Reality check – if our party (left or right) freaks out at the other party’s (left or right) participation in the same behavior we find ourselves defending our party (left or right) for….      Well then, we’ve been sucked into their political madness.

Why do we turn a blind eye to the horrible behavior of our party, and freak out at the other party for the same horrible behavior?

Both parties are over stacked with compromised, lying, grifting, abusing, cheating money and power hungry wanna be political personalities – they have no ability to govern or participate in governance.

STOP supporting characters, personas, talking heads, and political agendas that only support a portion of the nation’s greater agenda – governance is not the ability to support only one agenda, it’s about the ability to engage multiple agendas for a greater good.

We cannot proclaim to be the land of the free, or profess liberty and justice for all, or to be the land of opportunity if we only apply these “truths” to a fraction of the nation.

Here are several fun facts I discovered while working from home over the last two and a half years – nothing earth shattering, but not at all uninteresting – enjoy:

Our Amazon delivery drivers are: Aleesha, Stephen, and Chip – Aleesha and Chip typically park on the street, and Stephen typically parks in the driveway – Aleesha and Chip appear to be fit and healthy – they do not seem to need the additional steps – Stephen, however, is not fit, and really could use the additional steps – although I’ve considered it, I have not mentioned this to Stephen.

We have two US Postal Service drivers that bring mail to us – one male, one female – the female mailperson always closes the mailbox door all the way – the male typically leaves the mailbox door partially opened – I’m sure there’s some subliminal message or indicator there, but so far I’ve been scared to pull that thread.

Our UPS delivery drivers remain unnamed – they appear to be avoiding me.

The vehicles used by Amazon, US Postal Service and UPS each make distinct sounds as they approach the house – I can normally identify the carrier by sound – the US Postal vehicle is overdue for new brakes.

Our microwave like most, has a carousel – the carousel rotates left or right with every other use – for the purpose of illustrating, imagine the carousel is like the face of a clock – meaning the 6:00 position is closest to the user – the 12:00 position is farthest away from the user – the 3:00 position is to the right of the user – and the 9:00 position is to the left of the user.

When rotating to the right, a cup of coffee starting at the 6:00 position stops at the 6:00 position, when operated for one minute, at 6 full rotations.

When rotating to the left, the same cup of coffee starting at the 6:00 position stops at the 3:00 position, when operated for one minute, at 5.75 rotations.

The carousel rotates slower to the left by 1.75 second per rotation – surprisingly, there was no discernable difference with the temperature of the coffee between left and right rotations.  

We have two ticking clocks within ear shot of the den where I work – the faintly noticeable ticking of these clocks are normally out of sequence with each other – at a random time in the morning on the 4^th day (Thursday for example) the ticking from the two clocks will tic-toc “in sequence” with each other for about 6 to 8 ticks, and then fall back out of sequence – the in sequencing returns again in the afternoon of the next 4^th day (Monday), and again in the morning of the next sequential 4^th day (Friday)  – oddly enough, I barely notice the clocks out of sequence ticking until they actually sequence with each other – the difference is so distinct that one can’t help but notice it.  

There are two ceiling fans in the vicinity of the den where I work – on their slowest setting, their rotations are clearly out of sync with each other – so far, I have not been able to detect any measurable syncing of the two ceiling fan’s rotations – this was a very frustrating development.

There are toilets upstairs and downstairs in the house – because of random repairs and maintenance, none of the toilets contain the same internal working systems that regulate the fill, flow and draining of the toilets – this anomaly prohibits any quantifiable parallel actions between the toilets – not to mention, I haven’t figured out how to be in more than one bathroom at a time, as I am the only person here – this is also very frustrating – there are no internal working systems associated with the back deck toilet “situation.”

The icemaker makes ice every 1 hour and 45 minutes, as long as there is a demand for ice triggered by the volume of ice in the ice dispensing bin – if there is no trigger, no ice will be made – we only have one icemaker so this topic is equally as frustrating as the topic of toilets – but I digress…..

