that's a lot to think about

SlimeBucketPat says—For the most part, folks aren’t very impressed with how great you are if you are not humble. A "I'm better than you attitude" does not seem to impress most folks.  Soooo what do you think impresses folks?

I just learned a huge massive lesson from Arlene. A friend asked if she could come and see Arlene. I said she could but Arlene has a hard time talking. She said, I'm not a talker myself.  Well, she came and spent some time with Arlene. Arlene truly enjoyed her. Arlene was very comfortable around her. Our friend didn't try to impress her and tell Arlene how great she was (i.e. she was the cherry on top of the sundae). I learned once again, the most important thing we can do for others is show up and show them that we care. That's all we need to do.  That's a lot to think about folks and is very humbling. Such is life.

Hey listen folks, I’m just going to talk about our grand kids and my golf game in this "It's Saturday!" Billy Billy Billy! Now that is a lot to think about folks no matter who you are. And the game of "double standards" continues.  Such is life.

Mr.Almost says--Things can happen that are devastating (i.e. like when life throws you a sucker punch). That can happen in a New York minute. And the only way we can deal with them many times is day by day.  There is soooo much to think about that a person can’t seem to get their brain around it. Ya just need to accept things the best you can even though the devastating situation gives you the heebie jeebies! That’s a lot to think about!  Such is life.

I read in the paper soooo it must be right—Study:  Christians most persecuted religious group.  Why is that? Is the world scared of the power of Jesus?  Why doesn’t the world just pay no attention to Christians if they don’t believe in Jesus? There is something quite interesting here I think.  Maybe just maybe the world gets real nervous when Christians proselytize to them.  Maybe just maybe the world knows in their hearts that there is some truth to this Jesus stuff and they don’t want to deal with it.  Now that is a lot to think about folks.  Maybe the world is wondering if they are on a dog-leg left heading right!  Ouchy ouchy! The world seems to get pretty hot under the collar about this. According to Mark 15:10, the Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to Pilate because of envy and jealousy.

LuckieEddie says—It appears that pride is the nemeses a.k.a. bugaboo for many. If someone receives a higher grade, makes a larger salary, wins a race achieves a victory, or experiences more prosperity in some way, are we jealous? Ya, we’re all tempted to feel jealous because the tree of envy grows from the soil of pride. Most of us have a life fit for a king and yet we want more and better etc. Yaaaaasssssummm! That is a lot to think about! Such is life.

My mentor use to say to me—erv, things are never as good as they look or as bad as they look.  I was waiting in line at a funeral visitation and visiting with a friend who was waiting as well.  We talked about how families get together at a funeral and that there is a lot of family dynamics (i.e. some we can see and some we can’t).  She said—Probably all families have some dysfunctional parts. It comes about as there are unique family members, money issues, different life styles, divorces and multiple marriages, money issues, son-in-laws daughter-in-laws brother-in-laws, mother-in-laws etc., mental and physical health issues, bad decisions, money issues, religious issues, addictions, money issues and God only knows what else.  Sometimes it isn’t as pretty as it looks or as portrayed (i.e. folks don’t like to show the bad side of their families).  A friend tells me that we need to accept folks for who they are.  He seems to be pretty good at it. Now that is a lot to think about at a funeral visitation folks. I hope you didn’t have 

any skunks at your 4th of July outing.  Just one skunk can sure stink up the party. 

Who was there with their smart phone videoing the conversation between the devil and God?  I got up early the July 4th morning and re-read the Book of Job.  Is this a true story I asked myself.  I asked a group of friends (i.e. maybe all Christians) that question. The responses were from absolutely, does it matter to it’s a parable a.k.a. a teaching story.  And some were very political—they didn’t respond. Only 2 asked me what my opinion was.  But you got to remember, I don’t know much, I’m just a little old farm boy from a mile and a fourth south of Roselend, MN.  I don’t remember much of my OT class at good old Northwestern College other that the OT is old!  My opinion is--I think it is true. I think it was a story passed on through several generations (i.e. orally) and then written out when the Bible was written maybe by multiple authors. Written in a different culture of different traditions maybe. Inspired by God. Embellished, I don't know. Probably not.

