5/18/24 – To all Christians everywhere: Serve the Lord, with a clarity of conscience, of heart, mind and soul, and nothing and no one else.
5/18/24 – As Christians, we often ask our Lord and our God, Jesus Christ, a Jew, to help us be instruments of his peace – his peace that he modeled and gave to us. We can’t do this if we can’t be absolutely honest with ourselves and with others about who we serve. If we are motivated by anything but truth and justice and serving our God, instead of being instruments of peace, we would be serving ourselves whether or not we realize it.
As Christians, we are called to love and support both the Jewish and the Palestinian people alike. It’s not either/or. It’s both. The truth is that the war against Hamas isn’t going well for the Israelis and the humanitarian cost to the Palestinians has been too high. The truth is that many Israeli and American Jews have spoken out about it. Many Israeli Jews have protested their own government’s policies, and recently, the Israeli Defense establishment has spoken out publicly against Netanyahu’s leadership or lack thereof.
Netanyahu’s selfish motivations are nothing new, and he is yet another among several authoritarian leaders, such as the Russian, the Chinese, and the Indian ones, and of course, the evil one, trump, who put their interests above the interests of their country, the people they are supposed to serve, and the world more generally.
The protestors and others among American liberalism are choosing to ignore these truths, the internal dissent within Israelis and the Jewish diaspora. Acknowledging it would complicate their neat narrative of us versus them: Palestinians good, Jews, bad. But of course, the protestors are not motivated to be instruments of peace. They are motivated by something else, something that ultimately serves them, but like David French’s piece below, they just can’t see it.
The Israeli Defense Establishment Revolts Against Netanyahu
5/18/24 – The Atlantic has taken what is, at present, an unpopular stance in the liberal press and in liberal circles, it pushed back against a rising tide of anti-Semitism, especially on the extreme left. Even prior to this particular inflection point, The Atlantic was more moderate than other mainstream publications. In journalism, it takes courage to go against a prevailing narrative or popular perspective, but one that is morally wrong, and The Atlantic deserves recognition for doing so.
Tuesday, May 7 marked the 2024 Days of Remembrance Commemoration, to remember the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust. If one is dispassionate, nothing in our evaluation of the war against Hamas should change the horror of the Holocaust. There are no two sides about the Holocaust or anti-Semitism. They are pure evil.
The protests on college campuses are not primarily driven by morality and humanitarianism. They are driven by tribalism and trends. They don’t seek truth, justice or reconciliation. They seek attention, and the liberal press gave it to them. The press also often gave the protestors their implicit support in their coverage.
Don’t Both-Sides This One, Joe
5/18/24 – David French should be commended for being honest and open. As Christians, if our faith has been practiced correctly, we should be primed for brutally honest introspection in any and all contexts. What else is an examination of conscience? How can we have a good relationship with God if we can’t even recognize our own sinfulness? By doing so, we naturally better understand our own souls and psychology, and we also better understand human psychology more generally.
One of the greatest threats of tribalism is that it obscures truth. If one is blinded or biased by loyalty, to oneself or to others, how can one be honest or objective? As Christians, we are called to be loyal to one and only one entity – our God. We are called to be committed to God, and with it, to truth, to see oneself and the world without fear or favor but through the eyes of the divine.
I Was a Republican Partisan. It Altered the Way I Saw the World.
5/17/24 – This summer (We’re only a few weeks away. Time flies!), instead of scrolling like an idiot on your phone and wasting away your brain, do something creative. Especially, do something with language, i.e., spoken/written languages, but also music. Duolingo, which can be free, is rather logically branching out beyond spoken/written languages to include math and music. (Math is also a language.) Libraries sometimes lend musical instruments, or you could try Buy Nothing or Craig’s List. Learning any of these types of languages is very good for your brain, and as importantly, connects us in healthy ways with other people and cultures.
You can also do creative writing, make visual art, or dance. If you don’t have a lot of money, just check out books by great artists from your local library or go to museums when they are free and copy the images. You just need pencil and paper. Take a dance class. They can be a little expensive. See if they offer a discount rate. YouTube has free videos that teach dance and music. You could also do gardening, which is basically painting with plants.
