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"September 17, 2018"     "Prompt: Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars. Khalil Gibran What do you think? "I agree 100%! I grew up in an alcoholic home. I often hated going home because I never knew what hardships would await there. I also hated going to school because I was made fun of and bullied. So life was pretty miserable at times in my childhood and got worse as an adult. However with the help of my God and Savior Jesus Christ I came to realize that these tough times had made me into a strong person. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 13. Once I realized that the hard times for me were like fertilizer in that they made me grow I began to look back on them not with bitterness but with gratitude. I often think that it took every second and every struggle I went through to make me what I am today. For that I am grateful. Besides the things I went through gave me insight into mankind that most lack. I realize for example that when somebody spews their venom at me today it is probably not really me they are angry with. Yes I may have irritated them but they are likely reacting based on baggage from their past. My irritation only exposed the tip of the iceberg. "Prompt: Jonathan Heimberg says, “Difficulty is the price we pay for everything worth having.”Do you agree that every dream, goal, or thing worth having is designed to be difficult? If so, why?" I would agree that most things worth having offered by man are difficult to obtain because we have created an environment where nothing comes without a price tag attached. However I would not say that all things worth having are not free. The salvation of one's soul is certainly worth having and it is absolutely free. All we have to do to have it is believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that God has raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:10, John 3:16, and many others. Yes man complicates getting anything worth having. This is because man has never learned the concept of grace. Nothing in man's world is free but everything in God's creation was meant to be free and God still provides it all free of charge.      |
| "September 15, 2018" Prompt: September 15 is The International Day of Democracy "One of the defining features of the democratic spirit is the belief that more is obtained through dialogue, consultation and mediation than through coercion and arbitrary practices: in short, the law must prevail over the use of force. The democratic ideal is inextricably linked to a commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts and an aspiration for peace. UNESCO bears this aspiration like a standard." ̶ Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO I have no idea what UNESCO is and I don't want to look it up. I'm sure it's a body that I will stumble across in my Comparative Politics class but as of yet I have no idea what it is. As to democracy I live in the United States so I'm familiar with democracy. It isn't a perfect system of government but I believe it is better than most. The biggest problem with democracy is that even though everybody gets to vote you often feel your vote doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things. After all my vote is only one of some 365 million votes. I still vote and consider it a privilege to do so but I wonder if it really matters? Deborah Spark was discussing reading Chekhov in an article in Writer's Chronicle. She noted reading differences compared to our age. In the article, she said she hated Chekhov when she was young but loves him now. I did too! For that matter, in high school I hared Jane Austen and Edith Wharton. I love them both as an adult. What about you were there books you read as a younger person and hated but as an older person now love?For some reason I was never in a literature class in high school. Possibly because I quit school in the tenth grade and got my GED. I now have college degrrees and have read Austen, Dickens, Chaucer, Milton, and many others in extensive literature classes taken in college. Some of the authors I loved, especially Dickens Great Expectations and some I did not care as much for such as Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Maybe I'm just not that into romance. However I feel that the classics should be read by youth as an education is one thing that never goes to waste. Well I might not say that about algebra but.... |
| "September 14, 2018" Prompt: "The coffin had no body in it...." You tell us why. " I don't know about a coffin not having a body in it but I can tell you exactly why a scared and heartbroken woman went to a grave one Sunday morning to anoint a body with spices only to find the body missing. The woman was of course Mary Magdalene and the body she went to anoint was Jesus, who had just been murdered by jealous Jews. However when Mary arrived Jesus was not there. She inquired about Him with the gardener thinking the gardener had moved him. However the gardener was not a gardener at all. It was Jesus in a resurrected body! Jesus Christ is alive and well to this day! In post modern 2018, we live in a culture that is separated psychologically economically, racially, and technologically that it is difficult to sustain our belief in Homeric style metaphors. By this I mean stories that speak to all of us and in a sense offer e bind us together. So with this in mind, what image or images (metaphorically) depict our soul, you know show us to ourselves and offer us mutual solace. Or have we reached a time when creativity is fallow, flat and useless and we've exhausted our mutual understanding.I don't think Jesus will ever be misunderstood in society. We understand and accept Him or we reject Him. Simple ass that. |
| "September 13, 2018" "Prompt: "When one is home, he dreams of adventure. When one is on a adventure, he dreams of home." Thorton Wilder Do you agree with this?" I have this problem all the time. I am a college student at 57 years of age and it is often everything I can do to motivate myself to go to class. Once I get there I can't wait to get home. Yet when I am home I have nothing to do but homework and watching the paint dry on the walls. Therefore I want to go to class to have something to do! The ambiguous feelings drive me insane at times. I have the option of seeing a counselor at school and I'm taking advantage of it to discuss these feelings of ambiguity and work through them. I like school. Some of my classes are hard but I would rather go than be bored at home. "If you had to pick your favorite comic strip character sory, what would you select and shy?"If I were to pick a favorite comic book character it would probably be Superman because he is basically unstoppable. With Jesus Christ I feel unstoppable as well. In fact I know I am unstoppable because my Bible tells me "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4: 13. So I can be Superman anytime I want to be. All I need is faith. |
