Merry Christmas

  It is hard to feel merry about anything these days because of what is going on outside, what with a disease that like everything else, is fast becoming more political than scientific. Unfortunately,  now that all things are political, I must be mindful of my words and phrasing so as to Try, to not offend someone. Sometimes it seems as if we are all victims of some sort, all of us labeled as to our group, and given to praise or ridicule depending on our beliefs. It seems that we are all victims just waiting for classification and placement into a group of like challenged people. In other words, when writing anything, you must stay within the parameters set by others, whose job it is that we not use any forbidden words or phraseology. Unfortunately, in today's world, it is next to impossible to say anything that someone will not see as political, and depending on your political pedigree, you will feel enraged or comforted by those words. The power of words, language, and the proper use of that language, can exhort the human heart and cause hope to rise, or, to speak evil of another, giving way to isolation, loneliness and depression. Why else would you think the apostle John would call Jesus "The Word"? Wars don't come unless ignited by words, and likewise peace comes from words as in the scripture, Come let us reason together. I must say that I do not like writing in such a way in an article written to praise God for His incredible gift to all people, with the berth of His Son Jesus, but unfortunately, that is near impossible as most everything, even a disease, is reduced to politics. In injecting politics into any conversation, it is much the same as dumping a bottle of pure black ink into a beaker of pure fresh mountain water. Just a drop of it spoils the pure water, rendering it undrinkable. Believe it or not, I am trying to leave politics out of this, because, just as with our ink and water example, it can foul the water. Thankfully, we have a filter. 

  I love this country, and remain extremely proud of our nation. Jesus also loves this country, as He was and still is, the foundation on which this country born. After-all, it is in God we trust, that is written on our money. The Capital and so many of the federal buildings, statues and monuments, have Biblical scripture chiseled into the stone work. Only twice in our history was the horror of war realized on this land. The Revolutionary war that freed us from the English, and a way more expensive war when you consider lives lost, our Civil war fought to free all people. Other than those two times, America has never known war on our shores, no bombs fell on our cities and on our people. And that is a pretty good thing considering there were two world wars mixed into many smaller conflicts over the years. We who grew up in this country never gave any serious consideration to our country falling to the type of governments we fought against in those wars. When it came to our nation falling to a foreign power, we felt safe and secure in the fact that we were much too powerful to fall to another country. In that, we all felt safe and secure. That is until now, in this point of history, the tyrants who so wanted our demise would say openly, and work secretly, to bring about our downfall from within. And with our current political reality, all Americans, no matter their political pedigree no longer feel safe and secure, but rather now, the threat of losing our Democratic Republic, and embracing the ideology of the very type of government that both Republican and Democrats fought against, and for which, many millions across the world died. The question is, would we choose freedom, or, would you rather live under the boot of the same type of people we ran from so long ago? Choosing to cross the ocean in little wooden boats wanting only freedom, Coming to this land this new continent, with the dream to settle a new nation. A Nation whose people needed no overlord, but resolved to rule themselves. 

  If ever there was a time when the world needed Christmas and peace on earth, it's now! Thanks to the Father's wonderful gift to the world, we can return to a time of sanity, a time of peace, and yes, a time when we can feel safe and secure that our country will always remain free, and that no power, no enemy, foreign or domestic, will ever take our freedom! I pray Father that our churches are full, and for each family and group no matter the size, humble themselves, get down on bended knee and pray God forgive this nation our sins, and that He have mercy on us still. Please do that in whatever way is comfortable, pray in a group, or pray alone. Because the country we all know and love is in danger and Father has promised that If my people will humble themselves and pray to me I will heal their land. God is that beaker of pure fresh water, and we are the ink, and so because purity must be maintained, Jesus is the filter through which are lives are poured so that we are able to partake of the cool pure water of life. Jesus is the reason for the season. So celebrate His birthday, remember it is His day, even though God the Father gave His Son to us at that first christmas, we should honor and praise Him all the more this Christmas. Because, just as Isaiah prophesied 800 years before His berth, Isaiah 9:6  Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Merry Christmas all!              

Eric Shares a Vital Letter From StrengthenTheNation.com

President Trump: This may be the most important speech I've ever made....

Spiritual

   The spiritual aspects of what is currently going on in our nation are of my concern, and, what this article is all about. We look to explore what and to what effect spiritual connections are involved with the reality of politics generally, and specifically, the Presidential debacle. Quick prayer to the good people at Google. Please let this one through unmolested. Thank you. 

  From a heavenly perspective, God always wins, which, because He is on Eternal time, and we are on World time, we see things from a totally different point of view than does He. Personally, I was stunned by the early calling of so many in the media. It is no secret that America has almost entirely turned her back on God the Father and His son Jesus. Morally we have become bankrupt, and certainly deserve judgement. So then, from a spiritual point of view, we have two questions that require answering. One: Have they pulled it off, have the minions of the evil one finally brought this country down? For there is no doubt, that the grand daddy of all crimes might well have been successful, and the Presidency of these United States stolen? 

  My own desire was made clear in the prayer I published a couple of weeks before. So obviously, you can see that the reaction of stunned was my first reaction, as it was for about 74 million other voters. We all to some degree, have had to deal with the question, as to whether or not this crime like so many before it would go unpunished, at least not in this life? Or, will the Lord intervene and restore truth and order. I know the truth of what should happen, but as a realist, what will happen if the Lord allows the lie to occur? As I said, God always wins, and to Him goes all glory, and although just as in "what is the day the Lord will return?", His thoughts are not our thoughts, so if the worst has indeed happened, the Lord God, will call all those who for whatever reason, the most obvious will be the financial loss to the citizenry, realize what their vote unleashed, and after a short time of having to reap what the've sown, will look for comfort and finally answer the same call issued so long ago, heed it, and come home. And as for me?

  Lord I beg you, please let it not be now, have mercy on us as we are your people, and this is your country, founded on you and, on your precepts. Please Father, I ask for mercy rather than justice, please oh my Lord, and hear the cry of your people, Please Father, heal this land. Amen and Shalom

Andrea Bocelli - The Lords's Prayer

Buddy Hackett's Duck Joke Has Everyone Rolling on The Tonight Show Starr...

John Zmirak Shares His Personal Knowledge Of The "Authenticity" Of Sidne...

Goodbye?

   The title is obvious, whether this one will be able to go out or not, should be interesting to say the least. 

  Tested Truths the Blog may go away forever, but not to worry, it's author never will. Trying to keep it short. Anyway, 2020, quite a year huh? But should we be surprised, I mean look how it started, remember Y2K? kids ask your parents. The twenty first century has been a problem even before it got here. And now this? We are split right down the middle, What will it take for us to come together? Not casting any political aspersions, but as for me, I'm still quite proud of being a 20th century man. Because of what I've seen this so farof to this new millenium, 1,000 year time, you can have it! 