All of these activities also require patience, persistence and consistency, which are some of the most important traits to develop as a human being. The creative arts is the learning that makes you complete. Don’t cheat yourself out of it because you’re too “busy” mucking around on your phone or because you think academics is the only thing that matters. Academics and the arts are complementary. It’s not either/or. It’s both.
5/16/24 – Sometimes, one just wants to listen to a black (negro) spiritual. No autotune, as it should always be. Just a talented woman with a beautiful voice. Enjoy!
Joan Baez – Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (Live, 1969)
5/15/24 – Sometimes, one just wants to listen to some Mozart. Music is universal. It can be made, played and appreciated by anyone. Enjoy!
Gloria from Twelfth Mass by W A Mozart. Conducted By James Varrick Armaah
5/14/24 – Ora et labora. Laborare est orare. “God instituted prayer in order to allow his creatures the dignity of causality,” Pascal. We can’t be both puppets and people. However, we can be and are independent people yet also God’s children under his care. The exercise of God’s discretionary power is a mystery. Accept it, and keep praying.
Work and Prayer by C.S. Lewis Doodle
5/14/24 – The theory of evolution in a nutshell: Correlation is causation. We share a bunch of genes with other forms of life. Thus, we came out of the same source of life, the primordial soup, which will remain unspecified. Life evolves based on survival of the fittest. We are motivated by this result and this one alone. Like other animals on the planet: Kill or be killed. Of course, there is no prayer. There is no mystery. There is no morality. There is only might.
5/13/24 – Let’s do everything we can in every way that we can to triumph over evil, and the evil one, trump. Let’s also pray, pray and pray some more, and put our faith in God. It’s not either/or. It’s both.
5/13/24 – Not as well-known as some of Serge Gainsbourg’s many hits, such as Bonnie and Clyde or Je suis venu te dire que je m’en vais, but it might come in handy on say, November 5, 2024. Don’t let us down, America. Don’t let the world down. Everything is at stake.
Serge Gainsbourg – Requiem Pour Un Con [Orange]
5/13/24 – Protests aren’t always in the streets. Arguably the most effective protests are just doing the Lord’s work day in and day out. They are directing our gifts in the myriad of forms they take to help good prevail against evil.
“The more expansive work on the album is a 44-minute symphony for violin and orchestra titled Dedication. Who’s it dedicated to? Lyndon-Gee, writing in the album’s booklet, treats it as an homage to the ‘life-force’ of the human race — which encompasses not only tragedy, but also love and renewal.”
What’s past is present for Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov
If you want to help, you can’t just virtue-signal. That’s actually not helpful. What’s helpful is understanding that human beings are often walking contradictions. It’s rolling up your sleeves and doing the work in spite of or because of this truth. “‘I am so distracted,’ Zielinski says. ‘I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. If I’m doing one thing right, I’m just forcing myself to do it, forcing myself to bring myself to that space knowing that faith in God will fill in the rest.’… He looks for God in the world, in the suffering, in the daily work, in others. ‘Thy will be done,’ he prays. ‘Take the work of my hands today and the mistakes I make. Remedy them. Take the good that I do, augment it, and let it be.’”
Inside the prayers of a middle manager at a Denver family shelter saving — and turning away — homeless families
5/12/24 – The men and women start singing separately but end up singing in unison. Some paradoxes make a whole. Happy Ascension Sunday!
Christus Paradox | Alfred Fedak / Sylvia Dunstan
5/12/24 – The number of times we have wept for Ukraine’s children, it’s countless. On this Mother’s Day, let’s collectively weep for the world’s children who have been abused, neglected, tortured or killed. The world’s children, our children, who have insufficient food and water, housing, health care, education, or other basic necessities of life.
They came out of their mother’s womb as God’s perfect creation, just as they are, and our imperfect world that doesn’t adequately value life, human and all life, treated them like pawns and commodities. It treated them as disposable. Our children are our collective treasure and responsibility, and we are failing them.
