Slavery in the USA

It seems like people try to minimize the state of race relations by explaining that every country at one point had slaves.  The real question then is How are the descendents of slaves in Europe and elsewhere treated?  The KKK formed as a response to the Union winning the civil war and it was not until the past 50 years that their presence and influence has seriously begun to diminish.  The more common problem nowadays is people trying to act like racism was never there.  People throwing the "N" word around like it's part of a math equation.  People ignoring or justifying the racism that exists in their friends and neighbors.  I do think a lot of people, black and white, fail to understand that slavery, as its' own independent thing, is NOT unique to the US.  It's not something only black people experienced.  But A) How were those slaves treated?  if they were treated with the same contempt and disregard that black slaves in the US were, are those other countries who allowed slavery doing ANYTHING to try and make amends to the people in their populace whose ancestors faced it or are they just trying to forgive themselves and expect that others do the  same?

I don't think most black people are expecting white people to donate a kidney for the cause.  There has to be some level of forgiveness at hand otherwise the whole thing is pointless.  I think a little bit of political correctness, with a spirit of kindness and understanding is in order.   Sometimes it does go too far, especially when people decide to police and re-police certain descriptions of people groups or characteristics thereof...[I understand not using the term "negro", but seriously????] But generally, what people call political correctness is simply being considerate.  But yes, if you're just doing it so you won't get chewed out for not being considerate, then... either way as far as I'm concerned.  Not that my opinion really means anything...

violence!

 I remember being an open proponent of screen violence when I was younger.  I've mostly given up expressing any kind of support for it, because people are so stuck in their views.  But I've come to realize, where people who decry it are mainly concerned with the destruction and loss that ensues when murder occurs, what I've always found stimulating was more the fantastical elements; movies that take what you normally see and combine them in ways that you don't normally see them.  For instance, in Terminator 2: Judgement Day, the main villain is this weird lump of metal that can liquify at any moment.  Its' arms can meld into swords and it can physically blend itself with certain kinds of objects.  And in a couple different scenes you see the sword/knife/stabbing weapon effect being used.  One particularly noteworthy one was when this guy was drinking milk and the machine shot its arm through the milk container and the guys' head.  I think even at the age I was at when I saw it, there was a degree of sadness that accompanied it, but it was also just not something I would expect to see.  You can go through any war zone and you're extremely unlikely to see anything of the sort.  And very few of any of the people I've ever met have been in a war zone even.  Violence in movies is a safe way to be shaken by the very real possibility of death and destruction.  Nobody is going to be gleeful and joyous 24/7.  If you're not going to be exuding bright cheer all day, why not take that boredom or possibly even anger or sadness and channel it appropriately?  As wrong as it may be, no movie is going to be make anyone happy.  Satisfied, entertained, sure, but happy?  Even comedies have a degree of tension that carries them forth.  Ghostbusters, as much fun as it was, was about a fight between humanity and an evil inter-dimensional entity.  You had a guy abusing his education and job description, getting rejected by the woman of his dreams, and he and his friends having to resort to smoking because they were under so much pressure from their job (Apparently they were so busy, they never got a chance to change their business hours of 24/7).  

Obviously there's been cases where kids watch violent movies and become violent themselves.  I personally think that's most likely a combination of things 1) Deficient parental guidance.  2) Over-saturation.  I didn't spend the entire day watching the likes of Platoon, The Terminator, Terminator 2, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.  There was not a single day I spent entirely watching movies until I got to be about 14 and even then it wasn't a regular thing.  I didn't even see A Nightmare On Elm Street until I was about 14 because people were so concerned with me being forthright about my penchant for violent movies.  Honestly, I think part of the reason movies like The Terminator resonated with me was because I was not a particularly happy child growing up.  I've always been somewhat melancholy.  I wouldn't say I was depressed, per se, although at times that melancholy has extended into depression.  I don't know exactly why that is.  My guess is it was passed through my mom being so sad as I was growing up. Osmosis, in a sense, I guess.  One of my favorite movies when I was about 7ish was The Last Unicorn.  If you really watch that movie, you'll find it's a pretty dang melancholy movie.  It's not some chirpy "hi ho, we go" or "hakuna matata" kinda thing...  

