Oh God movie (1977)

We had a nice Sunday with our son who has brain cancer--enjoyed lunch at his home and then watched the movie, Oh God, with John Denver, Teri Garr and George Burns (1977), directed by Carl Reiner. Hardly seemed possible that the movie is 42 years old! It's sweet and funny--it's spiritual, not religious. Good laughs (which we all needed) and some serious moments. Sort of pop-gnostic, a real set-up from the last century for the "nones" of this century. It makes fun of a minute portion of organized religion--the health and wealth gospel with a crooked TV preacher played by Paul Sorvino.

Teri Garr who is Denver’s wife in the movie played a lot of moms and supportive wives and girlfriends, so I wondered what had become of her. I checked, and she "retired" in 2011. She has MS which she kept hidden many years, but came out as an advocate for others and helping with fund raising. She also had a stroke and recovered. Lakesiders enjoy a grass roots program called Porch Stories,, which is modeled on the Moth.  Garr told a LA Moth Story where she discovers her boyfriend has been cheating on her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TI8E4p_U6A (language alert)

President Trump’s accomplishments

https://710wor.iheart.com/featured/mark-simone/content/2019-03-09-the-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-so-far/?

Shady, shifty, charlatan Schiff is trying to undo the president the people elected.  It’s a coup.

We go to the polls tomorrow

Usually, I don't pay attention to party for local political races, but because of the bad behavior of the Democrat national leadership and because a lot of politicians begin with school board or city council before running for state and national office, I'll have to change that. In Upper Arlington, there seems to be only one Republican for City Council, Angela M. Lanctot, so Republicans you know what to do.

We've had many flyers and ads dropped off or mailed, with no information on party--just handsome, slick photo-cards with smiling family and very general phrases. We've heard from one candidate, even had a personal visit, so often, I'm sure he's a very aggressive Democrat--great hair, smile.

Who in Ohio wants Warren?

I was looking at an article in Columbus Business First, "Top 3 donors in Ohio for Warren," wondering who in their right mind would support someone who wants higher taxes and socialism, someone who got her step up in life gaming the minority set aside. Of course, it's a slide show and starts at the bottom with aggregate $375 YTD. It lists name and employment. I was amazed how many were unemployed. Never did get to the top 3, but it was good for a chuckle.

A couples retreat

Believe it or not—I found this at a blog on a dairy site. I was reading an article on Oreo-Cowkies—Dutch Belted cattle—and noticed at the bottom there was a blog. https://www.progressivedairy.com/blogs/guest-blog/my-husband-and-i-held-our-own-couple-s-retreat-and-lived-to-tell-about-it   She bases her information and comments on the book “The One Thing.”

“When was the last time you sat down with your spouse without the TV on, without notifications on the phone buzzing nearby, with the kids in bed (or not home at all) and talked about any of the following:”

• What steps do we want to take to improve our spiritual life?
• How can we improve our eating habits?
• Do each of us get enough “me time” to decompress and destress?
• Is our marriage headed in the right direction?
• Do we support one another in front of our children?
• Do we need to think about helping aging parents?
• Are there any specific people we would like to get to know better this year?
• How often should we set money aside, and where should we put it?
• Have we reviewed our household budget?
• What causes are we passionate about?
• Do we feel useful in our work?
• What are the ultimate goals for the business?
• What are the key habits we want to develop this year as a family and as individuals?

When you’ve been married 60 years and your son has terminal brain cancer, somehow, none of the questions seem worth answering.  We’re eating poorly, our goals are to get to the end of the day, and there is no way to destress, even the tried and true like exercise (we both go to the fitness center).   And I have the feeling I’m going to continue to meet a lot of people I didn’t know before October 1.  However, my spiritual life is definitely improving—I spend more time in the Bible and reading theologians than I ever did.

Women surgeons

It's a cottage industry. Seeking out victims. Women outnumber men in medical school, law school, pharmacy and veterinary medicine. 40% of U.S. physicians are women (not sure those sexist stats are going to be collected indefinitely). 80% of veterinary students are women. But it's never enough. Today I got an e-mail from OSU about the 4th annual Women in Surgery Symposium and the focus? You guessed it. Workplace inequalities, bullying and microaggressions. This constant agitation by mushrooming "education" agenda driven non-profits is so lucrative, it will never go away. Maybe you'd better interview your surgeon before submitting to the knife. Make sure she isn't angry or stressed.

What’s wrong with Nancy Pelosi?