The mothers of Ukraine need you
5/11/24 – Americans are an industrious people. We hustle. We work really hard. God bless you all (even MAGA) for contributing to our great country. Remember to rest though. That’s also important. (To MAGA, don’t vote for the evil one, trump, and don’t waste your hard-earned money on a loser. You’re better than him.)
5/11/24 – This Mother’s Day, please pray for Ukrainian mothers, who along with their husbands and children have sacrificed so much to remain free and democratic. They are a testament to courage, resilience and strength. We admire and respect them. They inspire us. Slava Ukraini!
Also, please consider donating to United24, or purchasing some cool merch, especially the vyshyvanka or MUGA (because it’s sass) hat or t-shirt, from Saint Javelin. If you’re unable to donate or make a purchase at this time, you could spend some time learning about Ukraine, its culture and its people, or sending emails or letters to them to show them that our support is steadfast. They need to hear from us. They need to know that we’re still here for them. We’re Americans, after all. Like Ukrainians, we persevere.
5/9/24 – Let the body of Christ model unity for the rest of the world. Let us be instruments of God’s peace. Let’s have more interdenominational and interfaith exchanges and events. Let’s show the world that love doesn’t have boundaries. Instead, it reaches across divides.
5/9/24 – Churches are a feast for the senses and for life. They are beautiful and complete. They do everything. You can volunteer your time and talent and donate your money to help people materially and physically. You can help yourself and others spiritually.
They are also a sensory delight. Our churches are still patrons of the arts. They commission works while being architectural works of art in and of themselves, with their grand, elegant spaces. They have incense, organs, and incredible music. Perhaps most importantly, they have pews to rest your weary body or to kneel in silence with God and find peace.
Vespers of Ascension was today. Even if you’re not a terribly religious person, the sensory experiences in our religious spaces will help you come into your body, mind and soul in ways nothing else can. God is great. God is good. We are so blessed.
5/6/24 – Our diversity is part of God’s creation, and it’s a thing of beauty. From Catholics to our Evangelical sisters and brothers in Christ, Jesus liked to have fun too. Have a drink, listen to some good music, sing, dance (it’s OK if you suck at either or both, nobody cares) and relax. Everything will be OK (or we’ll all die in the apocalypse, but that’ll be OK too). Just don’t vote for evil people, like the evil one, trump. Don’t sell your soul to the devil.
PS All the limited edition vinyl is gone. Don’t bother. The Black Keys, consistently good.
The Black Keys – Beautiful People (Stay High) (“Official” Video)
5/6/24 – Pope Francis is a man of the people. He understands human frailties. He is compassionate and kind. And apparently, he likes a good empanada. Who can blame him? Let the pastoral pros just do their jobs in peace. To the haters, please find something productive and helpful to do. Maybe spend less time on politics, conspiracy theories and the end of times obsessions, and more time on tending to the needs of your flock and your communities.
How Pope Francis opened the Vatican to transgender sex workers
5/5/24 – We can spend our whole lives trying to decipher the mystery of creation, in its tremendous diversity, but we will never really understand it. No matter whether people are gay, trans, black, white, whatever, as Christians we are called to love. The New Testament goes to great lengths to teach us this. Pope Francis was entirely correct to welcome transgender sex workers. We are always to reach out to the marginalized. It’s what Jesus did and would do. Expressing compassion doesn’t mean you agree with other people’s words, actions or ways of being in the world. We don’t need to pretend to believe in false things, but we do need to be compassionate and kind. Be like Jesus. Happy Sunday!
They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love
5/4/24 – Unless one is completely delusional, typically speaking, one’s identity is connected to their physical person. It’s true of race. It’s even more true of gender. You can pretend you’re white when you’re really black, but people will think you’re crazy and will still think and treat you like you’re black. You can pretend to be black when you’re actually white, but people will think you’re crazy and will rightly criticize you.
Obviously, many people don’t fit neatly into a race. For example, what race are Indians, Middle Easterners or Latinos? The truth is that most of us don’t fall cleanly into the three main categories we have created for race: black, white and Asian, but most of us do fall into some category. Indians are Indians. Middle Easterners are Middle Easterners, and Latinos are Latinos. Most of us put ourselves into the category that best aligns with our genetic composition, our DNA, to the best of our understanding. We usually base this on our knowledge of our heritage and lineage, and what we can physically see about ourselves.
