the proverbial third rail among friends</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. I</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">'m sorry though</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, there comes a point in a friendship, where if y</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">ou're still only discussing superficial things (the Kardashians, Real Housewives of Omaha</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, and Star Trek), it may be a stagnant relationship</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. </span></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Anyway</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, my friend asked</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, "If God made mankind perfectly</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, why have people such as Hitler existed</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">?"</span></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">I puzzled and I puzzled until my puzzler was sore. Eventually</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, I told her we were a perfect creation</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, but what we do with that creation is up to us</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. She went home satisfied with my answer</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. </span></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">I'm not</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. </span></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">The answer is based on the idea that people are born with the same number of; abilities</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, resources</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">, and opportunities</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">; and our lives are shaped by our choices</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">. It</span>'s a nice fluffy thought, but <span style="background-color: red; color: #fcff01; font-family: Shadows Into Light; font-size: large;">BUZZ</span>, sorry<span style="background-color: transparent;">, wrong answer</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">! Thanks for playing; Rod Roddy, tell them about their consolation prize. </span></div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">We </span>don't start out on an equal playing field. Some people are born with chronic physical and/or academic challenges. Others are born into mind numbing poverty. <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/26/world/africa/blood-diamonds/index.html" target="_blank">Thousands are still being born into slavery to mine diamonds</a>. We aren't all created equally or perfectly, at least not by our definition. </div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;"> I still think of the Holy Trinity as being perfect. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reverently robed, watching over us from a white marble banister, surrounded by a host of angels. It's how I drew them. (See above)</div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;">Yet, it's a perfection I don't understand. We may be so close to a single thread that we can’t see the perfection of the entire cosmic tapestry. It's the best answer I can come up with. Yet such an answer, while making me comfortable with my Christian faith, does nothing for the five-year-old digging for diamonds in Africa. </div><div class="bible-item-text col-sm-9" style="box-sizing: border-box; flex: 1 1 80%; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-width: 0px;">I have faith in you Lord, but I don't understand your perfection. Amen.</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-11231300556041859982021-09-20T16:51:00.003-07:002021-09-20T17:13:18.457-07:00Casting Hate Away<p> -</p><p><b><i>"Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness." ~</i> 1 John 2:9</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFolTamwefXCHxWYGf53Y6GvPLNUBpLoPvO8VFGsoUI1p4d-SqRNs9exmCHEwsBm48swjbZj9jB0468u7-wB1M9BfdXREhF7Bmhrj6WQzXjzdDBngB3KRZo_bEeOSRig_J1xz8xfF_vxL/s956/favpng_youtube-i-hate-everything-drawing-fan-art.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="835" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwFolTamwefXCHxWYGf53Y6GvPLNUBpLoPvO8VFGsoUI1p4d-SqRNs9exmCHEwsBm48swjbZj9jB0468u7-wB1M9BfdXREhF7Bmhrj6WQzXjzdDBngB3KRZo_bEeOSRig_J1xz8xfF_vxL/s320/favpng_youtube-i-hate-everything-drawing-fan-art.png" width="279" /></a></div>Not long ago, I wrote a blog about <a href="https://musingsfromthechristianleft.blogspot.com/2021/06/no-time-for-hate.html" target="_blank">hate</a>. When I penned that piece, I was writing about hate in response to issues & politics. Since then, the issue has hit closer to home. Two close friends of mine have chosen to hate each other. <div><br /></div><div>And yes, I use the word, "chosen," intentionally. Hate <i>is </i>a choice. We can't choose what others do, but we can choose how we respond to their choices. </div><div><br /></div><div>Some will say, hatred of a social injustice can lead to justice. Such people are confusing hatred with anger. A mother can be angry at Johnny for taking the cookie, but she still loves him. Likewise, emotionally healthy people can feel anger over a situation without allowing it to morph and fester into hatred. </div><div><br /></div><div>The baffling part is that people who hate don't want to give up that hate. They clutch it tightly, as if it's keeping them alive. I don't know about you, but I've never known a hate filled happy person. The hatred actually chokes out the happiness and keeps it from coming back. </div><div><br /></div><div>If one had a rock on top of their head, which was keeping them from being happy, they would remove the rock. Heck, if they tip their head the rock will probably slide off. Yet, haters use their palm to press the rock into their scalp to MAKE SURE they don't lose it, giving themselves a headache. </div><div>-</div><div>Prayer: Help us release our hatred and heal from its effects. Amen.</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-20119292253196888742021-08-18T17:05:00.000-07:002021-08-18T17:05:05.024-07:00Eggs And Scorpions<p> -</p><p><b><i><span class="text Luke-11-9" id="en-ESV-25406" style="background-color: white;"><span class="woj">"<span face="system-ui, -apple-system, Segoe UI, Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Noto Sans, sans-serif, Arial">And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.</span></span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text Luke-11-10" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-ESV-25407" style="background-color: white;"><span class="woj"><span class="versenum" style="display: inline; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;"> </span>For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.</span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text Luke-11-11" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-ESV-25408" style="background-color: white;"><span class="woj"><span class="versenum" style="display: inline; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;"> </span>What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;</span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="text Luke-11-12" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-ESV-25409" style="background-color: white;"><span class="woj">or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?