I don’t know about you but I often wonder how in the world we can have a toilet paper shortage, followed by food shortages, baby food shortages and eggs must be from free-range chickens. Are these shortages the by-product of global warming or is someone really high up in the food chain simply misinformed?
During the height of the virus while watching Alaskans living off the grid were boating in the open waters while wearing masks because apparently (I don’t know because I wasn’t there) there are villages above the Arctic Circle that wouldn’t let anyone in unless they were properly masked.
Can you say HUH?
I mean a virus that has been around for years before being mutated by humans is able to spread across vast stretches of ocean waters or icecaps and raise hoopla in the arctic regions of Alaska.
It makes me wonder if Native Alaskans were bothered by toilet paper shortages too. How is that possible? What do THEY do and they have to do do rush behind an igloo?
I could go on about the villages in the inter regions of Africa or the vast Sahara sand dunes too…..
In tropical regions there are leaves, trees and bushes, but in the desert there is…….SAND and above the Arctic Circle there is SNOW.
All I can say is there sure are a lot of premeditated coincidences or something fishy going on. – RTM
Where is our national pride? Has it suddenly gone missing or has this occurred over time? I’m reminded of the remarks made by Michelle Obama while First Lady that “America was never great” and “For the first time I’m proud to be an American”.
Then when President Trump began touting America First and Make America Great Again we were told those statements were un-American and patriotism was anti-American. When Trump made his remarks after observing of a military parade overseas, the fervor went even higher because “Trump wanted to parade tanks through the streets of Washington DC”.
It icing on the cake was when Trump announced a national celebration at Mount Rushmore for July 4th 2020 bringing patriotism front and center for all to see and enjoy. The critics were all over it, and not in a good way.
Completely opposite was President Biden’s cancellation of the national celebration, but not changing North Dakota’s schedule of events that are taking place as planned.
Since when has being an American become un-American?
This is our country, love it or leave it still rings true.
The push to change America has included a push to replace July 4th with June 19th as our national day of celebration, not of the creation of the United States, but the so-called equality of black Americans and making “Lift Every Voice” our new national anthem, clearly placing the focus on racial division. Publicly declaring that it is racist to be white.
Let me be clear, God created everyone equal. It is men who use racial, ethnic or region to control and limit other men and women.
It is in America where self-government of the people, by the people and for the people – called the Great Experiment draws migrants from around the globe. Do they come here to bring or continue in their state of fear and confusion?
I think not!
It is what America stands for – Freedom.
Freedom draws the masses to our shores. People want to work hard, raise their families with freedom to settle down, worship God and live out their lives in peace. They begin as migrants but have the ultimate goal of becoming AMERICANS.
Admittedly the hummingbird is a prime example of God’s creation at its finest. There are about 320 species of the Trochilidae family, with only 12 species found in the United States and Canada. They are small weighing slightly more than 1.2 ounce and beat their wings at an average rate 10 – 80 beats per second (depending on size). All hummingbirds are small, and many are minute (my-knute).
In my neighborhood I have seen very few hummingbirds, yet it is common to see hummingbird-moths in the wee evening hours 7 – 8 pm doing what hummingbirds do.
Let me address briefly my thoughts on hummingbirds. I see them as somewhat hyperactive as they continuously hover around flowers, sticking their long skinny beaks inside to retrieve nectar. That’s a lot of activity without seeming to go anywhere, yet just as quickly they zip off to flowers elsewhere.
I don’t know the lifespan of hummingbirds but I get dizzy just thinking of how many times they beat those wings over their lifetime.
As I watch various people moving around non-stop from before daybreak until well after dusk I wonder if they had been hummingbirds in another life (just kidding)?
Which brings me to the real heart of this story, when we as Christians become too busy doing “stuff” for God we quite often miss the mark on what it means to tell others that God loves them, just the way they are.
Just think of it, God created EVERYTHING for a reason, and that is to draw creation to Him. Although we don’t understand why we have spiders, snakes, insects and bugs of every type, size and shape, they all serve an important part of God’s plan for creation.
In the bible we read of religious leaders striving to insure that everyone obey the letter of the law, first of God, of Moses and of Abraham. Assuming one could do that every day of their life (they can’t) there is really one thing that could prevent you from entering the pearly gates, and that is not believing that Jesus is who he said he is or that he came to do God’s will to save mankind from sin.