I'm not trying to say that kids across the board should be allowed to watch The Terminator, or anything else for that matter.  It should be understood by the kid that human beings do have the capacity to die (and that things like blood loss etc. can make that happen somewhat quick) but it should also be understood by the parent that the people you see in movies, even if it's based on true events, are not real.  People, men (boys), especially, have a taste for warfare.  That taste should be tempered as a boy becomes a man, as it has in my case (and I'd assume most other men, to varying degrees), but I'm not sure it should be outright discouraged.  It's a delicate balance, admittedly.  You want to teach kids to increase in their value of life, and to all the more so behold rightly in their sight what should be precious, but God did create men to be fighters.  (He didn't create men to be murderers.)

Measure

"...even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ"

I noticed that ringing particular true just looking at Job's life compared to that of David.  Job's friends were not entirely wrong in saying that God doesn't inflict people unjustly.  I think their main error was thinking that they could pigeonhole sin.  They were seemingly thinking that Job did something wrong.  In reality, Job didn't do anything wrong until his friends brought him down that path of thought.  And God straightened him out on the spot and in person.  And examining Job's life overall, with the exception of that shrouded detour, lasting , what, a couple years? Maybe? his life was rather prosperous. David on the other hand was inflicted with pain almost his entire life.  And the moment life became easy for him, he committed adultery , and then murdered so he could cover it up.  God's discipline is not unjust.  

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"

This life if anything becomes more difficult when you accept Christ's invitation into His kingdom.  

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."

Knees

 I think I have a relationship with God, but it's not usually an experiential relationship.  Every kind of sense that God has equipped me with would indicate that I'm simply reading His word from time to time.  Moses had no Bible to read.  He had what could unquestionably be described as a relationship.  I probably would have at least a little more sense of God's presence if my conduct weren't so astray.  It's hard to know what people are talking about a lot of the time.  There doesn't seem to be anyone on this planet who can just tell it straight.  People everywhere say dumb crap like "run to Jesus". Or "lay your burdens at the cross".  I think Jesus is in Heaven. Do I need to merely run in the direction of the sky or go the entire distance?  Obviously it's not literal but a warehouse supervisor doesn't order his employees to "ride the corporate ladder" when he specifically has in mind for the employee to Pick up that box and move it 3 feet to whichever side.  The expression "running to Jesus" is probably more profound as a relating of personal experience.  A person who isn't already seasoned at doing that, on the other hand.... 

So how serious should I expect to take use of phrases like "You need a personal relationship with God" or "You need to have a personal encounter with God".??!    Reading The Bible and understanding most of what it's saying is not a personal relationship or encounter.  If anything, it's an indication that you have different things on your todo list than you once did; worship, praise and the pursuit of peace and sanctification, primarily.  If there's anything else I should be able to testify to, I'm either lacking it or unaware that I possess it.  

Barbarism, to what end!?

The Smiths, wildly popular in Britain, somewhat obscure in the USA, had a song titled "Barbarism Begins At Home". And I truly do believe that statement.  The song itself is lampooning corporal punishment.  And there are times when corporal punishment is misused.  Certainly there's no excuse in treating children like punching bags.  But the sentiment in that song reminds me of a crucial complaint that people have against Christianity.  It's a book written in blood.  The God of all creation lived a life of heartache and gave up His life to save those who were intent on taking it from Him.  And the various people who's stories are highlighted in His word all share in that suffering.  The first few chapters of The Bible depict an earth that is fraught with pain and discontent.