| "September 12, 2018" "Prompt: "Just because there's a hurricane going around you doesn't mean you have to open the window and look at it." Taylor Swift What are your views art rulingsbout this? Remember to pray for everyone is going through hurricanes." I think Taylor Swift is a flake. She obviously has no compassion for people of she can be so flippant about a major disaster. I know that Jesus Christ is in control of the hurricane. The hurricane is the result of human sin. God has been mocked by America with continually loosened morality and supreme court rulings. Enough is enough. Prompt: " With the approaching hurricane, I was discussing different weather events I've experienced with friends. So I thought why not ask you to discuss what you've experienced."I have experienced typical West Virginia weather, which means we experience summer heat and winter cold. The worst I ever witnessed was 21 inches of snow that fell in a matter of minutes. I was delivering newspapers and felt as if God was throwing snowballs at me. I remember witnesses huge chunks of snow falling from the sky. It was unlike any snow storm I had ever witnesses and I hope to never see it again. 21 inches of snow fell in about an hour's time. I learned that even though it looked bad God was in control. Hurricanes are God's doing. What people overlook is that the God of love is also a God of judgment. America has been going to hell in a hand basket recently. We have enacted laws that go against everything God has taught us to be wrong. Now God is sending judgment. |
| "Seotember 11, 2018" "Prompt: Write about an ornament." There are many ornaments. I know the prompt is referring to some beautiful symbol representing a holiday, likely Christmas but I am not going to discuss that. I am going to talk about a religious ornament. The cross has come to be the world wide symbol of Christianity. It is always represented with beauty and poise. However the original cross was a rough piece of lumber laid across anther rough piece of lumber. Those so executed were nailed to it and left to hang there at the mercy of the elements. They suffocated slowly as the weight of their bodies and positioning of their legs prevented them from lifting the weight off their lungs and they suffocated. The crosses we wear as "ornaments" do not show this aspect. Prompt: “I will never forget seeing what hate can destroy… I will never forget seeing what love can heal…” Steve Maraboli, about 9/11/2001 Your thoughts..." I agree. Love builds up and hatred tears down. |
| "September 10, 2018" :Prompt: “But sorrow is unreliable in that way. When people don’t share it, there’s a good chance that it will drive them apart instead.” Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove In what ways can sorrow drive people apart? What are your thoughts and insight on the matter?" I don't know that I have ever saw sorrow drive anybody apart. I have seen a lot of sorrow in my time. I have been the cause of much sorrow in fact. I was caught up in the throws of drug addiction and sin for many years of my life. As a result of the sin in my life I was toxic to everybody I came in touch with. So I caused a lot of sorrow. However I developed a relationship with Jesus Christ who has been referred to as the "man of sorrow" because He took the sin of the world upon Himself and suffered sorrow for us. Due to that relationship with Him sorrow drove Him and I together. I give Him my sorrow on a daily basis and He handles it for me. His strength is phenomenal and there is nothing He cannot handle. I must warn everybody though that Jesus Christ does not make our sorrows go away. He takes us by the hand and shows us how to get through sorrow. I have saw times where Jesus took me kicking and screaming down into what I knew was going to be a valley. I didn't want to go because valleys hurt. Yet I trusted Him and went. He got me through it unscathed and I grew a ton. No Jesus does not let sorrow drive us apart. He uses it as fertilizer to make us grow! DAY 2122: September 10, 2018Prompt: Art is not escape, but a way of finding order in chaos, a way of confronting life. ~ Robert Hayden What are your thoughts about art? I would agree that art is about finding art in the middle of the midst of chaos thou some art is worse. Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- |
| "September 8, 2018" Image #2121384 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1871183 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- "DAY 2120: September 8, 2018 Prompt: I have a rendezvous with life. ~ Countee Cullen Let this quote inspire your blog entry." I have a rendezvous with life every day, usually twice a day, as I pray to Jesus Christ, the source of life. I pray nightly for strength to face the following day. I pray each day for strength and motivation to do what I need to do. Jesus is my source of strength. If you are not a Christian what I am saying makes no sense to you. It sounds like superstitious hogwash. If you were a Christian you would realize that I am absolutely on the money as I do not have to rely on human strength but rather I rely on supernatural strength from the Holy Spirit to get things done. I challenge people who are not Christians but believe in God to test Him. Try being a Christian for 30 days. Pray and ask God to help you. Ask Him to save you. You have nothing to lose and your misery back is guaranteed. If God does not change your heart after 30 days go back to your old ways. Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: "It's creative Saturday, folks. You've got the job of writing for a local newspaper about the soon approaching pumpkin festival." This is Chris Breva reporting for the Christian Paraclete. The annual Anywhere County Pumpkin Festival is about to kick off in Somewhere West Virginia. The four day festival honors the pumpkin growers from around the area with a parade, and lots of pumpkin related activities. One important activity is the annual pumpkin pie eating contest with all proceeds going to charity. Of course no Pumpkin Festival would be complete without a Cinderella Ball with Pumpkin carriage. Then the ball finishes with the pie in the face fundraiser! So come on out Friday October 12 at noon for the kick off of the ceremony at Riverfront Park.. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- |
