“Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth”?

1 Corinthians 8-10 offers a pretty wide range of responses to “food sacrificed to idols.” Why am I thinking about this? Well, Amazon engages in a number of shady practices, but perhaps the most concerning is the way it bends the knee to Chicom interests and practices (all forms of idolatry, worshiping at the feet of Mao and his corrupt practices, as it were, corruption as evil as Mohammed’s own). For but one example, if one submits a review of a product that Chinese Communist interests object to, one can be assured of being banned from submitting any further reviews.

So, the 1 Corinthians linkage concerns? If buying from and using a product from a corrupted source offends (lead astray, cause to sin—including oneself *heh*) one who is weaker in the faith, then one should not buy/use such a product from that source. If buying an otherwise useful product from a corrupt source does NOT offend one who is weaker in the faith, then it’s OK.

So, I bought a new, compact Bible that will fit nicely in my ADC vest to sub in for the miniature New Testament I carry in my shirt pocket. . . from Amazon. ¯\_(?)_/¯ Beats driving 80 miles round trip to a bookstore in a dying mall to buy the same product.

The Dark Ages

While I was quite aware of most of the drawbacks to eliminating our POTS line and relying only on cell phone service, most of the cons were actually moved to the already fairly full “pro” column when we decided to make the move. *heh* However. . . although service outages were still counted as possibilities in the “con” list, I did not rate that as very likely. Perhaps I should have. Cell outage simultaneously combined with dead Internet service: even less likely.

But here I am on a rainy morning with both, simultaneously. Naturally. Oh, well. It’s not as if I am without plenty of other things to occupy my time, eh? 😉

I’ll file this somewhere live when The Dark Ages end.

*grumble-grumble-gripe-complain*

Been raining too much. (Yeh, flood warnings, but I don’t much care there. Can’t do anything about it, so. . .) EVERY time I have had a chance to mow (dried out enough). . . more rain. ended up with much of the lawn 10” high. Today? Brief window, giving Master Curmudgeon Emeritus, Bovine Scatology University, an opportunity to go off on mower ergonomics. Front yard: relatively small (~1/6 acre, IOW, pretty darned small), so gas push mower (because height is beyond what my very comfortable to use reel mower can manage). NATURALLY, the handle CANNOT be positioned at a comfortable level for use, so decades-long gripes from my back, knees (especially worst one), ankle and hip are all screaming at me to use a rider for such a small patch. Nope. Not with that hill on the north side, bubba. (Ways around the problem involve trespass. *heh*)

Oh, well. On break, now. I hope it doesn’t sttart raining before I get this wee patch finished.

Founding Principles

Not of the United States. No, the founding principles of the Democratic Party: envy and greed, resulting in covetousness, resulting in the Democratic Party’s first “great work,” the Trail of Tears.

The current Dhimmi-craps have advanced, though. Now, in addition to envy and greed, they have embraced misery. The party creates misery and inflicts it on its constituency. . .with the aid of that constituency, knowing full well the tendency for misery to love company. . . and that the only thing misery loves more than company is creating more misery for others who are not yet among their miserable number.

Easy to rile people up when they are consumed with envy, greed, and misery of their own creation.

The Joys of Life

When the top two “joys of life” are good bowel movements and a solid night’s sleep. . . I just don’t know how to even describe what that means.

Well, at least I have good bowel movements.

*sigh*

😉

The Ongoing Saga of Aussie Lap Puppy. . .

For a couple of weeks, Da Boi “forgot” how to heel. Yeh, right. “Teenagey” puppers? Seems about right. Back to being more well-mannered in following direction/commands. *whew* Still, he has never stopped giving great pupper-hugs, so there was that.

Graduation

I was about to go down for an “enforced” nap (enforced by my body, ‘cos my eyes refused to stay open *heh*) when my butt buzzed. Text from one of my oldest friends (Son & Heir named for him) letting me know his wife, another dear friend has “graduated”—slipped this mortal coil.

She was one day younger than me. Alzheimer’s and stage 4 cancer. We all had a good visit recently (coupla weeks ago) and they have both been on our minds both before and after that last visit for some time.

Words fail me. But life goes on.

Making New Habits

Apropos of nothing in particular, I am greatly encouraged that “instinctive shooting” works the same for me whether I shoot right- or lefthanded. Nice. . . as long as my right eye (dominant eye) remains good and my left eye stays pretty much in the same relation, between them, my binocular vision allows me to acquire my target well w/o focusing my sight on the. . . urm sights, just by focusing my eyes on my target and maintaining a proper grip alignment. It’s the latter that’s a bit more difficult for my lefthanded shooting. Just needs more drill. So, drill, baby, drill. *heh*

Looking Forward Into 2025

Going into 2025, one sentence keeps echoing between my ears: Let hope be not dismayed. It’s not scriptural (and, frankly, I know not whence it comes), but it does remind me of Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”