</span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;"> </span></i><span class="text Luke-11-13" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-ESV-25410" style="background-color: white;"><span class="woj"><i><span class="versenum" style="display: inline; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;"> </span>If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” ~</i> Luke 11:9-11</span></span></b></p><p><b><span class="text Luke-11-13" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span class="woj"></span></span></b></p><div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 60%;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhImplDjLHEOeqAo5Tx_YFPAQM-3uCaDsv_icml0H7JQ9lg-Yti8_uyv5EaXgwOHg0iZFMW9tXA0ms9IDgyganKv3WYmRHZs7XyKtKYU0uOGR61slDPTxmhU2u648h42QUL00XFvu4JhulY7y-uZakdEIUFLbIEs6xhTl5Kvjh7sPiC1LLwZBAz41ASGA=s622" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="622" data-original-width="615" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhImplDjLHEOeqAo5Tx_YFPAQM-3uCaDsv_icml0H7JQ9lg-Yti8_uyv5EaXgwOHg0iZFMW9tXA0ms9IDgyganKv3WYmRHZs7XyKtKYU0uOGR61slDPTxmhU2u648h42QUL00XFvu4JhulY7y-uZakdEIUFLbIEs6xhTl5Kvjh7sPiC1LLwZBAz41ASGA=s320" /></a>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">|Subject: Luke 11:9-11 | Rights to PNGs secured from <a href="https://favpng.com/">FAVPNG Premium</a> |</span></div>We're not supposed to hate parts of the Holy Bible. I mean, Job is a bit of a downer for a sunny Sunday afternoon and Numbers is down right boring. Still, it's the word of God, so we're supposed to find value in every part of it. <p></p><div>When I was little I was a good Mormon boy. The passage of Luke in question strongly suggests, if not outright says, if you go to God, in the name of Jesus, He will give you what you ask for. Every night I'd ask God to give me the ability to walk, and every morning I'd wake up disabled with Cerebral Palsy. Where were my eggs. </div><div><br /></div><div>Life happened, I fell away, dabbled in agnosticism, humanism, WICCA, and eventually circled back to Christianity minus the Mormonism. When I came back Luke 11:9-11 was there waiting for me with a wave and a, "Hi pal."</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't know what to do with it. I was 40, and I understood different writers wrote the books of the Holy Bible from different points of view. It was possible that the writer of Luke/Acts snuck that in there in order to attract people to Christianity. Yet, the part of me that prayed everyday wasn't completely comfortable writing it off as PR spin.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the words of Old Blue Eyes, "...I'm in the autumn of the year, and now I think of my life as vintage wine from fine old keg..." I realize that everything good in my life was, in no small part, thanks to the good people in my life. I've been surrounded by truly good people who have loved and cared for me in countless ways. They’re my eggs. They’re my blessings. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes we have to look back at a situation, in this case a life, before we can recognize God's handiwork. Yet, I think the proverbial eggs are always there. </div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-86963116072664472362021-07-22T21:09:00.001-07:002021-08-02T15:11:38.888-07:00Touching Base With My Readers<p>-</p>
<b><u>To My Readers:</u></b><div><b><u><br /></u></b>
<div>This is a different kind of blog specifically written for my regular readers. Many of you are aware of new posts via my newsletter. Nothing is changing for those readers. They'll still receive my newsletter in their inbox whenever I post an update on any of my three blogs (<a href="http://jameskiester.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Blogito Ergo Sum</a>, <a href="https://onjamesplate.blogspot.com" target="_blank">On My Plate</a>, and <a href="https://musingsfromthechristianleft.blogspot.com" target="_blank">Musings From The Christian Left</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div>However, some of you subscribe through through the feedburner in the navigation column. At the end of the month, the feedburner will no longer support such subscriptions. In order to receive future updates, simply subscribe to my newsletter. </div><div><br /></div>
To receive my newsletter when new blogs are posted <a href="mailto:james@jameskiester.com?subject=Subscribe Me To James Kiester's Blogogram">email me here</a>. <div><hr />
</div><b><u>Question:</u></b></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 40%;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJozd2GVoPwSBGDr6T0A7KRA10MgqH-fYn5xWlRE1_PwLz8EmhOc4lk1DddpVvo4Y9DeFsbMQ5IvhF1G4uY58jNZ8jFPY2KHLFhfXZ2F_95-V18y7DAjV_N2L6Pk12HBTC_PGj2A5lC0zq/s978/favpng_bible-crucifixion-of-jesus-last-supper-arrest-of-jesus-eucharist.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJozd2GVoPwSBGDr6T0A7KRA10MgqH-fYn5xWlRE1_PwLz8EmhOc4lk1DddpVvo4Y9DeFsbMQ5IvhF1G4uY58jNZ8jFPY2KHLFhfXZ2F_95-V18y7DAjV_N2L6Pk12HBTC_PGj2A5lC0zq/s200/favpng_bible-crucifixion-of-jesus-last-supper-arrest-of-jesus-eucharist.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">|Subject: Bible | Rights to PNG secured from <a href="https://favpng.com/">FAVPNG Premium</a> |</span></div>Now, this is a liberal Christian blog, and I would appreciate your thoughts on something. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Mark 5:14-16 Jesus casts "a legion of demons" out of a man.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs."</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Today, enlightened Christians explain away the demons, recognizing the man probably had Schizophrenia. I wonder though, can we become enlightened that we explain away all the miracles? If we do, are we still Christian? Love your thoughts. </div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-89908726681495209742021-06-11T14:18:00.000-07:002021-06-11T14:18:00.260-07:00No Time For Hate<p> -</p><p><b><i>"But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes."</i>~ 1 John 2:11 (ESV)</b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVA_P_-opjX_svLhxCN62n7K1OLoxFiM48_Q75NZWh3aAVI0gh4X-MGguYhHT-gKgwcdRy06mZKGHQUgyULJ7nfAS-STPfrvRtPLb4c7j-JJCIQRqch1dD7YfP2KEKJ9O1NhvUFrG-hgHJ/s788/i-dont-have-time-to-hate-people.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVA_P_-opjX_svLhxCN62n7K1OLoxFiM48_Q75NZWh3aAVI0gh4X-MGguYhHT-gKgwcdRy06mZKGHQUgyULJ7nfAS-STPfrvRtPLb4c7j-JJCIQRqch1dD7YfP2KEKJ9O1NhvUFrG-hgHJ/s320/i-dont-have-time-to-hate-people.jpg" /></a></div>My nurse was giving me a shower the other day when she bumped head on the soap caddie. It smarted, but there was no blood or goose egg or anything. Yet, as soon as cranium hit fixture she exclaimed, "I hate that thing!" The target of her loathing was an inanimate object, so no feelings were hurt. It struck me that we use the word as easily as we clear our throats. <div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">HATE </span><span style="font-size: medium;">[heyt]</span></div><div><span class="css-chpztc e1hk9ate2" face="Arial, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 18px; font-style: italic;">verb (used with object),</span><span class="css-hy1r8 e1hk9ate1" face="Arial, sans-serif" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline; font-size: 18px;"> <span class="luna-inflected-form bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">hat·ed,</span> <span class="luna-inflected-form bold" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: bold;">hat·ing.</span></span></div><div><div class="css-1uqerbd e1hk9ate0" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin-left: 20px;"><div class="css-1ghs5zt e1q3nk1v2" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: list-item; line-height: 1.5; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-top: 8px; padding-left: 25px; position: relative;" value="1"><span class="one-click-content css-ibc84h e1q3nk1v1" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="toward" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; cursor: pointer; font-size: 18px; position: relative; z-index: 1;">to dislike intensely or passionately; feel extreme aversion for or extreme hostility toward; detest:<span class="luna-example italic" data-linkid="nn1ov4" data-term="bigotry" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #4a4a4a; display: block; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic;">to hate the enemy; to hate bigotry.</span></span></div></div></div><div><br /></div>
