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Advent Four 2023 — Romans 16:25-27

Talk about brief! The epistle reading from the Advent lectionary is short and sweet. It is also contested. What I mean by that is many ancient copies of the letter to the Romans from Paul do not have verses 25, 26, or 27. Even fewer have verse 24, but ancient witnesses put 24 after 27. If you have a good study Bible, footnotes should explode under these verses. The editors of the Greek New Testament (led by the great Bruce Metzger) have included these lines in a bracket, which means they are pretty sure it should be included, but not completely confident.

This is the last one for this year, but I am currently translation John so, I might have some more materials to share here in the springtime.

With that covered, below is a translation of the epistle reading for the fourth Sunday of Advent 2023, Romans 16:25-27 followed by brief notes about the translation, and then some commentary.

Romans 16:25-27

25. Now, to him who is able to uphold you according to my gospel, the message* about Messiah Jesus, quietly preserved in eternal time but now is a mystery revealed

26. ** by the prophetic scriptures and the command of eternal God, the obedience of faith has been revealed and been made known to all peoples. ***

27. To the wise God, who is one, be glory through Messiah Jesus forever. Amen. 

*Careful students of the New Testament will recognize this word – kerygma – which is sometimes connected to preaching but carries the connotation of the gospel message the first preachers all proclaimed. As such it is linked with the basic elements of Jesus’ place as the son of God, the messiah, his death, resurrection, and the need to repent and follow him. It is in this way that I always have a message — the kergyma — but I may not have a sermon or a lesson. I always have a message.

**There is another ‘now’ here, but I omit because it is repetitive. 

*** both verses 25 and 26 contain synonym verbs for ‘reveal, made known’ that seem to mean the same things and keep getting repeated in the front end and back end and which connect the two verses as one thought. If we didn’t have verse demarcations, then a better rendering would be “Now, to him who is able to uphold you according to my gospel, which is the message about Messiah Jesus and the obedience of faith, both quietly preserved in eternal time but now is a mystery unfolded and made known to all peoples.’ 

Throughout Romans, Paul emphasizes the obedience of faith as he responsibility of the believer. Sadly, it is not a phrase we use very often. We tend to lose the obedience and just talk about faith. Paul would argue faith without obedience to the teachings of Jesus is not faith at all. Our faith in Jesus should bring us into obedience, conformity, and eventual transformation into his image.

The part of these lines that are fun to think about, though, is the idea of the mystery hidden throughout the ages. Paul is using very heady language here to tell us the gospel has been there all the while, but it was ‘hidden’ like a mystery that has clues. Those clues might be found in the Torah, or in Pharaoh’s plagues, or maybe in twinkling stars at night. Clues to a mystery that has eluded us but now the mystery has been solved, so to speak. The clues are explained. The gospel has been fully revealed.

Think about the universal application of this idea on Christmas Eve when songs are sung about a baby in a manger and a shepherds and Herod and stars. If Paul knew about the nativity stories he didn’t really concern himself with them very much. What mattered to him was the person of Christ Jesus and the demand his mysterious revelation makes upon our faith commitments.

Advent Three 2023 — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-25

Christmas is near! Yet, before we get there, there is work to do. Paul’s admonitions form the epistle readings for the third Sunday of Advent, and boy do they focus hard upon our spiritual formations.

Below is my translation of the text, followed by some notes on the translation, then some hopefully helpful thoughts about meaning and application.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

16. You must always rejoice.*

17. You must pray constantly.

18. You must give thanks for all things; this is God’s will for you in Messiah Jesus. 

19. You must not quench the Spirit.

20. You must not despise prophecy.

21. You must also test all things. You must hold on to what is good.

22. You must avoid all these kinds of evil things.

23. May the God of peace himself make you completely holy and keep you whole, faultless in spirit, soul, and body at the coming of our Lord Messiah Jesus. 