Furthermore, Jesus even said in one of His teachings - "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.". However, "those who live by the sword will die by the sword". It often gets misconstrued like He's saying don't live by the sword but you might notice He doesn't say that.  He simply provides a statement of fact as a warning to Peter.  I think that warning could be taken in conjunction with the words Jesus spoke about judgement of other people.  "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”. I think given the context of Jesus warning to Peter using his sword, it could be said that Jesus was, at least in part, reminding Peter of the importance of not judging, to put it simply.  For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.  We are indeed to live by the sword -- the sword of The Spirit, which is The Word Of God.  The testimony of Jesus, His redeeming of humanity, the power that caused Him to rise from the grave, and His triumphant resurrection.

"But now abide faith, hope, love—these three; but the greatest of these is love."

The place of the skull crushing reality His atonement

 https://www.amazon.com/True-Discipleship-Following-Master-Calvary-ebook/dp/B0BFQC38K1/ref=rcmlt_m_sccl_3/133-2257990-2082150?pd_rd_w=oWpz8&content-id=amzn1.sym.62fd6873-4e40-4eeb-aa7d-4664171d9891&pf_rd_p=62fd6873-4e40-4eeb-aa7d-4664171d9891&pf_rd_r=20JZGZ1RSCWK2PE99ZJ9&pd_rd_wg=LUSG2&pd_rd_r=c158047e-5990-4030-96a2-b7732d2ac59c&pd_rd_i=B0BFQC38K1&psc=1

I really wish people would calling the place where Christ died "Calvary".  That word is not in any translation of The Bible I've ever read.  Calvary probably sounds prettier than "place of the skull", but that's where Christianity begins to border on nonsense, when people try to sanitize the reality of it.  Christ's death was not beautiful, it was not pleasant, it was nothing to feel nostalgic or fuzzy - tingly over.  It was a disgusting physical reality that had deeply profound spiritual ramifications that we should be forever thankful for, but looking at it with a syrupy sentiment is just bs.  But then again, there's people who think PASSION OF THE CHRIST was morally wrong for depicting the crucifixion in that manner.  Granted, PASSION OF THE CHRIST was not a particularly great movie.  But that was no doubt a flaw of the film.  Ugh.  😬

Chosen but free

 I don't have a problem with the God's ability and willingness to supercede our will.  If He never did that, we'd be in a world of debilitating agony because sins of the highest and widest reaches would be an obvious blight in our lives.  WW3 would have happened a loooong time ago, rather than being a looming possibility.  

I don't have a problem with who God chooses.  If God wanted to force His salvation on everyone, I'd be happy with that, even if it meant the likes of Adolf Hitler and Ted Bundy were in Heaven.

The problem I have with Calvinism is that it completely ignores the fact that GOD DOES NOT FORCE HIMSELF.  He will seal His children with the Holy Spirit so that there's no turning back from Him, but He will not force you to engage in sanctification.  He will not force you to read His word and to keep His commandments.  To an extent, if you're truly a child of God, you will do all of that, but nobody who is born mentally retarded becomes some legendary pastor.  There is a part of all people, even in their condemned state, that is at home with God.  A person can grow so far away from that by deliberately suppressing the truth and doing everything conceivable to push God away, that God will give that person over to a state of utter unsalvagability, such as what occurred to the Amorites.  The Bible doesn't point out the process of transitioning from death to life because IT'S NOT NECESSARY that a person understand this.  It's also different for different people.  The Bible doesn't say literally everything that just so happens to be true.  There's a good deal of spiritual truth in The Bible, but it doesn't even say everything there is concerning that.  Paul gives a little snippet describing Heaven then stops at "things that are unlawful to speak of."

If a person were to pick between Arminianismn and Calvinism , I'd have to say it's probably to the greater effect to choose Calvinism.  But neither one's writings hold a candle to The Bible.

If I had to choose....

I guess CDs are kind of, practically speaking, obsolete, so if I had to just outright get rid of my CD collection, I could probably get rid of just about everything, but these are the ones I would really truly prefer to keep if I had to, for whatever reason (?), cut it down to the bare minimum.