It's a powerful word. It's more than simply not caring for the target. It's disliking with a passion, a venom. Personally, I've never hated and been happy at the same time. Joyous feelings have always been pushed out by feelings of anger, bitterness, and sadness. <div><br /></div><div>I'm a political junkie, and when certain politicians come on the news, I've been known to tell the room, "I hate that *#$&%!" While I was weighed down by bitter feelings, the politician in question was oblivious to my self-inflicted emotional suffering. </div><div><br /></div><div>As negative as hate is, it seems to be everywhere these days. People belonging to racial minorities hate the police. Pockets of white America hate people belonging to racial minorities. Hard nosed Christians hate gays & lesbians. Our political leaders hate each other so much they won't sign bills sponsored by the opposing political party. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hate is pointless. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's counterproductive. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's destructive. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hate requires time and energy. The time and energy we dedicate to hate is time and energy we're not spending on something fun and/or productive, and the hater is the one who loses out the most. Lets axe it from our schedules and our lives. </div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-10397247963339125962021-04-03T16:42:00.000-07:002021-04-03T16:42:27.796-07:00I Thought I Was Smart-<br />
<b><i>"Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me." ~</i> Matthew 25:45</b>
<br /><br />I think this is one of the first scriptures I knew verbatim and internalized. It made sense to me, and still does, that serving the poor and needy is akin to serving God. It's one of the cornerstones of Christianity.<br /><br />
By the time I got to college I was somewhat grounded in science. Thus, I had a hard time reconciling the more "paranormal" parts of our religion. I was all there for the moral lessons, but I saw most of the miracles as primitive man's misunderstanding of the world. I wasn't sure what to do with the most pivotal moment of our religion though, namely the resurrection of Jesus Christ.<div><br /><div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: right; padding: 5px; width: 45%;">
<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_18th_Century,_Christ_on_the_Road_to_Emmaus,_c._1725-1730,_NGA_50692.jpg" title="National Gallery of Art
, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="American 18th Century, Christ on the Road to Emmaus, c. 1725-1730, NGA 50692" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/American_18th_Century%2C_Christ_on_the_Road_to_Emmaus%2C_c._1725-1730%2C_NGA_50692.jpg/256px-American_18th_Century%2C_Christ_on_the_Road_to_Emmaus%2C_c._1725-1730%2C_NGA_50692.jpg" width="256" /></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">|Subject: American painting of Christ on the Road to Emmaus | Date: 1725-1730 | This image is available from the United States Library of Congress. |</span></div>
<b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A+13-34&version=ESV">Luke 24:13-34</a></b> tells the story of two of the apostles three days after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. They met a man, but didn't recognize as Jesus until they fed him.<div><br /></div><div>I connected the story with the verse from Matthew, and I reasoned that when they fed the hungry man it had been like they had fed Christ, and at that moment His teachings and Church had been resurrected. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>When I put that together I felt as if I deserved a proper pipe for having unmasked Professor Moriarty. The problem is that I was wrong. I was trying to take God's power out of the Bible.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've come to realize a critical part of believing in God is accepting that God's nature and power are beyond our understanding. I'll never be able to fully grasp how He can be His own son, or how a third of God can be killed and resurrected. It will never make logical rational sense to me, but that's OK.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've come to realize that, at least for me, being Christian requires me to have faith in the facets of God which I can't understand. This Easter I'll take grateful joy in the fact that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose again to show us that death is not the end.</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-73244981499911892932021-03-20T14:49:00.000-07:002021-03-20T14:49:22.843-07:00Truth IS Truth-<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQSy9bIhySptbXcZ4n_TAo4X0YGHtV2IldyIRpzEdhjfv5Q9uIDu1DPJ3kIJLTZK5j0QhVIftZGiD6ILW8JLWZ0FTfuoW9BLNnZVBxImEsVa1IFbnPolbdm_wqWDb_TT1bXMb6rMzotPN/s492/Truth.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQSy9bIhySptbXcZ4n_TAo4X0YGHtV2IldyIRpzEdhjfv5Q9uIDu1DPJ3kIJLTZK5j0QhVIftZGiD6ILW8JLWZ0FTfuoW9BLNnZVBxImEsVa1IFbnPolbdm_wqWDb_TT1bXMb6rMzotPN/s320/Truth.jpg"/></a></div>In 2018, Rudolph Giuliani appeared on <i>Meet The Press</i> to explain why the president should not testify for special counsel Robert Mueller for fear of being trapped into a lie that could lead to a perjury charge. “Truth is truth,” Chuck Todd responded. “No, no, truth isn’t truth,” Giuliani said.
<br><br>
About a week ago, a good friend of mine posted on Facebook that, <i>“Gen Z is so hopeless and depressed, and I think I've stumbled upon the answer..... Gen Z has no TRUTH. Everything in their lives has been subjective, temporary, or untrustworthy.”</i>
<br><br>
Unlike most Facebook posts, this one stayed with me long after I’d logged off. While I agree with her sentiment, I don't think the upcoming generation is the first to be swept into moral subjectivity.
<br><br>
When I was in college, back in 1992, a fellow student explained, the holocaust was right for the German people therefore we shouldn't label participants as being “evil.” My, normally subdued, philosophy professor turned beet red as she explained that if morality was subjective enough to excuse the sadistic murder of 6 million Jews then there's no such thing as evil.
<br><br>
She was right. There's a line between what is good and what is evil; what is true and what is false; what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. The line is real, it exists.
