Thinking about Truth - Quotes to ponder and discuss with good friends.

I have been writing on a book for more than a decade. The reason I don't proceed with is twofold:

1) I have changed dramatically over the past decade and things I believed earlier in my life make little sense to me now. The reason for that is that I am on a truth-seeking quest that takes me to disappointing, if not dangerous places that require courage to openly embrace. 

My mandate is that my ultimate truth must be mine alone, not someone else's.  

2) The chapter on truth has consequently undergone at least a dozen versions, not revisions, versions. The original was designed to demonstrate how much I know, and how much I studied. It was about 95 pages long, and no one - not even my dear mother - could endure that self-seeking blather. Others are shorter, some more clever, and some are scientific, sterile and snooze worthy. I can't get a grip on how to write a chapter worthy of the subject, without sounding overly complicated, or worse, trite. 

I am still contemplating another run at it but my eye surgery and subsequent cataract (still to be removed) keep my writing to a minimum.  

Truth is the most enigmatic subject I have come across. And while brevity is my goal, it's not in my nature, so to honor truth, here are a few thoughts of others that stir my juices and come closes to making my elusive chapter a reality. Note especially the first and the last. 

Enjoy. No, maybe it's better that you be troubled by what you read. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It isn't until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are, that you can begin to take control of yourself. As you learn to control yourself, you will get control of your life. If you want to move the world, you must first learn to move yourself.  

Dieter F. Uchtdorf  On The Wings of Eagles. Self Mastery

Harsh reality is always better than false hope. 

Downton Abbey. Dr. 

The contrary of a truth can never be demonstrated. 

Thomas Aquinas

He that has light within his own clear breast may sit in the center, and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts Benighted walks under the mid-day sun; Himself his own dungeon.  

John Milton (1608-1674)

God is truth and light his shadow. Wikipedia:shadow Psychology

Plato (427 BC-347 BC)

All truth is profound.

Herman Melville (1819-1891)

Truth is what stands the test of experience. 

Albert Einstein

Familiarity breeds contempt. How accurate that is. The reason we hold truth in such respect is because we have so little opportunity to get familiar with it.

Mark Twain (1835-1910)

How dreadful knowledge of the truth can be when there's no help in the truth.

Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC)

A man should look for what is and not for what he thinks should be. 

Albert Einstein

Great spirits are always opposed by mediocre minds. 

Albert Einstein

All great truths begin as blasphemies. 

George Bernard Shaw

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. 

Arthur Schopenhauer

Truth bridges the gap between the empirical and the ethereal. 

Jack Getz

Bondages

Quote of the Day

Freedom is not the right to live as we please, but the right to find how we ought to live in order to fulfill our potential.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)


We must, at any cost, find our personal freedom before we can find our individual purpose. Each of us has a unique bondage experience that must be defeated lest we waste a lifetime fruitlessly struggling to find our greatest contribution.

Our bondages include anything that cause us to choose a lesser path than our unique truth demands. Sometimes they look like respectable careers, other times like accepted dogma or even right speech.

Mostly, however, we choose to lock our bondages deep in our souls, fearing their release would force changes in us that we are not willing to face.

These hidden - but never dormant - dark realities always require more of us than we are willing to give, and they are almost always only released by personal crises.

Freedom by an unsolicited crisis is painful and often humiliating, but any who have discovered their individual truth via crisis understands the truth of this musing. As Brennan Manning says, Grace alone allows us to understand that "the worst thing that ever happened to us is the best thing that ever happened to us".

I live and have the temerity to speak openly of these things because of grace. JG

Lessons From The Chicago Little League Cheating Scandal

If you have not heard, a Little League team from Chicago had their international championship stripped away and given to the runner up team today because the coaches and administrators of the team lied and cheated in the registration process. (My cynical side immediately asked why anyone would be surprised by cheating in Illinois - and Chicago - but that's another topic.)

The details are not important at this point so please don't get hung up correcting detail, look at the big picture issues.  This was not - as so many are wont to say when they get caught - a "Mistake". It was deliberate cheating and misleading families and kids into believing everything was done right. Those responsible have been fired, so that's that for now.

I want to say I heard the headline and basic facts on ESPC (some call it ESPN but since they are the most PC group in the media I changed their call letters). I will hear their spin later, but for now this is all mine!

First, I feel awful for the kids. I believe they played great baseball but they won their games on an unlevel field...at least until another team is exposed for the same crime.

Next, this was the first all African American team to achieve what they did. And, I fear these kids will become pawns for the race baiters who crawl out from under their rocks at such times.
My concern for those kids is that they will draw the right conclusions from this tragedy. They will be exposed, I a certain, to leaders who want to make this a race issue. You know the old, "If this were a white team from the suburbs this would not be happening" speeches.

The vipers who hiss the loudest are the racists in my view. They will no doubt do their best to turn this into a victim issue, "us against them" kind of thing like they did in Ferguson and New York earlier this year. They are happiest when rage replaces reason, and they gain speaker's fees for inciting innocent people to "get even".

So what are the lessons these kids should learn? That's not an easy task but here are three big ones:

1) You were robbed by people you trusted. That does not mean you can never trust leaders again, but you need to learn who you can trust. People who talk big, promise everything for nothing and care less about you than themselves are people to avoid.  Parents should be the first line of trust, but unfortunately, not all parents are trustworthy. Jesus said it well: Be harmless as a dove yet wise as a serpent.

Part of maturing is mastering the art of learning who you can trust and who you can't. Trust is not something you should give away all at once. It is built a brick at a time. Making and keeping small promises, as Stephen Covey says, is how we build trust.

Even good people will occasionally stop building well, or even knock a  few bricks down, but watch out for anyone who promises the world when it is not theirs to give. Trust is a valuable commodity we need in our lives...lest we become paranoid and reclusive.

2) This is not about you. If you played according to the rules with personal integrity you are not to blame. You are not required to relinquish your memories or your pride in what you achieved. Don't let anyone turn you into a victim by making you feel you got treated unfairly, especially because of your race. Cling to your feelings of joy that come from being part of something good, not a false shame that isn't your property.