24. The one who called** you is faithful, and he will do it. 

*Each of the verbs from vv. 16-22 are imperative. One of the best way to translate an imperative is the English word ‘must’. An imperative is a command, not a recommendation or an ideal to be striven for. Likewise, all of these are plural verbs, not singular. Given the collective nature of the imperatives they are best taken as instructions to the collected church rather than to individuals. That does not mean individuals are off the hook, however, for obeying these teachings. 

**Called is actually a present participle, so it would rightly be rendered as ‘who calls’ or ‘calling’. I have taken the past, though, as I believe it captures the essence of Paul’s teaching. He is not saying the Lord is calling them now and will do it, he is saying at some time in the past the Lord called them into salvation and he will complete their salvation in the future. 

It is impossible to imagine a more diverse list of instructions delivered at such a staccato pace. In fact, the pace of it, and Paul does this a lot now that I think of it, is akin to an Aaron Sorkin dialogue where phrases and ideas come from characters mouths. Here, the brevity of the lines pushes the imperative even harder. Each one is a whole sermon, but for now I will hold my comments to one or two per.

Rejoice — it is impossible to rejoice until you have joyed. As with so many things, it is in the redoing of something that perfects it, corrects mistakes, or improves the quality. We joy, but it is in the rejoicing that we taste it all the more – we revisit the joys over and over again. In this, I think the older we get the sweeter our joy is, because because every ‘rejoice’ stands alongside a memory of a ‘resorrow’.

Prayer – constant prayer is not always praying with head bowed and eyes closed. That would be preposterous and useless. Constant prayer has at least two indications. First, it is a commitment to never given up on prayer. Second, it is an ideal that anything in our lives, or indeed our whole life, is an act of worship and petition to the Lord – walking, talking, working, learning – these are all a type of prayer. 

Give Thanks – Even when it is not Thanksgiving. To do so constantly is to do so in the midst of hardship, pain, and troubles. When we learn to give thanks for being passed up on the promotion, or the flat tire, or in the midst of a cancer diagnosis then we will have turned a significant spiritual corner. There is a continuum here, a spiritual spectrum of rejoicing, prayer, and giving thanks that go together.

Quenching/Prophecies/Test/Hold – My my my – this is a troubling and problemsome little quartet of separate words that form one thought. Clearly quenching here should be taken with prophecies – don’t despise them but instead let them flourish. We are not God’s counselors, so don’t proceed to tell him how to reveal himself. Nevertheless, we must test these spirits, without prejudice (hence the not despising), and then hold on to that which we see as being positive and good. Quenching might be understood as ignoring, degrading, or rejecting prophetic oracles. 

I do think, and this is the Baptist in me, we need to be careful in assuming Paul means only or necessarily mainly the prophetic utterances in congregations contemporary with himself and the early church. He may well mean the prophetic action of the Hebrew prophets (Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah)? He could also be referring to the commonly accepted prophetic work of the early church about the second coming of Jesus, which is one of the themes for 1 Thessalonians.

Avoid – Avoid what kinds of evil, Paul? A little clarity would have been nice, Paul. Why so vague, dear brother Apostle? He has been outlining imperatives for positive action, not evil. However, if we take it as a yet another connector to the quenching quartet, we can perceive that we are being told to avoid the evil of false spirits/teachings while holding on to good ones. Be warned, there are bad, bad, bad, bad preachers out there who are just waiting to deceive you.

Verses 23-24 are predicated on two other verb tenses – the optative which I render as a ‘may’ and it breeds optimism and hope. The final verb is future – God will do it. This helps those of us who are struggling with giving thanks in the midst of a bad Monday or who quenched the Spirit when he told us to go help our neighbor move her couch to know and appreciate God is forming us. He will do it. We cannot. He will. The actions are all hopeful and future. For a Christ-follower, hope must be present, for lost hope is really lost faith in the one who called us.

Advent Two 2023 — 2 Peter 3:8-15

For week two of Advent this year the epistle reading is from 2 Peter. The passage is rather terrifying on the face of it, but this terror is balanced by the hope found in Messiah Jesus. Below is my translation, followed by some comments on the translation, and the last section are some thoughts on it.