<br><br>
Yet, we live in a society which embraces subjectivity to the point <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-09-24/gender-neutral-non-binary-baby"> some new parents don't want to list a gender on their baby’s birth certificate</a> . Don't get me wrong, as far as I’m concerned you can love whoever you want, but I'm sorry; if you're born with an “innie” you're a girl, if you're born with an “outtie” you're a boy. It's as objective as truth gets.
<br><br>
Granted, sometimes there are ambiguous gray areas in life. However, there are many black and white areas as well. Sometimes I think we tell ourselves a decision falls within a gray area, when we know it's wrong, as a way of justifying our actions. If an action is good though, we don't have to justify it.
<br><br>
I live by the idea that if an action helps someone it's good, if it hurts someone it's evil. It sounds overly simplistic, I know, but it works for me.
<br><br>
Truth IS truth.
James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-24235916623477557212021-02-04T17:15:00.000-08:002021-02-04T17:15:21.913-08:00The Price Of Justice-<br>
<i><b>“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”</i> ~ Matthew 18: 15-17</b>
<br><br>
<div style="border: 0px solid #000000; float: left; padding: 5px; width: 40%;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbd2xdBAldktQQ-C7zz2TO0YVciPIX2VdrOSExQyfVEqr1IYrtwRzCJSqC61xGAs8qjS2ZWo0aRZ1KZPvKEwAws33gKOIMM0qCsKzbYvxqibKNRghyphenhyphenDSUbtdGnBKh6l0Uw639peM5FOaE/s1280/Courtroom.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="200" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbd2xdBAldktQQ-C7zz2TO0YVciPIX2VdrOSExQyfVEqr1IYrtwRzCJSqC61xGAs8qjS2ZWo0aRZ1KZPvKEwAws33gKOIMM0qCsKzbYvxqibKNRghyphenhyphenDSUbtdGnBKh6l0Uw639peM5FOaE/s200/Courtroom.jpg"/></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;">|Subject: Courtroom, Robert N.C. Nix Federal Building, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Date: 2007 | Photographer: Carol M. Highsmith | This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division. |</span></div>The practice of law has always been of interest to me. Heck, when I was a kid my hero was Perry Mason. I like the idea of being able to use well-reasoned argument to trap someone in a lie. Even today, I like to end the day with an hour of Judge Judy. Seeing her embarrass obvious liars is pure entertainment to me.
<br><br>
Yet, there are two things I hate about the show.
<blockquote><li>1. They'll introduce litigants as being, “former friends.”
<li>2. During their exit interview, someone will inevitability say, “I’ll never help anyone ever again.”</blockquote>
“Former friends?” What's that about? OK, sometimes we have to axe
toxic people from our lives. It’s painful, but sometimes it's necessary. Granted. But, friends, real friends, shouldn't let a single disagreement sink their friendship. Life's to short to lose even one friend over an insurance deductible or a hole in the wall.
<br><br>
And, if the moral of a story is, “don’t help others,” the story is fakakta. If we’re not helping others, then what are we doing here? Seriously, I sleep much better if I know I helped someone that day. I believe it's, literally, why we're here.
<br><br>
My best friend and I will never agree on politics or religion. She refers to God as, “that fictional guy on the cloud.” We agree on the important things. We agree on how to treat people and put them first. At the end of the, our relationships are our most prized possessions.
<br><br>
People of good conscious can have genuine disagreements, and sometimes we need the courts to resolve such disagreements. Yet, when we allow the adversarial system to cost us friendships, and/or make us jaded toward helping others, we’ve paid too high a price for the resolution of our dispute.
James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-34292493062075649192021-01-19T16:36:00.001-08:002021-01-19T16:36:42.375-08:00Healing Thoughts -<div>I haven't posted in some time for the simple reason that I've been in the hospital. No, it wasn’t COVID-19 related, but the problem with my innards was nasty enough to knock me down for the count, requiring emergency surgery.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwtEUqel1jiIIfmOB-Yg2Lzljq3a5443LTbKUsF5jsH9hJJ3JaVuODtbidLtZ3AKE0sUtYpTwrlbtzJnZQucy3Vp3Tsbw0EU19EJSxDevA5JegZ-aAaaz3IVOnQkFg8eBT0Vn27UUXqj_/s512/Healing.gif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="395" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvwtEUqel1jiIIfmOB-Yg2Lzljq3a5443LTbKUsF5jsH9hJJ3JaVuODtbidLtZ3AKE0sUtYpTwrlbtzJnZQucy3Vp3Tsbw0EU19EJSxDevA5JegZ-aAaaz3IVOnQkFg8eBT0Vn27UUXqj_/s320/Healing.gif" /></a><br /><br />Lying in bed, breathing through a tube, gives a person a chance to observe humanity from a unique angle. On the TV above me, I could follow the story of a self-interested president trying to hold onto power, despite the will of the people. <div><br />Watching this meglomaniac whip, gullibly uninformed, people into seething hordes of misdirected violence, one would tend to agree with Paul's letter to the <b>Romans (3:10-18 ESV) ~ </b><b><i>As it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”</i></b><b><i><br /></i></b><br /></div><div>I don't buy it. As I healed, a parade off people made their way through my room. These people had all dedicated their professional lives to easing the pain of others. The contrast between the televised selfishness, and the compassion which I had been the beneficiary of, was striking. Perhaps it's due to a lack of imagination on my part, but I can't picture such kindness being the result of <i>"original sin."</i> Nor, can I see humanity as fundamentally unrighteous and worthless. <br /><br /></div><div>I've said it before, and I'll happily repeat myself here. People are naturally kind. Humanity is naturally good. When given a choice, mentally, and emotionally, healthy people will choose kindness & generosity over cruelty & selfishness. <br /><br />Yes, the world seems to be mired in a darkness right now. The darkness in question is not a reflection the majority of humanity. The darkness in question is the result of sick selfish people obtaining more than their fair share of power. We fell asleep at the proverbial wheel & let it happen. Yet, last November we rallied back and corrected many of our mistakes. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a whole, the human race values; </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>kindness, </li><li>compassion, </li><li>generosity, </li><li>healing, </li><li>helpfulness, </li><li>and love. </li></ul>I simply can't make myself believe that people with such values were originally spawned from sin.