3) When you have a chance to be a leader, at any level, be trustworthy at all times, even when you are out of sight. Partner with people who have integrity and a proven record of being trustworthy. Accountability and transparency are critical tools for every leader. Accept your responsibility and carry the trust of others with care. If you slip, be honest and start from there to rebuild trust as Covey suggests above.  Remember, each of us has the ability to help or hurt, build or destroy each day by our behavior and decisions. Our choices do matter.

Those are a few ideas of how to turn disappointment into something valuable. That may be the most important skill anyone can learn in life, because disappointments comes at us all with great regularity. If these kids can learn that at their age, they have a leg up on life.

There are more lessons I'm sure, but it's time to quit.  

Jack
February 11, 2015

The Dying Art of Satisfying Conversation

I chafe from the way the art of human conversation has evolved. Actually, I suppose the problems I have with the way we talk are not new, but they are becoming far more dominant and far less civil.
In short, I find that most conversations today are far more about winning the point than they are about sharing the moment.

(I am not only referring to verbal communications, but also to cyber conversations.  Regardless of how we connect with others, I think there ought to be some guidelines that will assist with the creation of far more satisfying converse.)

Here are a few suggestions toward a more civil state of communication that clearly dominate my psyche:

1) Listen more than you speak. Obviously, if both parties practice this to a fault there will be mostly silence, but I suspect that two polite people will even appreciate large gaps of silence. If someone broaches a subject that is important enough to mention, go with their flow, not yours.

2) Don't assume your responses must all be anecdotal. Everyone enjoys a good story, but some folks I know have nothing to contribute if it isn't about themselves. Yes there are plenty of folks who can not listen to another's story, sympathize with their woes or embrace their pain without interjecting their own anecdote, often trampling the other person's need at that moment.

3) Don't try to top the other person's story. This one irritates me the most. If I say I found gas for a dollar a gallon, don't respond with the fact that you found it for ninety nine cents. Just go with the original comment and don't assume that everything must be overshadowed by your amazingness.


4) Rejoice, mourn or sympathize with the speaker before you think about your own examples. We don't need to have our feeling minimized, marginalized or monopolized by yours. Steven Covey says it well; Seek to understand before you seek to be understood.


Here are a few quick examples that happen to me in my life that have remained unhealed wounds. In some I was the offender. Others, the offended.


Once years ago a fellow pastor assigned to a very small church called me to tell me they had reached thirty in attendance. I reacted immediately by saying "We had 47!" Almost every rule above was broken in that very short exchange. I deflated the joy of my friend and minimized his achievement in three words. I have regretted that for many years and he knew then what kind of a person I was. I have since apologized.

One time we had friends visiting in the Fall, and I had spent the better part of two days raking leaves (before blowers were around). I bagged and placed about thirty bags by the curb, and when the guests arrived I mentioned that fact. The wife immediately responded with, "That's nothing! WE had almost fifty!" See the problem? I foolishly thought my labor was worth something, but in one instant, two days of awful work were tossed aside as insignificant by six words.

I once shared that I had undergone a surgery that was healing well. Without even a reference to my statement, I immediately heard them shift to a completely different subject never mentioning my original statement. They needed to talk about themselves at any cost.

Or my favorite relates to labor pain or golf stories. The first person to speak does so at their own risk.
"I was in labor for twelve hours" is often greeted by, "Boy you are one lucky lady/ I was in labor for sixteen hours." Or, "I shot a 78 today." Answer: "I never took two puts on the back nine." I sometimes say the first liar doesn't have a chance.

Conclusion:


The examples of rude conversation  are rife, at least in my life.  I do my best to emulate the people who make me feel good when we make contact. They are interested in what I say, they ask good questions or respond with understanding, even humor, not lectures or amazing anecdotes about themselves.

My wife is such a person, and I don't know anyone who doesn't like to be with her. I know others too who are seriously interested in what others have to say more than themselves. Clearly they are secure in themselves, even humble, so much that they don't think it's important to turn every spotlight on themselves. In fact, getting them to talk about their lives is more difficult than lighting a match in the wind.

I need to stop, but if all I have done is make you aware of the need to listen more and win less, my efforts are worthwhile.  Yes, I still do it wrong more than I like, but fortunately I still chafe every time. It's a journey folks.

The Geezer Corps –

Reasonable Accommodations To Military Service For The Aging

Jack C. Getz

November 11, 2014

The nonexistence of America’s war on terror bothers me. Not because I oppose killing our avowed enemies, for in fact, I don’t, but because it stirs up some long-active guilt inside me,  stemming back to my sins of military omission 50 years ago. Although my feelings are irrational, guilt climbs out of its foxhole when I meet soldiers or attend Veteran’s Day celebrations, especially when the music encourages each brand of service the opportunity stand whether fight song is played. Watching the pride on the faces of the vets who often find it difficult to stand either on time, or for too long,  and seeing the universal admiration of friends, families and strangers, creates a lump of regret/envy in my stomach, that usually travels unexpectedly to my throat, and out my eyes as tears.    

Moral opposition to the Viet Nam War was not part of my teenage DNA back then. My creative draft-dodging activities was about one thing and one thing only, my desire to stay alive and whole.  Back then I was actually in favor of the war, until it got too close. In 1965, I was one of probably thirteen college students in the United States who thought the “Viet Nam Policing Action” was a good idea. In fact, I suspect all thirteen of us in the United States believed that keeping Communists from spreading throughout the Far East was in America’s best interests, not to mention the millions facing the horrors of being gobbled up by Chairman Mao’s brand of social reform. 

Watching the Huntley-Brinkley reports of body counts each night, and even losing a couple of friends over there didn’t help. In fact, both of those awful realities steeled my resolve to become a domestic hero at home, protecting college girls and adding another solid C student to my university.   

When things were really hot over there, every you man in America was glued to their black-and-white televisions as the newly-instituted Selective Services lottery ping pong balls popped up, one after another, each bearing either huge relief or debilitating disappointment for millions. When my birthday-ball popped up at #147 I believed someone was already licking the stamp for President Johnson’s personal letter to me, “congratulating” me on my forthcoming tour of duty in the United States Army.  My worst fear then was hearing from dear, sweet, Esther Lockwood, Kansas City’s draft board secretary. 