A Prayer for America

   Lord I pray for our nation. May a tidal wave the size of which could never have been imagined, rise up and wash over this land. May a wave of truth wash the land clean. A wave swelling full of the greatness that made this mighty nation who we are. May the cleansing waters remove the filth of all those who deal in hate.  

  Spare your flock Father from the ignorance of their egos. The entire world is in turmoil, and it has affected us also. We have been duped as a people, lied to, and had the truth of certain events untold, or rearranged. Who are these people? How dare them speak of this great land as an evil thing. How dare they think that only they, not ourselves, have the intelligence necessary to carry out our lives in a meaningful way. But what moral compass do they follow, who are the ones in which they put their trust? They are confused at best, or down right fools. What is it that makes them see themselves as superior, money? Having a lot of money makes you rich, not smart, the things they hold precious will rot and fade away. May you seal shut the mouth of the haters, may your people choose good and not evil, life, and not death. 

  Stop the haters and the evil doers hard in their tracks, may your people hand them a resounding defeat, a crystal clear message. That we, the people, the heart of this land reject you and all you stand on. Restore righteousness in your people, and may they be gracious in victory. Our jobs won't end with the election. After the dust settles, may it be your people who lead the way to healing. Our part is simple at this stage, but never, never in our history has each one of us held in our hands, the power to defeat those who want only to destroy us. The monster is not at the gate, he is right here among us. Vote to reelect Donald J. Trump as President. There is no way to soften the truth, a vote for Donald Trump and we maintain our Democratic Republic. Vote for what the Democrats have offered, and open the door to Socialism, followed closely by tyranny 

  For you are our God, and upon you this fact, this land was settled. We follow no man, we follow no group or government. They look to remove You from our country, please Father, protect us from ourselves, and wash clean whatever the need be in each of us. This we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.   

Acts (author: Luke)

   The bible being a living entity, is like all things, cyclical in nature. It is the Words of God in a book. Hence the life, because He is Life. They are his words directly at times, and though we do not know his thoughts, we can see the logic of his thinking, as we look back with 20/20 hindsight. As with all life, there must be a beginning, and so the bible begins with its first book, Genesis. Moses is the author of this book, as he transcribes what God tells him about the beginnings of all, and the beginnings of civilization. Jesus' disciple John pens one of the gospels, as did Luke, the writer of Acts, but this John also wrote the book that tells of the ends, the Revelations of Jesus Christ. Hint; If the bible were to be a belt, Jesus would be the belt's buckle. 

  For those of you who have read this far, and are still not sure what I'm talking about, I apologize. Acts is a book in the bible. Why they call it Acts I don't know, but I think of it as an abbreviation for action. For in this book, we are formally introduced to the Holy Spirit, and in this book with its telling of the upper room scene, we see the first steps of the church that Jesus established. So back to the belt analogy, A belt unworn is flat and straight, but to make it round, cyclical, it must have a fastened belt. By buckling that belt, we tie the old to the new, Jesus is the centerpiece of this belt. The true triune nature of God becomes clear in Luke's short book. You see, without Jesus, the cycle, or the circle of life of the living bible makes no sense, and we that follow His teachings are wasting our time. Though the book of Acts is not physically in the center of the bible, being as a buckle it is. It ties what was before to what is, and what it is, to that which is to come, and so in my mind at least, the book of Acts is the center of the bible. The time that transpires between the beginning and the end is by far the longest, and it is still going on today, as Jesus promises after his death as he ascended into heaven, that he would one, leave himself as the Holy Spirit to teach us, and that two: He will come back, returning to the earth in glory, strength, and Power.  

Apathy part two

  There was a time not too long ago. when Democrats and Republicans shared the core beliefs that made the United States the great country that we are. We shared common enemies, and those enemies were not ourselves. A time when whoever sat in the Whitehouse made little difference, we all got along, and generally speaking, had respect for each other. But today unfortunately, that is no longer the case. The coming election is as is important, if not more so, than the election of President Lincoln, because as was the Lincoln election, who we would be as a nation hung in the balance. With the Lincoln election, the country would decide whether or not to make slavery illegal throughout the land. In this one, The decision is whether or not to reject our Republic and become a socialist state. Think that words are not important? It used to be that Democrats labeled themselves as liberals which included the bleeding heart variety, then it was progressive, tax and spend and titles like that were common. But now it is obvious that the core of that once great party is socialism. No more hiding behind the words and titles mentioned above. 

  A question was posed by a well respected woman to Benjamin Franklin as he came out of a meeting where they were fine tuning our Constitution, when she asked, Sir, What have we got, a Republic or a Monarchy? Franklin answered and said, A Republic Madam, if you can keep it. Those are the stakes, this election is that important. This is about far more than which party wins, this is about the survival of our great country. Like it or not, this is an obvious choice. Vote Republican and choose to keep our Republic, or vote for the Democrats who have been taken over by socialists. Again, with just a little research you will see that socialism has never worked, and that socialism begets communism or it begets fascism. There is no room in this one for apathy, and for you evangelicals out there, don't use the excuse that God is in control. Though that is true, it doesn't mean that you need not worry about being a good citizen. America, do a little research, think for yourselves, and vote!

Apathy Part One

   Everyone is wondering, how could it come to this, how did it get so bad? Apathy in a word. You can check it out in a dictionary, but basically it means to not care enough; to take things for granted. We all suffer from it in one form or another, its easy to get lazy, and just assume that whatever it is that needs doing, that someone is doing it. This malady is how we got here,  because as citizens, we should be following the important items in life. Boring I know, but necessary as a good citizen. My wife and I were so apathetic, that we didn't even vote until our mid forties. I think the first president we voted for was Bill Clinton. Why? We thought he was cool because he played a saxophone on one of the late night shows. Thats about as much thought as we put into it, now thats apathy! 

  Imagine buying a top of the line sports car, and never checking your oil? Obviously that makes no sense, but now more than ever, it takes even less sense to take no interest in your government. Afterall, it is your government, our Constitution is to and for, We the People, not we the government. If you ever come to realize how much power that we collectively have you'd be amazed. This country is vastly different than others in that we are not beholden to any group or centralized form of government. We are beholden to God, and only God. One nation, under God, many people as one, E Pluribus Unum. 

