7-9-2022

Wrinkles Warts and All

How many times do we look over on the other side of the fence and think perfect, if I only had that I could live like a millionaire? Whether it’s a field of horses, cows, pigs or ears of corn, everything looks better when somebody else has it.

I have to remind myself what the good book says – covet not ANYTHING that is your neighbor’s.

We get that way with people sometimes don’t we? I don’t mind OPK (other people’s kids) so long as I don’t have to babysit. Some of us used to joke about when we get that age I’ll trade her in for a couple of 25 year old fillies. But hold that thought one minute. Have you seen what 25 year olds are doing now days?  Many can’t cook, clean or count change. That goes for guys too.

Being around the service industry and I see all sorts of people,  men and women of all ages, nationalities, physical abilities and disabilities, on their good days and their bad days too. They can be demanding, mean or condescending and a whole lot of vindictiveness sometimes all rolled into one.

The good book tells us to honor your father AND your mother that your days might be long. What must be hidden between the lines is what comes around, goes around. It’s YOUR kids who will be picking out where you could end up spending your days….long days at best.

I read recently that old man Clifton Clowers lived to be 102, farmed his land on “Wolverton Mountain”, even after a country song was written about him, he simply plowed his own field and lived in peace with the world around him. We tend to think it’s up to us to fix other people’s problems. We can’t and it’s not our job to try either.

The best we can do is extend God’s love to everyone we meet, by our conduct, our body language and by our talk. Runners and swimmers are told to stay in their own lane so they are not disqualified.

Maybe we should as well?  We can tell others that God loves them and let God sort out those who receptive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit. After all God created everything and I’m pretty sure he’s up to the task of fixing people and things that are broken.

I think I’ll keep what God has given me wrinkles, warts and all. Besides my body is a roadmap of where I’ve been and why I look the way that I do! –

RTM

7-8-2022

Somebody Ought to Do Something

How many times have you heard someone say somebody ought to do something to right a wrong or to fix an obvious problem? Maybe you’ve said it yourself?

If it’s a bridge, you want an engineer to re-engineer the structure so that it won’t collapse. If it’s a highway, you want the potholes fixed and how do they happen anyway? If it’s a government project, you’d expect a supervisor or project manager to see that it’s done right the first time. It’s obvious that someone with experience, determination and resources can turn lemons into lemonade.

Not so with politicians. The old adage of when you find yourself digging a hole and it’s over your head – STOP DIGGING doesn’t apply.

Years ago someone asked an up and coming New York real estate developer if he had aspirations of becoming President. His answer seemed flippant at the time, “If my country needs me to” DJT (loosely paraphrased).

So what changed by the year 2015 to make this elderly businessman turned entertainer come down that golden escalator and announce to the world his hat was in the ring for President of the United States and as a Republican no less? I’ve read quite a bit about Trump having been a long time Democrat who hob-knobbed with politicians who wanted their picture taken with him because they wanted his money in their coffers.

I suspect he said to himself over and over “I could fix that” every time politicians let pork overtake common sense. He probably thought as president he could turn things around, but it just wasn’t his time yet.

What he had that politicians didn’t have was a vision of what America had been and could be once again. Not only that but he knew how to make things happen. He could take an idea, transfer it on paper and mold it into brick and mortar, laced with exotic gold trim that wealthy people wanted to buy.

I’m not saying that everything he touched was a golden egg, because he certainly had his share of business failures during his lifetime, yet he picked himself up, dusted himself off and started over or continued in a slightly different direction.

Politicians have a fear of not getting enough votes or having a skeleton in the closet that could sink their political ambitions. He had none. Oh there were blunders. He even bought an airline that cost a small fortune and failed miserably, but there was an incident where he used his airline as a means to rescue servicemen who were stranded and needed to get home for the holiday and he did it at his own expense. It’s sad that with all the military might available it took a private citizen to come to the rescue.

There was also an incident where he pulled his limo over to stop a mugger and held him until law enforcement arrived. Who else would have done that? There are many other examples I could site, but I’ve already written about them in earlier blog posts. Like first responders rushing toward danger, when somebody had to do something, he did.

And no he wasn’t then nor is he now perfect, not by a long shot. However while battling immense pressure from political opposition over his entire term as the #45^th POTUS, he stood his ground when others blinked. He got things done, even while being politically stabbed in the back.

There is a time and a place for every season and there is nothing new under the sun. DJT’s time and place was to be available and obedient when called. I’ve often asked myself why would a self-made man who had everything – money, women and power – why would he put himself in the position of ridicule unless it was for the greater good.

Americans have forgotten the struggle for which freedom has been fought. As a nation we have turned our backs on the God of our ancestors, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We have embraced the gods of pleasure, money and power so that he who has the most toys wins.