</div><div><br />Amen. </div></div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-44435175209103979702020-11-22T15:15:00.000-08:002020-11-22T15:15:47.400-08:00Giving Thanks <p> -</p><p><b><i>"Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song." ~ </i>Psalm 95:1-2</b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqrI5fUmDi7AHZyw-aWALVBhKCdnF46l5sPagMo3wUocf9F9BCor0wJPB3M9QZwrjrVHYh6HeKUy_H2me0YmA8MmZaRYK0LeYWUlZcHE_LVz-GltOSIhapl_E5B9VM2Ocyu56K8GX2nxs/s450/Thanksgiving.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHqrI5fUmDi7AHZyw-aWALVBhKCdnF46l5sPagMo3wUocf9F9BCor0wJPB3M9QZwrjrVHYh6HeKUy_H2me0YmA8MmZaRYK0LeYWUlZcHE_LVz-GltOSIhapl_E5B9VM2Ocyu56K8GX2nxs/s320/Thanksgiving.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>Thanksgiving</b> - noun, is defined by <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/thanksgiving?s=t">DICTIONARY.COM</a> as<br />[ thanks-giv-ing ]</p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favors, especially to God.</li><li>an expression of thanks, especially to God.</li><li>a public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.</li><li>a day set apart for giving thanks to God</li></ol>
I look forward to Thanksgiving every year, but not for the reasons one might think. It's true I'm a foodie, and always welcome a chance to feast on a variety of culinary delights. Yet, what I REALLY look forward to is the opportunity to thank the amazing people in my life, for all they do for me all year 'round.<div><br /></div><div>There's not a day that goes by that I'm not floored by the extraordinarily high caliber of people who are in my life. I thank God, daily, for these precious gifts of family and friends. Yet, we live in a society in which spontaneous gestures of affection and gratitude can be seen as creepy and off-putting.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Sarah Josepha Hale pestered President Lincoln to declare a national day of <b>Thanksgiving</b>, she was trying to unite a broken nation via a common honoring of the harvest. Yet, it can also be a superb opportunity to thank the people in our lives for the roles they play. I actually find it baffling that Hallmark hasn't turned it into a mega card holiday by now.</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-34709261280210134552020-10-03T16:20:00.000-07:002020-10-03T16:20:54.803-07:00Loving My Enemy Can Be A Tricky Proposition<p>-<br><b><i>“But I say to you that listen: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also.”</i> ~ Luke 6:27-29</b></p>
<div>
<div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 60%;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT6DLSUUk-SuYX3VB1xbaJ3NKnTLqpaj_awfu8iv_MdKvo8T_8Zq7yUqz7k7ydfzxiE9Hbh39f9dbcjEhlfEtBHwMGCwieKN5O5Ofw0fc-D1hE505P1jsKxLpk7LHp784HrGksRef9mA/s1600/trumpgarden.jpg"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="430" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT6DLSUUk-SuYX3VB1xbaJ3NKnTLqpaj_awfu8iv_MdKvo8T_8Zq7yUqz7k7ydfzxiE9Hbh39f9dbcjEhlfEtBHwMGCwieKN5O5Ofw0fc-D1hE505P1jsKxLpk7LHp784HrGksRef9mA/s320/trumpgarden.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Subject: <b>President Trump at White House garden podium | Photographer: White House Photographic Office </b>|</b>As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.<br />
</span></div>
</div>
I'm an American liberal Christian. Right now my President, the President who often mocked people for wearing Covid-19 preventing masks, is a patient at Walter Reed General Hospital stricken with Covid-19. When I first heard the news I cheered. Being a liberal, I've viewed President Donald J. Trump to be an enemy of everything I believe in. Thus, I was looking for Champagne to pop.<div><br /></div><div>30 minutes later, I found myself embarrassed by my initial reaction. As an American, I should have respect for the office of President, if not for the man who holds the office. As a Christian, I should love my enemy, even while I fight against their ideas and actions. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'd failed on both counts. I need to do better. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't get me wrong, I won't be buying a red "MAGA" cap or voting for him any time soon. Yet, I will pray for him as I'd pray for anyone with this awful disease. I will also pray that this experience will increase his empathy for others. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I'll be voting for Joe Biden. However, I don't need to wish Donald Trump dead in order to wish him out of office. </div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-41626609888939342422020-09-20T17:27:00.000-07:002020-09-20T17:27:59.143-07:00God Is In My Corner<div style="text-align: left;">-</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i>"Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, 'Are you for us or for our enemies?' 'Neither,' he replied, 'but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.' Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, 'What message does my Lord have for his servant?'”</i> ~ Joshua 5:13-14</b></div><div><div style="border: 0px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); float: left; padding: 5px; width: 35%;"><img alt="Muhammad Ali during a Boxing Match in Washington" border="0" src="http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h77/keystar_2006/Photobucket%20Desktop%20-%20OWNER-PC/Blog/ali.jpg" /><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Title: Muhammad Ali during a Boxing Match in Washington |</b> This image was taken from Flickr's The Commons. The uploading organization may have various reasons for determining that no known copyright restrictions exist. </span></div></div><p>Have you ever watched a professional boxing match? Before the fighters are introduced, each boxer will kneel in their corner and pray for victory. Of course, there can only be one winner. I often wonder if the defeated pugilist feels abandoned by God?</p><p>Praying for victory isn't unique to boxing. Soldiers pray in the trenches during times of war. Both armies genuinely believe God is on their side. But, soldiers on both sides are killed. Then, either the war drags on indefinitely, or one side eventually triumphs. Does that mean the defeated populace has been abandoned by God?</p><p>In roughly six weeks, Americans will select a new President. People on both sides of this bitterly contested race are praying that their candidate will be sworn into office in January. Does that mean God is a few weeks away from abandoning America's conservatives or liberals? </p><p>I don't think so. God doesn't take sides in the contests we, as mortals, assign supreme importance to. Personally, I can't picture God fixing the results of a sporting event, election, or war. </p>