2 Peter 3:8-15

8. Beloved, you must not ignore this one fact, one day for the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day. 

9. The Lord is not slow with the promise the way some people define* slowness. Instead, he shows patience to you, not wanting to destroy anyone but for all to come to repentance. 

10. Yet, the day of the Lord will come as a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud rush of noise. The elements will be burned. The earth will break apart. * *The works in it will be discovered. 

11. When all these things fall apart***, it will be important to be the kind of person who has a holy and godly way of life

12. awaiting and wanting for the day when God comes, by whom the heavens will be set on fire and the elements will be released, burned, and melted.****

13. We wait expectantly for his promise, a new heaven and new earth, and the very place where righteousness abides. 

14. Therefore, beloved, those of you awaiting these things must make it your concern to be found spotless, unblemished, and in peace. 

15. Think about the patience of our Lord in salvation, just as our brother Paul wrote to you about, according to the wisdom given him.  

*The word is usually translated as regard or think. For what Peter is saying, I think define is a cleaner option.

**I have omitted a ‘kai’ or ‘and’ here. It makes it read better. I have also changed what happens to the earth from the usual rendering. It is generally formed as a a thought like ‘the earth and everything in it will be revealed.’ But my take is the earth is more connected to the earlier verbs than the later. There is no verb here for ‘to break apart’ but instead the verb ‘to loose’. Earlier I rendered this as ‘release’ and here ‘break apart’. It is often translated as ‘dissolve’ or ‘disappear’ but that is not the feel I get reading the text.   

***Again, same verb as ‘to loose or ‘release.’

****I have cleaned this verse up making the elements, or fundamental elements the object of all these destructive verbs. It could also legitimately be rendered as two thoughts: ‘the heavens, burning, breaking apart and the elements burning, melting.’ Either way, none of this sounds like a fun experience unless you’re watching from a distance.

I have preached this passage in the past and talked about nuclear annihilation. We usually send the children out for this one. It may be simply that I am a product of the Cold War, but when I read about a time coming that the very elements of creation will be melted all I can see is the A-Bomb going off. Not to get too technical or in the weeds (or morbid) but Peter’s use of the verb ‘to loose’ here over and over (I count three) is perhaps close to the scientific idea of splitting atoms in which the nuclear bonds are released. I am by no means a physicist and defer to those with technical expertise but Peter does mention the fundamental elements – atoms and nuclei and such. Recent events could lead people to understand it as a result of global climate change.

Merry Christmas!

There are three theological ideas wrapped up in here, though. The first one is patience. The reading begins with the quotation from the Psalm of Moses (90:4), which, in and of itself is a meditation piece on life and death. Peter’s point here is we human beings are poor judges of time. Our watches and clocks don’t measure the way the Lord does. He is in no hurry, but when he acts, it is certain and mighty. 

The second verbiage that gets to me as I read these is the use of ‘promise.’ Peter seems to not feel any need at all to elaborate on what exactly this promise might be. He assumes his reader is fully versed in it. All he really indicates is that the promise is about a new heaven and a new earth. This promise is part of the Christian hope of the long-awaited time when Jesus returns; all will be set right, Isaiah’s vision of law pouring fourth from Mt. Zion for all the world will be fulfilled, the wolf and the lamb will coexist, and when justice rolls like rivers. It is the promise of no more tears, no more pain, and nations are healed by the leaves of the trees.

The third, and easiest to miss, is the clear ethical challenge Peter lays out. He finishes the reading by encouraging us to live lives that are holy and godly. Why? Because the end is coming when all will be laid bare. I think Peter would argue the whole point of all this burning and melting and breaking apart is to uncover or reveal the hidden ‘works’ in the earth. Keep this in mind as you practice your hermeneutics here because it may indicate this burning and melting is more societal, psychological, or dare I say spiritual than environmental or cataclysmic. Whenever this time of revealing occurs, Peter wants us to be pure. Therefore the logical response to this eventual destruction of all things is not an obsession of when, but should be an obsession about how prepared (and by prepared I mean spiritually and morally righteous) we are to have everything laid out in the open.  