No matter the actual complexities and overlap of these categories, the natural genetic mixture has always been formed with a man and a woman creating new life. It is never anything but a biological man and a woman, and this needs to remain so. Biological sex is dichotomous, divided into two distinct categories. There are two complementary reproductive organs that come together to divinely form new human life. This is not to be scientifically experimented with, or all human life will be threatened.
If people are born with one set of reproductive organs and want to identify with the opposite sex, they are, of course, free to do so, but it is also unsurprising that the general public will receive it even more critically than people claiming to be a different race than what they actually are. To criticize people for not going along with black is white, up is down, right is wrong, is to claim to love truth but only when truth loves you back the way you want to be loved. That’s not how truth works, and that’s not how reality works. What is simply is. Would you like to be white when you’re black? Well, you’re not, and claiming to be white doesn’t make it so. Bleaching your skin won’t make it so either. Your DNA doesn’t change, and your DNA is the truth. That’s the truth. That’s also the science.
If one is looking at a penis, but the person identifies as a woman, well, this is obviously a disorder. The person’s physical reality and their psychology identity are not in alignment. Therefore, the reason people are accommodating what is obviously not genetically true is out of a sense of compassion, an understanding that the person suffers from a disorder. We are not pretending that reality isn’t actually reality because that would make us all crazy.
This is not the same thing as being sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. For gender identity disorder to fall under an umbrella category of homosexuality is simply wrong. No matter how one feels about the morality regarding homosexuality, it is not a psychological disorder. There is no misunderstanding of or detachment from reality. The reality is that homosexuals are attracted to the same sex.
There are people who might say that homosexuals’ brain chemistry is off, or they feel this way, but they shouldn’t, or they shouldn’t act on it or whatever, but any of these judgments are still based on the person, in reality, being attracted to the same sex. There is no incongruity with respect to their genetic composition. In fact, the genetic reality is part of the definition of homosexual or heterosexual.
Everybody needs to stop being emotionally driven about everything. Look at what is and what isn’t. The idea is to be as clear as possible in one’s thinking. One can’t do that when one’s thinking is clouded by one’s emotions. Also, stop following social trends. Groupthink doesn’t make you smart. It makes you shallow and stupid.
Psychiatrists learned the wrong lesson from the gay rights movement
5/3/24 – Animals aren’t just animals. They are God’s creation. Like all of us, they belong to him. “He said to them: ‘My brother and sister birds, you should praise your Creator and always love him: He gave you feathers for clothes, wings to fly and all other things that you need. It is God who made you noble among all creatures, making your home in thin, pure air. Without sowing or reaping, you receive God’s guidance and protection.’”
St. Francis and the Animals
5/3/24 – On a day-to-day basis, Americans are remarkably polite and helpful in their in-person interactions. Foreigners routinely comment on it. Although we could be better at greeting each other before asking questions, as is the culture in much of Europe, Americans are more polite overall. They regularly say “please” and “thank you.” They open doors for each other. They are considerably more helpful.
However, when they’re in their cars driving, which creates a certain illusion of anonymity, they become less polite. When they’re behind a screen, which has even more anonymity, they can become obscene. What happens when this natural human tendency meets a man intent on manipulating it for his own gain? An entire nation can collapse. That is what we’re watching unfold in real-time.
Stop with the extremism. Have real conversations with real people in real time. Get some fresh air. Go birding. Be like St. Francis and talk with our animal friends. Be weird in a cute way instead of crazy in a dangerous way.
5/3/24 – Wow! Look at that beautiful bird. Blue rock-thrush. Lucky photographer.
Hobbyist photographer snaps photo of extremely rare bird in 1st U.S. sighting
5/3/24 – Millennials and Gen Z are destroying the fashion industry with their bad taste and addiction to fast fashion. It’s also damaging our planet. Just buy well-made clothes and shoes, which don’t have to be expensive, and wear them until they wear out. If they stop fitting, donate them. Bring your shoes and boots to the cobbler. Mend your clothes or repurpose the material. High-quality brand names are feeling economic stress because of them.