<p>According to Romans 2:6-11 God does not show favoritism. <i>"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality."</i></p><p>OK, I think He steered, NAZI sympathizer, King Edward VIII toward, American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, so he'd abdicate the throne before WWII. For the most part though, He doesn't take sides. God is rooting for each one us to grow into the best people we can become. </p><p>No matter which political ideologically and/or flag we fight for, God wants us to fight honestly and nobly with compassionate regard for the welfare of others. God is in the corner of each one of us, serving as our cutman between metaphorical rounds, so we can continue to fight the good fight, the fight for personal growth. </p>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-85434410703776469462020-08-05T16:39:00.000-07:002020-08-05T16:39:48.213-07:00An Accidental Racist-<div><b><i>"But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’" </i>~Luke 10:29-35</b></div><div><b><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFeLRw9aAbZ2S13UacLFsJkdBks8lRbSJA_7s9MJmESK58BLBAYWd1d4cx41CF1jOP7s8zwFeEil6ItJk-9OmHzbFz_felRvxXrbe4aFfMkQVY2Di2jswVpcDzVoB7RvfrAsvWniPHAEX/s511/ws.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="511" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFeLRw9aAbZ2S13UacLFsJkdBks8lRbSJA_7s9MJmESK58BLBAYWd1d4cx41CF1jOP7s8zwFeEil6ItJk-9OmHzbFz_felRvxXrbe4aFfMkQVY2Di2jswVpcDzVoB7RvfrAsvWniPHAEX/w320-h300/ws.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>I'm a racist. Don't misunderstand, I don't hate people of color, nor do I believe in segregation. However, I do benefit from white privilege. My home is built on land which Native Americans hunted on before white soldiers claimed the land on behalf of a white government. As wrong as the theft was, I'm not willing to give the land back to its original users/owners.<div><br /></div><div>Likewise, our country was built, in large part, by slave labor. According to a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/23/business/economy/reparations-slavery.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap" target="_blank">May 5th, 2019 article in The New York Times</a>, the value of the labor stolen from slaves was estimated to be in the neighborhood of 500 million dollars in 1969. I can't even fathom what the debt would be in today's dollars. </div><div><br /></div><div>Without getting to political, my point is, none of us have the ability to erase the sins of the past. Yet, we need not be shackled by the original sins of our predecessors. We can pave a kinder nobler future for our inheritors. To that end, we must take a lesson from the Good Samaritan, and treat everyone as being our neighbor. </div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-82003935957648100112020-06-16T12:56:00.000-07:002020-06-16T12:56:10.405-07:00Upside Down-<br />
<b><i>"Then he said to them, 'Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.'" ~ Luke 21:10-11</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
I usually begin work on a blog by looking for appropriate, public domain, art so the entry will show up better on social media. I'm not going to bother this time, I'm too upset. Actually, "upset" is the wrong word, but it's as close as the English language gets.<br />
<br />
I was raised to think of the police as valiant heroes protecting the good citizens from evil. The cops were the good guys. Heck, I've always believed that if I could walk, I'd <i>be</i> a cop. Now, the police are the bad guys, and communities are chomping at the bit to dismantle whole police departments.<br />
<br />
On top of that, the Corona virus is still claiming lives. As of 06/15/2020-19:31:39 PST, there have <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html" target="_blank">2,085,769 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States of America resulting in 115,644 deaths.</a> If that's not a pestilence I don't know what is. Yet, our leaders want to open things back up to ease strain on the economy. The health of the economy is being valued more than human life.<br />
<br />
Everything feels backwards... upside down... chaotic.<br />
<br />
I don't know if these are the end of days, or not. Nevertheless, I find myself increasingly grateful for my Christianity. At least my religion provides me with a solid sense of right and wrong. No, not talking about avoiding shellfish or mixed knit clothing. I'm talking about treating people with kindness. <div><br /></div><div>Except for casting my vote this November, there's nothing I do to "fix the country." Yet, by treating the people immediately around me with enough respect to wear a mask whenever I go outside, or help someone when I can, maybe I can improve my own tiny corner of it. Maybe, just maybe, if we all did so, we wouldn't be shooting each other, or be coming out of self-quarantine prematurely. </div><div><br /></div><div>"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference." ~ Serenity Prayer</div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-33588311183451639252020-05-28T15:01:00.000-07:002020-05-28T15:01:29.247-07:00Let Your Heart Not Be Troubled-<div><b><i>"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."</i> ~ John 14:27</b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IppFr4Aag9gfdUzFskohjSo0n_aiLjFqUBFPc1sESrKO-oIIkJlCyvy4aa3p7mKf-t9VvbdQw3CNmsqd7ZGk8-jBko0XrIS0_Li6inYeALvCCcoQ0cdUrSOM4bsQ7KkL4kt6ORRa36GG/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_IppFr4Aag9gfdUzFskohjSo0n_aiLjFqUBFPc1sESrKO-oIIkJlCyvy4aa3p7mKf-t9VvbdQw3CNmsqd7ZGk8-jBko0XrIS0_Li6inYeALvCCcoQ0cdUrSOM4bsQ7KkL4kt6ORRa36GG/" /></a></div><b><br /></b></div><div>I'll be honest, my heart has been troubled. It's not because I can't go to restaurants or to the movies. That's annoying and inconvenient, but it doesn't "troubling my heart." What's troubling is seeing honest hard working people lose their livelihood through no fault of their own. </div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't posted in a while, because I haven't wanted to sound like a pessimist nor a Pollyanna. I don't believe we're on the cusp of the apocalypse. Yet, when I start to say, "everything will work out," it sounds hollow, as if the next words out of my mouth should be the introduction of a Mickey Mouse cartoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm fairly certain we're not destined to fight for gasoline until Mad Max saves the day, but I'm equally sure life will never return to, what we think of as, normal. Put simply, I have no more idea than the man on the moon how the world will look on the other side of this pandemic.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe that's OK though. Maybe the ability to say, "I don't know," is part of faith. I'm not one to kick back totally and let Jesus completely take the wheel, but perhaps I should be confidant He's guiding the GPS.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>"Lord, it's becoming exceedingly difficult to remove the trouble from my heart. Please give me the strength to let you replace it with your piece. Amen."</i></div>James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-69181861127307333132020-04-11T15:16:00.000-07:002020-04-11T15:16:02.137-07:00This Is Not The End<b><i>“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."</i> ~ Matthew 6:25-29</b><br />