You know exactly what I’m referring to, those who is so far up in your business that they have to be surgically removed before you can receive any medical procedure. Yeah, you know…
I’m not talking about the “Howdy Neighbor” and a wave guy next door, or the “Hi Joe” from the lady across the street either. Those are greetings from friendly neighbors who when they see you either wave or sound off with a greeting, hoping for but not necessarily needing a response in return.
In certain cases friendships can “cross the line” until it becomes down and outright meddling. I mean who needs to know who came over; what did you talk about; and what did you eat. It’s almost like someone is standing behind a curtain watching your every move and the telegraphing it to others who have no business being in your business.
When you meet that neighbor for the first time, do you expect to be required to declare where you live, where you work or if in the military what your pay grade or occupation is? They want to know what kind of car you drive, how much money you make and how much you have in the bank.
They become annoying really fast.
Now buy a new house, a new car or a new television and the inquisition begins all over again. Let alone make a new friend or acquaintance and see who that goes over.
Then when friends come in from out of town, it’s like “party time” over at your house as the planning begins – without your knowledge or consent. In this age of working from home, it doesn’t really matter that you have clients, business meetings or other things going on.
It’s like having a bridge party over at your house – and you don’t even play bridge.
It doesn’t end there. What if they win the lottery, they plan it all out where they’re going to build an entire little community so all YOUR kids, grandkids and so can live in a neat little row, right next to this nosy neighbor.
Ain’t that a hoot?
That’s why I removed my “Welcome” mat from in front of the door and stopped telling people to make themselves at home.
I’d rather they “take themselves back home” and leave me alone.
Maybe my brothers had the right idea – live so far up in the mountains that nobody comes to visit. If they do venture over, there is no B & B or KOA campground nearby, so they have to go all the way back home.
I often ask myself, what would they think if I did that to them? What if I invited myself over to their family gatherings, so I could get into their business? I could maybe chase their friends and family away so that they would never want to come back to their house.
What do you do or say when they become so ingrained in your life? Do you just suck it up, take a deep breath and just ignore their rudeness? Or do you blow your stack, tell them off and watch them leave?
“Do unto me what you want me to do unto you” comes to mind or “don’t ask if I don’t tell you”.
Is that the Christian thing to do? I mean Jesus said to go unto the ends of the earth and tell everyone about him.
Like Jonah, did he really mean Niniva?
Did Jesus really mean my nosy neighbors, really?
For God so loved the world……. And Jesus did say love thy neighbor as you love yourself.
Does this mean I don’t love myself or my neighbor?
I’m old and a red-head and I’m asking you…….hummm? – RTM
But let me start the new month with a few thoughts about my take on life as we knew it prior to 2019. You may recognize what I’ve written in the past now that we’ve had time to let things cool down.
The whole virus idea has not been a new one. We’ve had coronaviruses for years and have been injecting and treating animals for it. I wonder how we have been affected by meat that has been injected for a myriad of these types of viruses. One thing you haven’t seen are those same animals wearing those ridiculous disposable facial coverings we call masks. Nor have we seen farmers and ranchers donning temporary shoe coverings or plastic gloves, and why not?
When the push came for everyone to wear a mask or facial covering at home, even if you lived alone or to self-isolate away from any outside contact, and like many others I decided to play it safe for 14 days.
However when my military training told me that these “precautions” were nonsense and totally without merit I began noticing the pitch and frequency began increasing in an attempt to drown out logic altogether. In the military before entering an area with the suspected presence of biological agents training says to “suit up” with chemical masks, suits, boots and gloves and to remain so until given the all clear signal. After getting the all clear, everyone is to self-decontaminate by washing (soap and water) all exposed clothing and body parts before taking a shower and changing into clean clothing.
Did any of that happen?
I can see if entering a hospital isolation ward, doing precisely the same process – suit up and wear a mask. It protects the patient from some outside source of infection.
If you are sick (flu, coughing or feverish) I can see wearing a suitable protective mask that tells everyone you are sick and warns them to stay away from close physical contact.
What about anti-viral treatment and preventive measures or instructions (prescriptions) given by a medical doctor? Are they not the experts in their chose field? Did they not study medicine for a lengthy period of time before obtaining their medical degree? Can we trust them with our lives (I only have one)?