UPDATED:

1. American Football - American Football

2. Kate Bush - The Whole Story

3. The Fray - How To Save A Life

4. Genesis - Genesis

5. Genesis - ...And Then There Were Three...

6. Genesis - Invisible Touch

7. Genesis - Live/The Way We Walk 2: Longs

8. Genesis - Three Sides Live

9. Genesis - We Can't Dance

10. Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows

11. Idlewild - The Remote Part

12. Jars Of Clay - Good Monsters

13. Jars Of Clay - Much Afraid

14. Avril Lavigne - Let Go

15. Oingo Boingo - Dark At The End Of The Tunnel

16. Oingo Boingo - Nothing To Fear

17. Oingo Boingo - Skeletons In The Closet: The Best Of

18. Pale Waves - My Mind Makes Noises

19. Real Friends - The Home Inside My Head

20. The Story So Far - Proper Dose

21. Tears For Fears - Shout: The Very Best Of

22. Toto - Toto IV

removed
Genesis - Live
Genesis - Live/The Way We Walk 1: Short
Weird Al Yankovic - Even Worse
Weird Al Yankovic - Off The Deep End

added
Pale Waves - My Mind Makes Noises

surprise!

 My nephews seem really iffy on the whole concept of presents being a surprise.  They spend copious amounts of time prior to Christmas and birthdays trying to figure out what they're presents are.  They say things like "It could be....[ x ]", and I feel compelled to remind them it could be ANYTHING(!), as far as they know, because they DON'T KNOW what it is!  I highly doubt the oldest one, now 8, even knows of everything it COULD be.  Heck, I don't know what their presents COULD be.  Not exhaustively anyway.  If I were actively shopping for their Christmas and birthday gifts, I'd still be unaware of a possible gift, meanwhile they themselves might be pining for something that even they explained it to me, with their limited ability to articulate, I might be like "Huh?  Are you sure you didn't dream this....?"  (I know this because they've tried doing that and that's exactly how it goes sometimes)

I myself at times have wondered not so much what a surprise really is, but more so why surprises are important.
I think with Christmas gifts, the gift is a surprise because, if you're giving it to the recipient in honor of what Christ has accomplished during his stay on earth, it's important to distinguish it from other gifts by giving in on the day that Christians have decided upon as Christmas.  The fact that we don't know what day Jesus was in fact born is really irrelevent and it's honestly perplexing why people feel the need to point that out.
And as for birthday gifts, I guess if you love somebody enough, setting aside a special day just for them is importand and what better day than the day that started it all?  For me, it's more tradition.  If nobody I knew had been born, it would be because God decreed or at least allowed that to be the case (there is indeed a distinct difference between a decree and a permitting and I wish Christians would quit using the terms interchangeably).  A birthday celebration, therefore, in my imaginary perfect world, is more of an honoring of God's infinitely wise providence, as unfathomable and confounding as it often is.  There is an element of care to it as well.  In the case of the adults I know, seems like they're so heavenly minded, getting them a gift is like dropping a penny in a well.  For children, ie my nephews, they get so excited by the bling and blang, it's fun to partake in by buying them gifts.  For me, even though I can get caught up in the same kind of thing, I recognize that everything comes with a price tag and, with a few exceptions, it's much bigger than the amount of enjoyment I am able to get out of it.  If I had enough income to buy whatever I wanted without taking a huge pause just after buying a tiny sliver of it, it'd be a different story but nobody I know has that kind of money, including myself.  I still do like to buy stuff, but I'm hoping, given my budget and everything, hopefully I'll be more consistently cognizant of the fact that I really would be better off just giving my money to charity than spending it on cool stuff....

Per Unshakable Assurance by MacArthur

According to John MacArthur I'm not a Christian.  I've been suspecting it for a good while...  I think it's possible I'm saved, but even if so, I really am not where I should be in my relationship with God.  The story continues...