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Forgiveness and Mercy

2/28/2025

I'm not a biblical scholar so the comments below are just my opinions.

If it hasn't happened yet, there will be a time when we’ll hurt someone terribly by what we do and/or say. It's during these moments when we ask forgiveness even though we don't deserve it and wonder if we’ll be shown mercy. So, from a judgement perspective we’re guilty but hoping this burden will be lifted from us.

The Bible is filled with advice when it comes to issues like forgiveness, mercy, and judging other people. The words of wisdom written thousands of years ago are completely applicable to our lives today. First, we should always remember: "Judge not lest you be judged." God says the same way we judge other people will be applied to us when we’re judged in heaven. I find this a scary thought because I sometimes don’t apply the same measures when comparing what I did to someone else and how mad and hurt I get when someone offends me. We will fall far short of what God expects from us because of our “free will,” choices and we will inevitably ask for forgiveness and mercy from him.

Christians believe that Jesus washes away our sins so we can enter heaven, but many people also believe that we don't get a free pass for our bad behaviors. In other words, we can't just get away with the same sins repeatedly, without truly repenting (which means to turn away from the sin) and think that there will be no repercussions because Jesus has us covered. For example, if your son took money out of your wallet and you caught him, of course you’d end up forgiving him at some point because that’s what parents do. Our hope is that our child feels remorseful and promises not to do it again; but what if he continued to do it? Even as a loving parent, enough would be enough and you’d dole out very harsh punishment of some sort. Not only to correct the behavior but also to punish him because that’s the just and righteous thing to do. Forgiving someone for what they did is a Christian thing to do, but so is punishment when warranted.

Many people believe that in one way or another we’ll have a “come to Jesus moment,” that will have us on our knees begging for mercy. I don’t have a clue what this entails. I would be ashamed beyond imagination if I were to go to heaven and they played a movie of my life for everyone to see of all the times I sinned in one way or another. Is that a punishment that is right and just? I don’t know, but it would be brutal. For me, believing that I won’t get a free pass and walk right through the pearly gates without repercussions of some sort, helps me make better decisions in my life. I need to worry about the choices I make. I need to worry that there won’t only be potential consequences on earth for my actions, but that I face punishment from God as well. God is too righteous to let me get away with anything and everything.

Can You Imagine?

2/28/2025

Can you imagine if you were told after the Civil War that you had to lay tracks for a railroad from New York all the way to California? Not only did they have to worry about Indians, but they also had to figure out how to bring in the supplies necessary and enough workers to get the job done. They had to cut down trees and carve the wood to make railroad ties. Some areas didn't have trees for many miles, so they had to move the wood to the area they were laying the tracks. They not only needed steel, but they also needed blacksmiths to shape it sometimes having to make significant curves in the tracks. They had to dig the ground to make sure it was level. They had to build bridges then put the tracks on top of it with the requirement of being able to hold a train and cargo. There weren't computer programs helping them figure out how to engineer a bridge. There weren't computer programs that told them how much dynamite they'd need to cut paths through the mountains.

When I think about what they accomplished it absolutely blows my mind. I don't think I was smart enough to become a doctor and I certainly wonder whether I could ever have been smart enough to become an engineer. They certainly are responsible for making our country what it is today.

Jim Croce (1943 - 1973)

2/26/2025

There were two songbooks that I wore out when I played guitar and coincidentally both artists died in plane crashes. One was John Denver and the other was Jim Croce.

Jim loved playing guitar, writing songs, and singing, but he had no idea how to break into the recording business. While attending college at Villanova University for a degree in psychology and a minor in German, he and some other students played different venues around town to get some pocket change. Jim was the university’s disc jockey. He also did various part-time jobs, so he’d have some spending money. Performing became addictive to Croce so he pursued becoming a professional musician once he graduated.

He signed a record deal, but it wasn’t a good one as he was taken advantage of by the record company and his agent. His first two albums weren’t marketed well and they flopped. His first album only sold around 500 copies. There wasn’t a need for him to go on tour because his music wasn’t getting out there. He and his wife barely kept their heads above water, and they were wondering if music would keep a roof over their heads.