Now that I am pushing 70, I see things with a little more perspective, mostly because I survived the draft,  avoiding the war completely, except for its residuals of lost friends for seemingly little reason.  

Funny, now that I can’t serve in the military, I wish I could redeem those years. You know, make up for the choices I made back then. Don’t think too badly of me, I became a public school teacher,  later becoming a member of the cloth, giving some pretty good service that way. But my military service vacuum still creates those lumps and tears every once-in-awhile, but no amount of other kinds of service to society diminish those feelings.

I must be a soldier to release myself from that feeling.  

But clearly I am far too old to do military make-ups and and every November 11 I regret that I am not part of that revered group of Americans who served in the military at some time.  I wish there was something I could do now to render front-line help, not just paying taxes and voting. This is not about celebrating myself, as cool as that is, but about contributing more than I have here-to-fore, like putting my life on the line to defend the things I value most about being and American and preserving them for my grandsons.   

In 2006 Congress made a leap of faith, recognizing the military value of older Americans and raised the maximum age for induction into the service from thirty four to forty two. (The lower threshold is still seventeen - with parental permission. 1)  Unfortunately, only the U.S. Army and Army Reserve jumped on that opportunity to add maturity to their ranks, while the party-pooping Air Force and Coast Guard decided twenty seven was a maximum age that could trust someone to play nicely with their jets and boats. 

I take the position that now is the time for America to eliminate all upper-age enlistment discrimination and see who shows up. To cling to arbitrary age standards places millions of valuable older citizens in the same category as children. In the eyes of the military, neither has anything to contribute to their mission.  Sure, a few geriatric soldiers may occasionally forget to turn off their tank’s turn signal, like they do in Florida, but isn’t slightly-flawed aged service better than someone driving a Hummer under fire who needed their Mom’s approval to enlist? 

To help make sense of all of this I spent a day with my neighbor, Colonel Jerry Johns ®, U.S. Army Rangers combat commander and Purple Heart recipient. “It’s different now, Jack. Technology has changed everything.” he said. In WW II and later masses of soldiers and sailors were needed to fight Hitler’s racists and later Stalin’s and Mao’s disguised disposable millions - all of whom transported about in huge planes, slow choppers and gigantic ships. Back then, they thought night-vision binoculars were really cutting-edge technology because they were.   

Speaking of World War II record suggest that in the United States alone, over 16 million citizens served…a out of a population of about 130 million b — nearly one-eighth of the population. With 290 million Americans today c, the current combined size of the armed forces and National Guard is about 2 million d,e. The proportion of service people to the general population was 17 times larger during World War II.” 2  (According to eHow.com on October 12, 2014, the current estimates reduce the size of the military to about 1.43 million.)

The American people today wouldn’t stand for having 49 million soldiers at arms; besides, it would bankrupt our economy just to feed them. In The Future Of War, George and Meredith Friedman say that to feed a typical armored division today takes in excess of 3,000 tons of food per day.3  Based on my highly questionable homespun estimates of what it costs my wife and me to keep the pantry full, it could take about $15 million a day to feed a division of 10,000 - 20,000 soldiers. 4  Oddly, that that may explain why the U.S. military enlistment standards say there is no maximum weight limit to join the United States Military.5

Usually, if my army is bigger than yours is, I will usually win. But as Colonel Jerry says, things have changed. “It’s all about technology now. Six guys can do what a company used to do in Viet Nam because of modern weapons. Heck, they can launch a missile in Arizona that will hit a target in Iraq.” Strangely, even Jerry’s West Point education, 30 years of military leadership, Master’s and law degrees and a Purple Heart don’t keep him from being what the military considers senile. “I wouldn’t know where to begin any more. It’s all changed so much.” 

Lest you think I am suggesting that Jerry is senile, understand that in military jargon “senility” describes anything that has outlived its intended and most effective use. You see, they measure senility by a theoretical ratio between the cost of keeping things against their effective use.   

“The United States today has far and away the most successful military in the world. It has both global capabilities and the ability to bring overwhelming force to bear” and despite logistical, economic and geographical challenges they are “capable of multiplying the power of relatively small numbers of men … rendering these problems obsolete.” 6   

This may be what fuels today’s terrorists when they attack modern senile Goliath's in big buildings, embassies, civilian airplanes and anchored ships. Remember it was a David-sized rubber raft that crippled the mighty USS Cole on October 12, 2000. Virtually every day we hear reports from somewhere of suicide bombers detonating their backpack- sized bombs, killing and maiming thousands.  That’s why we are forced into cattle-like pens at airports and forced to put our dreadfully dangerous open bottles of mouthwash and hand lotion in the protective custody of a zippered plastic sandwich bag.

Great, you say?  That’s all interesting but so what?  

Here’s what. I am considerably shy of being completely senile, despite leaving the water running in the sink from time to time, or venturing out in public with my fly open, so I get those practical concerns about putting me in charge of the red button. So to compensate for age deficiencies I developed a few reasonable Accommodations or helpful Observations that will make military service for the fast-approaching senile feasible.

The Geriatric Accommodation Plan – GAP 

1) Technology  

Accommodation: Enlist people by skill, fitness and experience, not by BFR (Body Fat Ratios) or arbitrary age limits. Allow supply and demand to rule, accepting any individual with skills concomitant to military needs. Or, if you can maintain an active and attractive  Facebook or Twitter account, you qualify. 

             

 2) Mental

Accommodation: Enlisting geezers would make the tough job of military drill instructor much easier. Face it, their goal is to train the body and break the human spirit, making “minds right,”—ala’ Cool Hand Luke’s warden. The Supreme Court case Goldman v Weinberger, (Remember old Cap Weinberger?) reads like a Drill instructor’s manual: “The military must insist upon a respect for duty and a discipline without counterpart in civilian life. The essence of the military service ‘is the subordination of the desires and interests of the individual to the needs of the service.’” 7 

In other words, for the typical geezer married man, the work of indoctrinating and humiliating to achieve obedience and compliance to authority is already accomplished. So, it makes sense and saves save time to recruit old married men.  