The single most comment I have heard was “he was a mean tweeter” and it was justifiable to ban him from that platform.

He said something to the effect that in life you can’t always choose your friends, but you can never afford NOT to recognize your enemies. I heard someone else say that not everyone who tells you they are is your friend.

There never is a right time to do wrong. –

RTM

7-8-2022

Hate the Sin Love the Sinner

In the eyes of God we are all created equally. Nobody is above anyone else. Nobody is below anyone else. We are all born into this world of sin. We are all sinners.

Get this straight – God hates sin, not the sinner.

God loves you!

You can’t do enough good works, earn enough merit or change the fact that the payment of sin is death (eternal separation from God).

Only a sinner can receive salvation by the grace of God after accepting the gift made possible through the blood of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus said he is the way, the truth and the life and nobody comes to the Father but through him.

Everyone who asks for forgiveness will be saved.

It is then up to Christ’s followers to go to the entire world and tell them the good news = GOD LOVES YOU!

There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1

Questions – there will be an end of life exam. Are you ready? –

RTM

7-7-2022

He Came Into the World

The most powerful empire the world had ever known controlled most of the known world. Men were fighting for dominance and control while a woman’s controlled was all powerful. There was corruption, slavery, death, imprisonment and executions while marriages and giving birth was normal. Life went on as it had since the fall of Adam and Eve. Everyone had an opinion on what the coming Messiah would do when he came. He was expected to smite down the Roman Empire and free the people of Israel because surely the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would not condone or let stand the grave injustices dealt out God’s chosen people.

Doesn’t that look like the world we live in today? Instead of a single powerful empire we have multiple empires that see themselves at the top of the heap. The world as we knew it has been turned upside down and toppled on its head. Selfishness, greed and power are the driving factions today.  

The only constant in life is change.

When Jesus came on the scene in that manger in Bethlehem nobody noticed, except the shepherds and the wise men. The religious leaders preached his coming as foretold in the Holy Scriptures but were unaware of his coming. The king knew of his impending arrival and attempted to prevent him by sleighing every possible newborn male.

As a child he spoke the scriptures as someone with authority and knowledge and those who heard him marveled. As he grew and learned as a man he did not seek to make himself noticed for his time was not yet.

His desire was to do the will of the Father and when his time had come his message was clear – God Loves You.

As he traveled he spoke to his audiences where they were at and he brought love. He taught of the love of the everlasting God because he was the love of God and those who saw him saw God.

Jesus came not to overthrow the Roman Empire or encourage revolts or sedition, he came to point the way to salvation. He made it clear that he came not to condemn the world, but that through him the world could be saved. He said he was the way, the truth and the life and he also said that nobody comes to the Father but through him.

Jesus laid down his life to pay the penalty for the sin of mankind and he is coming back again. Are you ready? We shouldn’t be overly concerned with the way the world is going or what’s happening around us because for the modern day believer the message is the same – Go unto the entire world and tell them “God Loves You”. –

RTM

6-24-2022

Sacrificing on the Altar of Choice

The very recent decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe vs Wade has launched radical Democrats into orbit.

Let me paraphrase NY Rep AOC when she said the Court has endangered women and men and taken away the right to form our own families. Might I ask, what about the basic “right to life” being taken away from living human beings in the name of convenience and on the altar of “Choice”.

What if the Court simply overruled Roe vs Wade in order to return to the individual states the right to regulate abortion within each respective state, because quite frankly that is exactly what happened? It is now up to you and I to shut it down in our state – once and for all!

I think the bigger question is why nobody is asking what God meant when he said “You shall not kill!” After all it doesn’t matter at all what the court of man says, if God has declared it sin. In the final analysis standing before the judgement seat of God will render both an accounting and justice – what we each deserve!

We can see that politicians are on the wrong side of right and lives are on the line!

RTM

6-24-2022

Fair-Weather Friends

Everyone has them even reading this blog you can picture in your mind the friend(s) who are closer than a brother. Until the time you’re going through hard times and you need a shoulder to cry on, but find yourself all alone. Then there’s the high school buddy who’d face off the bully in your stead because that’s what friends do.

It’s been said that in life you can’t always pick your friends, but you can’t afford to not recognize your enemies (DJT – 2017). The song “Smiling Faces” (The Temptations – 1971) comes to mind when I think about those claiming to be your friends all the while stabbing you in the back – and with a smile.

During my military service there were times when difficult deployments or training exercises brought together those who suffered through it and survived. We were on top of the world, at least until the next one. When your focus is outside yourself it brings people together like a band of brothers.

Without those moments the infighting can tear apart even the closest of friends. In light of the political climate we experience today it doesn’t take much of a spark to cause a devastating forest fire.

Someone once coined the phrase “Brothers Forever” which sounds and makes you feel good but when the storms come (and they will) – these fair-weather friends are often nowhere to be found.