<br />
When I was growing up, I heard the story of <i>The Aunt and the Grasshopper</i>. In a nutshell, the grasshopper played all summer while the aunt stored food and reinforced his hill. Thus, when winter came, the grasshopper died and the aunt stayed warm & fed.<br />
<br />
As children we were taught to be like the responsible aunt. When I first read the scripture above I was confused. I thought Jesus Christ was advising people to be like the grasshopper. Then it was explained to me the writers of the gospels thought Jesus was going to return within their lifetime. They weren't preparing for later because they thought there <i>was</i> no later.<br />
<br />
<div>
<div style="border: 0px solid #000000; float: right; padding: 5px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqrckwm2UHzA4NQhWvmtMpTr4ucAhtwvE9ZfRi6IAyy0_I894WWWL2fT2Cq_NeNG2ND84TuZiriL1bERtGfFiQ6Q8hWcpkUQ_jvFl7FW3u9Ft-IFhPeSdAYAxj1avtaS2VoovyKA9od7A/s1600/Coronavirusworld.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqrckwm2UHzA4NQhWvmtMpTr4ucAhtwvE9ZfRi6IAyy0_I894WWWL2fT2Cq_NeNG2ND84TuZiriL1bERtGfFiQ6Q8hWcpkUQ_jvFl7FW3u9Ft-IFhPeSdAYAxj1avtaS2VoovyKA9od7A/s320/Coronavirusworld.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
</div>
Christians were predicting the end of the world 2,000 years ago. News Flash: This just in, they were wrong. The Roman Empire fell, people kept having babies, and the world kept on keeping on.<br />
<br />
Things look bleak right now, but this isn’t the end. You don’t need to pour over the Book ok Revelations to see if the signs are upon us, or hoard toilet paper and tomato soup because our infrastructure is on the verge of collapse. <br />
<br />
We will get through this. We’ll get through this faster and easier if we’re responsible toward the greater good now. We’ll be better off on the other side or this, if we're kind to each other now. <br />
When the ICU beds are empty, when the masks are off, and when the dust settles the world will be here. The kind of world it will be is up to us. James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-5090757591759738232020-04-03T16:05:00.000-07:002020-04-03T16:16:57.770-07:00There's a Light-<br />
<iframe align="left" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="135" hspace="10" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i4G-hjfMR4U?autoplay=1" vspace="10" width="240"></iframe>- <i>In the velvet darkness,<br />
- Of the blackest night,<br />
- Burning bright,<br />
- There's a guiding star.<br />
- No matter what or who you are.<br />
- There's a light<br />
- Over at the Frankenstein place.<br />
- There's a light<br />
- Burning in the fireplace.<br />
- There's a light, light, in the darkness of everybody's life.</i><br />
<br />
I’ve had this song rolling around in my head since this viral sleigh ride began. OK, in Rocky Horror these lyrics were ironic, Brad & Janet thought the light in the house was their salvation when it was actually luring the to all kinds of trouble. Throw the context for everyone moment, and focus on the lyrics, especially the last line. <br />
<br />
<i>“There's a light, light, in the darkness of everybody's life.”</i> Granted, it’s hard for many of us to see the light in the proverbial rainstorm, but it’s there. The light emanates from those around us who are going out of their way to do kind things during this difficult time. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/4th-grader-sews-masks-for-health-care-workers-battling-coronavirus-pandemic-in-boston-community-81521733566">A 4th grader girl is sewing masks for health care workers battling coronavirus pandemic in the Boston community</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/san-diego/story/2020-03-31/random-acts-of-kindness-make-quarantine-easier-to-bear?fbclid=IwAR2Y2V5NdHyAI15YVD1CqSfoBHTU3RXrjEgI5O61-cR1FO71KJ0a0tcl-ro">From Chula Vista to Oceanside, local residents spreading gifts, food, art and good cheer</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/with-coronavirus-acts-of-kindness-abound-in-us/ar-BB11tueT?srcref=rss">In the small town of Coos Bay, also in Oregon, coffee shop owner John Beane is hosting virtual story times for kids after shutting down his cafe.</a><br />
<br />
These are just a few examples of good people making an effort to alleviate suffering. Even when certain parts of government seem to be befuddled and bewildered, everyday people are stepping up to do their part. Focusing on their example, or even pitching in, will help us hold onto ouch humanity and stay sane. <br />
<br />
With this in mind, I've created a new Facebook group, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/973796239683722">A Light In The Darkness</a>. I want it to be a place where people can share good news, so we can all focus on the humane as our guiding light.James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-37516675819516755182020-03-21T16:23:00.000-07:002020-03-21T17:53:38.944-07:00Times of Fear-<br />
<i>“Do not fear the terror of night,<br />
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,<br />
nor the plague that destroys at noonday.”</I><br />
~ Psalm 91:5-6<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGAlExh5lzFRU8aHwXugQt5e5a09M9JOP_4KOVX_01SwdSGQiHnr7Ey4lGxFhSM7XmhWyFwnbXLWKXkaQsdL72g88NXZ0JLCIT5rSkybJpjoossUL3kBKmFNgPW9Akab4hVgmQSFoeokE/s1600/plan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="564" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGAlExh5lzFRU8aHwXugQt5e5a09M9JOP_4KOVX_01SwdSGQiHnr7Ey4lGxFhSM7XmhWyFwnbXLWKXkaQsdL72g88NXZ0JLCIT5rSkybJpjoossUL3kBKmFNgPW9Akab4hVgmQSFoeokE/s320/plan.png" width="320" /></a></div>A few weeks ago, most of us were bopping along, doing what we do. We were in our grooves, taking care of business, then, WHAM! Schools and restaurants are closed. Sporting events and church services are cancelled, and we’re being told to stay indoors. If that wasn’t enough, some people began hoarding canned goods & toilet paper, leaving grocery shelves bare as if we were reliving the Cuban missile crisis. <br />
<br />
We’re scared. As a people, as a nation, and as a planet we’re scared. Not only were any plans we had suddenly put on hold, our normal routines were completely up-ended. Like I said, some people are reacting negatively to their fears by hoarding supplies before their neighbors get anything. <br />
<br />
