I had a disturbing experience at a Christian-run business recently, and it highlighted just how easily I can be disappointed in people. The disappointment tends to feel more acute when it's a Christian who has gone out of their way to cause a problem.
I went to a restaurant in Muncie, Indiana, to order a gyro. I really enjoy gyros, but there really are not many places in East Central Indiana that serves them, so it is a rare treat when I buy one.
I have been long aware that the restaurant's owners were Christians. There is a subtle witnessing in the place, which includes music from a fairly local Christian radio station. That doesn't bother me, provided I'm not subjected to an overtly political broadcast.
That means that I do not want to hear Focus on the Family, or most anything from James Dobson, Franklin Graham (what a disappointment he turned out to be) or Tony Perkins.
That is another story, however.
While I paid for my order, the owner commented that he was short on one-dollar bills. I happened to have five singles, and offered to trade them for a five-dollar bill.
He turned me down, but then said, "You could give me those five singles, instead."
I have been hit up by strangers before, and I have donated to quite a few people who looked to be down on their luck. It is only fair to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and it is commanded that we help others in the Bible.
But never before have I had a successful businessman suggest I give him money so that he could make up his balance of small bills.
When I was not as forthcoming as he wanted, he then said, "Come on, man, don't deny me my blessing."
A line was crossed in that moment. I left the restaurant with my food and, as far as I'm concerned, I will never set foot in that place again. That saddens me, because I really liked the food they made.
It also makes me wonder if he has done similar things to other customers before.
This was not the first time I have offered to sell small bills to a Christian businessperson in a time of need.
In the summer of 2017, there was some event going on in downtown Redkey, where there were a lot of vendors set up. One food truck was operated by a local Christian ministry. I frequent it whenever she sets up because: 1. I like food trucks, and 2. Their proceeds goes to missionary work.
I first visited this truck at a local auction a year before, and I loved the breaded tenderloin sandwich I bought. Definitely a Hoosier food choice.
On the day of the event, business was booming, and after awhile, the ministry director had a lot of large bills, but was fast running out of small bills and quarters.
Normally, the woman who ran the ministry would get her change at the nearest Walmart Supercenter, just a little over ten miles away in Portland. This particular Walmart does not have a bank branch or a credit union inside. The service desk, citing concerns over counterfeit bills supposedly circulating in our part of Indiana, refused to sell her change.
By some coincidence, I happened to have sixty dollars in change and small bills, which doesn't happen often, and tends to be annoying when it does. Twenty dollars in ones really stuffs a wallet, and more then ten dollars in change really weighs down a pocket. I offered the director a trade of that sixty dollars for three twenties, and she accepted.
I retrieved the money and we completed our trade. While I greatly appreciated the free order of French fries I received as a way of thanking me, what made me feel good inside was that I helped to alleviate her stress, and allowed her food truck to stay open longer.
Her business I will frequent again, whenever I come across it. It was a pleasure helping her, and it didn't put me in an uncomfortable position.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Thursday, November 8, 2018
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
An Experiment
For now, I am going to try an interesting experiment. Until I decide to stop, whenever I post on this blog, I will avoid the use of contractions.
Or, to put it in the words of my daughter, I will be using Data-speak.
From what I have been able to find out, contractions were not used much before the twentieth century. It would be fascinating to go back in time to see the opinions educators gave on the use of contractions, and just how many accusations of laziness were shouted out over their use.
I could easily see my third grade teacher, Mrs. Haines, penalizing children for their use of contractions. Mainly because she was a very hate-filled and incompetent teacher. She was also ignorant and vainglorious, but I digress.
I will have to do another post concerning incompetent teachers, provided I feel led to write such a post.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Or, to put it in the words of my daughter, I will be using Data-speak.
From what I have been able to find out, contractions were not used much before the twentieth century. It would be fascinating to go back in time to see the opinions educators gave on the use of contractions, and just how many accusations of laziness were shouted out over their use.
I could easily see my third grade teacher, Mrs. Haines, penalizing children for their use of contractions. Mainly because she was a very hate-filled and incompetent teacher. She was also ignorant and vainglorious, but I digress.
I will have to do another post concerning incompetent teachers, provided I feel led to write such a post.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Just Something I Want To Say
I have come across situations out there where people post some of the most thoughtless and stupid stuff on social media and one sentence seems to cover what I want to say to some of them, be they friends, relatives and others I do not know at all.
"We do not have a difference of opinion. We have a difference of morality."
