Tell us your favorite hymns, and we’ll put them on the list and post them.
We continue with In the Garden, sung by Alan Jackson.
Author: leeduigon(patty)
I have lived in Metuchen, NJ, all my life. I have been married to my wife Patricia since 1977. I am a former newspaper editor and reporter. I was also the owner-operator of my own small business for several years. I wrote various novels and short stories published during 1980s and 1990s. I am a long-time student of judo and Japanese swordsmanship (kenjutsu). I also play chess, basketball, and military and sports simulations.
Cats & Babies: Crescendo of Doom
You’ll have to pardon the headline. I couldn’t resist it.
Some of these babies are pretty rough on the cat, but the cats are careful not to rough the baby. Heck, one of these cats is bigger than the baby. If you wonder about the value of these interactions, judge them by the babies’ laughter.
*Sigh* So Much for Reblogs
Well, WordPress finally admitted this afternoon that I have no reblog capability and I’m not gonna get any, either.
On the off chance that maybe, somehow, my reblog function got restored–like when you’re looking everywhere for your cat, high and low: and the next thing you know, she’s sitting in the middle of the living room floor, washing–I tried today to reblog a post from Joshua’s blog, “Spread the Word.” It didn’t work. Wouldn’t work for the WordPress “happiness engineer,” either.
Oh, I could study a special video and learn how to do some ridiculously complicated workaround… but that would only give me a hot head. And I can’t contact Jill, my tech support, because AOL Mail is down. Oh, fap.
Things are not working in Computer-Land.
Again, if you’re wondering why I’ve stopped reblogging posts from your blog, the answer is, I haven’t. I have been stopped from doing it. As Sir Thomas Malory would say, That me repenteth.
Virtue-Signalling Council Bans Meat
Nothing appeals to a leftid like a totally useless grandstand play. Like this:
The Enfield Borough Council (part of London, England) (oops–am I allowed to say “England”?) has banned meat at all council events “to help fight the climate crisis,” blah-blah (https://www.livekindly.co/londons-enfield-council-bans-meat-climate-crisis/). Only vegetarian and vegan dishes will be served. It’s part of their “2020 climate action plan.”
Hint: if your town has a “climate action plan,” you need to live somewhere else.
Furthermore, the council has promised to convert its “fleet” of vehicles to 100% electric by 2030. Where do these nitwits think electricity comes from? Shut down all fossil fuel production and see what happens to your electric power.
Yeahbut, yeahbut! Cambridge University has banned meat, too! And they’re a university, chock-full of Real Smart People!
We’d make out better by banning universities.
A personal note: We went to Whole Foods today to buy filet mignon for our anniversary dinner tomorrow, and guess what? The place was closed due to a power outage.
You can’t have modern civilization without electricity; and you can’t have electricity without fossil fuels.
We has Banneded Wite Peeple!!!
Heer at the Stoodint Soviet we has “bin” wundering lyke Crazy “wat” To Ban necksed!!! One gye he “whanted” “to” ban Vowelcaynose butt we hasnt got one “Of” thoze! Somb boddy Elss thay whanted to Ban meeat and maik evry boddy “be” Veggians but It have all reddy bin done lots “Of” tymes “and” wee whanted somb Thing noo!!!!! And then finelee our cheaf commassarr ze sayed we shood Ban Wite Peeple!!!!!
First we thinked It “was” “a” Grate Idear but thenn sumb Boddy thay sayed but “moast Of us wee Are wite” “and haow Are we sapozed to Ban Our Selfs??”?” Wel as yiu Can eezally amajin it reely Puzzzled us foar Quyte A Wile!!!! Butt that “was” ownlie untill sumb Boddy elss thay sayed we cood “jist” “Ban” the lettor W!!!!! Jist not say it Or rite It anny moar!!!!!!!!! So iff we whanted “to” say frinstints “Awl wite peeple They “are” Racists then” we wood has to say “Awl Ite peeple thay “Are” Racists!!!””! And wurds like With and Wash and Wommbat thay wood be Ith and Ash and Ommbat!!! Watt cood “be” Simmpuller??? OOps!! I shood of sayed Att cood be Simmpuller! This heer it “is” “nott” as Eezy as it Loooks!!!