Two and a half years is time enough to establish some trends and habits – here are some I’ve adopted:

The Four “S” Rule – no shirts, slacks, socks, or shoes during the workday.

Implementation of a multi-level relaxation pyramid – the number of naps and beer lunches authorized per workday grows exponentially with each consecutive 6 month period worked from home – for example:

1^st 6-month period = 1 thirty-minute nap.

2^nd 6-month period = 1 thirty minute, and 1 sixty minute nap.

3^rd 6-month period = 2 thirty minute, and 1 sixty minute nap, and 1 beer lunch.

4^th 6-month period = 2 thirty minute, and 1 sixty minute nap, and 2 beer lunch.

5^th 6-month period = 2 thirty minute, and 2 sixty minute naps, and 3 beer lunch.

6^th 6-month period = Apply (fake) sick leave in 1-week increments, or as desired.

Day time television should be considered a federal crime – it’s awful.

Working from the master bedroom in a semi-reclined position is authorized.

Household chores, trips, beer runs, and activities are authorized if wifi, or hotspot is available.

Any rain, wind, snow, or freezing conditions are cause for potential “power outages” or “unavailable wifi” – homebound employees are authorized to apply (fake) break in work schedule as needed.  

Yes, working from home has the potential for layers of personal and professional growth.

Please excuse me, its nap time…….

I’m really enjoying “Deep Discipleship” by JT English – it was recommended by a good friend in our local church – this book has tons for the reader to unpack – I was hit in the face this morning by this reality that may be evidenced in many of our churches today:

The pitfalls of covert spiritual apathy in churches – settling for discipleship that is bored with Jesus, as long as we are not bored with the local church – the author tells us, this is deadly to a vibrant walk with Christ – many modern churches settle for a version of “cultural Christianity” that is distracted, anemic, and twists Biblical truths for popular agendas, politics, or movements – many may be seeking provisions, control, or power…  instead of seeking God as our provision.

The text identified warning signs that were striking – we can find ourselves neck deep in small groups, prayer circles, ministry volunteering, positions, and callings, even enjoying sermons – we could even be completely satisfied by all these experiences…  but, in reality, we could be spiritually apathetic toward the person and work of Christ – i.e. the Church in Colossians.

If we are known for anything (i.e. cultural Christian agendas) other than the preeminence of Christ, we may find that we’re out of step with Christ’s calling for the Church – how can we know? The truth is, we do know – our hearts know – our passions know.

Satan loves our man-centered distractions, laziness, selfishness, ungodly priorities, and desire for personal comfort – Satan delights in our indifference, apathy, and our surface level application of ministries.  

What opportunities, ministries or callings have we side-stepped because of our boredom with Christ?

J.I. Packer ask of discipleship:

What are we made for?

What aim should we set for ourselves in line?

To know God – nothing else matters.

Are we structured for the sole purpose of knowing God and leading others to know God?

Deep Discipleship

Kevin’s thoughts:

When it comes to financial and market issues, hold fast to what you can validate – and not just what we hear on the news, social media or talking heads.

The talking heads tell us the blame for high gas prices should fall on Biden/Trump/Obama, Keystone Pipeline, Russia, Ukraine, European markets, federal restrictions, the Middle East, etc…

Consider this:

“Energy giants ExxonMobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) stocks rose and topped earnings estimates this week as both companies posted record profits again in the second quarter, extending their record profits, and stock increases to nearly two years.”

“ExxonMobil: Projected Exxon earnings per share of $3.84 on $111.3 billion in revenue for the second quarter.

Results: Exxon Mobil earnings soared 276% to $4.14 per share. Sales spiked 70% to $115.7 billion.

Exxon Mobil said it added at least $2.5 billion to its bottom line in the second-quarter.  XOM’s revenue in the first quarter increased 53% year over year to $90.5 billion. Earnings soared 218% to $2.07 per share.”

“Chevron: Earnings of $5.08 per share and $58.6 billion in sales.”