3) Basic Training

Accommodation: I suggest the implementation of my Age Adjusted Response Program (AARP) as the cornerstone of this plan. Fir example if eighteen year olds are required to do fifty push-ups and run a mile with a fifty pound pack, the AARP sliding scale says a sixty year old would do fifteen push-ups and run 584 yards with fifteen pound pack. *

*AARP formula: Divide the required task number by the participant’s age. So 100 push-ups divided by eighteen yields a 5.5 “age to task ratio.” (ATTR) Therefore, 100 push-ups divided by age 60 yields an ATTR of 1.66, or about 30% of requirement. The AARP assures that everyone can finish training activities. After all, isn’t that, as Martha Stewart would say, a “good thing?”  

4) Physical Health 

Accommodation: Anticipate health issues by requiring that all graduating Geezers install mandatory pace makers, undergo preventative hernia surgery, have all dentures secured with Crazy Glue and receive complete hip and knee replacements immediately upon enlistment.

5) Medications

Accommodation: All “K Rations” issued to the Geezer Corps should include a two month supply of basics: Blood thinners, glycerin pills, Bayer, Gas-Ex, Beano, Garlica, Preparation H, Tums/Rolaids, Ben Gay, Ace Bandages, Imodium, hearing aide batteries, hard boiled egg cups with timers, matches, decaf coffee pods, low -cal sweetener, Ex-Lax, Cialis (only for emergencies) and spearmint Tic Tacs. The kids can carry all the heavy high- tech weaponry. Geezers will be much more productive in the long run if allowed to carry their fifteen pounds in meds.  

6) Don’t Ask Don’t Tell

Observation: For the record, on no less than seven times the Supreme Court has ruled against hampering the military with the frivolous nature of Title VII or the Federal Civil Rights Law of 1964. 8  Everyone, except old people, are welcome in the military. We clearly need a ground swell of “gray panthers” to pressure Congress to gradually eliminate military age discrimination and eliminate all age-related question from soldiers. Unfortunately, time is something we don’t have enough of to burn.    

7) Life and Death

Observation: Some say that old age and treachery trump strength and youth. While controversial, it is undeniable that the more skill, experience and maturity one brings to the table,  the less age should matter. In fact, one wily Army veteran once told me, “I guarantee if a world-class surgeon wanted to join up today they’d make them a general tomorrow!” Aren’t most geezers at least as emotionally stable as the lady astronaut who drove across country in a diaper to shoot her romantic rival?

I am now prepared to die in battle if it means I go out in a blaze of glory with a few modern dozen terrorist infidels in tow. If you doubt that Geezers are disposable than the kids check out our new health care system. Clearly, many would proudly volunteer to be part of America’s first elite battalion of fifteen pound backpack, diaper-clad Geezers, especially when so little training is required.  

What now?

A few days ago in the mall, I spotted a gent who proudly wore his USS Donner cap. Here was a real World War II hero with a second opinion about my Geezer Corps idea.  Ron Huch (pronounced Huck), is a spry 82 year old, as tough as his name sounds.  Ron who told me he loses 1,200 WW II buddies each day, listened warily but soon smiled and said, “Yah. I suppose it could work…depending on the individual.” to which he added, “As long as they do their duty, keep up and not endanger anyone. Sure. Why not?” What else is needed? And authentic WW II hero endorsed my idea. 

Admittedly, there’s a long road ahead for this “win-win” campaign to be accepted, especially by another WW II vet.  And sadly, by then, I‘ll probably be too old to contribute much anyway.  

But maybe, just maybe, the next generation of Geezers will benefit from my campaign, and I can live with that. But right now, I maybe ought to go check out the military history channel and remember the sacrifice the real heroes made that make it possible for me to sit and ruminate about how I wish I was one of them. 

Thanks for your service. 

 1-  About.com:US Military website. (About.com/od/jointhemilitary/a/enliststandards.html)

  2- Darrellplant.com. http://www.darrelplant.com/blog_item.php?ItemRef=71. 

1 Universal Almanac (1994), p.126,
² Universal Almanac (1994), p.282,
³ U.S. Bureau of the Census Web home page
⁴ U.S. Department of Defense Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, Active Duty Military Strength by Fiscal Year - FR 1950 through FY2002.
⁵ Army National Guard web site, Financial Statements 2003

3- The Future Of War George and Meredith Freidman. Page 32  

4 -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_division. 

5-About.com:US Military website. (About.com/od/jointhemilitary/a/enliststandards.html)

6 The Future Of War George and Meredith Freidman. Page 19 

7 About.com:US Military website. (About.com/od/jointhemilitary/a/enliststandards.html)  

8  Ibid.

Copyright 2014

Jack C. Getz

Tucker, Georgia

It's called Small Ball

Last night many of us witnessed one of the greatest games ever played in baseball history. I know it's the most exciting game I've seen in my sixty plus years of watching baseball. It had everything to keep us riveted for hours. Two great pitchers not used to losing. Power, speed and the x factor of a one game play-in to the post-season.  Each team had it's own compelling story this year,  making them both worthy objects of cheering.

For me, and some older folks, it was even more than all of that.  Both teams have a great place in Kansas City sports history.

The Kansas City A's called the old Metropolitan Stadium home, along with the upstart American Football League Chiefs, in the sixties. Charlie Finley owned the team and tried everything under the sun to get people to the park to see the A's play. Many called them the Yankees farm team since a good number of their best players ended up going to New York.  The old ballpark was amazing then. There was the first major league picnic area, a white mule named Charlie, a petting zoo, and a mechanical rabbit that came out of the ground behind the home plate umpire holding a basket of baseballs to replenish those lost during the game.

Finley was a marketing genius, probably driven by financial necessity and survival. I was present for a number of A's games, the most memorable two were Campy Campaneris Night, when the talented shortstop played all nine positions in one game. He rotated each inning to the next place and played ball, like we all used to do as kids.

The other night was, incredibly, a night when they gave the Negro League's super star, Satchel Paige, a one game contract to pitch for the A's in a real game. No one knew his age then, but reports were he was in his sixties. I thought the old codger might die, only to realize that I am now older than he was then. He did well and amazed everyone, causing us to wonder how great he was in his prime. I recall Findley did this to allow him to receive some benefit from being a major leaguer.  I will leave that memory fact to be checked by you, if you are interested!

