Postmodern Renaissance Culture Revolutionary

Some random musings to get me back in the habit. Random musing #1 I love jelly beans. It is one of four foods that if they are in my life, I can't stop eating them. Luckily, jelly beans come around once a year for me. I know that there are "gourmet" jelly beans available all year round. The jelly beans that I eat uncontrollably are the non-gourmet. And usually, the cheap ones. They are the ones that have been popular fodder for Easter baskets going back to my childhood. They are gelled sugar coated in a harder sugar shell with some flavoring added. I love those the best. Don't get me wrong about gourmet jelly beans. I enjoy those. But for the old standard Easter jelly bean, I can't control myself when eating them. And Lisa bought me two bags of them. They sit on my desk, taunting and tempting me. One bag has been opened. But I have shown restraint. I only allow myself a few. It is driving me crazy. Random musing #2 We enrolled Nick in college Friday. He ...

Am I a Conservative or Liberal? Am I a Republican or a Democrat? Am I Pro-Life or Pro-Choice? With all of the latest posts that are hitting the internet, some people may wonder where I draw the line that defines my stance. Well, I want to point out where my line is drawn. The easy answer to the questions above is YES. Let me give you some background. I was born to a family to moved due to my dad's Air Force stations. I was born in California. My sister was born in the Philippines. The first home I remember was in Wichita, Kansas. I grew up in southeastern Oklahoma. I saw a lot of the world early in life. I don't remember much about it. My memories don't kick in until we lived in Wichita. But I was exposed at an early age to different places and cultures and races. In Wichita, my parents divorced. My dad disappeared from my life. My mom worked hard to make a living for us. We weren't rich by any stretch of imagination. We always had a roof over our head and sup...

We survived another weekend! I don't mean politically. I mean Super Bowl Sunday. I watch the game, but mostly I hang around for 5 hours watching the commercials. This year, I had 1 all around favorite, 3 favorite funnies, and 1 that I want to speak more deeply about. My favorite all around commercial was the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 trailer. I'm a geek and GotG was one of my favorite teams and comics from my early days. The movies have not been faithful to the original storyline (or even the second volume of stories). But the first movie was a lot of fun. I am hoping the trailer is proof that the second movie will be just as fun. My 3 favorite funnies were - the Melissa McCarthy Hero commercials. She attempts to become an environmental activist, trying to be an "eco-warrior" saving whales and trees and polar ice caps, and such. It is full of physical comedy. And being raised with the Three Stooges in the background of my youth, well this was a sure hit for ...

In our household, we have a set of rules. These rules have been learned through experience. They have been proven through testing and trials. They stand as timeless and proven. They apply at every age level and in every circumstance. Rule #1 - Don't be stupid. Rule #2 - People are stupid. Rule #3 - I will defend your honor but I won't defend your stupidity. Today I have found an addition that meets the previous qualities: Rule #4 - The will to be stupid is a very powerful force. Rule #5 - The ability to overcome Rule #1 is to conquer Rule #4. (Thanks go out to Lois McMaster Bujold for Rule #4 and #5.)

Here is the sermon outline for September 28th, 2014 sermon. Family Religion: Identifying the Head Ephesians 3:14-19; 5:21-29 Household Religion If our faith leads us to believe that we are part of God’s family as the church, then our families should reflect our faith Our families should seek to preserve unity among its members through working together toward a single purpose, having attitudes that result in peace , tending to one another with our words The next part of Paul’s “family rules” speaks to households Ephesians 5:21-24 & 33b speak to wives in relation to their husbands Ephesians 5:25-33a speak to husbands in relation to their wives Ephesians 6:1-3 speak to children in relation to their parents Ephesians 6:4 speak to fathers in relation to their children Ephesians 6:5-8 speak to servants/slaves in relation to their master Ephesians 6:9 speak to masters in relation to their servants/slaves Paul is explicitly speaking to the rules of househ...

Part 1 - Road trip. Saying those words can spark a wide variety of emotions. In college a friend and I would jump in his red Ford Probe and just take off to where ever the gas tank would take us. Road trip meant freedom and fun. But I also think of the first year of college driving back and forth to school for a year and a half. 60 miles round trip. Road trip meant monotony and tired butt. So when I suggested a road trip for our family vacation this year, I entered into that idea with the full range of emotional awareness of what that would include. Originally we had planned on driving to the west coast. I have family in Las Vegas we were going to see. We also talked about getting a Disney fix at the original park, Disneyland Resort. But “the Plan” never seemed to come together. It wasn’t clicking. Then one day I had a moment of inspiration. Lisa had already concocted a weekend trip to Hot Springs. I really couldn’t justify in my mind a mini-vacation to Hot Springs and then another tri...