What we saw was a total blitz of sanity. In the US doctors were fired, licenses invalidated and they were blocked or banned from social media or by main stream media from speaking out or issuing sound medical diagnosis and/or treatment. In some countries these “rebellious” doctors simply disappeared or died of a mysterious virus, illness or disease or possibly by lead poisoning.
The hysteria over the source of the virus became more of an issue than the issue of the virus. The initial outbreak came from Wuhan, China yet saying so was seen by some as prejudicial against the Chinese. Yet investigative research showed that scientific laboratories in the USA with invited guests from various countries, including a team from Wuhan conducted experiments with lab specimens from Wuhan, in a controlled environment in the USA just a few short years before the outbreak. Here we are a few years after the virus outbreak and we’re still wearing masks visiting hospitals, traveling on public transportation and even staying at home alone – in the dark, like mushrooms.
It is now a given that inexpensive KN-95 masks are the mask of choice to use and they are made in – you guessed it – China. Remember when communist dictators made those about to be executed pay for their own bullet? – RTM
Does anyone else have days when it seems that the mind is chugging away at 100 MPH with no letup in sight?
Years ago after my heart attack, my doctor told me that walking 30 – 40 minutes is enough time to get the heartrate up to a safe level. We measured a route that is exactly 2 miles and takes 38 – 42 minutes to walk. I feel good, am awake and ready for almost anything coming I encounter, except stupid – I don’t do stupid well. Life is hard enough, but really hard if you’re stupid. (John Wayne?)
My wife and I like to start our day with a brisk 2 mile walk through our unincorporated neighborhood of Cimarron Hills in the suburbs of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Each walk is usually far from boring or routine.
This morning I said to myself “I’m rich” as I picked up a shiny penny. Sometimes it’s a dime or a quarter or on 2 different mornings there were 4 or 5 dollar bills blowing across the road in front of us each morning.
Further along this morning a neighbor had put a small BBQ gas grill out on the curb. I considered dragging it home and figuring out whether to switch out my newly acquired from a family member charcoal grill.
Early yesterday morning we came across a young deer watching us as it contemplated crossing the road. We continued on past and when I looked back it was gone. Deer are quite frequently spotted in groups of 3 – 5 heading to some unknown destination.
We have come across skunks, raccoons, foxes, dogs, cats and an occasional owl or hawk perched on an upper tree branch. One morning we watched as a family of 5 raccoons ran across the road and into a storm drain – single file.
Probably the most intriguing was coming across an actual crime scene where two county sheriff’s squad cars were aimed toward a parked van just over a ½ mile from our house. Inside was the body of a woman, sitting in the passenger seat. No idea what happened or what has become of that?
A few years ago (near the same area) when we were doing morning walks there was another crime scene where a young man was gunned down the night before in front of his house, during his birthday party earlier that night. It was after this incident we decided to do our walks in the early morning hours.
Another incident occurred literally in view from our house. The sheriff’s office had sealed the street at our corner while they investigated one of our neighbors shooting another neighbor during the night. I don’t think it was life threatening but that morning we decided to just stay home.
What could have been a potential incident occurred when a young girl walked out of a dark corner of a neighborhood church building, holding her stomach and complaining of pain. I pointed to the fire station which was literally 20 steps away and told her to ring the bell and they would help her. It wasn’t until later that morning we heard on the news that some young people had stolen a car, went speeding down a street they were not familiar with and crashed into a brick wall, approximately 1 mile from where the girls approached us.
There is a saying that most accidents occur within 1 or 2 miles near the home. That being the case I guess I’ll put my house up for sale and move……… lol – RTM
Jesus said in Revelations 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
Satan is the great imitator, a liar and the father of lies. His sales pitch boils down to “try it you’ll like it”. His catch phrase “sin is fun” makes it look so attractive and nice in order to entice and draw man away from God.
Satan is no equal to God. He never has been. He never will be.
The Bible tells us that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. In reality he is a tiny, puny and pitiful fallen angel committed to roam about on the earth until his appointed time into the fiery pit. Bottom line like Jesus Satan must be let into your life. You have to invite him in so he makes sin look so appealing.
Satan is that unwanted guest who never wants to leave. So remove that welcome mat and when he tempts you – just say no!
The bible tells us that “greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.”
Satan has no stronghold unless it is willingly given.