But as pressing financial realities became more evident, Charlie Findley took his team to Oakland, where they continued to hold their place as the most innovative team in baseball, introducing white shoes, colorful uniforms, and a string of amazing teams that occupied the winner's circle for many years. Again, that's something worth researching if you don't remember it.

Meanwhile, back in Kansas City, we felt abused, betrayed and angry about losing our A's. It was humiliating and I do not exaggerate when I say the loss was palpable everywhere in town. We were a great city that felt like a bride left at the altar. Thankfully we had the Chiefs to keep us feeling like we mattered, at least a little. (They played in the first bi-league championship before it was called the Super Bowl in 1966. We lost to the Packer's, and  despite the score held our own most of the game. Research that too if you don't remember it.)

Then, a heroic man named Ewing Kauffman came along and restored our pride, purchasing a MLB franchise and naming them the Royals! Everything about that was refreshing and happy. The city went crazy for it's team, and especially adored it's first super star, George Brett. The Royals had done something right because a string a great players came to KC and set up a little dynasty of excellence: Freddy Patek, Willie Wilson, Bo Jackson, Dan Quisenberry, John Mayberry, Willie Wilson, Frank White, Lou Piniella, Clint Hurdle, Amos Otis, Cookie Rojas, Paul Splittorff, Dick Drago, Ted Abernathy, Moe Drabowsky, Steve Busby, Hal McRae...help, I can't stop!!!
Check out http://www.baseball-almanac.com for more.

SMALL BALL

Anyway, we learned to love the Royals because the played small ball. It differs from most of what we see today, which is driven by the huge contracts home run hitters get. So everyone swings for the fences so they can get mentioned on Sports Center and get a bigger contract next time. It's exciting when  it works, but it's no way to win. You win in the long run with good pitching, defense, timely hits, stolen bases and forced errors. The Royals last night reminded us of the glory days when Wilson, Otis, Patek and others would get on base, steal second, often then third and George Brett would double them in, followed by John Mayberry and others popped the occasional long ball to excite the fans.

We loved the game last night because it was the battle of David and Goliath all over again. The bombers and great pitchers of Oakland made it look like a four run lead was insurmountable. John Lester, the Oakland ace was something like 48 and 1 when he had a three run or larger lead. He had that lead last night but the pesky base-stealing singles-hitting Royals chipped away, and in the bottom of the twelfth, Salvador Perez, the guy who wildly swung and killed two winning efforts, spanked a hot liner past the third baseman into right, scoring the winning run. I admit, I gave up on them in the 6th inning but kept watching because they stirred something deep inside me, reminding me of the glory days.

Sure, the old A's fan in me smarted as I saw the looks on their faces after the game. What a horrible heart-break for them and their fans, but last night, at least, the old small ball philosophy of baseball made a comeback with the Royals. Maybe they can keep it going into the playoffs, maybe not, but I know I will be watching and pulling for them. It's the way baseball used to be played and I miss it.

Maybe my big-swing Cubs will watch how it's done?

Barbara Brown Taylor

...whenever you come up on something about God, the gospel, or the life of faith that everyone knows is true, step back from the reverential crowd whose gaze is fixed on it and look in the opposite direction—because nine times out of ten there is something just as true back there, though largely ignored because its benefits are less obvious and its truth harder to embrace.

Barbara Brown Taylor  (Link)

Is the Universe Friendly?

The following is the final part of a sermon by the above name, presented by Dr. John Sullivan of the Church of Canada, a friend and email mentor of mine. I will see if I can later add the entire message.
His words always make me think deep thoughts, which I like very much.

Maybe this will do the same for you?

Jon Sullivan -  Is the Universe Friendly?

And I know, too, that most people do not live by their arguments,

but by their commitments.

In the end, the real reason I believe

that the universe is friendly and makes sense

is that I can't get away from Jesus.  

He speaks to me as a person.

I don't know him as well as I wish I did,

and the longer I live, the less I know about him,

because the more mysterious he becomes.

But what I know is this: 

if the universe were meaningless and hostile,

the crucifixion would have been the end of him.

The cross would have been the supreme example of the absurd; 

the man who gave himself for the good of humanity was done to death

by those/ for whom/ he gave himself.

But the crucifixion wasn't the end of him.

He's still around, still disturbing, still illuminating,

not in great institutions perhaps, but in individuals,

sending people out to do extraordinary things,

people whose minds have been lit by his greater mind

and whose spirit has been fortified

by his absolutely uncompromising spirit.

And the cross on which he died

has made all other suffering and evil capable of meaning,

capable, that is of being caught up into the tapestry of life

and woven into the pattern in such a way

as to make the pattern intelligible.  

Attacked by the "Killer D's"

In speaking of the many mysteries surrounding Easter theology, Ken Brown and Garrison Keillor team up to shed some important light.

"Doubt is not merely negative; it is purifying, both historically and personally. It reminds us of our finite perspectives, that the experience of God is always a little beyond us, broader than we can take in. It leaves us grasping, and that is a good thing. Garrison Keillor expresses this better than I can (HT: Shuck and Jive):

There is comfort for the doubter in the Passion story. You are not alone. Jesus’s cry from the cross was a cry of incredulity. The apostle [Peter] denied even knowing Jesus three times. The guy spent years with Jesus, saw the miracles up close, the raising of Lazarus, the demons cast out, the sick healed, the water-walking trick, all of the special effects, but when the cards were down, he said, 'Who? Me? No way.'

He repented. I would too, but not quite yet.

Skepticism is a stimulant, not to be repressed. It is an antidote to smugness and the great glow of satisfaction one gains from being right. You know the self-righteous — I’ve been one myself — the little extra topspin they put on the truth, their ostentatious modesty, the pleasure they take in being beautifully modulated and cool and correct when others are falling apart. Jesus was rougher on those people than He was on the adulterers and prostitutes.

So I will sit in the doubter’s chair for a while and see what is to be learned back there."

Ken Brown - C.Orthodoxy.blogspot.com

Jack speaking now:

It is always the dark, or "negative" things in life that cause us to stretch beyond our comfort zone to approach the truth. By the dark things, I mean all those marvelous "D" words like doubt, delay, disinformation (slander that sticks), distress, defamation (gossip that sticks), death (sleep that sticks) , deformity, depression, danger, dogma and all the others you can think of.