The Crown, Shift, And A Biltmore Christmas: No Real Spoilers

I have stuffed three important reviews into this blog post — all because I love you. I give you a review of Netflix’s The Crown, season 6, episodes 1-4 (because that is all they’ve dropped), Angel Studios movie The Shift, and The Hallmark movie A Biltmore Christmas.

Dodi and Diana The Dystopian Devil Number One in North Carolina

Let’s start with The Crown. These four episodes are easily the best since seasons 1 and 2. It is not that the other seasons aren’t good, but they never had the punch of the opening two offerings. But these new episodes seem to regain it, and they do so by moving away from the head of the monarchy, The Queen, and focusing entirely upon Diana.

I found the acting in these episodes to be tremendous. The woman who plays Diana, Elizabeth Debicki, is so convincing and captivating that I forgot at times she was acting. That happens rarely, like when Daniel Day Lewis played Lincoln or Renee Zellweger played Judy Garland. There is something about Debicki that captures both the lonely tragedy and the bold ambition that needed the limelight as much has she hated it.

In this telling, Prince Charles (now King) comes off as a rehabilitated figure — human, compassionate, and almost as much as victim as Diana was. Almost.

The big revelations, for me, are not how the show spins the royal family in this matter, but the relationship between Dodi and his father, played excellently by Salim Daw. Indeed, The Crown draws us in with the mommy issues of Charles and the daddy issues of Dodi such that one wonders if Diana was not a magnet for men who had dysfunctional and emotionally abusive relationships with parents.

I highly recommend The Crown to anyone interested in this period of history, even if you’ve not watched any of the other seasons, these stand alone almost like a movie.

Friday Mrs. Greenbean and I went the movies and got our popcorn, Hot Tamales, Coke Zero, and enjoyed a surprising movie from Angel Studios. I say surprising, because it can only be accurately described as speculative fiction, not a genre you’d expect from a Christian studio. This movie felt to me like something Philip Dick would have written if he’d been weaving in biblical motifs.

No spoilers, but the main thrust of the story is the devil (played maniacally cold by Neal McDonough, who you’ve seen in all sorts of things but who I like particularly in Red 2) has the main power to shift people from one reality to another, thus hell becomes an unfettered nightmare of possible dystopian worlds. That is some pretty good work there, writers, especially if you’re interested in the idea of ‘for there is no one righteous, no, not one.’

The story of Job from Hebrew wisdom literature serves as the skeleton, but don’t get too attached to it. The themes of this film are more specific than theodicy.

Is this movie perfect? No — some of the editing and directing could have been sharper. Does it have flaws — yes, the dialogue at time is just weak and predictable. However, it is a very very good movie, overall high quality, some brilliant acting, big budget effects (especially the sound, I think this movie should get an Oscar nomination for sound editing), well known actors, and theatrical release.

The bottom line is this: people like me have complained for years that Christian-based or faith-based films were lousy (and they were) and actually brought disputation to the cause of Christ. Here, we have a great concept and a well-put together film. Go watch it, even if you don’t like speculative fiction or science fiction, go watch it. Support the work being done and those outstanding people putting it together.

The last review today is the briefest. Mrs. Greenbean, of course, loves her some Hallmark movies, and I have blogged about them many times (HOW TO SAVE HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES, HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIES: A LAMENT, IF WE ACT NOW, WE CAN STILL SAVE CHRISTMAS for example). Last night we finished a fantastic day by making it a double-feature evening and watched the new movie from Hallmark called A Biltmore Christmas. It is set around the famed Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The plot is predictable, but it has a fun twist or two. It is safe, entertaining, and pleasant. No car chases or murder.

I watched it primarily for sentimental reasons: Jonathan Frakes and Robert Picardo, alums from Star Trek, are both in it.

If you enjoy this style of movie, you’ll like this one.