Those of you who support the fascist currently in power, it is taking all of my restraint to keep from wishing you an interesting life. To be honest, however, I do not have to. He is doing everything in his power to get you there - not to mention the rest of us.
To those of you who do not understand Chinese curses, do not bother asking. It should be self-explanatory.
To those of you who are Christians, yet have your right arms up in that rigid salute for your fascist, do you even read the New Testament? I have come across atheists over the years who are better read on the Bible than a lot of Christians are. A lot of you will never deal with them, but if you do, you had better hope you do not come across one who also happens to be a Bible scholar. He or she will verbally eviscerate you.
The tales of the illegal immigrant children being separated from their parents should have been a wake-up call for those who call themselves servants of Jesus Christ. For a lot of people, both Christian and non-Christian, it has been. But way too many Evangelical Christians seem to have the thought, "But they are here illegally," and think that absolves them from thinking ill of their leader.
Sympathy apparently is conditional, after all. How many of you cannot hear the sound of crying in your minds? How many of you just think "Oh, well, they are only wetbacks?"
How many of you are closeted sociopaths? I bet that there is a lot more of you out there than will admit it. I used to think that I was, but my empathy is too strong. You cannot be a sociopath if you have empathy for any and all others and their problems and concerns.
Keep in mind that if you choose to be blind to the sufferings of those from other races, creeds and nationalities, then you may well be a sociopath.
I can hear the cries of the children in my mind, and it bothers me. It is a problem that did not exist until the man in the White House created it. He owns this and it will be a part of his legacy.
Besides, I do not know about you, but as long as the president himself employs illegal aliens at his Florida property, then I really do not want to hear him whining about the problem.
I know, I know. IOIYAR. Hypocrisy is just fine, as long as you are a Republican. That was why a lot of Republicans wanted to hang President Bill Clinton from the tallest tree because he was immoral, yet ignored some of their own party members who were even more immoral.
A difference in morality, indeed.
I need to calm down. After all, I do not believe in worrying, and I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
There is a reason why a lot of Christians pray for the sheltering hands of God to protect them.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
"We do not have a difference of opinion. We have a difference of morality."
Those of you who support the fascist currently in power, it is taking all of my restraint to keep from wishing you an interesting life. To be honest, however, I do not have to. He is doing everything in his power to get you there - not to mention the rest of us.
To those of you who do not understand Chinese curses, do not bother asking. It should be self-explanatory.
To those of you who are Christians, yet have your right arms up in that rigid salute for your fascist, do you even read the New Testament? I have come across atheists over the years who are better read on the Bible than a lot of Christians are. A lot of you will never deal with them, but if you do, you had better hope you do not come across one who also happens to be a Bible scholar. He or she will verbally eviscerate you.
The tales of the illegal immigrant children being separated from their parents should have been a wake-up call for those who call themselves servants of Jesus Christ. For a lot of people, both Christian and non-Christian, it has been. But way too many Evangelical Christians seem to have the thought, "But they are here illegally," and think that absolves them from thinking ill of their leader.
Sympathy apparently is conditional, after all. How many of you cannot hear the sound of crying in your minds? How many of you just think "Oh, well, they are only wetbacks?"
How many of you are closeted sociopaths? I bet that there is a lot more of you out there than will admit it. I used to think that I was, but my empathy is too strong. You cannot be a sociopath if you have empathy for any and all others and their problems and concerns.
Keep in mind that if you choose to be blind to the sufferings of those from other races, creeds and nationalities, then you may well be a sociopath.
I can hear the cries of the children in my mind, and it bothers me. It is a problem that did not exist until the man in the White House created it. He owns this and it will be a part of his legacy.
Besides, I do not know about you, but as long as the president himself employs illegal aliens at his Florida property, then I really do not want to hear him whining about the problem.
I know, I know. IOIYAR. Hypocrisy is just fine, as long as you are a Republican. That was why a lot of Republicans wanted to hang President Bill Clinton from the tallest tree because he was immoral, yet ignored some of their own party members who were even more immoral.
A difference in morality, indeed.
I need to calm down. After all, I do not believe in worrying, and I put my faith in Jesus Christ.
There is a reason why a lot of Christians pray for the sheltering hands of God to protect them.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Sunday, April 15, 2018
Something That Confuses Me
What is it about political views that makes people "blind" to facts, and willing to accept the most outrageous lies? I really do not understand it.