Jim was doing all kinds of jobs including construction, driving trucks, and welding. Then he found out his wife was pregnant, and it lit a fire under him to take care of his family. In just a few weeks he was cranking out hits like “Leroy Brown.” They were living on a small farm in Pennsylvania, so he travelled to New York City to present his new songs to his record label, and they loved them. His songs began rocketing up the charts including “Operator,” “I Have to Say I Love You In a Song,” “Time in a Bottle,” “Photographs and Memories,” reached number one on the music charts a month after Jim died.

All the above success hit around 1972, and Jim ended up on the road almost every day of the year performing concerts even in Europe. Television shows like “American Bandstand,” were constantly after him. Jim loved performing but it became too much. He missed his wife and son and he told her before he went out on the road for his second major tour that when it finished, he was quitting the business. Unfortunately, he couldn’t keep his promise.

About a year before Jim had become famous, he was supposed to perform at Northwest Louisiana State University for a group of college students, but he got sick and couldn’t do it; he promised he’d be back. Once famous, the university couldn’t believe Jim was willing to come perform and the entire Colosseum (a pretty small gym), was filled with fans. He performed three encores and the last song he sung was “Time in a Bottle.”

The college student who set up the event walked out to the small plane to see Jim and five other passengers off. The plane went down the runway but never got high enough to clear the trees at the end and one of the wings hit the trees and the plane went down on September 20, 1973; Jim was just 30 years old. His wife, Ingrid never remarried and their son A.J. became a singer/musician as well.

Great Quotes

2/23/2025

"History shows that as government increases, liberty decreases." -
Thomas Jefferson

"Unless the people, through unified action, arise to take charge of their government, their government will take charge of them." - Calvin Coolidge

Go DOGE!

Ted Kaczynski (1942 - 2023)

2/22/2025

It took the FBI around 17 years to figure out who and convict, Ted Kaczynski (The Unabomber). Part of the problem was that the FBI was using the wrong profile. They thought he wasn't well educated, was around 30 years old, and was probably a mechanic because he could put the bombs together. They thought he might have a chip on his shoulder regarding people who were successful because the victims were generally white-collar employees. Lastly, they thought he might be an activist for environmental groups.

Part of the reason they thought he might not be well educated was that he misspelled various words like "Wilfully," versus "Willfully," and some of the notes appeared to be gibberish. A FBI linguistic expert came in and told the task force that the bomber wasn't misspelling words, he was using a different dictionary from hundreds of years earlier. The word "realise," had been changed over the years to "realize." He said that the writing they thought was gibberish was actually code. What's funny is that when one of the notes was decoded it read: "U Suck." The FBI didn't like that.

If it weren't for Ted's brother and sister-in-law turning him in he might not have ever been caught. The FBI printed Ted's manifesto in the Washington Post and offered a one million dollar reward for anyone who recognized the writing and could provide them a solid lead. Ted and his wife gave the reward money to the victims of Ted's bombs (three had died and 23 injured).

The FBI couldn't have gotten it more wrong. He was in his 40's. Ted was a genius and entered Harvard when he was 16. He got a doctorate in mathematics and taught at UC Berkeley. He suddenly quit teaching and went to live in the woods of Lincoln, Montana (no running water or electricity). I don't have time to cover his manifesto titled: "The Industrial Society and Its Future," but some of it was brilliant and very prophetic. Basically it was a warning to be careful about what we create so that we don't become slaves to technology. Could you make it without your cellphone? How about your computer? Computers were just beginning to take off and his concern was that too many people would lose their jobs. He was afraid that if something happened to our country whether it be a war or an outbreak of some sort, that not enough people would be equipped to fend for themselves.

He was a sick man and eventually diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia. Over twenty years after Kaczynski's imprisonment, his views had inspired an online community of primitivists. One explanation for the renewal of interest in his views is the television series Manhunt: Unabomber, which aired in 2017. Another explanation is that a new generation has adopted Kaczynski's anti-tech philosophy because they believe his reasoning is sound and his "observations about technology and the environment have proven to be prescient."

Ted died from suicide as he hung himself in his cell at the age of 81. He had been battling rectal cancer for two years and made the decision to stop treatments.

Can a Person Change?

2/22/2025

Some people say that people can't change but I've seen it many times. I've also seen that it wasn't a temporary change but one that is ongoing. But in every case the transformation was the same and that is the person changed their ways to accept Christ as their Lord and personal Savior. Even the "12 Steps," that have transformed lives of alcoholics and drug addicts, is based on Christian biblical principles.