Advent One 2023 — 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

Sunday (December 3) is the first Sunday of advent, and as such, the beginning of a new liturgical year. For a long time now I have included translations from the Greek New Testament of significant texts from the lectionary during this season. Usually, these are pretty rigorous — coming from the Episcopal ‘Daily Reading’ calendar. There has been a lot of Olivet Discourse translations. A. Lot.

This year, it is not so rigorous as I have opted to translate the epistle reading from the Sunday use lectionary for the four weeks. It doesn’t help me much preaching wise, as I am in Jude this Sunday, but I really enjoy the flow of the lectionary and the sometimes serendipitous paths it takes me down. The lectionary is like radio – you never really know what song they are going to play next and you would have never chosen Belinda Carlisle, but here we are and we are all singing along together and having a good time.

The epistle reading for week one is 1 Corinthians 1:3-9. I have rendered it below, and then there are some notes (with helpful * to guide you) on the translation and a couple of thoughts about the text itself.

Remember, advent is not Christmas. Advent is the season of preparation.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

3. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Messiah Jesus, our Lord. 

4. I always give thanks to my God * for the grace of God that has been given to you in Messiah Jesus.

5. Because in him, you were enriched by all teaching and education**

6. just as the witnesses to the Messiah have confirmed among you.

7. Now you lack no gift as you await the revelation of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus*** 

8. who will confirm you as being without fault, right up to the end, to the day of our Lord Jesus [Messiah].**** 

9. God is faithful, and by him you have been chosen to be in communion with his son Jesus, our Messiah and Lord. 

*In verse 4, there is an extra ‘for you’ in the Greek text. I say extra, because ‘to you’ is later and it is clear that Paul is giving thanks for something specific — the grace of God to the Corinthians. Therefore, I omitted the extra ‘for you.’ 

**What I render as teaching and education is logos and gnosis – word and knowledge. In the Bible, and especially in Paul, those are both loaded words. However, I don’t think we should take a loaded approach here. It seems to me he is referring to what they have been taught rather than logos as a revelation of divine presence in Christ or gnosis as a secret initiation into some kind of mystery. 

***I have played with the word order a little here for clarity. Strictly speaking it should be ‘the revelation of the Lord our Jesus Messiah’. When rendering it, it felt a little to me like Latin where the main word is pushed to the end and I think what Paul is indicating here is that Messiah goes with revelation – he will be revealed as Messiah on his day. Following this logic, it would be just as legitimate to render it as ‘the revelation of our Lord and Messiah, Jesus.’ Compare that to the NRSV which has ‘for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ’ which treats Christ, or Messiah, as last name rather than a title. 

****There is a debated inclusion of ‘Messiah’ at the end of this text. I have included here in brackets, but I don’t think it authentic. However, I understand how it got there because Paul includes Christos, or Messiah, almost every he mentions Jesus and Lord in this opening.

There is a lot of Christology in these opening lines of 1 Corinthians. A person could dwell on the taxonomy of Lord, Messiah, and Father for a long time and probably not make things any clearer. Two things stand out to me. One, Jesus is clearly on par with God the Father; Jesus is divine. Second, for Paul Messiah is the real title, and Lord is the relationship we as Christ-followers have with him. Jesus is Lord to those who follow him, but not for those who don’t. For those he is judge. Yet he is Messiah by title and by fiat, ontologically. Whether you bend your knee or your heart, he will come and fulfill his promises as savior for he is Messiah.

Verses five and six tingle my heart. The witnesses of Jesus have taught us and left us knowledge, a knowable body of instruction that enrich us. What a beautiful way to describe the gospel traditions which eventually became Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These teachings enrich our lives and impart to us spiritual nourishment so that we may draw near to God. As I said, it makes my heart tingle.

If I were preaching this text, I think I would open with the key words in it like grace and peace at the opening, them move down the text to witnesses, revelation, and finish with communion. Following that opening, I would drop down into a deep discussions about teachings and knowledge, and our responsibility to learn, and then maybe talk about the root meaning of the word disciple. I would finish the sermon with a flourish (of course I would!) emphasizing the certain return of Jesus that Paul is promising and how all of life is a grand preparation for the next big adventure God has planned for us. The key line on this would be to dwell on the statement that opens verse 9: God is faithful.