When attacked by any of the killer D's, our equilibrium is not only challenged, it is damaged, and that places us in peril.  I recall once while serving as a lifeguard at camp when I needed to go up on the roof to change the clock. Once there, a relative simple operation turned deadly when I disturbed a nest of hornets, who reacted as hornets do. What could be worse than being on a roof when the swarm came after me? Probably nothing. I was not only thwarted from my task, I was overwhelmed with danger, fear, certain injury, if not death. Fortunately, I can fly, so I simply took off into the stratosphere, avoiding injury and further complications.

Of course I can't fly, but I certainly tried that day hoping to create enough escape speed to go up, but since gravity ultimately wins every contest,  I hit the turf, limping frantically for the lake. If I did that today, I would certainly die, but then, my adrenaline took over and I survived with only a few stingers to remove.

Sometimes we feel like life attacks us at the worst possible moment, whether with a single killer "D" or a compounding swarm of them.  You know, when it rains it pours kind of troubles?  Illness causes a loss of employment which triggers a forfeited rent payment. At that point, the education loan comes due just as the the car starts making those funny "cachunk" sounds. Soon, every part of life sucks so we try to fly with our too-often-exalted faith wings, only to discover they don't work as advertised. I know of several people who live in such places, not because they are losers or sinners who bring it on themselves, but simply because life isn't always fair, and all the pseudo-theology in the world won't make it so.

At such times those super-faith friends try to carry themselves and  their suffering friends into the stratosphere with cliches that don't help, much less work. Their well-rehearsed answers and positive statements about Jesus taking care of everything may help for awhile, but they don't change things often enough to make them dependable, and people doubt. Or as my dad used to say about good intentions, "They don't pay the butcher".

In the thoughts at the top of this blog,  Ken Brown and Garrison Keillor speak the truth about the life of faith experienced by honest believers.  A life of faith is anything but a walk in the garden with the Lord swatting away the all the killer "D.s". Simply put, life is the killer "D's" getting to us when we are not prepared for them. If we would all honestly acknowledge that simple fact before applying the universal language of faith to every issue, many dissatisfied and distant former believers would still be in the fold.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul says that faith and hope are the lesser of the big three virtues. Why? Because faith and hope are only needed here where the killer "D's" can get to us, not in the next world where they can't. The only need for faith or hope is in the presence of doubt and darkness, and my two friends above have reminded me that it is ONLY in such places where they either prove themselves or don't.

Anselm: A logical approach to God's existance

Anselm's Subtle Proof of God's Existence
Dan Graves, MSL

Anselm's Subtle Proof of God's Existence

When St. Anselm died on this day, April 21, 1109, the church was poorer by a great mind and England by a zealous reformer. Anselm won a name for reform because he attempted to end abuses such as the slave trade. He urged the holding of regular synods and, while he was archbishop, enforced clerical celibacy within his see. Because of his powerful intellect, some scholars consider him one of the creators of scholasticism. But his most notable gift to history was what has become known as the ontological proof for the existence of God.

Can the existence of God be proven? Anselm thought so. Modern philosophers and theologians disagree. However, it is Anselm's argument, the ontological proof, which remains the most troublesome for them to disprove.

Anselm's argument went something like this: When we discuss the existence of God, we define him as a perfect being, greater than anything else which can be conceived. If God does not exist, then the name "God" refers to an imaginary being. This makes the definition of "God" contradictory, for to be real, to be living, to have power is greater than to be imaginary. It is clear I cannot even discuss the word "God" as defined if he does not exist, because I have to conceive of him as really existing in order for him to be greater than anything else, for a God who does not exist is not greater than anything else.

In short, no philosopher can legitimately argue that God does not exist if he defines God as a perfect being greater than any which can be imagined; for to be perfect, God must have real existence. Those who acknowledge He exists do not have a problem with self-contradiction when they affirm his existence. Since we can indeed raise the question of God's existence and argue the point, then God must exist. Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest logicians and mathematicians of the Twentieth Century, no friend of Christianity, grappled with Anselm's proof and at one time is said to have thought the proof worked.

As Archbishop of Canterbury, the zealous Anselm struggled with King William for church rights. He was exiled. Similar conflict would shortly afterward lead to the murder of Becket. As a theologian, the pious Anselm is remembered for his book, Why Did God Become Man? In it he argued that each of us has run up such a debt of sin that there is no way we can repay God. Christ, as infinite God, has merit enough and to spare to pay our debts. As a scholar, the learned Anselm argued that we must believe in order to understand. We could restate his insight in modern terms like this: truth only begins to come clear when one is committed to it. You cannot see around a bend in a trail unless you walk toward it.

Anselm died surrounded by friends who placed his body in ashes on the floor. He was probably canonized in 1494, although there is debate whether this occurred at all. His beatific status aside, Anselm will long be remembered as the author of the ontological proof.

Bibliography:
"Anselm, St". Dictionary of National Biography. Edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. London: Oxford University Press, 1921 - 1996.
"Anselm, St." The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Copleston, Frederick. A History of Philosophy. Westminster, Maryland: Newman Press, 1953-
Dark, Sidney. Seven Archbishops. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1944.
Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Scribner's, 1974.
Eadmer. The Life of St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury. Edited with introd., notes, and translation by R.W. Southern. New York: T. Nelson, 1962.
Hook, Walter Farquhar, 1798-1875. Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury. London: R. Bentley, 1865 - 1884.
McKilliam, Annie E. A Chronicle of the Archbishops of Canterbury. London: J. Clarke, 1913.
Rigg, J. M. St. Anselm of Canterbury, a chapter in the history of religion. London: Methuen & co., 1896.
Rule, Martin. The Life and Times of St. Anselm: Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of the Britains. London: Kegan Paul, Trench, 1883.
Runes, Dagobert D. A Treasury of Philosophy. New York: Philosophical Library, 1945.
Russell, Bertrand. Wisdom of the West. New York: Fawcett, 1964.
Various encyclopedia and internet articles and references in histories of philosophy.
Last updated April, 2007.

Some new thoughts on the Christmas Star! My grandson's birthday!