Can an atheist change? Can an atheist attempt to be a better person, to serve rather than be served without admitting there is a God? Possible I guess, but I don't see why they'd have an incentive. Who would they be wanting to please? What moral foundation are they tethered to? I don't have a clue. There are certainly great people who are atheist, I know a few, but from a general perspective, the goodness from most people is tied to a belief that there is a Creator and that he wants us to love one another. It's what motivates me.

Me without God would be a terrible thing for those around me because I'd be extremely selfish. The good that people see in me (at times), is of God because I so desperately want to please my Father in heaven. More often than not, I fail. But I pick myself up, try to forgive myself as God has forgiven me, and I keep pushing onward and upward. Amen.

Parenting Advice

2/18/2025

Dr. Phil has made many profound observations over the years and I especially like when he talks about how so many parents negatively impact the mental health of their children.

He gets mad when parents use their children as pawns in their relationship. When they use them as leverage. When they attempt to create an image of the other parent that's just based on their own. When they say disparaging things about one another in front of the children. When parents fight in front of the children. When they bring their children into their arguments forcing the kids to choose sides.

Dr. Phil is a very insightful man who has such a huge heart when it comes to children. Being a parent is the most important role for the future of our country; we need to treat it as such.

Can People Change?

2/18/2025

Some people say that people can't change but I've seen it many times. I've also seen that it wasn't a temporary change but one that is ongoing. But in every case the transformation was the same and that is the person changed their ways to accept Christ as their Lord and personal Savior. Even the "12 Steps," that have transformed lives of alcoholics and drug addicts is based on Christian biblical principles.

Can an atheist change? Can an atheist attempt to be a better person, to serve rather than be served without admitting there is a God? Possible I guess, but I don't see why they'd have an incentive. Who would they be wanting to please? What moral foundation are they tethered to? I don't have a clue. There are certainly great people who are atheist, I know a few, but from a general perspective, the goodness from most people is tied to a belief that there is a Creator and that he wants us to love one another. It's what motivates me.

Me without God would be a terrible thing for those around me because I'd be extremely selfish. The good that people see in me (at times), is of God because I so desperately want to please my Father in heaven. More often than not, I fail. But I pick myself up, try to forgive myself as God has forgiven me, and I keep pushing onward and upward. Amen.

The First Photo Booth

2/18/2025

The concept of a photo booth originated with Anatol Josepho, who had arrived in the U.S. from Russia in 1923, with the first photo booth appearing in 1925 on Broadway in New York City.

Doolittle's Raid (April 18, 1942)

2/18/2025

The number of heroic actions throughout the history of our country are far too numerous to share so I'll mention one that isn't often covered.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, there was a lot of anger for what they did, and our military wanted to attack Japan immediately. One of our options for going on a quick offensive was to attack some of the main Japanese islands and their various military installations. The thing was, it wasn't the Air Force or Navy pilots who were ready for the operation, it was Army's Air Service (fighter pilots and bombardiers), who were sent on the mission.

Their bravery was immense as the distance they had to travel to drop their bombs was so far that they wouldn't have enough fuel to fly back. Their hope was to make it into China where Japan hadn't taken over, or to ditch their planes in the South China Sea and hope for a friendly rescue.

The mission was led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle, and it was called: "Doolittle's Raid." The top-secret attack included sixteen B-25 Bombers from the famous aircraft carrier "USS Hornet," with targets in Tokyo, Kobe, Yokohama, Osaka and Nagoya. Remarkably only seven pilots died, four tortured and murdered by the Japanese and the other three from plane crashes. Doolittle and the rest of the team were helped by the Chinese to get them safely out of the country and there was also an American missionary who helped as well. Japan killed around 250,000 Chinese civilians for supporting the Americans.

Members from this raid received all kinds of honors and they continued to meet every year to keep their bond going. Unfortunately, the reunions have now ceased as there are no longer any surviving members of "Doolittle's Raid."

There are so many brave men and women who are responsible for where we are today. If it weren't for a prepared military, California would've been captured by the Japanese and of this there is no doubt. What in the world would our country look like if that did occur? Thank God we have such a mighty military force.

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Author: John Mann

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