Aggies, Soccer, and Swift — SPORTS!

I live in Texas, which means football is not a topic of conversation, but is THE topic of conversation. Sure, we all took a break for a while to celebrate the Rangers and the Astros in the World Series (Yes, I know it was the Diamondbacks in the actual World Series, but we all know this year the ALCS held the best two teams, right? Right!)

Sunday morning Texas A&M University fired their head football coach. No big deal, that kind of thing happens all the time. Except, the buyout on the contract clause was $76 million. The interesting thing is, Fisher won 64% of his games. It wasn’t like he was awful or that the team was completely unprepared. I mean, they won 64% of their games in arguably the toughest conference in college football.

However, as a graduate of the University of Texas (Hook ‘Em!) I could only hope to fleece those Aggies that well. Well done, Jimbo, well done.

But seriously, I don’t ever want anyone to ever suggest to me that the problem we have in solving a problem, particularly education, is money. We are not lacking money. What we lack is the common sense to spend the money we have wisely, and buying out above-average football coaches, or perhaps, arranging awful contracts like this in the first place, is a terrible waste of money.

Our nation has a serious problem with priorities. And before you think I’m just piling on our old adversary, I was just as upset a few years ago when UT bought out Tom Herman’s contract for $15 million. The whole system is bonkers.

Speaking of bonkers, that takes me to soccer. I refuse to care about soccer in any meaningful way but according to what I’ve seen Megan Rapinoe, the very controversial women’s soccer celebrity made a theological statement. Keep in mind, her making theological statements probably is about like me making a statement about how to shoot the penalty kick or yellow card off sides. You get the point.

In her final game (match?) before retiring, she collapsed in pain and injury with no one around her. It was deemed a non-contact injury. She tore her ACL, which, is usually long rehab but at her age and career, probably does her in. I do feel badly for her. It is hard to see something end that we’ve given so much to. Here is a video link for you to watch it: https://wwos.nine.com.au/videos/football/football-news-2023-megan-rapinoe-injury/clov8doi9000k0jqqp42akc77

That is not, though, where this is headed. She said in the post game (match?) interiew:

I’m not a religious person or anything and if there was a God, like, this is proof that there isn’t.

Megan Rapinoe

I’ve nothing against Megan Rapinoe. I know she led the US to win a World Cup not too long ago, but that this year they didn’t do so well, probably because of her as well. She is free to live as she chooses and believe as she chooses. However, such statements are . . . interesting. First, it is the height of narcissism to believe that anything which happens on a soccer (football?) field proves or disproves the existence of God, or anything. She seems to be pointing to a sense of injustice here, and excuse me for just a moment, but if a person wanted to point to injustice in the world an international celebrity who plays games for a living seems to be a bad place to start. Poor Megan.

But let me dig deeper. I watched the video. No one is anywhere around her. She just falls to the ground. Now, Rapinoe says this proves there is no God, however, let me point out that an invisible force worked against her and pushed her down, tore her ligament, injured her. Those of us who have faith are prone to talk about, sometimes passionately, the invisible hand of God.

I hope this woman considers she may have experienced the grace of God, in that he is trying to get her attention.

Speaking of attention, let’s talk about the biggest story in Sportertainment this year: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Come on everyone, you know you’re just dying for that Super Bowl where the Chiefs are in it and Swift is the halftime show. You know you want it. Jim Nantz is salivating (and yes, I checked, CBS and Nantz have the big game this year.)

But what I’m thinking about is what most guys are thinking about: I feel so sorry for Kelce, because you know this is going to be a horrible break-up album for him when it comes. Swift is vicious, and she will spare no punches for the gladiator. I’ve already made a list of possible tracks for the album, which will be titled ‘Eighty-Seven Isn’t Heaven’:

Beyond Belief (The Chief’s A Thief Good Grief)B MahomesIts You, Not Me, the Ball’s The ProblemSpike ThisBad Blood — Romo MixSports Are Dumb And So Are YouI Dated The QB In HS Injury Timeout (Something Doesn’t Work)Consider Me A Free AgentJerry Maguire

Taylor, if you see this, I can help with some nice lyrics too.