Jesus was born June 17, say scientists

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER 

UPDATED: 04:57 EST, 9 December 2008

Researchers tracked the 'Christmas star' to a reveal the date of Christ's birth as June 17. It may not be too late to send the presents back, as astronomers have calculated that Christmas should not be celebrated on December 25 - but on June 17 instead.

Researchers tracked the appearance of the 'Christmas star', which the Bible states three wise men followed to find Jesus. Australian stargazer Dave Reneke used complex computer software to chart the exact positions of all celestial bodies and map the night sky as it would have appeared over the Holy Land more than 2,000 years ago.

He discovered that a bright star really did appear over Bethlehem 2,000 years ago - but pinpointed the date of Christ's birth as June 17, and not December 25.

Scientists claim the Christmas star was most likely a magnificent conjunction of the planets Venus and Jupiter, which were so close together they would have shone unusually brightly as a single 'beacon of light' which appeared suddenly.

Mr Reneke says the wise men probably interpreted it as the sign they had been waiting for, and they followed the 'star' to Christ's birthplace in a stable in Bethlehem, as described in the Bible.

Generally accepted research has placed the nativity to somewhere between 3BC and 1AD.

Using the St Matthew's Gospel as a reference point, Mr Reneke pinpointed the planetary conjunction, which appeared in the constellation of Leo, to the exact date of June 17 in the year 2BC.

Mr Reneke, who is editor of Sky and Space magazine, said: 'We have software that can recreate the night sky exactly as it was at any point in the last several thousand years.

'Venus and Jupiter became very close in the the year 2BC and they would have appeared to be one bright beacon of light.

'We are not saying this was definitely the Christmas star - but it is the strongest explanation for it of any I have seen so far. 

'Astronomy is such a precise science, we can plot exactly where the planets were, and it certainly seems this is the fabled Christmas star. There's no other explanation that so closely matches the facts we have from the time.

'This could well have been what the three wise men interpreted as a sign. They could easily have mistaken it for one bright star.'

He added: 'December is an arbitrary date we have accepted but it doesn't really mean that is when it happened.

'This is not an attempt to decry religion. It's really backing it up as it shows there really was a bright object appearing in the East at the right time.

'Often when we mix science with religion in this kind of forum, it can upset people. In this case, I think this could serve to reinforce people's faith.'

Previous theories have speculated that the star was a supernova (exploding star) or even a comet.

But Mr Reneke says that by narrowing the date down, the technology has provided the most compelling explanation yet.

A leading theory behind why December 25 was chosen as the date to celebrate Christ's birth, was that it was selected by the church as it aligned closely with a major pagan festival, which allowed the church to claim a new celebration for Christianity.

However, if the findings are correct, it would mean a change from Christmas cards featuring traditional snowy scenes to sunny beach views in June.

Little boy, big faith!

My wife was speaking to our three year old grandson,Will, about our forthcoming trip to see him at Christmas. She asked him if there would be any snow in Shreveport, (Louisiana) suggesting the chances of that are slim, to which he immediately replied, "I know, but God's in charge". His response made us laugh, but it also made us think about Jesus' words, "For of such is the kingdom of heaven".

A little boy's quick faith-teaching to his grandparents becomes fodder for all of us to consider two critical questions: Who is God?, and, How does He work with people? The depth of those two simple questions can keep thinking people occupied for life, but the answers are not always as forthcoming as they are for Will. 

Some glibly speak of how God immediately cured their loved one's illness because someone in the family prayed. Unfortunately, other believers pray for healing but get different results, sometimes death. 

The image of a doting God can change quickly when life goes awry. While no one of any substance glibly suggests their prayers are more effactious than those whose loved one's die, there are no good explanations for such things - or even for why it snows some years in Shreveport and not others.

This is a good season to focus on those two simple questions about God's nature and involvement with us. With age and experience we learn that life, like God, is not predictable, sometimes wondering secretly who He really is, or why He's not picking out our socks for us, like some insinuate He does for them. 

Regardless of whether you think Will's answer is perceptive or naive, it all eventually comes full circle to faith. His Momma and Daddy tell him God can do anything, so for now, he believes it. So, if it doesn't snow in Shreveport next Wednesday, he may forget it all about it, or He may just figure God decided to send the snow to some other expectant little boy's house in Minneapolis. I hope he doesn't ask me why. I have no answer. 

Merry Christmas anyway.

JG

The good father makes a good point about Revelation 13

Wednesday of the Second Sunday in Advent – Revelation 13

A moving story about unseen kindnesses.

I just watched a video on You Tube where a retired State Trooper speaks in the form of a poem about how doing unseen good deeds can impact people down the road. (No pun intended!) See the video on the column left.

I responded to my sister about how impactful unseen kindness can be, and I think anyone who reads this note can piece it together for themselves. The last paragraph refers to my wife's mother Carol Thomson, passing away yesterday. You will get the gist.

Wow. That shakes my timbers because it makes us think about those little touches we give to others and how they remain vivid in their lives. Hopefully they see the deepest motivation of our hearts, not just the surface action. We have the greatest life now because we can do things for people without fanfare or religious structure. We do it because someone once helped us. Like Jack Manzella who was my scoutmaster so many decades ago still influences me. Like family and other friends who do thoughtful little things, never expecting that we remember, but we do. I sometimes live in the fallacy that people only remember the bad things I've done, something that can put a damper on life. 

This little video helps us remember the positive side of life and how we can influence, and motivate someone in a bad place to keep going THROUGH their valleys. 

Thanks sister(s), who have done so much of this for others. I think our parents taught us that lesson in spades. The best service is the the least known. If heaven holds any allure for me it could be that we may get to see the real heroes up there who never got the rank or credit here. That brings a smile to me today. 

As we think about Barbara's mother today, the majority of the comments relate to her kind smile and welcoming ways. Small things that caused our first soldier from 1973 to write, "I still love her".

Love

Jack

Bob Welsh - My Christmas Eve

When political divisions affected our theologies. Great read!

