Do you believe in Kenosis? No, not really, not significant to me. Basically as I understand, the idea--Jesus gave up some of his godly powers to be on man's level. No, I don't believe that but believe he remained God. It is all a gigantic mystery and part of the faith experience, anyway. What we have to understand is that God could really do anything He wants. He's God for God's sake.

Michael says, "I am with Al Pachino in the movie "Scent of  a Woman". He said, "God must have been a f..king genius to create women." Roger that. 

When you are tuned into wonderful flesh and the "promise-land" awaits you, for us mere mortals, in my belief, this is in fact the closest to the sacred, to heaven on earth we will ever get in this life. Amen. Now this concept is important. 

LAMAR

Lamar, I really miss him 

(Departed this life for the next a few months ago). A unique Character.  We are at the Forscom/Tradoc Conference. I think St Louis. I am bored out of my gourd. Lamar says to me, "let's have a drink." We can't have a drink. We are in uniform. He says I have some bourbon in my room. What the heck! We go up to his room? Pour a drink and shoot the breeze. I can't drink anyway (goes right to my head).  We have another one. Lamar says, "let's watch a movie." We watched "Scent of a Woman." I thought it was maybe porno. Turns out it was a terrific movie. We then went back downstairs just in time for the conference to end. Good memory.

This is the worst crop of presidential candidates ever. I have ranted so much about Trump, not him but who is voting for him, I am thru. I will stick with my prediction of the demographics will determine it. US democrats, Hispanics, blacks, gays, young people (if we can corral them), will put Hillary in. In most ways I could care less. The difference in us and most democracies--the president can send us to war and we know how disastrous that can be: Vietnam, Iraq, etc.

Long before it was a popular thing to say or the movie, "Pay It Forward," I knew about it. I was bussing tables in the dining hall at my college and met this older lady. We chatted and the next thing I knew, she was giving me $200 a month. It was incredible, a life line and changed my life. She said, "one day, you will have a chance to pay me back by reaching out to someone else." I have had those chances often. 

Becoming A Christian

After the Sunrise Service at Jackie's Church, we were invited over to a retired USF prof.'s place for b'fast.  Nice guy and I like him lots. He was Economics Professor at USF (University of San Francisco, good Jesuit University). We always have good talks. Yesterday we were discussing the Immigration crisis in Europe. 

He is German and especially was talking about what it means to Germany. Then he said to me, "Scores of the refugees have become Christians." It got me to thinking. Although I see myself as socially liberal, I am theologically very conservative. I believe in the whole Bible and that there are no errors. If they are, they are made by man, not God. I am pre-millinial and believe that a person must be saved to go to heaven. 

By this time, Lamar would be seething. LOL. IF YOU WANT TO BE A MUSLIM, all you have to do is declare you are a Muslim. The praying and all the commitment comes later. To become a Christian, you cannot merely say you are a Christian. You must be converted: accept Jesus into your heart and literally have the experience, saved, if you will. This is a process. Declaring f that you are a sinner, that God in Christ died for your "sin" and his death and the shedding of his blood took care of the "sin"  and if you accept that sacrifice, you can declare yourself a Christian. 

Do we think all these people who are declaring themselves Christian are understanding this or as my friend, Hartmuth says: they think
that if they declare themselves Christian, they would be less likely to be returned as the Muslims would consider them infidels and want to kill them. What think?
 What think?

LAMAR

I think of so many experiences with Lamar. He was the best debater. Honestly few could hold him a light. Lamar loved our Seminary, (ARPAssociate Reform Presbyterian--we always planned to go together for a visit. We never did). It was a good place to be.  Challenging. We had a real "mishmash of students" and had this one guy, still remember his name. Walter Hudson. He was an "Independent Baptist." For some reason, we got to debating the Second Coming. This guy would not let up. One day for class, Walter unloads all these charts and easels. He had about a warehouse full of material about the Second Coming: When it was predicted, why it would happen, etc. The school acted like they had never heard of such. Lamar and Walter got to arguing. Lamar called himself a "pan" millennialist." You have the post Millenial (world gets better and better till Jesus comes). The pre millinial (world gets worse and worse until Jesus comes). And then you have the pan Millenial (everything pans out in the end).   

I never knew Lamar had such a temper. He and Walter started shouting. Lamar started tearing down Walter's posters. The students pour out the classrooms. I think Lamar and Walter are going to come to blows. Lamar didn't oppose the "Second Coming" obvious but couldn't abide Walter's, what he called, angry fundamentalist views. We never let Lamar forget he almost got expelled because of the Second Coming. You had to be there, we laughed for days. 

HAPPY VALENTINE DAY

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

I know this is pretty crass as a real "Hallmark Card," since they created this day--your mailbox has probably

been full all week. Still, Happy Day. 

My Friend's response: Thank you very much. So thoughtful... I hate this day. All single people do!!! But, I love the thought that u would think of me. Hoo-Ahhhh!!!

Valentine's Day is bullshit unless it helps us dream. Next year to avoid, you could be in Paris with a little luck. 

PASTOR OUTED

Possibly because of the Ashley Madison website, he committed suicide. I saw the interview with the family and felt genuinely sad. A bud sent me the link. 

Watching it was like watching our culture. The pastor's suicide was almost beside the point. The video had some pics of the deceased pastor, wife and two older children, up pops a McDonald's commercial--then the media interview, asking those unansuable questions. 

 What is so bad that someone like this kills himself? I don't know. Is it only guilt? Is it the condemnation he knows he would have faced? I don't know. None of us know what we'd do. Sinners saved by grace.  ALL. 

Anything related to sex is scandal scandal, scandal. Way too much. What about getting help. He's the helper. God bless his family. 

My favorite Cowboy, Gus, in the mini-series, "Lonesome Dove" when asked the unanswerable question said, "I don't know. I simply don't know." 

LORD OF THE DANCE

Reminds me of a war story. I was at FORSCOM, before Tom. I was the admin guy. We got this letter from this person who demanded to see the hymn book that had some song he objected too. Can't remember the name of the song. On A Friday morning or something like that. Kermit told me to draft up a letter. I did, one of those, "can't send you the book, government property, etc." Kermit was gone, Ed Christoph, who was Deputy, needed to sign. Ed said, "Forget the letter. Send the guy the hymn book." I did with a note from Ed, "keep as long as you like and send back." About a week later, back came the hymnal. Ed thinks, probably looked through it, saw all the old hymns were included and lost his objection. Good lesson. Ed was smart guy.