Election Reform

Yesterday was an Election Day, and of course that got me to thinking about how we could do this whole thing better. Here are five reforms we need to implement as soon as possible.

1. Term Limits

My suggestion on term limits is a little more nuanced than ‘two terms and you’re done’ kind of thing, although I appreciate that sentiment. I suggest something like an accumulative tally where an individual can only serve sixteen years in a federal office. That means a woman or man could do a couple of stints as a state representative, then a senator for a term or two. I wouldn’t include the President in this accumulation because there is already a constitutional term limit on that office which I fully endorse.

2. Age Restrictions

I hate to sound ageist, but I don’t think people in their seventies and eighties should be doing the day-to-day business of running the country. Part of this is out of respect for them, but it is also out of need. We need fresh blood, because those who are running things now are fighting battles and nursing vendettas that are leftover from the 70s and 80s. Dems are still mad about Reagan and Bush and the GOP is still really seething about the way Nixon was treated. I’m serious — I still see tired old internet memes about Hillary Clinton and Watergate or the national debt under Reagan. We need new voices and new ideas from people who aren’t settling scores.

3. Vote-By-Mail/National Holiday

I was a convert to vote-by-mail. Originally, I hated it. Voting should be hard and troublesome, I thought. Then I moved to a state where every vote was done by mail. I loved it: no confusing machines, no hassles, no taking off work, no standing in line. I could make a cup of coffee, study the candidates and the issues, mark my ballot, seal it up, and mail it away.

I understand people are hesitant with this, because I had the same misgivings. So, I could meet half-way. If no vote-by-mail, then perhaps declare a national holiday on Election Day. I think that would help ease some of the burden involved with work and time involved. It wouldn’t solve it for everyone, but it might increase civic involvement.

4. Top Two Open Primaries

Of all my ideas, I think this is the best one. Instead of the top Republican and the top Democrat going at it in the general election, let the primaries choose the top two, regardless of their party affiliation. Some states do this already. If any candidate gets a majority in the primary, then no runoff is necessary. What this would do is free up more conversation in one-party states where two Republicans might be going at in the general election rather than a Democrat who can’t win. Flip it around for a blue state like Washington or New York and you see it works both ways.

5. Eliminate Private Funding

We’ve got to get unaccountable money out of our election system. Therefore, I propose eliminating private funding and limiting campaign advertising to a three month period before the election. I know lots of people have concerns about things and conspiracy theories run rampant, but one of my fears is foreign involvement paying for political campaigns in this country. I think it happens on both sides, and I want it gone.

Lessons From A Dung Beetle

We see dung beetles often on our walks across the crunchy soil that passes for roadways in our little village. I confess I have an affinity for them. It is a kind of admiration, really. I don’t feel as strongly about them as I do turtles but I do admire them. Why?

Because dung beetles have chosen to take the worlds waste and make it a treasure and, what is more, they work so very hard at harvesting this treasure. They form it into little balls, and then bigger balls, and then they push it who knows how far to get where they want to go with it. Dung beetles have a focus and purpose that is second only to John Wick’s.

I snapped this video last week.

There are at least three lessons here, which, if elongated, would make an excellent self-help kind of book.

Just because someone else doesn’t want it, doesn’t mean it is not right for you.If you keep rolling, your treasure will get bigger. Everything has a purpose, even if you don’t understand it.Make certain to protect the little things because they are doing your dirty work.

See how I made that four. I think if I took a morning it would be easy to develop a few more thoughts. I’m serious, there are probably ten chapters that could be written on the life lessons from dung beetles, including quotations from Confucius, Gandhi, C.S. Lewis, Benjamin Franklin, and Jesus. Probably one two good quotes from Steve Jobs. Then we could spend a whole chapter on work production in the United States and the critical need now and in the future for welders, plumbers, electricians, and roofers. EVERYBODY CAN’T WRITE COMPUTER CODE — SOMEONE HAS TO BUILD THE HOUSES!