  But somehow along the way we lost sight of that truth, it is as if everything got flipped upside down. There was a time when you could afford a little apathy, as even with two world wars, a great depression, we came out of it stronger than ever. Please Lord, don't let me add fuel to the fire. But the time of feelings getting hurt, being more important than the plain solid rock truth, can no longer be tolerated.  There has only been one election in our history as important as is this one. That being the election of Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves. Let the record show that Lincoln was a Republican. Again, do some research check out resistance to Jim Crowe, check out the resistance to school busing, in short, know what your talking about and vote accordingly. Check out Robert Byrd, one of Mr. Biden's best friends, in short, know what your talking about before you vote.  I'm running out of room, so I guess They'll be a second part. Speaking the truth in love is a hard thing to do, because sometimes the truth hurts, but keep in mind that it is an equal opportunity offender. 

UFO's

  The problem with UFO's is that they are unidentified. Just what are these things we see in the night sky? Visions we see while star gazing has been going on since the beginning of civilization. Etchings of what appears to be some kind of craft have been found on the walls of caves. So what are these things, where do they come from, and of course, are we alone? If not alone, are there other superior civilizations somewhere out in the vastness of the Cosmos? 

  In modern times, strange sightings of lights, craft like visions, even people who believe that they were taken up into one of these crafts and been probed and tested have been described by some, though these people are never taken seriously, but still the reports come in.  There are people from all over the globe who believe that not only are we not alone, but that these aliens walk among us. 

  For the most part, these strange events are easily explained as some natural event. I could have sworn I saw one a lot of years before. Of course it looked like a disc, with spinning colored lights running horizontally across the middle. Turns out it was a blimp with ads running across the middle. Hence in modern times, these sightings and reports of sightings have been largely ignored. We all kind of think of these people as being similar to old lonely farmers out in their fields having just finished their last jug of homemade hooch. Now, more recently, the reports have come from pilots, even our highly trained military pilots have tracked and sometimes filmed by these events. What of these? These men are not drunk, but rather professionally trained, and not apt to come up with outrageous stories. As it is, they get teased by their brethren a lot. The reports from the pilots are by far the most compelling. Because if what they saw did and were capable of doing what has been reported that they did, did in fact, happen. The fetes of flying that they can do routinely, defy every law of Physics as we understand it. Once,  and this one was observed by more than one jet. This high speed object they were tracking, suddenly stopped and hovered shortly, before darting straight up and far out of sight! Perhaps the problem is that we look at these things limited by physical law. Paraphrasing Einstein, the perfection of the universe leaves one thinking that perhaps their is a supreme race of some sort, only fools would dismiss a Creator, and by that, severely limits his thinking. The spiritual realm exists, and it runs along side that of each of our lives, until the end of our lives. After your spirit leaves you're body, it is free to roam, it can even fold back his time on earth, and revisit their past. That is, if they want to. But looking at this life from the eternal perspective. they are but a whiff of smoke. 

  Anyway, back to the subject, whenever you're thinking Area 51 type thoughts, don't leave the spiritual dimension out of the possibilities. Only fools refuse to reject such possibilities, more each day, from every kind of science discipline are concluding that all equations lead to infinity, all lead to a creator, all come to know that all who outright deny the truth are becoming like so much static, like the banging of gongs.        

Tested Truths: The Heart

Tested Truths: The Heart:   Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your...

Tested Truths: The Heart

Tested Truths: The Heart:   Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your...

The Heart

  Visions of thoughts materialize and then fade as the next comes into view. A wandering mind sees much in a short amount of time. All your life is a matter of remembrances through which you have already experienced. Some you look forward to, while others you may dread. Obviously, what we are discussing here are matters of the spirit. The spirit and the body which contains it are two separate things. The life of the spirit, and the goings on which have made you who you are, does not dictate who you will become. Change is inevitable, and where you go from here will be a day to day decision. 

  You live your life, and the future will be what you make it. I speak to our young Americans when I say, think. Think for God sake, think for your own sake, but think for yourselves. If you follow the crowd, do you follow just to follow something? Wake up young people, wake up and think for yourself. Wake up and think before its too late. 

  I don't ask this for myself, as my time is close to over. I don't worry too much for my kids, as they seem to have a handle on it. But is the little ones, my grandchildren, though some of them are already adults, its them I worry about. And to them I would say, Do whats right, you already know what it is, you have it hidden in your heart.     

Tested Truths: The Malcontents (assuming they'll let me post it?)

Tested Truths: The Malcontents (assuming they'll let me post it?):   Was it a simple twist of fate, or just blind luck? But you were born in this country. Had you had the choice, what country would you have...

The Malcontents

  Was it a simple twist of fate, or just blind luck? But you were born in this country. Had you had the choice, what country would you have rather have been born into? Most of us have lived here for generations, and we all love this country. But suddenly, it is not fashionable, or lately, dangerous, even to death. A wise old black man from Wisconsin was executed at his home. Why? because he supported Trump. Of course with the majority of the media, you'll not see this story. We the people are being duped. A quick personal story. I was in a friends house a few years ago, and though we tried not to get into politics, it raised it's ugly head just briefly. But that short moment spoke volumes, as I had wondered for years how citizen Americans could be so dumb? In the brief encounter I mentioned Benghazi, and he knew absolutely nothing about it except to say that it was a Fox theory? I told him of the videos and realized, it wasn't because my friend was dumb, it was just that he wasn't told. 

  America is like no other country in the world, as our citizens did not come to be by country or geographic boundaries, (aka born in Spain, Spanish; England, English and so on), but all of our residents came from somewhere else, and the rest of the world watched in awe as this country immigrants from many different lands and cultures came together as one nation. E Pluribus Unum, Out of many, one. At it's conception, way back in 1776, it was and still is a social experiment on the grandest scale. We are less than 250 years old, and as such, just a babe in the league of nations. 

  But young or not, America is exceptional! You know how I know that? Today, still, more people want to come to this country than any other. And in case you haven't noticed, once here, even the newest of us have no desire to leave and live anywhere else. We must be doing something right. Think about it, even the most arrogant of new comers, those who refuse to assimilate, may well hate this country, but you don't hear of even these malcontents have no desire to leave. Even those malcontents would not choose to live anywhere but here. 

  I don't know about you, but it makes me think that we are still doing it right, and another, in that, If it ain't broke, don't fix it.      

Tested Truths: MLB

Tested Truths: MLB:   Major league baseball has a chance of instead of having a germ run our lives, to turn Covid around by using it proactively rather that re...

MLB

  Major league baseball has a chance of instead of having a germ run our lives, to turn Covid around by using it proactively rather that reactionary. I've watched enough of the practice games, that though canned fans isn't a horrible idea,  it just seems to some as if by doing so, they are making the strangeness of this time even stranger. What if we were to ask the players to add yet another protocol, one more set of rules and regulations? These extra concerns would come in the way of living up to the moniker you have lived with for so long. Be the American Pastime, and as patriots, resolve to do this for God and country. The game itself, as in all sports is pure, perfect, equal and just. Understand that I am a life long fan, but in the end just a fan. 

