Get well soon
Message to JV: We'll be okay. You get better.
To everyone: Prayers for JV's speedy recovery would be appreciated.
To everyone: Prayers for JV's speedy recovery would be appreciated.
Thanks
For those who welcomed the blog back. It was a necessary to fly beneath the radar temporarily.
Meanwhile, I'm scheduled to go to a cookout from some church members. Then to visit some friends.
Meanwhile, I'm scheduled to go to a cookout from some church members. Then to visit some friends.
Good morning
I had a good morning, despite some slips on personal matters. Reliance on grace is a good thing. I tend to be an extremely negative person, and while I try to hide this negativity from the people around me, it sometimes comes out. Part of that negativity is to not accept God's forgiveness and grace. This morning for a moment I think I got the forgiveness part. In a parking lot while picking up the dry cleaning, I thought, "God forgives me and I need to trust in that. I don't need to beat myself all day about things I've confessed and asked forgiveness for." Forgivenss is just that ... God forgives. Of course I keep meting out severe punishment, no doubt subconsciously trying to work out some childhood drama a la Alice Miller's Drama of the Gifted Child. And that working out doesn't work--just leaves me exhausted and wanting to feel better, so I do things I shouldn't do to try to comfort myself. (Overeating, overcaffeinating, when I was younger, boozing.) But why not permit God to comfort me and trust in God's love? I at least feel it now and praise God for that.
My Christian faith doesn't have a lot of love in it, I know that much. I struggle to believe God loves us, or more specifically, me. So today I'll be trusting God more to love me.
My Christian faith doesn't have a lot of love in it, I know that much. I struggle to believe God loves us, or more specifically, me. So today I'll be trusting God more to love me.
It's back ...
Did you miss IndustrialBlog the past two days?
Well, it's back for a while at least. Nothing more today but this entry. Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for the following topics:
1. Why Dubya has ruined everything.
2. Are we going ever going to get around to invading Iran and Saudia Arabia?
3. Double standards, hypocrisy and the urge to call someone nasty names.
4. A colleage thinks Al Qaeda is justified in its actions and that terrorists are pragmatic and reasonable. Should he be tied to a stake and left for the dogs to feed on?
5. What is worship and what kinds of things become worship.
Topics you will not be seeing:
1. Reaction to the Terri Schiavo case. Didn't have a strong opinion before, don't have one now, refuse to get into an argument about it. Glad I avoided it. Can't imagine what the anger is all about ... I'm just above it all on this issue, dismissive and condescending, like Zeus.
2. Lessons in classical Greek or Latin.
3. Anything about anyone named Bolton or the confirmation hearings of anyone not nominated to the Supreme Court.
4. Yankee gloating (it's too soon).
5. More politics.
That's all. Okay, guys, coffee break's over — back on your heads.
Well, it's back for a while at least. Nothing more today but this entry. Stay tuned in upcoming weeks for the following topics:
1. Why Dubya has ruined everything.
2. Are we going ever going to get around to invading Iran and Saudia Arabia?
3. Double standards, hypocrisy and the urge to call someone nasty names.
4. A colleage thinks Al Qaeda is justified in its actions and that terrorists are pragmatic and reasonable. Should he be tied to a stake and left for the dogs to feed on?
5. What is worship and what kinds of things become worship.
Topics you will not be seeing:
1. Reaction to the Terri Schiavo case. Didn't have a strong opinion before, don't have one now, refuse to get into an argument about it. Glad I avoided it. Can't imagine what the anger is all about ... I'm just above it all on this issue, dismissive and condescending, like Zeus.
2. Lessons in classical Greek or Latin.
3. Anything about anyone named Bolton or the confirmation hearings of anyone not nominated to the Supreme Court.
4. Yankee gloating (it's too soon).
5. More politics.
That's all. Okay, guys, coffee break's over — back on your heads.
The return of politics ...
Just kidding. I'm still enjoying this respite from politics. So I'm not really returning to politics. Just some random hits on the passing scene while I enjoy my morning coffee:
If I may go English professor on you all, here's the bottom line: There is an American narrative. It's an optimistic story about people's escaping the rigid classifications of other societies and having the freedom to improve their lives, worshipping the God of their choosing and living at peace with your neighbors. And people believe it.
The party that habitually wins is the one that understands that story the best. Since Reagan in 1980, the GOP has controlled the narrative. Clinton only won by understanding the American narrative and explaining better how he fit in. The Dems too often seem more interested in deconstructing the narrative (or substituting it) than telling the next chapter. That is to say, they sometimes seem more interested in revising our understanding of the past than in dealing with the present, or telling an entirely different story.
The Dems need a new storyline. They need to connect to the American narrative.
If I may go English professor on you all, here's the bottom line: There is an American narrative. It's an optimistic story about people's escaping the rigid classifications of other societies and having the freedom to improve their lives, worshipping the God of their choosing and living at peace with your neighbors. And people believe it.
The party that habitually wins is the one that understands that story the best. Since Reagan in 1980, the GOP has controlled the narrative. Clinton only won by understanding the American narrative and explaining better how he fit in. The Dems too often seem more interested in deconstructing the narrative (or substituting it) than telling the next chapter. That is to say, they sometimes seem more interested in revising our understanding of the past than in dealing with the present, or telling an entirely different story.
The Dems need a new storyline. They need to connect to the American narrative.