I am well aware that politicians are human, and that even the ones I support have their moments of stupid "DUH" actions, but the way some people act confuses me and makes me shake my head in dismay. They'll put their favorite politicians on a pedestal as if they were "nine notches about Jesus Christ Himself" - to borrow a phrase from my father-in-law. Conversely, the politicians they despise are viewed as if they were "nine notches below Satan, and in league with Adolf Hitler, too."
A special mention needs to be made about Adolf Hitler. If you have the desire to rate your particular political nemesis with Adolf Hitler, stop right there - do NOT say it aloud, and most certainly do NOT post it online for all the world to see. Seriously, don't do it.
While you might get agreement on the issue from some, you will automatically be dismissed by the smarter people, who will label you as an idiot without an intelligent point of view. You will be seen and talked about as if you are ignorant and uninformed.
I stopped one gentleman cold when he tried to compare then-President Bill Clinton to Hitler, and I also reacted angrily. While I have absolutely no doubt that Mr. Clinton could have been a lot better president, and he had a lot of poor life choices, he does NOT even rank with someone as evil as the leader of Nazi Germany's Third Reich.
Several years later, I had the same reaction with one of my co-workers who ranked then-President George W. Bush with Hitler.
Do not use Mao-tse Tung, Joseph Stalin or Pol Pot, or any other late (and unlamented) dictator, either. History has recorded what each of these leaders has done, and odds will always be that your particular political bogey-man will NEVER be on that level.
When I hear people make those stupid comparisons, it makes me wonder how they did in their high school history classes. After all, you can still graduate without a working knowledge of history.
With former President Barack Obama, though, it seems as if the lies and Hitler-comparisons are at an all-time high. What is it about Mr. Obama that generates such fear, loathing and lying like a dog?
Some of it is certainly racism, mixed in with some latent guilt. The evils of institutionalized slavery still linger to this day. Some white people wish that slavery still existed - for African-Americans, that is. Others fear a retribution for the past sins of their ancestors.
Many people still freely use racial slurs, and actually feared that Mr. Obama was going to enslave the white people of the United States.
Yes, quite a few people actually believed that. There are also quite a few people who believe that an overweight armchair mercenary needs his guns in case he has to fight against the government if it ever becomes "dictatorial".
Actually, I believe that the first action that will happen when said armchair mercenary comes up against armed U.S. soldiers is the feeling of warm urine running down his leg. The second action will involve getting out of his wet pants, so as to not catch a cold.
It is hard to suppress my laughter at such stupidity, sometimes. I will say that I do not believe in collective guilt. I will not be judged for someone else's sins - nor will they be judged for mine.
I do not know what offends me more: the ignorance, the lies of the persistent syndrome of the persecuted hegemon.
Hegemony is a word that means control or dominance. Anyone who knows their U.S. History knows that the hegemony in this country has been and still is that of white male Christians. The election of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 did not change that one little bit.
A lot of while male Christians lately have acted as if they have been viciously and persistently persecuted. Usually because people are resisting their control, and are actually trying to exercise their own rights under the First Amendment. Too many of those white male Christians want the situation to be "Freedom for me and mine, not thee and thine."
If you want to have freedom of worship and speech, you have to allow others to have the same rights.
A special mention needs to be made about people who call themselves Christians who lie about Barack Obama.
When you lie, or pass along lies, about former President Obama, then you are not just discrediting yourself. You are damaging your witness, and by relation, you are attacking and damaging the witness of other Christians. You are giving the undecided and unsaved an example of why they would not want to be a Christian.
Why would you do that? Why would you take such a risk?
The Butterfly Effect has many positive results, but there are negative ones, as well. If you call yourself a child of God, and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the urge to lie, or spread lies, about President Obama should not even exist at all. And if you do lie about the man, then you should be convicted. You should feel guilty for what you have done. If you are not convicted about your lies, then that tells a lot more about you than you should be comfortable with. And that's sad.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
I am well aware that politicians are human, and that even the ones I support have their moments of stupid "DUH" actions, but the way some people act confuses me and makes me shake my head in dismay. They'll put their favorite politicians on a pedestal as if they were "nine notches about Jesus Christ Himself" - to borrow a phrase from my father-in-law. Conversely, the politicians they despise are viewed as if they were "nine notches below Satan, and in league with Adolf Hitler, too."
A special mention needs to be made about Adolf Hitler. If you have the desire to rate your particular political nemesis with Adolf Hitler, stop right there - do NOT say it aloud, and most certainly do NOT post it online for all the world to see. Seriously, don't do it.
While you might get agreement on the issue from some, you will automatically be dismissed by the smarter people, who will label you as an idiot without an intelligent point of view. You will be seen and talked about as if you are ignorant and uninformed.
