Romans 7:15-20 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good.
17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.
18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.
Starting life on a farm, I enjoyed the years of living just outside my hometown of
427 people. Most of the residents, their
ancestors, and their descendants had lived in this area since 1820s.
When
my own small family moved to Ireland in 1985, our
adventures took us through small villages with their own populations,
much like ours, only theirs dated back to the 1700s, if not earlier. They had pubs, my own home town did not.
These villages and my own
hometown had many similarities. Those are obvious, so they do not need to be listed.
However, one striking similarity was the presence of
locals who were referred to as the “village idiots”. My parents explained this was not an insult,
but was the only way to describe this part of the populations.
But, after watching this episode of “Monty Python”, I
learned how this came to be.
This relieves my mind, as I couldn't force myself to see people that
way. My parents probably were not aware of this hidden training
program.
P. S. I
love Monty Python episodes, their unique sense of humor, and satire on
the English society. I found this video, and decided to write around
it. Hope no one is offended--that is certainly not my desire or
intention. This is a re-post from 2014.
There are so many gems of their creations available. Life of Brian, Holy Grail, Spam are great.
February is National Black History Month. It is a glorious month in that the achievements of black Americans cannot be denied
Harriet Tubman? Her bravery and stubbornness saved the lives of many black slaves on the Underground Railway.
Dorie Miller? He was a cook aboard a Navy Ship:
Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was an American Naval cook who was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a mess attendant second class[1][2] in the United States Navy, Miller helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then manned an anti-aircraft gun[3] and, despite no prior training in gunnery, officially shot down one plane (according to Navy Department Records) but Doris and other eye witnesses claimed the ranges of four to six.[4]Wikipedia article. Miller was given awards for his bravery in fighting and in rescuing wounded. He died in 1943 from war injuries.
Rosa Parks? She changed history on a city bus.
These are just a few names I can remember off hand. Listen to this letter written by a former emancipated slave to his former slave owner. It is worthy to listen to and appreciate.
One time some decades ago, I recall someone saying something like "Why can't they just get over it? It happened long ago." This has also been said about Natives, Indigenous people.
It is impossible to "get over it". Remember. Don't forget. Honor those who changed the lives of slaves. Honor the slaves who changed history.
Ephesians 4:32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Southern California has been hit hard with rain that keeps on giving. This video shows houses being destroyed. Wealthy people built their homes on "shifting sand", on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. They planted grass lawns, watered them. Over the years the bluff has begun its fall to the beach.
These mansions are plunging down after the huge rainfall.
Owners were told to cease watering, as that sank into the sandstone. Now their mansion have fallen.
Not much the average person can do except leave. Who knows what happens when the next session of rain arrives on Wednesday?
Pamela had always been a gregarious
child, her grandma said with just a bit of pride. Grandpa called her “Munchkin” which made her laugh, because she was anything
but small or weak. Tall as a man and
just as strong, Pamela could handle just about any physical challenge.
The moonshiners in the back woods often tippled back a few samples of their work, which set them carousing and singing bawdy songs
at the top of their lungs. One
afternoon, Grandpa mentioned that he wished them ne’er do wells would get their
comeuppance someday. Pamela considered his words.
When dusk was just dipping, Pamela wrapped herself in a
burlap sack and darkened her face with charcoal. Gazing about the barn, she noticed some ancient
tools and buckets. There in the corner
was a rustedbed pan that Aunt Pitty had used before she died.
Armed with the pan, Pamela crept silently up to the camp
where the carousing men were
staggering around. She leapt from the
brush with a roar. Stunned, the men were
speechless as Pamela battered them with the bed pan until some fainted.
“GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE!” Pamela roared. They ran.
Pamela destroyed the still and jars of moonshine.
There would be no more carousing
near Grandpa’s farm. She did keep one jar for Grandma's Christmas pudding.
P.S. Oh, Delores! You were messing with our minds!
The underlined words had been given to bloggers by Delores. She created Wednesday Words challenge for bloggers to expand their genre. Delores passed the baton onto Elephant's Child and River. Please check those sites for contributions.
This is from 2012. My mom said that her dad had a still in the woods, which made Grandma really mad.
Truth is truth. Words can be twisted and distorted, but truth is literally out there to see, looking us right in the eyes.
This video is about 10 minutes long. There are all sorts of parents catching kids doing something, who then deny they have done anything, anything at all. Scroll through it, relive your own moments of denial in the face of absolute evidence.
A hard fought campaign had
raged for the past few months. Opponents
laughed and greeted each other affably, even providing a few fist bumps for the
viewers.
Smiles continued until the
debate. Questions revealed the two
snarling beasts within. A week before
the election, mud-slinging began, followed by character assassination.
Voting Day came, with
sighs of relief from both sides and the candidates.
The ballots were carefully
counted, while candidates waited anxiously for THE announcement. Then it came.
Principal Brook’s voice
crackled through the PA: “For the Fifth
Grade President is Billy Hopkins and Vice-President Jimmy Rogers. Let’s all congratulate Billy and Jimmy for
such a great campaign.”
Crackle…hiss…
and then silence.
In the classroom, Billy and Jimmy glared at each other. Next year would be different.