Keep in mind, these probably aren't evil people who are wringing their hands, conscientiously trying to hurt the people around them. They're frightened, not just of the germ, but they don’t know where they fit in this new world. <br />
<br />
However, we also have members of society who are reacting to their fear in positive ways.<br />
<br />
• Jon Poteet & Ryan Ruelos, owners of Shine Distillery & Grill in Portland, Oregon, are making and giving away hand sanitizer. <br />
• Grocery stores are designating “seniors only” shopping hours, so senior citizens can get what they need without battling crowds. <br />
• Blake Lively has donated a million dollars to anti-hunger charities. <br />
• Ryan Renyolds, Ciara, the Seattle Seahawks, Jimmy Fallon, and Lady Gaga’s makeup company have all made similar donations. <br />
• My friend, and a high-ranking dean at Pacific University, Mary Von, is baking bagels & cookies for swamped doctors and nurses. <br />
<br />
I'm absolutely positive there are numerous acts of kindness and compassion, stemming<br />
from the coronavirus outbreak, which I’m not aware of. No matter how bad things seem to get, we have the ability to hold on to our humanity by allowing God to work through us.James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-26596081462351378852020-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:002020-02-20T15:39:29.835-08:00Angels Are Angels-<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSq6IWp2fKRQV1Gls4ZruJAqupw0N6zX3D8_sJCJ8j10lb6PsNjTGmzLymAaF1Zjv5WiXNIN_UlUwqtZSulnqMBwLOCgDURQzbBShDFDNmmGjDm_Elk_rmiTvNyYZpFEagJ1dtt5R7r7E/s1600/godsthroneroomezekiel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="582" data-original-width="900" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWSq6IWp2fKRQV1Gls4ZruJAqupw0N6zX3D8_sJCJ8j10lb6PsNjTGmzLymAaF1Zjv5WiXNIN_UlUwqtZSulnqMBwLOCgDURQzbBShDFDNmmGjDm_Elk_rmiTvNyYZpFEagJ1dtt5R7r7E/s320/godsthroneroomezekiel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
“<i>I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north—an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal, and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. In appearance their form was human, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands . All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.</i>” <b>~ Ezekiel 1:4-10</b><br />
<br />
The History Channel airs a weekly program dedicated to the exploration of the theory that mankind was shepherded by beings from another world thousands of years ago. Learned men, dressed in tweed jackets and turtle necks, point to pyramid drawings of supposed astronauts and ancient models of our solar system as proof of such visitations. <br />
<br />
One piece of evidence these “scholars” cite is the above passage from Ezekiel. According to them, the wheel and cloud was a spaceship and its occupants were mistaken for angels by early man.<br />
<br />
I thought about this, and a question came to mind. Why is it more educated to believe in aliens rather than angels, galactic travelers rather than God?<br />
<br />
Don’t misunderstand, I don't think we’re alone in the Universe. <b>John 10:16</b> refers to, “<i>Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold</i>…,” which could, conceivably, refer to life on other worlds. I simply don’t understand why it’s seen as open minded to believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but viewed as superstitious to believe in God. <br />
<br />
Surely if there is life out there, it too had to be created by something. I have to believe an all-powerful God is capable of creating more than one world. <br />
<br />
In any event, I have no trouble believing that angels are angels. James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439290169744589461.post-41059959358394847152020-01-23T14:27:00.000-08:002020-01-23T14:27:15.407-08:00Ironing Out My Prayers-<br />
<i><b>“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”</b></i> ~ Matthew 6: 7-8<br />
<br />
Having spent my first twenty years as a Mormon and the next twenty years as an agnostic, as I approach my fiftieth birthday I still consider myself to be a relatively new Christian. Picture a duckling paddling around theological waters. <br />
<br />
As a result, I’ve struggled with my prayers. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I have mastered, “God, get me through this.” I whip that Beauty out several times a week. I’m referring to my daily, (turn the noise off, clear my mind, and connect with God) prayer time. <br />
<br />
My first pastor recommended reading a chapter of scripture before each daily prayer in order to center myself. It took 2.5 years, but I read the entire Bible that way. It worked, with the exception of Numbers, which could bore an accountant. <br />
<br />
The technique still works, helping me obtain the right frame of mind to pray. My problem became editing. I was constantly adding family members, friends, and causes to pray for. My prayers became recitals of a wish list, as if I was a good little boy sitting on Santa’s lap.<br />
<br />
I didn't want my prayers to be long lists of requests, but I didn't know who, or what, to leave out, without feeling guilty. Then I read Matthew 6. Jesus explained that our Father knows what we need when we pray.<br />
<br />
This idea took a great deal of proverbial weight from my shoulders. I no longer feel like I need to make a list and mention each, and every, person I know, whose going through something. I can ask for a blessing for the people in my life, and God knows who they are.<br />
<br />
Besides said request, and a request for forgiveness (which is always badly needed) the rest of the prayer can be spent thanking, and praising, the Lord. This kind of daily prayer feels more comfortable to me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiurgBVpUj16IvIQCVa1j3odZiKczqU_p6excd25NcIjL4EXmCQJ618EcUGPDs7Rswx4pmWynCYJ2XVGr6YJQletwKzrvxQHvGFYAJb5bLpTQTtGX26M58Hu5nLFf7fh1w3ySYSf_ROJA/s1600/Holy+Trinity+Prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="231" data-original-width="662" height="138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiurgBVpUj16IvIQCVa1j3odZiKczqU_p6excd25NcIjL4EXmCQJ618EcUGPDs7Rswx4pmWynCYJ2XVGr6YJQletwKzrvxQHvGFYAJb5bLpTQTtGX26M58Hu5nLFf7fh1w3ySYSf_ROJA/s400/Holy+Trinity+Prayer.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
My drawing of The Holy Trinity & 2 Angels</div>
<div>
next to my typical daily prayer</div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRiurgBVpUj16IvIQCVa1j3odZiKczqU_p6excd25NcIjL4EXmCQJ618EcUGPDs7Rswx4pmWynCYJ2XVGr6YJQletwKzrvxQHvGFYAJb5bLpTQTtGX26M58Hu5nLFf7fh1w3ySYSf_ROJA/s1600/Holy+Trinity+Prayer.jpg">Click for larger view</a></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
James Kiesterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02671840872934703808noreply@blogger.com0