  We have two pressing problems at this time, one a war against an invisible enemy, and secondly, an attack from home grown terrorists who are burning our cities, trashing our history, in short, to destroy America. So what can a game do against all this, and how can any individual agree to help bring this nation back from the brink of disaster? Only as a suggestion, rather than canned crowds, set up those high powered microphones all around the venue. (be careful boys, we will know who farted). In this way, the fans will hear the chatter among the players, be able to hear such things as Cut one, or cut two, and Home! The broadcasters would explain the finer points as well as the basics of the game as the plays play out. As far as the natural cussing that goes on, there is approximately ten seconds between when something happens and it appears on your screen, so they could edit most out. And as for the F bombs, have each player put one thousand dollars into a cuss jar every time he slips, and at the end of the season, donate that jar to the charity of their choice. In short gentlemen, America desperately needs some good clean fun to take us away from the ugliness going on outside the game. But than the last piece of the puzzle, the game and the surface it is played on are pure, and being pure, they are sacred. There is no place on the field or during the game for cheap political stunts. The game you play that supports your family is pure, the players should agree not to sully our great game with the filth of partisan  politics. The league has already worked with Nike and by that, China, but that is water under the bridge. Now is time to Play Ball!  If the league does these things and prides itself in Patriotism, I guarantee that your gates will triple in 2021. 

Tested Truths: The Hat

Tested Truths: The Hat:   The hat had been a part of this family for a long time. I say had because yesterday it was lost at sea. The hat was a sweat stained, sun ...

The Hat

  The hat had been a part of this family for a long time. I say had because yesterday it was lost at sea. The hat was a sweat stained, sun whitened thing, and though I was sorry to see it go, my wife won't be, she hated that old hat! Don't wear that hat she'd say, it's disgusting. Wear your new Yankee hat, you'll look much better. It wasn't the typical baseball hat, it was a Yankee blue in color of course with the word Yankees scrawled across it at an angle, and I wore it everyday in the summer, in work and not. After all we had been through together, it seemed fitting that it would be buried at sea. It was quite the moment as I'll tell further on. But this is one of those times when the story begins at the end but is told at the beginning. Here's the beginning. My son Brian had called me and invited me to come along on a charter fishing trip with he, my grandson, and some of his childhood friends. His friend Rob set it up, as he works the boat in the summer months and teaches in the winter. Before I go any further and I get a bit lost on a rabbit hole, I want to said a shout out to the captain and crew of the Ole Salty Two. Captain and crew work their butts off trying to make sure that everyone catches at least one fish, Sea bass was the fish of the day. I caught one, and another ugly looking thing called a Sea Robin. A fish with wings at yellow spindly looking legs or feelers. The crew did it's job, and everyone did catch at least one, and my grandson caught a baby shark! 

  Late in the day, the sky clouded over, the sea got choppy, and the temperature dropped from being in the nineties, to being chilly. The boat began to roll as two to three foot swells came in rows, replacing the calm seas of earlier. It was as this sudden change in weather happened that I was on the bow when a particularly strong gust of wind came up behind me, blowing my hat into the ocean about six feet from the boat. One of the boats mates saw this and running to get a pole said, We are rolling toward the hat, it'll go under and then come out the other side. Sure enough it did, and he made two valiant attempts at snaring it by casting out to it. Both were close, and he almost hooked it on the second try. But alas, Old Salty rolled over one last time before sinking bill up into the waves. I saluted it as it sunk and said good bye old friend. 

  What a great day! to be out in a boat in the middle of the ocean with nothing but sky and water all around. Nature at it's best, what a beautiful country God has given us. What a way to celebrate our nation's birthday. Happy Birthday America! A day of fishing with family and friends, it doesn't get much better. Thanks again to the captain and crew of Ole Salty Two out of Belmar marina. Thanks guys! 

Tested Truths: The Family of God (part two)

Tested Truths: The Family of God (part two):   Regarding history: Keep in mind that the United States is but a babe among nations. Some existing countries and past civilizations go bac...

The Family of God (part two)

  Regarding history: Keep in mind that the United States is but a babe among nations. Some existing countries and past civilizations go back thousands of years. Us? We are approximately 250 years old. Sure we have had serious problems and we have made mistakes. But considering our youth, we have worked out those problems in short order. Americans are good people as a whole, benevolent I guess is the word? Slavery has existed for thousands of years and it still exists today. We brought it with us when we settled the land. A civil war was fought to right that wrong. Eight hundred thousand men died fighting it, the equivalent of 8 million today! Take the time to do a little research, and you'll find that throughout our history, the government addressed the racism and hatred that followed after the Civil war was won. The KKK was labeled a terrorist group and were hunted down by the army. Even the non violent forms of racism which existed throughout different areas of the country were also addressed and the necessary changes were made. The Jim Crowe laws that were enacted in the South were also defeated and justice for all restored. If you are unsure of what the Jim Crowe laws were all about, it was a way to legalize discrimination, in that they called out the phrase "separate but equal", which was anything but. To give you an example, there were black only and white only hotels. Separate drinking fountains and bathrooms. These laws were meant to make sure of a two class system. Once again, these terribly unfair and insulting laws were eventually abolished. But still, even after these obvious affronts to civil liberties were made illegal and abolished, the struggle continued throughout the twentieth century. I don't want to get into the politics of the ongoing civil rights struggles over the years, except to say what will probably surprise you. From the time of the Civil War, the KKK, through the Jim Crowe years, and such things as desegregating our schools via bussing. Governors standing in and blocking the doorways to keep black students from entering were all spearheaded by Democrats, not Republicans. Even as recently as today, generally you'll find that it is Democrats who are against school choice and the voucher systems that would make school choice a right for all. 

  For me, and many other Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King was and remains the most influential of all black leaders. His "I have a dream" speech made this man of God, one of the most important statesman in our history. You can think me naive, but as I look at 21st century America, most if not all that he dreamed for our country has come to be. Barack Obama was elected to two terms as president, blacks head many of the big companies. Black sitcoms and television shows are all over TV. No matter the walk of life, black men and women are present in the highest places and through all manner of business sports and politics. One of the biggest fears of both whites and black parents was that their child would marry outside of his or her race. Not only are mixed race couples accepted today, but these unions have made some of the best looking children in society. Is there still some problems? Of course, but nothing near what we Americans have been through in our brief history. In short, America is not a racist nation, we are a loving people and a fair people. Are there still some deviants who are racist and still hate? Sure, but now though true racism barely exists, there are those who for political reasons and selfish gain are working very hard to have you forget the tremendous gains we have made and tell you that racism is still a huge problem? These hate filled fools are even suggesting separate but equal, (Jin Crowe) again. Don't give into these lies, because whether you are white or black, we are all Americans, and this young nation is still the gold standard and America is admired by all. Those who hate us look to divide us because they wish to see us defeated. Something that can never happen if we stay united toward the goals that will improve all of our lives. United we stand, One nation under God, divided we fall, and the cost of that fall? Our freedom.  