I’ve seen believers who have been so browbeaten down until they doubt themselves and God’s ability to keep his word. Don’t fall for it.
If we’ve faith the size of a mustard seed (really tiny) we can move mountains. We must believe and not doubt. We are told it’s not by might, not by power but by MY Spirit says the Lord of Hosts.
When the road ahead looks bleak and dim, we know that God will make a way. Question God, sure, but never, ever doubt that God will do what he said he would.
There are only 2 constants in life: Change is constant; and the Faithfulness of God.
Oh and nobody gets out of here alive and there are no U-Hauls in the gravesite.
Seriously, if you are not a believer that Jesus is the Son of God, his blood on the cross paid for the sin of the world, and he was raised on the third day, just as he said – you have NO HOPE. If you think it’s bad now, you haven’t seen anything yet. (Find a bible and begin reading the words of Jesus in the book of John). The very worst you can experience is to spend eternity without God. Only God is good. Without God there is nothing good. There is nothing you can do to change God’s love for you.
God loves you just the way you are. He created you for himself. You are special. You are unique and wonderfully made. There is only one you, so strive to be the best you that you can be.
Nobody else can be you.
Salvation is free, but the cost is EVERYTHING, to lay down your own life with all its burdens and follow Jesus – 100% commitment. – RTM
The bible tells us the Jewish nation of Israel is God’s chosen people.
History tells us that the United States was created by men with an innate desire to worship God without hindrance or interference by government or other men. These men chose a type of government that was a Republic governed by a document called a Constitution. Thus a Constitutional-Republic was born and remains the only such government in the world even today. What is unique about the Constitution is that its premise came directly from the bible, that ALL men are created equal, not by the dictates of man but by the God who created all things.
Historically when man is in trouble he reached out to the all-seeing, all knowing invisible God of all creation by falling on his knees in prayer.
It has been said there are no atheists in foxholes. In times of trouble everyone wants to be on the side of what they feel is right.
Right isn’t always good and good isn’t always right.
Only God is good.
For years I’ve heard many Christians (Followers of Christ) praying earnestly for God to have mercy on us sinners, heal our nation and save our land. Many a prayer meeting has invoked a merciful God.
The bible tells us that Gods ways are higher than man’s ways and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts.
So why is it that historically when God moves in answer to prayer we are confused?
David was the youngest son when he went out to fight Goliath and God chose him to became king.
Joseph was betrayed by his brothers who sold him into slavery, yet God placed him in a position of great power to save his family and his people from a foreign land.
Noah was an old man when God said build a boat. Not just any boat, but an ark to the exact specifications from God.
God chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and they murmured and complained for 40 years while God provided for their needs.
Yes historically God has moved in mysterious ways and yet we act like the Israelites in the wilderness, mumbling, always mumbling and complaining that it’s not the way God works.
Politically in the United States when Donald J. Trump felt that God wanted him to run for the presidency, he waited until he felt the time was right and then he acted on what Christians refer to as his “Calling” from God. Even before the election it was prophesied to Trump that he would become God’s Isaiah 45 President (POTUS #45), to stop evil and become a sword against political correctness. The 2016 election went just as God had said.
From the beginning the works of the devil kicked into high gear as politicians, journalists, social media and even Christians jumped on the political “Dump Trump” bandwagon, not for what he had done or said, but because of what he was “alleged” to have done or said. Every word, tweet or broadcast was dissected and examined in an attempt to find fault as he was declared unworthy by man.
None of the attacks were able to deter this man on a mission from God. His accomplishments (there were many) included moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem and the signing of the Abraham Accords, were overshadowed by the Impeachments, accusations of wrongdoing and ended by the 2020 election and the events of January 6th,2021 and continue 2 years later as an insurance policy against any future reelection bid.
Do I think God was surprised at how it has turned out? No – not at all, as nothing surprises God.
I, on the other hand, am surprised at how many Christians have bought into the lies of the devil when it comes to political corruption. Do I think Trump is right for another term? It’s not up to me.
What matters is what God says.
I do know that when you are in the perfect will of God for you, nothing and nobody will succeed in coming against you, so long as your eyes stay focused on the One who sent you. – RTM
When I was a teen I used to have bad dreams. Quite often it was vampires or zombies chasing me. In every case just as they were about to pounce I’d announce that I was one of them and lets go get someone else. And then I’d wake up in a cold sweat.