Oh, and there has to be one chapter on life cycles — how eventually we all turn into food and dung for other beasties. Indeed, the whole world is a teacher.

A Prayer For Israel

O Lord, mighty Lion of Judah, I appeal to you today on behalf of Israel. I acknowledge modern political Israel is not the same as Biblical Israel, but I also recognize your word is enduring, and that you seem to have indicated there is a specific plan and place for the offspring of Abraham in your heart and will and for the future of the world. Therefore, I rise today to bless them: I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I ask peace be within her walls and security within her towers.

I also pray, Almighty God, for Israel to be not only be protected from her enemies and those who wish her harm, but I also pray for protection from her instincts of revenge and retribution. Protect Israel from doing what later generations will look back on with shame and regret. Guard the leadership, the military, and the people from bad decisions, from adding atrocities one on top of each other as if that balances things out.

As I pray for Israel, I acknowledge that I do not know the way forward for two different and distinct peoples to live so close to each other while both claiming the same bit of earth. Please send people who are smart enough and wise enough to lead the peoples to a solution in such a way all can experience shalom — and all that it means–that no mother or child of any religion or race must fear violent explosions that destroy life and steal the future.

I also pray for the day to come soon of which Isaiah saw — that day when swords will be beaten into ploughshares, and spears will be crafted into pruning hooks, a time when nations will no longer lift up their fighter jets and suicide bombers against one another, and they will train for war no more. I pray this for Israel and Palestine, I pray this for Ukraine and Russia, I pray this for Eritrea and Ethiopia, and I pray this for the civil wars in Yemen and Syria.

I pray these things in submission to the will of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On Soccer, Athletes, and #USA

I will not care about soccer.

I just will not. I won’t. You can’t make me and neither can anyone else in the world.

It is almost a creed for me: I believe in Jesus Christ. I love my family. I treasure books and education. I will not care about soccer.

But, I love my country. If the Winter Olympics are happening and two overweight men from Milwaukee are trying to move a rock on ice with a broom and mop, I will root for those two men to beat the daylights out of those Canadians. or Finns. Or whoever. USA! USA! USA!

Do I care about the political views, bad attitudes, prima donna status, or sexuality of those two overweight men from Milwaukee? Does anyone care about their views on international issues, preschool curriculum, race, or religion? No, no one cares. USA! USA! USA!

Now we are back to soccer, regretfully. Mind you, I don’t care about it, but if Team USA is playing a soccer match anywhere in the world against anyone I will always root for my team: USA! USA! USA!

I do this not because of the athletes playing. In fact, I do this almost in spite of them, for my experience with athletes in my life and what I have seen publicly is that many of them are not very nice people at all. Gifted athletes learn at a young age the rules don’t apply to them, they can get away with anything, they are entitled, selfish, and inherently prone to bullying others. This is true of international sports like soccer and the Olympics but it is also true of professional sports like baseball and football, college athletics, right on down to private school tennis doubles. We all know this, and we also recognize we are not cheering for the athlete as much as we are cheering for the team, the team that represents us. USA! USA! USA!

Perhaps the most American thing in the world is to disagree with someone on politics, religion, or when a banana is ready to be eaten yet still recognize that other person as a part of the American experience. I am afraid those who see the politics of certain women’s soccer players as antithetical to themselves, and then choose to rejoice when those athletes lose, are guilty of the same essential flaw as the athletes they criticize, for they are elevating their own views over a national identity and solidarity. To use a lame metaphor, it is cutting off your nose to spite your face. If sports have any meaningful role in society (and that is, I admit, questionable) that role must be one that unites us, not divides. USA! USA! USA!

So, I was sad when the women’s soccer team lost. We will be back in four years, reloaded with fresh talent. And, I will not watch the matches because I don’t care about soccer. That is one thing you can count on. Yet, you can may also count on the fact that in my heart I will want them to win and for our nation to be at the top of the soccer world. USA! USA! USA!