Tested Truths: The Family of God (part one)

Tested Truths: The Family of God (part one):   We, the world, are all family. The bible tells us as does our Constitution, that we are equal as one people, one race, the human race. An...

The Family of God (part one)

  We, the world, are all family. The bible tells us as does our Constitution, that we are equal as one people, one race, the human race. And as humans, we are superior to all other forms of life on this earth. Regarding the problems we face as a country, specifically racism, which now captures the news. It is evil that looks to divide us and pit one American against another, and that spread the lie that racism is systemic, and is part of our DNA. It is a lie right out of the pit of hell. Because when you think of the two reasonings as to the beginnings of life, there are only two. Either we were created equally by a superior entity, God, or we evolved from some primal ooze. If evolution is true, then, and only then, could systemic racism exist. It would be ridiculous to think that we all evolved at the same rate, and that we all came down from the trees changing from monkey to man at the same moment in time. With evolution, those who became fully human first, would have a distinct advantage over those who came hundreds if not thousands of years later. You have also been taught that science and God are mutually exclusive. This is also a lie. For instance, both science and the bible agree that the mideast, specifically where modern day Israel sits, is the birthplace of human life and civilization. We, the family of man are more alike then you think. For instance, did you know that two long time enemies are blood relations? Muslims and Jews both rightly claim that Abraham is their father and that both religious groups would have millions of followers as per his prophecy. The differences in people are controlled mostly by geographic locations as to where their ancestors settled. Do you think that people from the northern regions where its cold and heavy clothing is necessary to survive may be why they are so light skinned and white, or that conversely, people whose ancestors settled in the heat of african nations may have turned dark from the heat of the sun in those locations? People, we are one big family, all created as God has said, in His image, different from other life forms, but the same as one people. The human race, the family of man, were and is equal, all coming from one source, all made in the image of the God who created everything that is. Good exists and comes from God, likewise, evil exists, and comes from the devil. God desires that we recognize him and worship him as our creator, where evil which comes from the Devil. His desire is to divide us and have people doubt God's existence, eventually to deny him completely.   

Tested Truths: Today

Tested Truths: Today:   So here we all are today, and we all know what tomorrow brought back then. We also know what type of people we are, and that united, we c...

Today

  So here we all are today, and we all know what tomorrow brought back then. We also know what type of people we are, and that united, we can even beat back the scourge of a pandemic. Speaking of, (the pandemic), I guess it is officially over, that is as far as the press is concerned. Social distancing, rules about masks? Now what? 

  The silver lining of the pandemic, is that when our priorities are right, and we come together united as one, we can be amazingly quite unselfish when it comes to protecting human life. We did what we were told, and untold thousands of lives were saved. We knew it would hurt our economy, and we knew how dangerous life can be. In short we did the right thing, we chose life over money. We also knew that united for a cause common to us all, that we had and still have the ability to replenish our resources, and return to our place as a leader of the economic engine that so empowered us. In short, We will rebuild and make it better than it was. 

  Think of what we went through, and how we not only survived, but thrived! A failed political coup, a pandemic, and now this! When I first viewed the horror of that killing, and the fact that it was a white cop, and the young man black, My heart sank as I saw all this progress we made dim into a flickering ember.  That which once was, a raging inferno of progress and hope. The American people had awoken, things like patriotism were no longer corny, you might say we had our swag back, we believed in ourselves, people were filled with hope, as we woke to the fact that We are the government, and those politicians work for us, we would choose the path and they would legislate us according to the paths we chose. 

  So my prayer then?, and I hope your's too, that we would come together again, certainly righting this horrible wrong who.. Can you imagine dealing with the fact that you not only murdered an innocent man, but you may also have murdered a country? Please people, we have come too far to go back. Justice be served, and this policeman pay the full penalty. A murder was committed, on that we can all agree, but if after all we've been through, including a Pandemic, we as a people shall not let this dissuade us either. Because when you come right down to it, look way beyond the politics that will be played from any end, and understand the simplicity of it. When the dust clears and the chatter dies down, there are only two points of view, two ways to go. There is evil and there is good, and we all have to serve somebody. Choose to follow after the wrong side, and you are part of the problem, or choose to do the right thing, and be part of the solution. I wish I could tell you the what and the why of it but I can't. What I know simply put is, all of these huge problems are bigger than any person, and as the Lord said, If you will humble yourself and pray to me I will heal your land. And that my friend is a promise from the highest authority.     

Naval Analyses: HISTORY #4: Age of Sail largest warships

Naval Analyses: HISTORY #4: Age of Sail largest warships: Compiled information from Wikipedia articles by D-Mitch In the previous post I included a number of infographics of various types of wa...

Tested Truths: What Tomorrow

Tested Truths: What Tomorrow:   One thing we have all learned together, is how insignificant we all are, and how that life can change on a dime, most often, with little ...

What Tomorrow

  One thing we have all learned together, is how insignificant we all are, and how that life can change on a dime, most often, with little if any notice, certainly without our control.  Here on earth, we are now very much aware that there is an invisible life that runs along side of and parallel to our own. And we also know that though we are both part of something bigger, they are no more aware of us than we are of them. During this time of waiting, we grow impatient, but impatient for what? Your job? many of us identify with our job. We identify as whatever it is that we do for a living. Most look forward to returning to work as the way to support ourselves and our family, and though that is true for all of us, the truly blessed among us look forward to returning full time to their jobs because they love what they do. No matter if your job seems tedious, or, it is something you find rewarding and actually enjoy what you do, returning to our job is paramount in returning to a new normal. Like everything else in this country, it is our people who have the last word as to who we will be after this scourge has gone. Has the sobering aspect of considering your own mortality, and that of who we choose to be brought a new way of thinking to you, or will you just pick up your old biases and allow the political types to again control who and what we are. 