“Results: Chevron earnings per share leapt 240% to $5.82. Revenue spiked 83% to $68.7 billion in the second quarter.

Chevron reported Q1 revenue of $54.4 billion, up from $32 billion in the same quarter in 2021. That represented a 70% increase, year over year. EPS jumped to $3.25 a share from 90 cents, an increase of 261%.

Oil stocks have consistently outperformed the market throughout 2020-2022. Exxon Mobil and Chevron have both consistently post strong profits. That growth owed largely to the future’s inflated prices verses actual price of crude oil, as well as gasoline at the pump.”

Trust what you can validate.

https://www.ft.com/content/13f82093-1110-4c92-9fea-936067a5f29e

I Suck – You Suck – We all Suck

We all do terrible things – either intentionally or unintentionally, we all participate in casting some degree of negativity on the people and conditions around us – it’s kind of who we are as humans – our basic nature has an imbedded propensity to rub each other the wrong way.

The textbook solution for our predisposition to stir up trouble is to avoid it – which is hilarious, since it’s part of our human nature – however, I think its accurate that we can become better at avoiding it, if we truly make repeated and diligent efforts to avoid it – that being said, we’re still going to be guilty of mudding up someone’s day every now and then.

Now the point – there are two basic environments that we may find ourselves rattling the cages of those around us – one environment is with strangers, and the other is with people we know.

Strangers are like wild cards – we never know what we’re going to get – we can sometimes get under the skin of a stranger without even knowing it – we live in a time that mishaps can flare up without warning and erupt into conflict – in cases like this it’s really important to be sure of who we are, what we should reflect, and what’s really central to us – I’ll circle back to this point a little further down.

On the other hand, people we know are NOT like wild cards – in fact, it’s implied that we have some level of knowledge about the these people – they also have some knowledge of who we are  – meaning, this insight can contribute to our ability to get along, avoid conflict, and spend time together without drama – also equally important, even with people we know, we need to be sure of who we are, what we should reflect, and what’s really central to us.

Whether we’re with strangers or people we know, the potential for conflict is a natural factor – NOTE: this is a good place to start paying attention – kept in the correct perspective, the potential for conflict can actually be leveraged as more of an opportunity for something positive – perhaps an occasion for reflecting Christ in our lives instead of a path towards hurt or trouble – the fact that a conflict arose could be the perfect chance for us to be who we claim to be – the heart, hands and feet of Christ.

Now, many of you are thinking, Kevin this is the dumbest point you’ve ever made – no Believer would ever pass on an opportunity to share Christ – perhaps…

In reality we sometimes pass up on opportunities to share Christ – and sometimes we do it angrily, deliberately, loudly, vulgarly, and with no reflection of Christ anywhere in our discourse – I find myself falling into this trap all the time – please consider these actual conversations, posts, tweets, and shares from church people, church groups, church leaders – from our own (churchy) words, these behaviors routinely interrupt our opportunities to share Christ with others because we chose a different path:

When our politics carried more weight than our witness.

When our compassion was watered down by indifference.

When our desire to minister was prejudiced.

When our empathy was suffocated by agendas.

When our kindness was conditional.  

When standing up for equitable justice was not equally applied.

When our facilities, homes, and resources were unavailable to the unhoused, hungry, and disadvantaged.   

When our voices were absent in support of the unjustly persecuted, denied, disenfranchised, and abused.  

When comfort and convenience managed our caring and sharing.

This list could go on, and on… – truthfully, we will never see eye to eye on all things with all people – conflict is natural…

…but nothing should ever come between us and a chance to share Christ – not politics, worldly agendas, social influences, personal preferences, historical wrongs, talking heads, voting issues, boarders, racial issues, income barriers, court rulings, elections, economic stressors, international conflicts, intellectual arguments, taxes, etc., etc., etc – nothing on this list has more weight than, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

How about you? Are you sometimes more motivated to address conflicts from a world view, rather than God’s calling for your life? I know sometimes I am – we can do better – we can be better – don’t suck.