Of coarse it “is” diffakult to think Of “al that” menny Ords (sea, i got it that tyme!!) Itch has a W in themb!!! i cood onlee think of Nyne oar Ten my self!!!! And then sumb Boddy thay sayed “Itts hot in heer, open a Winn Doe”” and he shoor gotted a Saprize wen–oh dam! He got beet up and then i got beet up for not saying En!!! My moth antenners thay all-most gotted puled Out “bye” The rooots!!!!!
If thiss it Orks out then E Ill Ban anether Lettor neckst Eeek!!!!!!
Sorry, I Can’t Give You Final Victory
The Lord of the Rings ends with all the bad guys destroyed and only good guys left. Why can’t my Bell Mountain series end that way? At least one reader has called for me to stop the series and cap it with some kind of “final victory.”
Sorry, but I just can’t do it. My world-view won’t let me.
In the Bible, how many times did God have to give victory to Israel and Judah over their enemies? Mesopotamians, Moabites, Philistines, Ammonites, Midianites… Lost count, didn’t you? There was no final victory. No sooner had they vanquished one enemy than they faced another.
In recent world history: We beat the Kaiser, and Hitler came along; we beat Hitler, and there was Stalin; the Soviet Union fell, and now we’ve got Red China and the Democrats. One enemy falls, another one rises.
Final victory can only be achieved, and will be achieved, by Jesus Christ. The hard part of Revelation even tells us the enemy is going to win for a while, or at least appear to be winning–until Christ Himself puts him down, once and for all, forever.
But in the meantime, God does intervene in history to guide it toward the end which He has ordained for it. So the Nazis win big for a time, but in 1943 it all goes south and by 1945 it’s over. Someday we’ll look for Red China and not be able to find it. Assyria, Babylon: nothing but ruins and memories.
Bell Mountain is a make-believe history, created to provide a new vantage point from which to view real history. I admit I haven’t gotten much traction for the newest book in the series, His Mercy Endureth Forever. But I can’t let a couple of bad reviews put me out of business. The Wind from Heaven will be published next, and I’m writing Behold!
And I’m wondering if I ought to try writing a prequel or two: to go backward into Obann’s history, instead of forward into its future. I think it would be fun to meet King Ozias and share in his narrow escapes. If I never try it, I’ll bet I wind up kicking myself.
It’s Our Anniversary!
Patty and I have only been married 43 years, but 45 was the closest I could come in an illustration. We’re going to celebrate with crab cakes and filet mignon.
But first we’ve got to find a way through the labyrinth which our local government has created by blocking most of the streets in our neighborhood. This is so work crews can dig holes in the street and then fill them in. Somehow it seems… emblematic.
So now it’s an expedition to the store, and Heaven only knows when I’ll be back.
‘Does God Care What I Think?’ (2017)
One of the purposes of writing anything down is so that it’s the same for everybody. That’s why God caused His word to be written down.
St. Peter warns us against “private interpretation” of the scriptures. It would be hard to think of a warning that’s been less heeded.
And anyway, look how hard it is to convince anybody of anything. How often does anything we say actually change anybody’s mind?
Well, we try. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you” is a motto for this age.
‘Holy God, We Praise Thy Name’
They play this hymn on the bells of St. Francis, across the street from me, and finally I know what it’s called–Holy God We Praise Thy Name. I don’t know who the singers are, so I’m not able to give them the credit they deserve.
We try to post your favorite hymns every day. Please feel free to add to the list.
The World’s Coziest Cat & Chicken Video
All right, it’s not the most exciting video in the world, but it’s got to be one of the sweetest. And wouldn’t you like to see these two grow up together?
Shut up, over there! I’m a swordsman and I can be as sappy as I please.