  Other than the loss of life, the saddest aspect of this virus scare is that there are actually people among us who root for the virus, for these see political gain to be made from horror. There should be a word to describe such as these, being the ultimate self centered, spoiled rotten, uncaring, incapable of love, you see what I mean? There should be an ultimate word for the ultimate selfishness that sums up accurately the pure evil that are these types. Imagine, we often talk of alien life forms being out there somewhere, and here they are living all around us. Microscopic life that is smaller than small, and with telescopes we search the enormity of space, we set up huge listening devices to hear of another life form. There is a life form in space, this one too is invisible, and this one exists both in the vastness of the cosmos, and right here along side us on good old mother earth. This of course is the Spirit world, the world of both eternal death and eternal life. Its funny when you think of it. All this time and money spent throughout history searching for aliens, and all this time, the aliens are ourselves.   

Tested Truths: Emergence

Tested Truths: Emergence:   As each one of us emerges from the exile of our own private bunkers, it should be very interesting to see how we fared singly as well as ...

Emergence

  As each one of us emerges from the exile of our own private bunkers, it should be very interesting to see how we fared singly as well as corporately. Who will come out into the outside world, as a better you, a you who appreciates what we have already gone through, and looks forward to making our world a better one. Has our isolation made us a better person, or do we emerge more selfish than ever? Being retired, I'm used to being alone, and you would think, all the more adjusted than the rest. The only change I've noticed in myself is possibly I got lazier, and stopped writing as much. So far, I would say, So far so good, whatever that means? We have much to be proud of, as we have come through the first wave of this two pronged attack sane, together, and with as little death as possible, especially because the communist Chinese government lied and tried to cover the disease up. Had they acted as good global citizens and came clean immediately, thousands of lives could have been saved. 

  But now we enter the second and quite probably the more deadly of this two pronged attack. How do we pay for the billions spent and yet to be spent, that undoubtedly saved so many lives. Again, if we except the importance of getting our economy up and running quickly with the same mature attitude which we used to get the health of the populace under control, we will beat that too. The key, as was with the medical aspect of this threat, we must be willing to give up some comforts, keeping always in mind that together as one people, we can not only get back what was lost, but have our economy be even better than it was before this scourge came on us seemingly out of nowhere.. 

  I believe that now that we have had this respite of a kind, and the extreme act of shutting down the greatest economic engine shut down, that we can bring it back in reasonable stages, not just content to get back to some sort of reality, but that this be a new and improved economy and be better than ever. What I'm trying to say is that if we heed well the lessons learned medically, follow the experts. But also, to change those aspects of the old economy which made life and business harder for most, and impossible for some. At the risk of suggesting something that couldn't work and sounding foolish. I would love to see the banking industry more accessible to more small businesses and upstarts. As a small builder, I would love to see the old saving and loan banks return. That is just one idea, but the over all plan is to return to simpler times, when you didn't need a team of lawyers and engineers to get a minor subdivision approved. In short, to have our fast paced, rule and legislation bound way of doing business turn to simpler ways. In my mind, simpler is better, and we can rebuild our new powerhouse economy from the ground up. What better foundation than our people united as one, a people who see the wisdom in success breeding success, and knowing that raising water makes all boats rise. 

Be smart America, be smart and let no politician divide us so that we are so easily controlled. Let no one divide us, and keep in mind always that this is our country, OURS, we the people. 

There are already those who look to use this extraordinary crises for their own selfish gain. If we are to make it all the way back and better, we must rid ourselves of the politicians such as these in November. If your not part of the solution, your part of the problem.     

Tested Truths: Tomorrow

Tested Truths: Tomorrow:   Good morning. I just turned on the TV, planning to watch something, anything to kill some time. Writing something has been on my mind for...

Tomorrow

  Good morning. I just turned on the TV, planning to watch something, anything to kill some time. Writing something has been on my mind for quite awhile, but for some reason, I haven't? I suspect that it has something to do with the strangeness of the time, a time like none before it in history. Now Solomon tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, and I have never known king Solomon to be wrong. And in fact he isn't. This time is different from other such plagues as the black death or the Bubonic plague of the middle ages. The difference is the 24/7 instantaneous news. With the speed of the internet, everything about anybody is easily known. So the virus/ germ/ flu/, whatever you choose to call it, this world wide disease is not nearly as big as the media would make it. One death is too many, but we are a long way off from the millions of deaths past diseases caused. The biggest reason? Modern science and medicine have evolved to staggering new heights, especially with the advent of computers. 

  Now, speaking of something a little more in my line of understanding, let's get something straight. The answer to the question asked millions of times before this, "Why did God do this". He didn't. However, He did know it was coming and allowed it to happen. From His perspective, little if anything is learned from the good times, those times of light summer breezes. But when bad times come, that is when your true self comes out, whether personally, regarding those personal hardships, or corporately as a civilization. 

  Funny how things can turn on a dime, but as I started to say, I had no intention of writing anything, but when the Simpsons came on, they opened with the song "strange days" playing in the background. A song that I am trying to get out of my head with only limited success. But I digress. As strange as these times of separation are, and events that we took for granted are gone for now. Each of us, no matter our age has to deal with isolation to some degree. Welcome to my world. I'm retired and live on a fixed income, and so staying home with little to any social life is normal for me and millions like me. This is a war like none other. In this one, you are not required to fight anyone with a gun. In this one, the one against this invisible enemy, all you have to do is stay in the safety of your homes. Thus far so good, and our country has handled it well, and we are winning! We are winning because we have remained united and resolute in defeating this enemy. Keep up the good work America and keep up the good work and patriotism necessary to win any war. But now as we ready ourselves to fight on the second front, that of bringing our powerful economic engine back to life in stages, do your part and continue to stick together. Our country was built on a new concept, that of the real power belonging to the people, and together we can defeat any foe. the only way those touting evil ways can win is if we defeat ourselves. United we stand, divided we fall. 

Tested Truths: This Instead

Tested Truths: This Instead:   The title gives away the fact that this isn't All the time there is. In short, it was written on a narrow lined pad, couple that with...

This Instead

  The title gives away the fact that this isn't All the time there is. In short, it was written on a narrow lined pad, couple that with the fact that my handwriting stinks, and I couldn't read it. And so, This instead. Overall as I peer out from my little vantage point, from what I see of the world front, it appears as if the virus is on the run. But although that is good news, selfishly, I am much more interested in the United States of America. 

  For those of us who lived 9/11/2001, the very first year of what was then this new century. As history will clearly tell you, the country did itself proud. We united against a common enemy. The only difference this time is that the enemy is invisible. 

  A common enemy will always bring a nation together, and together, we can defeat any enemy, both the visible and the invisible. And the oneness feels good, feeling patriotic, and caring as much about your country as you do yourself is a good feeling, it would be great if this time it lasts longer than from that similar time, twenty years ago,. Defeating this enemy requires a two-fold attack. One, we must defeat the disease, and two we need to loose the full power of this great economic engine. Sadly, for some of you this will be hard, but its time to put our differences down and come again united as one people with one purpose. Remember who you are. You are One country, under God, indivisible. The last one, the one that of divisiveness, is probably the one most important at this time. 