Sooo I asked my friend Robert Schnucker--who is an ordained presbyterian clergy for 61 years; phd from the university of iowa school of religion; professor for 48 years at truman state and uni; founder of the 16th century journal; founder and director of truman state university press; former president of the chief administrative officers of the american council of learned societies; student of the scripture and some understanding of non-xn religions and more. He said--How did the book come to be? no one is really sure since there are parallel similar types of literature found in the ancient near east. scholars do know with the attack of the assyrians on the northern portion of what once was Israel, that northern portion was obliterated from history but some of the OT manuscripts survived. later when the babylonians defeated judah in 586, the babylonians carried off the elite of judah. later when cyrus the great defeated the babylonians, he allowed many of the people of judah to return home to palestine. the scholars of judah realized that something had to be done to rescue their sacred literature. so began an effort to bring the northern and southern manuscripts into harmony. in the process many of the writings were only mentioned in the final product. this is easily seen in kings and chronicles where it is stated that so and so is recorded in such and such.,,now to Job. in a sense it is a play with a prologue and an epilogue with four people trying to figure out why disaster has come upon Job. Job by the way was not a member of the jewish faith,, he was an edomite. the main theme is described as a theodicy (from greek theos - god and dike - justice} in which the question is raised, how can one explain the justice of God  in an evil world?  the four people who come to Job tend to see religion as a bargain - follow this way of God and be rewarded. thus Job's suffering is the result of his own failure to live up to the bargain. Job's defies their accusations...the insight of the book of Job is that all are involved in a relationship with God based on the fact of our trust and faith in the grace of God. In the end the mystery of sufferings has no rational explanation and in fact nowhere in scripture is a rational answer provided. remember in the epilogue after Job has vented his dismay, God does not answer him but asks him a series of questions which make it clear that God is God and does not operate on the basis of human reasoning. Now that's a lot to think about folks.

I have a friend who works with bad loans (i.e. some huge massive ones).  I call him Mr. Repo.  He was telling me about a debtor who was not being cooperative in supplying information.  It appeared that the secured assets were disappearing.  He wouldn’t provide the documentation as what was happening.  They went around and around but the relationship continued to go south.  Fraud, illegal action etc. is suspected when this happens.  The debtor was not happy with loan company when they wanting some answers even though he was delinquent on the loan.  Finally, the debtor said—Listen, if you don’t quite bothering me I will file bankruptcy. Mr. Repo said—how soon can you file; do you have the fee to file; if not we will help you with the money for the fee; once you file, we will have a plan; the court will require every document, every check cashed, who endorsed the checks, if the banks were negligent in cashing the checks, will want exact records where all the assets went etc.  The creditor got real quiet.  Now that is a lot to think about. 

You might not want to read this paragraph; it's depressing. Across the country there are more than 5 million people living with Alzheimer's (i.e. a club you don't want to be a member of). The cost of care is estimated to be $236 billion. Ofentimes, Iowas families and loved ones assist in the care of those with Alzheimer's at an unpaid cost of more than $1.8 billion plus a heavy cost to themselves. It is a vicious and costly cycle. Folks really don't like to talk about it or think about it; it's depressing. I understand. BUT some folks have toooo; they deal with it directly; they have no choice. As far as I know there is only one cure for Alzheimer's and that is death (i.e. right now there is no way around it). Ouchy ouchy!  That is a lot to think about folks.

Now this is a lot to think about folks!  I read this in the paper sooo it must be right—The discontent many people feel in America and apparently in the UK can be attributed to a number of factors.  They include an elite and corrupt leadership that has lost contact with the people they govern, lack of respect for the culture of the average person and the constant demand we deny the realty we see around us.  That is what I read folks.  ItchieBitchie says—It seems like in politics there is a lot pretending and positioning but not much about reality. Are we just constantly just pretending?  Maybe money is part of this pretending.  Maybe. What do you think? Ok maybe egos come into play tooooo!

Well, you have heard enough about our grand kids and my golf game.  It’s time to wrap this “It’s Saturday” up folks. 

Have a FUN day my friends unless you have other plans. (-:

erv

MyFriendJean says—The best way to keep good acts a memory is to refresh them with new.

P.S. Folks ask me a lot how I’m doing—Considering our situation--Everything is great, it can’t get no better. My opinion is that a guy has to try to control the controllable and understand that a guy can’t do nothing about the uncontrollable. Does that make any sense to ya? Now folks, that is a lot to think about!  That’s about the whole ball of wax or as WorldClassLarry says—That’s the meat and potatoes of it all. SusieQ says--That is a mean punch!