I stopped one gentleman cold when he tried to compare then-President Bill Clinton to Hitler, and I also reacted angrily. While I have absolutely no doubt that Mr. Clinton could have been a lot better president, and he had a lot of poor life choices, he does NOT even rank with someone as evil as the leader of Nazi Germany's Third Reich.
Several years later, I had the same reaction with one of my co-workers who ranked then-President George W. Bush with Hitler.
Do not use Mao-tse Tung, Joseph Stalin or Pol Pot, or any other late (and unlamented) dictator, either. History has recorded what each of these leaders has done, and odds will always be that your particular political bogey-man will NEVER be on that level.
When I hear people make those stupid comparisons, it makes me wonder how they did in their high school history classes. After all, you can still graduate without a working knowledge of history.
With former President Barack Obama, though, it seems as if the lies and Hitler-comparisons are at an all-time high. What is it about Mr. Obama that generates such fear, loathing and lying like a dog?
Some of it is certainly racism, mixed in with some latent guilt. The evils of institutionalized slavery still linger to this day. Some white people wish that slavery still existed - for African-Americans, that is. Others fear a retribution for the past sins of their ancestors.
Many people still freely use racial slurs, and actually feared that Mr. Obama was going to enslave the white people of the United States.
Yes, quite a few people actually believed that. There are also quite a few people who believe that an overweight armchair mercenary needs his guns in case he has to fight against the government if it ever becomes "dictatorial".
Actually, I believe that the first action that will happen when said armchair mercenary comes up against armed U.S. soldiers is the feeling of warm urine running down his leg. The second action will involve getting out of his wet pants, so as to not catch a cold.
It is hard to suppress my laughter at such stupidity, sometimes. I will say that I do not believe in collective guilt. I will not be judged for someone else's sins - nor will they be judged for mine.
I do not know what offends me more: the ignorance, the lies of the persistent syndrome of the persecuted hegemon.
Hegemony is a word that means control or dominance. Anyone who knows their U.S. History knows that the hegemony in this country has been and still is that of white male Christians. The election of Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008 did not change that one little bit.
A lot of while male Christians lately have acted as if they have been viciously and persistently persecuted. Usually because people are resisting their control, and are actually trying to exercise their own rights under the First Amendment. Too many of those white male Christians want the situation to be "Freedom for me and mine, not thee and thine."
If you want to have freedom of worship and speech, you have to allow others to have the same rights.
A special mention needs to be made about people who call themselves Christians who lie about Barack Obama.
When you lie, or pass along lies, about former President Obama, then you are not just discrediting yourself. You are damaging your witness, and by relation, you are attacking and damaging the witness of other Christians. You are giving the undecided and unsaved an example of why they would not want to be a Christian.
Why would you do that? Why would you take such a risk?
The Butterfly Effect has many positive results, but there are negative ones, as well. If you call yourself a child of God, and a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the urge to lie, or spread lies, about President Obama should not even exist at all. And if you do lie about the man, then you should be convicted. You should feel guilty for what you have done. If you are not convicted about your lies, then that tells a lot more about you than you should be comfortable with. And that's sad.
That is all for now.
Peace be unto you.
Sunday, February 11, 2018
I'm Still Here
I haven't abandoned this blog, but I've kept pretty active with all that's going on in my life. It's a mixture of work, home life and other activities.
One thing I can always say is that I'm definitely not bored. I always say that if you're bored, it's your own fault. There is always something to do.
I also haven't forgotten my continual message to those of you Christians who voted for the current occupier of the White House.
How's that bean dish tasting so far? Of course, I've learned that some of you are so happy with him that you would eat a decomposed corpse and never notice the horrifying taste. So you probably like those particular beans.
Just keep in mind that a lot of people out there are very genre savvy when it comes to dealing with zombies.
You go ahead and enjoy that bean dish. Enjoy being Esau.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
One thing I can always say is that I'm definitely not bored. I always say that if you're bored, it's your own fault. There is always something to do.
I also haven't forgotten my continual message to those of you Christians who voted for the current occupier of the White House.
How's that bean dish tasting so far? Of course, I've learned that some of you are so happy with him that you would eat a decomposed corpse and never notice the horrifying taste. So you probably like those particular beans.
Just keep in mind that a lot of people out there are very genre savvy when it comes to dealing with zombies.
You go ahead and enjoy that bean dish. Enjoy being Esau.
That's all for now.
Peace be unto you.
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