What is this woman smoking? "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s statement Friday on the surprisingly good monthly employment jobs report: “The October jobs report offers further evidence that the Republicans’ disastrous special interest agenda is hollowing out the middle class while enriching the wealthy and well-connected.”(WSJ)

CNBC reports the following key points that Fancy Nancy has called disastrous:

• Nonfarm payrolls rose by 128,000 in October, exceeding the estimate of 75,000 from economists surveyed by Dow Jones.
• There were big revisions of past numbers as well. August’s initial 168,000 payrolls addition was revised up to 219,000, while September’s jumped from 136,000 to 180,000.
• The unemployment rate ticked slightly higher to 3.6% from 3.5%, still near the lowest in 50 years.
• The pace of average hourly earnings picked up a bit, rising 0.1% to a year-over-year 3% gain.
• The unemployment rate for African Americans nudged down to a record low 5.4%

The tale of Lucky Jack

There's a German folk tale that Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) used to illustrate the failures of the church. The tale of "Lucky Jack." Perhaps you've heard of Jack; if not you'll recognize him because we're close to the ending of the tale. Our country is living out his story.

Jack finds a lump of gold. After his initial joy and satisfaction at his good fortune, he decides it's too heavy to carry, so he spends it on a horse. But really, what can a horse do? So he trades the horse for a cow so at least he has food, but she is too difficult to care for. So he trades the cow for a flock of chickens, and finally sells the chickens for a stone to sharpen his knife. But the stone is worthless so he tosses it into a lake having decided it wasn't worth anything.

Through the made up charges and offering no legal protections any American would have in a court of law, the angry Democrats are attacking the election of 2016, and plan to put their own leader, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in the White House. It's come to this. Our freedoms and protections, our Constitution and history are just a worthless stone tossed away when we could have had gold.

Feeling loved

Yesterday it was raining hard when I left the market with a plastic sack in each hand.  I saw a woman approaching from my left.

“Oh my Lamb, my Lamb” I heard her say in accented English with out stretched arms.  And she threw her arms around me and gave me a big hug. It was my neighbor whose daughter has metastatic breast cancer, knowing how I was feeling because of our son’s brain cancer.

Today a church friend brought over a lemon buttermilk pie. Just because she loves us.  She and her husband stayed to visit for awhile.  She’s a wonderful chef and cares for many in the church by bringing them comfort food or inviting them to her home for dinner—every week.  I haven’t tasted the pie yet, but I found a recipe on the internet.  https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/buttermilk-lemon-pie/

November 1 is All Saints Day.

We live in a football crazed and crazy town--Columbus, Ohio, home of the Buckeyes. I think I went to a Buckeye game in 1967. But we don't live far from the stadium-- the sounds, the tailgaters, the traffic, and of course, the games are always televised so it's even in my house, and there's usually a comment the next day along with the pastor's sermon. The "Horseshoe" holds over 100,000 screaming, adoring fans (only Michigan and Penn are larger).

That's how I picture All Saints Day. We run on to the field with our God and coach, and when we look up, there they are--all the saints who have gone before us, cheering, waving, singing, rocking the stadium. We look into the stands and see Mom and Dad, or that special Sunday School teacher, or the elderly man who came to the food pantry when we were serving, or our baby who died at birth now perfect and well, and they are so happy to see us, encourage us, and pray for us in our difficult and joyful times, both.

“Holy, Holy, Holy! all the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Who were and are and ever more shall be!”

https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Holy_Holy_Holy/score/?

October 31

"Halloween" comes from "All Hallows Eve," from the Christian Feast of "All Saints." Various communities rearrange the date for "trick or treat," so also has church history scholars rearranged the date of celebration of remembering the saints who have gone before us. Some sources say 3rd century, some 8th century, and one I read today said 11th century when the Abbot of Cluny urged his monks to observe November 2 as "All Soul's Day." Still, Christians have always honored the dead and in the first and second centuries worshipped in the catacombs, where Romans buried and forgot their dead. Christians even saved small pieces of the bones of the deceased, called "relics." Christians expect a resurrection like Jesus' and they'll need their body for that.

In our Lutheran church the names of all the members who died since last November 1 are read aloud during the service, and then the names of deceased which the members have submitted. This Sunday the names of our grandparents, parents, siblings and children will be read from the pulpit while we take communion. It's a beautiful reenactment of the Christian hope. A great crowd of witnesses.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus . . ." Hebrews 12:1

Fairfax County, Virginia, now on the sanctuary crime list

Three of the top 10 sanctuary cities with the highest crime are represented in Washington by the leading proponents of protecting illegal immigrants, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar, according to a new report.