| "September 7, 2018" Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Pick one of the 22 fantastic Friday facts and discuss it in your entry. Did you learn something new? https://www.thefactsite.com/2018/01/friday-facts.html Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- I briefly read this list of reasons Friday is so fantastic and they are all good reasons. However I have an even better reason that I like Friday, which is of course not on the list. You see it was on a Friday that my Lord Jesus Christ exhibited His immense love for mankind,including myself, and willingly died on the cross for our sins. The implications of this obviously do not penetrate the hearts and minds of most people or they would be Christians just as I am. The fact of the matter is that the Creator of the Universe garbed Himself with flesh and willingly laid down His life on a Roman cross so that we would not have to suffer as a result of our sin. No sacrifice man can make and no amount of religious fervor on behalf of man will ever earn man passage to heaven. The only way to get to heaven is simply to believe in one's heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for our sin and that God then raised Jesus from the dead the third day. (Romans 10: 9-10.} Every person in most Christian countries celebrates the holidays of Christmas and Easter. These holidays celebrate the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yet most people in those countries and the rest of the world reject Christ outright. The holidays are merely convenient excuses to take time off from work. Please people. Take time and ponder the real implications of these things. Jesus wants to be your Savior. He'll even allow you to try Him with a refund guarantee. Sincerely invite Him into your heart. If He does not change your life forever He will refund your misery guaranteed! Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Prompt: I don't know about you but there are never enough hours in a day. I came across this article. What appeals to you? Or do you have your own secret tricks to make your day longer? https://www.thefactsite.com/2018/06/make-your-day-last-longer.html I have as busy a schedule as anybody else since I am a 57 year old full time college student. I attend Marshall University in Huntingtton WV where I am in the Regents Bachelor of Arts Program working on a general education degree with an emphasis on psychology. I have found that for each hour I spend in class I need to spend three hours of my own time studying. Since I am in class eight hours per week I spend an additional 24 hours of my own time doing notes, writing papers, and doing homework. In fact I considered uploading my analysis papers for Comparative Politics on here for review but they are property of the college once I turn them in and I do not know if posting them here would be proper. However my day gets to be pretty hectic as well. I am attending a special counseling session, which focuses on time management at school. The counselor is going to help me figure out ways to study and give me tips that may be new to me. One tip I know she will not give me is to pray. I pray faithfully every night prior to going to bed and briefly every morning asking Jesus Christ to send the Holy Spirit to motivate me and give me wisdom in school. I find that this goes farther to help me than anything else I can do. It also helps to want that my narcolepsy is being treated. Narcolepsy is a neurological condition that causes one to fall asleep at all hours. It is treated with stimulants and now that it is treated I find that I am able to stay awake and feel more rested and thus more motivated. Finally my motivation comes from knowing and reading God's word. God's word says that we should do everything we do as if we are working directly for God, because as Christians we represent God on earth. I am the chaplain of the West Virginia Veterans Home where I reside and I know the veterans around me look to me for spiritual leadership. I know they do for many of them have told me so. I am therefore motivated to do my best and read and study anything that will help me better manage my time in an effort to be my best. Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- Image #2159373 over display limit. -?- Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- |
| "September 6, 2018" Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Image #1971183 over display limit. -?- "Prompt: "In revisitation and remembrance, we bring back that which is not always fresh in the mind but always familiar to the heart." India Hicks What are your reflections on this?" You know of course that I have a Christian response to this? The Christian response is because one of my favorite scriptures in the Bible talks about memory. John 14: 26 discusses the Holy Spirit and the gospel. It says the Holy Spirit will bring all things to our remembrance. A lot of people however miss the implication here. The implication is that we must have committed scripture to our memory to begin with. He doesn't promise to instantly teach us the scriptures but rather to bring them to remembrance. I would agree with India. I believe memories are always dear to the heart. and always familiar to it. The mind gets so crowded it temporarily forgets but the heart always knows. Image #1997652 over display limit. -?- Prompt: ""A mysterious note was pinned to your door........" A mysterious note was pinned to my door. It said "I'm watching you!" People watch me all the time. I am an ordained minister and the chaplain of the West Virginia Veterans Home. People watch me to judge me and some watch me as an example of what a Christian should be. I have had people tell me they are watching me and that they see Christ in me. So I'm used to having people watch me.I'm getting use to mysterious notes showing up on my door as well. Often the notes are prayer requests or other concerns. Sometimes the notes will be cards saying thank you for praying for me and telling of something great that happened. Yet there are a few notes that are mysterious: writing I can't read or a message that is obscure... Image #2098718 over display limit. -?- Image #2118746 over display limit. -?- Image #2147967 over display limit. -?- [Image:2159373-33%} Image #2164523 over display limit. -?- 3 |
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