Just to be clear – right, wrong or indifferent Every Veteran is my brother-in-arms by virtue of swearing the oath, putting on the uniform and placing our country ahead of self. That doesn’t mean I condone or support them when they “Go Rogue” or act in a disgraceful manner. But in a pinch there is no one I’d rather have with me in a foxhole or facing down a rowdy crowd – than a fellow Veteran.

Every cloud has a silver lining – and I’ve got your six!

RTM

6-19-2022

Divide and Conquer Christianity

There was a time when early Christians were followers of “The Way” (Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life and nobody comes to the father except through me.”) With everyone looking for members of this cult (Jewish religious and Romans) it was simple either you were or you weren’t a follower of Christ.

Soldiers know that to conquer an enemy force a common tactic often begins with divide the enemy into smaller isolated groups and attack until they are no longer a threat.

The same is true in the spiritual realm. Is it even possible to identify the religious denominations, factions or splinter groups all being called or identified with the name of Christ? Compounding the issue of taking the good news to the four corners of the globe is something called tradition, sacred rights and rituals and doctrine that makes it all but impossible to follow the path taken by Jesus or to know the way.

The bible is clear, seek and you will find, trust and obey and when you have done all you can do, to stand on the word of God, especially when the world takes a hard left turn. We are told to pray without ceasing (keep on praying) and believing that God is and he hears our prayers and because he hears he will answer they prayers of his people. Some prayers are answered quickly and others take a bit longer, but in God’s timing they are never late or left unanswered, just not always answered the way we expected.

The forces of evil are expert tacticians who will hammer away with trivial things that tear down rather than build up. When we let that get a foothold in the body of believers we end up fighting amongst ourselves instead of attacking the enemy. Those who know Jesus as their personal savior are not the enemy no matter where they meet or call themselves. In the end there will be no section in heaven where you’ll find Baptists, Catholics or Evangelicals congregating, there will only be those who have placed their trust in Jesus and have been washed by the blood.

RTM

6-17-2022

How Could God?

I know what you’re thinking, but let me answer with this – God can do anything because He’s God!

We believe the bible is true cover to cover and we are cautioned not to change even one word in the bible. That being said there are religions who take scripture and where nothing is written they insert doctrine or church teachings that taken at face value render the entire bible invalid.

According to Old Testament scripture every year the people brought their perfect offering of blood to the priest, who in turn went from the outer court into the inner court to present those blood offerings to God. The priest would have a rope tied around his waist and be in the inner court all day interceding for the people. Should the priest’s offering not be found acceptable in the sight of the Lord he would die immediately and would be pulled out from the inner court? On the other hand the people anxiously awaited the appearance of the priest.

The bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Some believe that Mary’s birth was sinless and how could God in His Divinity, Jesus Christ, reside in Mary for 9 months if she were stained with sin?

This is a question worth asking for sure.

We are not told about Mary’s birth or life and thus it is subject to speculation. Mary had to be a devout Jew, following the teachings of her faith so we might assume that Mary’s heart was pure in God’s eyes for in his perfect timing he chose her to be the mother of Jesus.

Now how could it be possible for Mary a sinful woman to carry in her womb and birth the sinless child named Jesus? Could this be in direct contradiction to scripture?

If it is true that Mary, mother of Jesus, was sinless, as some teach, then the Bible is not true and God is a liar. Jesus could not be the way, the truth and the life he said he was nor could he have been the sacrifice and payment for sin.

Back to Old Testament scripture when the priest emerged it would be cause for celebration as the offerings were found to please God. It meant that the forgiveness of sin was retroactive for the entire year past. The offering by Mary’s father submitted to the priest having been acceptable to God was all that was needed for God to find Mary’s sin covered by the blood sacrifice.

The birth and sinless life of Jesus set the stage for God to change the sacrifice of an animal blood offering which retroactively covered the sin of the people, to that of the sinless sacrifice of Jesus who forgive the sin of all mankind pro-actively covering all sin past, present and future for all who believe and accept Jesus sacrifice. When God looks at us – he sees the blood of his Son Jesus and we are holy in his sight.

RTM

6-11-2022

The Engine With More Than 535 Moving Parts

I don’t know how many hundreds of parts there are in an automobile engine, or how each is interconnected and/or affects the other parts, but when everything is in perfect working order you can start it by running fuel and air through it and it gives off a pretty good sound.

I’ve been watching a lot of cable tv programs where a pile of junk is brought to a shop on the back of a trailer with a blown engine and in 60 minutes this diamond in the rough rolls out the door to oooohs and aaaahs and then the owner takes it for a ride and marvels at the power and how great it sounds.