  Be a patriot for as long as you can. And if it bothers you so much to do that, just a quick look at the history of that time, there were American flags everywhere, even flapping from car windows. Its not much I know, but theres that, at least you don't have to see the flag everywhere you go.. We will learn much about ourselves individually, and collectively as a civilization. You know that feel good oneness only lasted approximately six to eight weeks, lets see if we can beat that time. United as one, there is nothing we cannot do, but apart we can do nothing. 

  Hope. hope is so important, but with hope you reach for goals in steps, but each time you have hope renewed. Win the lottery? Hope I have my hope set for Easter. But that is up to one person, the Lord. He knows, we don't. 

Tested Truths: Hunkered in the Bunker

Tested Truths: Hunkered in the Bunker:   Its funny how things work out sometimes. On this morning's poop run, it occurred to me, things being as they are, You wild and wooly ...

Hunkered in the Bunker

  Its funny how things work out sometimes. On this morning's poop run, it occurred to me, things being as they are, You wild and wooly young ones are getting a sampling of what retirement is like. For me, I find that funny in a lot of ways, and I laughed to myself. I thought to myself, yet another silver lining. On the other hand, we won't know how they as a generation handle this new information? The smart ones will learn from it and apply it so when they are seniors, theres will bring on more good than bad. Looking at yourself from any perspective can be scary. But how do you wile away the hours, now that there is less and less to do? Sooner or later you are left all alone with you. 

  On another subject, although I'm sure one of you bright lads or lasses have already figured out. There is quick and easy money to be made by starting a delivery business for us poor helpless seniors. Delivery. For instance, I'm out of legal sized yellow pads, double spaced if available. Seriously, would anyone close want to run an errand for me to Staples? thanks 

  What follows after this one will be an old one. Not really sure what it is myself, but I figure, What the hell, I got nothing else to do. Just peeked. The title is,All the time there is..  

Tested Truths: Pandemic

Tested Truths: Pandemic:   Along with the alarm over our current flu?/virus season, comes some good news, a silver lining if you will. Like it or not, families are ...

Pandemic

  Along with the alarm over our current flu?/virus season, comes some good news, a silver lining if you will. Like it or not, families are being forced to come together, and spend all of our time together. What a blessing! Nows a break from the everyday pressures of our day to day grinds. Use this time to grow closer and rid old grudges, stay close to each other and renew your love for each other. 

  All forms of outside entertainment is gone. The kids are home from school, there are no sports practice or dance recitals to go to, and for many parents, they'll be able to work from home. It will take some adjustment, but again, it looks like we'll be stuck with each other for a while, so why not make the best of it. We have been through such medical crises' before, so don't worry as this too shall pass. Parents and older children will be schooling each other, and if we keep the computer games to a minimum, we might even consider talking to each other, Gasp! Get old school, play board games together, and here's a good suggestion. Even if your family is atheist, get out a copy of the bible, and read the book of John together. It is a short easy read, the only thing you must keep in mind is that as John gives his accounting of the beginning as told in Genesis, Jesus is the Word. Other than that it is pretty self explanatory and has been labeled sometimes as Christianity 101. I pray that if you do this, you just might want to know more about the most influential man in all of history. But even if you remain steadfast in rejecting the existence of God, I promise it will bring about some interesting questions and debate. Whether you come away wanting to know more about the living God of us all or not, You will find some interesting things about yourself and your family, and I promise you it will do you no harm. 

Factoid: The word pandemic comes from mating of the word Pan, a mythical god of fields, forests, flocks and shepherds, this god had a goats legs and feet, and the word epidemic, or pandemic, which simply means, over a large area. (taken from Websters' dictionary) Finally, do not take this disease lightly. Wash your hands often, stay clear of large crowds, and follow the advice given you by the medical doctors and experts. Sharpen your common sense reactions.

Tested Truths: I've got those swine flu blues

Tested Truths: I've got those swine flu blues:   Been all around the world, been from the northeast to the southeast. It was quite the journey, as we just got back from a nine day vacati...

I've got those swine flu blues

  Been all around the world, been from the northeast to the southeast. It was quite the journey, as we just got back from a nine day vacation, and it had been quite the journey. Saw all kinds of people,  and none of them are them panicking, I saw a grand total of nine people with masks on, five of them of them, five being of the same family. AH-FLUU.. God bless you. This is not the time for plagues, at least not for the short term, but as for the long term, how long is long? 

  The trip itself could best be summed up as a baseball/botany type of trip. Caught two spring training games, seeing four teams, in two stadiums, and outside of one. As for this flu virus type of problem, do not panick, this kind has come and gone many times before. So go about your business, go home at the end of the day, kick back, and relax. 

  OH, by the way, I did have the bird flu back there,.For eight days I thought I was a bird? Sometimes I felt as if I was a flamingo, other times I felt like a hawk. 

    

Tested Truths: Question

Tested Truths: Question:   Souls are off visiting unseen dreams while the body recuperates in sleep. Your physical self must have proper rest, along with all means ...

Question

  Souls are off visiting unseen dreams while the body recuperates in sleep. Your physical self must have proper rest, along with all means of constant maintenance. But while your physical self sleeps, your soul roams fancy free. This may seem odd to you as some of you are unaware that there is such a thing as a soul, and much less their own soul. But science agrees to some extent, as they know that the brain is constantly active, and it never stops. Of course it can't stop, as the body is nothing without it. 

  The soul is the essence of life, the soul is life. When that last gasp of realization passes out, and the light of it extinguishes in the eyes, it is at that moment that the soul leaves the body. Free, the soul is free, and rejoices that it is free from the bondage of that decaying body. I understand that it is hard to wrap your head around it, but death is not the end of it. Death and life are on opposite sides of the same coin, both are always there, and both are eternal. 

    You might ask yourself, But what then, where will I go, what will I do with oceans of time? From the eternal perspective, your life and death have already occurred and viewed as history. And as to the questions as to what and where your soul will do, those answers are being set by the life you lead your life in the time allotted you. Who you are, the things you covet, how much of you is selfish pride, and how often, and if at all, you recognize the importance of putting others before yourself sometimes. In short, how you live your life, this is how you will spend all of that time., because as the bible says, you shall reap what you sow. Acknowledging the existence of God, is of course paramount, and further understand that there is but one way to God the Father and eternal life, only one way to bridge that gap between you and an eternity of peace, and that bridge is the son of God, Jesus Christ. Free will is, well... Free! But I tell you with that freedom comes great responsibility. What do you choose?    

Bob Dylan - Complete Nobel Prize Speech (2017)

Tested Truths: Suppose?