From CHRISTIANITY.COM 11/13/13

James (Jacob) Arminius was uneasy with some of the teachings that had come to be identified with Calvinism. Did God really choose some men to be damned before he created them? Was Christ's death only intended for those who would finally be saved? Does God exercise his sovereignty so fully that man has no choice in his own salvation? Does regeneration come first and then repentance? As the professor of theology at Leyden, James had promised to teach only those things which conformed to the confessions of faith of the state church of the Netherlands. These were Calvinist. In his public teaching, Arminius kept his word, but he laid out Scripture readings in such a way as to cast doubt on Calvin's theology (which was heavily indebted to Augustine of Hippo).

In private, James offered a different interpretation of Scripture to interested students. While not varying from a single doctrine of the early church creeds and accepting much that Calvin taught, he modified his theology to say that man (through ordinary grace) can respond to the gospel and has real choice in his ultimate destiny. Strict Calvinists, such as Dr. Franciscus Gomarus, objected strongly. However, a number of pastors of state churches adopted Arminian views. Arminius himself downplayed differences for the sake of peace and because of his promises, although he tried to get the Heidelberg Catechism and another Dutch confession amended.

After his death, his followers issued a document called a Remonstrance. In it they set out five points in which they differed from Calvin. Inevitably the issue got mixed up with politics too complex to go into in this short article. The Remonstrants (as Arminians were called) were on the side of those who wanted decentralized government or "states rights." The Calvinists were on the same side as Maurice, who was attempting to reduce "states rights" and create a stronger central government.

The central government called a synod (council of churchmen) to weigh the issues. On this day, November 13, 1618, the Synod of Dort convened. It was controlled by Calvinists who invited other Calvinists from neighboring countries. The assembly existed for one purpose only: to condemn the Remonstrants. Naturally, the Remonstrants considered this unfair.

And the proceedings were biased. The Calvinists met alone until the sixth of December. Meanwhile, Remonstrants around the country were thrown out of their pulpits. Those Remonstrants who were summoned to the assembly found their movements restricted. They were not allowed to have their strongest speakers represent them. Many other injustices occurred.

Needless to say, with matters so stacked against them, the Remonstrant cause was condemned. One of their supporters, the statesman, John Oldenbarneveld, was invited to a meeting with Maurice and arrested. Falsely charged with treason, he was beheaded. Another supporter, Hugo Grotius (who became the father of international law), was sentenced to life in prison but managed to escape.

Arminian ideas are found among Wesleyans, Methodists, Nazarenes, Free Will Baptists and in similar traditions, while variations of Calvinism can be detected in the theologies of Reformed, Presbyterian, Calvinist Methodist and some Baptist groups.

Bibliography:

1. "Arminianism," and "Dort, Synod of," in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church," edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. Oxford, 1997.
2. Bangs, Carl. Arminius. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971.
3. Hunt, Dave. What Love Is This? Calvinism's misrepresentation of God. Sister, Oregon: Loyal, 2002.
4. Vandergugten, S. "The Arminian Controversy and the Synod of Doredt." http://spindleworks.com/library/vandergugten/ arminian_c.htm.
5. Watson, Richard. "Synod of Dort." http://www.geocities.com/calvinismheresy/ synoddort.html

Last updated July, 2007

Luther Posts His CHRISTIAN CONTRARIAN beliefs! My hero!

• 0

In the little town of Wittenberg, Germany,on this day, October 31, 1517, a priest nailed a challenge to debate on the church door. No one may have noticed then, but within the week, copies of his theses would be discussed throughout the surrounding regions; and within a decade, Europe itself was shaken by his simple act. Later generations would mark martin Luther's nailing of the 95 theses on the church door as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, but what did Luther think he was doing at the time? To answer this question, we need to understand a little about Luther's own spiritual journey.

As a young man in Germany at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Luther was studying law at the university. One day he was caught in a storm and was almost killed by lightening. He cried out to St. Anne and promised God he would become a monk. In 1505, Luther entered the Augustinian monastery, and in 1507 became a priest. His monastic leaders sent him to Rome in 1510, but Luther was disenchanted with the ritualism and dead faith he found in the papal city. There was nothing in Rome to mend his despairing spirit or settle his restless soul. He seemed so cut off from God, and nowhere could he find a cure for his malady.

Martin Luther was bright, and his superiors soon had him teaching theology in the university. In 1515, he began teaching Paul's epistle to the Romans. Slowly, Paul's words in Romans began to break through the gloom of Luther's soul. Luther wrote

My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement 'the just shall live by faith.' Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning...This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.

The more Luther's eyes were opened by his study of Romans, the more he saw the corruption of the church in his day. The glorious truth of justification by faith alone had become buried under a mound of greed, corruption, and false teaching. Most galling was the practice of indulgences -- the certificates the church provided, for a fee, supposedly to shorten one's stay in Purgatory. The pope was encouraging the sale of indulgences. He planned to use the money to help pay for the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

Johann Tetzel was one of the indulgence sellers in Luther's vicinity. He used little advertising jingles to encourage people to buy his wares: "As soon as the coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs." Once Luther realized the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice alone for our sins, he found such practices revolting. The more he studied the Scriptures, the more he saw the need of showing the church how it had strayed from the truth.

So, on this day, October 31, 1517, he posted a list of 95 propositions on the church door in Wittenberg. In his day, this was the means of inviting scholars to debate important issues. No one took up Luther's challenge to debate at that time, but once news of his proposals became known, many began to discuss the issue Luther raised that salvation was by faith in Christ's work alone. Luther apparently at first expected the pope to agree with his position, since it was based on Scripture; but in 1520, the Pope issued a decree condemning Luther's views. Luther publicly burned the papal decree. With that act, he also burned his bridges behind him.

Bibliography:

1. Adapted from an earlier Christian History Institute story.
2. Bainton, Roland. Here I Stand. New York: Mentor, 1950.
3. Durant, Will. The Reformation. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1957.
4. Köstlin, Julius. Life of Luther. New York, C. Scribner's sons, 1884.
5. Wells, Amos R. A Treasure of Hymns; Brief biographies of 120 leading hymn- writers and Their best hymns. Boston: W. A. Wilde company, 1945.
6. Various encyclopedia articles.

Last updated July, 2007.

MORE IN 1501-1600

Martin Luther: Monumental Reformer

Read Article »

• 0