The communities on the IRLI list are:
1. San Francisco.
2. New York.
3. Minneapolis.
4. Philadelphia.
5. Seattle.
6. Chicago.
7. TIE: Montgomery County, Maryland, and Fairfax County, Virginia.
8. Prince George’s County, Maryland.
9. Boston.
10. Santa Clara County, California.

That's a shame. Although it's been about 20 years since we visited relatives in Fairfax County, it use to be a lovely community.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/list-top-10-highest-crime-sanctuary-cities?

Peter Buttigieg, Democrat

Dr. Michael Hurd asks:

"Are you ready for a President who wants to outlaw all statues and references to Thomas Jefferson?”

"Are you ready for a President who wants to raise taxes to 70-90 percent?” 

“Are you ready for a President to nationalize medical care and most of private industry?”

"Are you ready for a President who will outlaw fossil fuels in a decade?"

"Are you ready for a President who wants to repeal the Second Amendment or, failing that, seize your weapons anyway?”

It's not his homosexuality, it's his beliefs. Mayor Pete Buttigieg. If you voted because of race in 2008, don't be drawn into another poor reason to select a president. Know what you're getting. Obama offered you the vague, Hope and Change and total transformation. Buttigieg offers loss of our history, confiscatory taxes, more climate change nonsense, and the loss of freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.

Don't be woke, be awake.

Charlie Gaskill, 67

Last night we attended Charlie Gaskill's funeral at our Lytham Road campus of UALC. The sanctuary seats 750, and there were people standing in the narthex for the 90 minute service. Cars covered the neighborhood, and the parking lots were full. Charlie was a much loved and respected man who had battled chronic lymphocytic leukemia since 2006. What struck me was the many stories and metaphors about sports. In fact, the day Charlie got his diagnosis, we were told, he'd been on a 3 mile run. At 6'8" he played basketball at Capital University 1969-73, a Lutheran college in Bexley (Columbus). At one point, former team members were asked to come forward while a Catholic deacon who had been on the team was eulogizing him . We were sitting so far back and under the balcony I could hardly see, but it looked like about 15 men in their mid to late 60s went forward. There were many stories by his children, friends and the pastor about his thoroughness, kindness and athleticism. All 3 of his children had been active in sports, and Charlie and Susie cheered on and cared about the teammates of their kids too. They literally never missed a game from elementary through college sports. There were many young adults in the pews and some had flown in or driven long distances to be there to cheer Charlie on for the next big event.

Charlie's disease had visibly attacked his body, yet even after a very tough bout in the hospital, there he was at worship on Sunday, or offering his time, talents and worship to God's service. And so the verses he chose to be read were especially meaningful, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, "We do not lose heart though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are renewed day by day. . ."

https://www.schoedinger.com/obituaries/Charles-Gaskill-2/#!/Obituary

A hymn that’s good for all day

O God, creation's secret force,
Yourself unmoved, all motion's source
Who from the morn till evening ray
Through all its changes guide the day.

Grant us, when this short life is past,
The glorious evening that shall last;
That, by a holy death attained,
Eternal glory may be gained.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Spirit, Three in One,
May every tongue and nation raise
An endless song of thankful praise.

This hymn is by St. Ambrose, 4th century bishop, one of the most prolific of Latin hymn writers. It's said (Early Christian Hymns, Daniel Joseph Donahoe, 1908) he was the first to introduce the custom of singing hymns in the church. One source I have presents this as a morning song, another mid-day, and one as an evening song. Seems to work for all. And the translations vary. This one has a more modern English.

Ahab and Jezebel. Who’s the better comparison?

Hillary Clinton at the Cummings memorial on Friday compared our president and FLOTUS to Jezebel and Ahab, another power couple of the ancient Jewish scriptures. They've been used in the past to describe Bill and Hillary Clinton--perhaps she was aware of that book.

"Throughout his 2017 best-seller “The Paradigm: The Ancient Blueprint That Holds the Mystery of Our Times,” Jonathan Cahn explains how ancient paradigms have predicted political outcomes like Donald Trump’s presidential victory and Hillary Clinton’s defeat years before they happened.

Clinton said, "Like the prophet, our Elijah [Cummings] could call down fire from heaven, but he also prayed and worked for healing." "He weathered storms and earthquakes but never lost his faith. Like that Old Testament prophet, he stood against corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel."

In "The Paradigm," Cahn made several parallels to both Hillary and Bill Clinton in relation to Queen Jezebel and King Ahab.