This dream didn’t happen all the time, yet when it came and ended it was always the same.
If you’ve followed my blogs you will find that I’ve written about this before, yet each new day brings a real life zombie-type dream-like setting that we can never wake up from.
I’m talking about the gender-bender nonsense of today.
We can read in the book of Genesis where God created man, male and female he created them. You believing it or not has no bearing on the truth.
This identification nonsense is another non-starter and your belief or “version of the truth” does not have any effect on God’s creation. In fact man is the only mammal who can identify with a plant, tree or vegetable and that may be a real cause-and-effect of all this genetic mutation of plant-based food that is sold through some pretty sketchy advertising.
I’ve never heard of a bear, an owl or an eagle deciding he wants to be a she or vice versa and certainly not wanting to be anything other than what they are.
I will defer to what we called it back in the day – delusional.
Society used to place those people in insane asylums or mental institutions, but alas when the fox is in the henhouse you either have to get rid of the fox or move the henhouse (from a western movie). Anyone expressing anti-social behavior such as that should be locked up and treated, certainly not elected or appointed to public office.
The presidential election campaign season is upon us and so is the insanity of those who want us to believe their make-believe fantasy is for real.
Let me say this – if God said it – believe it.
The wages (free stuff) of sin is spiritual death and eternal separation from God.
My old saying “give an idiot an inch and he will take a mile” is still true.
This madness reminds me of the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 3 where King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue and issued a decree that when everyone hears the horn they are to bow down and worship him or face death by the fiery furnace. When they did not bow and worship him, he had them brought before him and they told him they would not comply. They said that God would deliver them and even if God didn’t deliver them they still would not bow down or worship him. They were thrown into the fiery furnace and God did deliver them and their clothing was burnt, scorched or even smelled of smoke.
Coming Out isn’t just limited from a closet. It’s about coming out of (losing) your mind.
Don’t believe the lie that “what they do in their own home is okay”, it soon leads from the home, community, city, state, nation and internationally until it’s globally not okay to be otherwise.
When the demented and perverted attempt to force their ungodly behavior on everyone as “truth”, know and recognize it for what it really is, nothing more than a lie.
What I’m about to say will undoubtedly set some people off, but it has to be said. American’s are all too quick to jump on someone else’s band wagon. We “identify” with almost anything and is not only our choice and the consequences can be unexpected and at times overwhelming.
This nation was founded on the backs of hard working men, women and children of all racial and ethnic backgrounds. There were slaves, indentured servants, and scripted laborers picking cotton, potatoes, corn, and fruit or caring for the family needs of others, while their own needs went unmet. Laborers built railroads, highways, farms, ranches, town and cities for the enrichment of others.
Families fought and died on both sides of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I & II for what they valued most – freedom. Yet they often came home to lives that were far from free because politicians sought to secure and keep the power and positions which served themselves – we call it racism.
In government and in industry it was thought there must be a balancing act that can give equality to all people – it was called reverse-discrimination where job and educational vacancies were filled by the color of one’s skin, without any skillset or ability. Promotions went to a handpicked few and the Peter Principle was born. Children were “promoted” to higher levels of education because it looked good on paper, yet produced uneducated graduates.
The idea that all men are created equal by their creator did not consider man is not god and therefore subject to prejudice.
I do not condone racism.
My own family history bears witness to being involved with the Underground Railroad.
I have spent my entire adult life in a multi-cultural bi-racial family setting and have taught my children to treat everyone the way you want to be treated, not how you are treated.
What I see wrong with the idea of Juneteenth is when it is celebrated by people who dishonor the mass struggle of the founding of this nation by refusing to celebrate or honor the July 4th Celebration, and then expect to force-feed June 19th on anyone else. Celebrations should unite ALL people of the community and of the nation.
No race or ethnicity is superior or inferior to another. But to demand compliance is exactly what slave owners and bosses did to their slaves and it is wrong.
Standing for the Stars and Stripes, hand over your heart during the National Anthem or reciting the Pledge of Allegiance are all symbols that should lead to patriotism and promote national unity.
Giving preference to others while disgracing and humiliating your own has never been a good idea, nor is it ever acceptable. The good book (Bible) says to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, not “before they do it unto you”. Respect freely given should be freely shown in return. – RTM
The Real Truckmaster 