Tested Truths: Suppose?:     I am running Lord though I know not where. I am blinded by the white hot light I see not far from the road. In this brightest of ligh...

Suppose?

 

  I am running Lord though I know not where. I am blinded by the white hot light I see not far from the road. In this brightest of lights I can see you vaguely, but I am still not close enough to touch you. I have looked for answers from way down deep inside, and I have wasted my time trying to pepper what I found with the wisdom of this age. 

  Suppose your perspective was from an eternal point of view. If you can imagine it, for you now, time means nothing. From that point of view from the perspective of the eternal things, how do you think you would interpret this time, our time, and what how do you think that this era in our history will effect future generations? The generations yet to come. Can you see it, can you imagine that far? You hold it in your hands like a snippet of the ever reeling roll of film that is time going by, and then it moves on, ever forward. You see the mess from all sides, and you understand it fully, but still it is just a moment, long for some, shorter for others. How can you rise above this fray of your friends and neighbors, how do you keep your sanity when everyday there is more chaos, more storms and volcanos, new and dangerous viruses, what are we to do? indeed, what can we do? 

  Seek truth in all of its forms, and speak always the truth. Honor, be honorable, be a person of integrity, a person to be counted on. 

  Pray America. Pray that we always remain, One nation under God. They come not only for your money, they come to change us. Austerity and the freedom that it brings scares them, these type look for control. They come in many ways and with far more complaints than answers, they come under the guise of globalism. Don't be fooled as they are, what they have really come for is your freedom. These talking heads on TV, these fools of PR via PC, these arrogant idiots who think we need them, because we aren't intelligent enough to govern ourselves. Don't Kid yourselves America, this coming election is our Brexit. the future of your children and your children's children depend on this one, and just as a free people, a people with the power, We the people will decide our future.   

  And for your own sake America, Pray. Pray that we choose wisely, Pray that we choose to remain forever,  One people,  One nation, One, under God.   Amen

Tested Truths: Tree of Life (part two)

Tested Truths: Tree of Life (part two):   Funny thing about speaking of trees, is that we are all busy still putting away our Christmas tree and decorations, another season, as Au...

Tree of Life (part two)

  Funny thing about speaking of trees, is that we are all busy still putting away our Christmas tree and decorations, another season, as Autumn changes to Winter. I will tell you that this is a tough subject to summarize in just a couple of pages. In fact, my last rough draft was 14 pages which is much too long for this type of venue. The plan is to wet your appetite regarding the things of God, Heaven specifically, so that you would pick up your bible and read both Genesis and Revelation on your own. 

Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground, the Lord God made every tree grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Tree of Life was also in the garden, as was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At this point, our young couple could have eaten freely of the Tree of Life, as they were told that they could eat of it all, but NOT from the tree of good and evil. But they did, and so, Rev. 3:22-24 (summarized) Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us to know good and evil. And therefore we must cast them from the garden less he touch the Tree of Life and have eternal life. And so now cast from paradise, the Lord God also placed a cherubim with a flaming sword in his hand in the east of Eden, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.  This is how it was in the first book of the bible, in the beginning. In the end as told in the last book, the book of Revelation, by this time all old things have passed away, and so the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not mentioned in those final scenes of the goings on in Heaven, but the Tree of Life is again a prominent part of the story. In Revelation 21 John who wrote the final book says in Chapter 21, Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away. Rev. chapter 22 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of the street of translucent gold was the Tree of Life, which bore 12 different fruit once each month, and the leaves of this tree was for the healing of the nations. Near the end of the book of Revelation, Jesus testifies that it was he who sent the angel to guide John through Heaven, and as with the entire book, there is the offer to come and live eternally with our Creator. "And the Spirit and the bride say come, and let him who hears say come, Let him who thirsts for fresh pure water come. Whoever desires, let him take freely of the water of life. I close this letter in the hope that this small sampling of what awaits us who believe in and know God, and as the Lord Jesus said himself, Behold, I stand at the door and knock, and I will come in and join you. My great hope is that you will at least read for yourselves the words of God as written in the bible, and again, It will do you no harm, but you will be better off for having done so.   Guaranteed..

Tested Truths: Tree Of Life (part one)

Tested Truths: Tree Of Life (part one):   Trees, it is impossible to understate the importance of trees. Trees give us the breath that we breath. From the very small to the incred...

Tree Of Life (part one)

  Trees, it is impossible to understate the importance of trees. Trees give us the breath that we breath. From the very small to the incredibly high, trees are beautiful and often, awe inspiring. Trees are often in the scenery of literature, as with a story of two young lovers who carve their initials together in the hope that the carving would stand as a testament of their love for generations to come. Trees can grow for hundreds of years, and they exist in virtually every climate and local. From mighty oaks and splendid straight pines, in more northern climates, to palm trees and cactuses in the warmer climates. Trees can denote power and strength as with an oak tree with its' roots deep in the ground. They stand stoic and solid, and yet are flexible enough to bend with the winds of change. 

  Lately, tracing DNA to establish family trees is all the rage, but there is one tree in particular, the first tree, The Alpha, and the one to be the last, the Omega. This tree is the Tree of Life, and can be found in Genesis, the beginning, and also in Revelation, the last book in the bible, making it also, the Omega. This family tree is of all life, as everything that lives comes from it. It is the source of all life. Most people have heard the story of Adam and Eve, as they shared the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and by so doing, loosed evil into this perfect place, this Garden of Eden. But that is a story onto itself and for another time. But the other tree in the garden was the Tree of Life, a tree that had a stream of water that ran under it and from it, the pure water of life. This is the tree that was protected by angels with flaming swords, keeping it from anything impure touching it, and this same tree is at the center of the heavenly scene as told in the book of Revelation. This book, Revelation, tells of two main stories, the end of this world and of this age, but also gives the reader a good look at the new heaven and the new earth. Unlike the tree of knowledge which is spoken of in Genesis at the beginning, the Tree of Life is a prominent figure in the last book, making the Tree of Life both the Alpha and the Omega. The tree of good and evil is of no use in heaven, as there is no evil there, all is pure and safe, and so there is no need for worry, but rather a perfect mind of eternal peace. 

  As with this life, all things are symmetrical, and so certain numbers repeat. For instance, lets say that the tree of knowledge was an apple tree, but the tree of Life bares twelve different kinds of fruit, and it renews its' fruit once each month. Imagine, a tree with apples, bananas, pineapples, coconuts, etc. always fresh and perfect. As for the symmetry, the tree bares twelve fruit, their are twelve gates around heaven with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel on the gates' door, and twelve pillars of foundation each bearing the name of one of the twelve apostles.

End part one