Queen Jezebel was raised under the worship of the goddess Ashtoreth and thus was an advocate of female power. She also championed Baal Worship involving the offering of children. Hillary Clinton has been considered a lifelong advocate of feminism for quite some time and was voted the chief advocate of abortion by Planned Parenthood – a lifelong issue for her.

Queen Jezebel worked with her husband Ahab to overturn traditional conservative values. King Ahab reigned in government and on the public stage for a period spanning 22 years. Hillary Clinton has been working with her husband Bill to overturn traditional conservative values for years. Bill Clinton also presided in government and on the public stage for 22 years from 1979 to 2001.

Finally, the reign of Ahab and Jezebel was marked by personal scandals. Specifically, the fall of Ahab was linked to the tribe of Levi. Similarly, the reign of Bill and Hillary Clinton was also marked by the Whitewater controversy and the Lewinsky scandal. The fall of Bill Clinton was linked to the Lewinsky – translated to ‘Levi’ in Hebrew – scandal."

No, I'm no O.T. scholar. This showed up in my e-mail from Cahn's PR company. I just thought it interesting that Bill and Hillary are a much closer match for Ahab and Jezebel as a power couple, than Donald and Melania.

Believing children’s fantasies

When I was a child I was horse crazy. Not only did I pretend my blue bike was a horse named "Red" (my best friend JoElla's bike/horse was named "Rusty" and oh the adventures we had), but at school recess I imagined I was a horse--could outrun all the boys in my class, too. My mother gave me wallpaper rolls so I could draw horses--all the time. At home I would gallop around the house on all fours, neighing and jumping around (imagine coming home from a 10 hour day on the fuel truck to that--poor daddy).

Fortunately, no teacher or doctor or parent took me seriously and knew I'd outgrow my fantasies. How did our society get snarled into these children's delusions and come to believe boys should be on girls' track teams using their bathrooms and pronouns? That it's OK to give children hormone blockers or destroy their body parts with surgery or chemicals. Why particularly are social workers, psychiatrists and surgeons falling for this tragedy called transgenderism? There are children born without kidneys, fingers, toes, arms, even brains. We don't say that is normal and everyone now has to play "let's pretend."

We know money is involved--that's always the first place to look. When same sex marriage was passed so easily, the agenda groups were left with bagsful of money and large staffs with no soliciting method. So an affliction of less than 1% became a cause and T was added to their acronym, although they really have nothing in common with homosexuals.

But there has to be more than just money. You can't even blame the Soviets, Maoists, or Che. Communists were always quite repressive about sex. It has to be the demand in our society to discount everything about a creator God who has a plan for us. Of course, Christians bought into it early on. Churches have caved to the contracept movement since the 1930s violating the first command to be fruitful and multiply. Then the demand for abortion in the 1970s became a mantra, a hymn for feminists, a "right" to destroy our future and our own children. And now we have a birthrate below replacement. The country can't survive and feed the hungry government programs without importing more workers, workers who will be willing to have babies, at least for one more generation.

Crazy how it all links together.

A mother's prayer

Hannah:

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord granted my request. Now I in turn, give him to the Lord; as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:27)

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson thinks the President is a racist

So Supt. Eddie Johnson thinks President Trump is a racist and he won't attend the meeting of the Chiefs of Police in Chicago because Trump will address them.

• Racism as in record low unemployment for blacks?
• Racism as in renewed attention on unequal prison terms for black men and the First Step Act ?
• Racism as in commuting the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson?
• Racism as in bringing misbehaving black college athletes safely home?
• Racism as in trying to protect the jobs of low income blacks from illegal workers?
• Racism as in wanting safer streets and neighborhoods in Chicago?
• Racism as in wanting to reduce genocidal abortion rate for black women which is 4x that of white women?

Tell me, Superintendent Johnson, what exactly has the President done to offend your race sensitivities?

Tell me all the great things President Obama and President Clinton did for blacks, other than boosting your pride?

It's Christmas catalog time

This week we've been getting Christmas catalogs. They quickly go in the trash, but I did browse the Hallmark catalog. On p. 24 there was something Christian. Must have slipped past the censors. Our 21st century culture is not unlike the one into which God took on flesh and became one of us to suffer and die for us.

It almost makes me look back with nostalgia to the 60s when Christians worried about the military-industrial complex instead of the minions of Moloch pumping children full of hormones, abusing them with surgery, and selling aborted baby parts to pharmaceutical labs.

Might be a good time for Jesus to return--just saying.

2006