America was like that. Nobody expected this new world experiment to work. Even after the declaration was made and before the battle for a free and independent nation there were many who didn’t come on board. Instead they wanted no part of this proposed change and in many cases worked tirelessly to prevent it from happening.

The blueprint for America’s engine was written into our Constitution on the premise that all men are created equal by our creator. This called for an engine that today has 535 moving parts within the two Chambers of Congress. Each Chamber has a distinctive purpose, one to represent the people and the other to insure the states are represented.

Men and women have bled and died to protect the Constitution ensuring that Freedom reigns in this land of the free and home of the brave. Yet we still have people that have bought into the idea that America can be bought and sold for their own monetary gain.

An internal combustion engine operates with an electrical system, a fuel system, an oil lubrication system, and a liquid or air cooled system. Each part is designed for a specific function and cannot be interchanged with another part or system of which it is not designed.

Congress used to be that way too. Legislators vied for the vote of the people so they could go to Washington or to their local state legislature and accomplish great things for the people who sent them. Public Service was never designed to be a vocation or career with retirement benefits. Working people went to Congress, did their best and returned to their chosen vocation (ranching, farming, shop keeping, etc.) and America was the better for it.

When you add lobbyists, political action committees, groups with a driven purpose, political operatives or any other section of society into the mix it’s like pouring sawdust into the fuel system. One more thing to add is protocol. Like some ancient procedural rigmarole whereby the yays and the nays battle for dominance.  Throw in more than 250 committees and caucuses and now you have a recipe for disaster that when compounded over 250+ years moves slower than a snail crossing the road.

And finally using political diversion, subversion, slander and other dirty deeds over print media, the airwaves and now social media and the internet and it’s as if someone lit a keg of dynamite – the lids going to blow!

How do we fix it? I haven’t the slightest idea. But I do know the one who can fix it. Almighty God has told us that when his people who are called by his name will humble themselves and seek his face and turn from their wicked ways he will hear from heaven and heal their land.

Are we there yet?

RTM

Realtruckmaster.blog

6-9-2022

J6 Attack on Democracy or Coup D’Etat?

What do you remember about J6 21? Is it what you saw happening or what you were told was happening? Americans were shocked at the images being broadcast showing hordes of MAGA folks storming the Nation’s Capital causing the combined session of Congress to be disrupted as legislators were rushed to safety.

Let’s back the truck up!

I remember watching as the trickling of MAGA supporters of President Trump began arriving at the Nation’s Capital building after a 45 minute walk from where he had been speaking concerning the illegal balloting irregularities and the importance of ordinary everyday deplorables to show their concern by watching the democratic process in action.

As I watched there were individuals being escorted inside by Capital Police and they weren’t MAGA folks being ushered in. Then Capital Police opened a door and waved for MAGA folks to come on in after being cautioned on respectful protocol and conduct once they were inside. I watched as they observed overturned trash receptacles and began righting them and picking up the spilled contents.

I also saw the footage of scruffy looking individuals wearing MAGA gear committing acts of violence with impunity. It was easy to see these were really MAGA impersonators and the damage had already been done as station after station began touting the same identical wording of how President Trump was responsible for angering the MAGA crowd enough to cause this assault on what Speaker Pelosi called the Temple of Democracy.

Nobody spoke kindly of USAF veteran Ashley Babbitt who was the only casualty after being shot and killed by a Capital Police Lieutenant who feared for his life from an unarmed 120 lb. female who posed no threat.

J6 was the organized preplanned cover up shielding the injustice that occurred on November 4^th, 2020 and during the days and weeks after – what in any other country we would call it like we saw it – a Coup to take down the sitting President of the United States.

Whether naïve, unsuspecting or fueled by political hatred – American’s bought into it hook, line and sinker. This was a classic divide and conquer tactic straight out of the Saul Alinsky playbook and it didn’t begin on J6/2021 or 11/4/2020, no the wheels were set in motion after the Democratic Party’s darling Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 election making Donald Trump the President-Elect and on 1/21/2017 becoming POTUS #45.

This was a long-term Coup set to do whatever it took to unseat the duly elected President Donald Trump. In the end it had to happen in order to set the stage for the fiasco that has followed beginning in 2021. But first there had to be a sure-fired way to prevent the election being overturned and forcing Trump out of office. By J6 American’s were sure it was Trump’s fault and the cry “Crucify Him” echoed throughout the land. And to seal the deal government agencies began the search, identify and arrest without charges if necessary every MAGA supporter who was in the vicinity of DC on J6. Attempts were made to strip from POTUS #45 the benefits of a former president. Even after having left office 17 months ago the haters are still out there.

In case you don’t believe me, turn on cable TV and at least 5 or 6 stations are re-broadcasting the J6 propaganda/misinformation during the midterm elections so that voters will recoil against Republican candidates and change their votes to Democrat.

RTM

Realtruckmaster.blog