The Exact Moment...

Trump inaugural speech, Jan 20 2025

 

...Slo-Joe realized he's no longer prez.  

I'm sure it came as a shock to him; most things do.

Even finding out what day of the week it is surprises Dementia Joe.

"Monday?  Really?  Well I'll be a dog faced pony soldier..."

Interesting to see all those libs dressed to the nines welcoming "Hitler the Fascist Dictator and Threat To Democracy!!" back to Washington.

At least that's what they all screamed in the runup to the election.

You don't suppose they're so morally bankrupt they spewed lies...

...in a desperate attempt to retain power, do you?

Either way, we can rejoice the curtain has finally fallen on 4 tortuous years of constant deceit ("the border's secure!", "inflation is low!", "crime is down!") and abject incompetence.

With America finally back in good hands - Thank you, Lord - how about we move on to something apolitical for a change?

thought you might approve

Here's a fave mid century modern item:

That's an <Austin Cox> chess set from 1962.

These were originally made by the Alcoa Aluminum company and given as executive gifts in the early 1960's; over time they've become a collector's item.

Here's what the pieces look like when set up:

the board that goes with it is stored in a closet and I'm too lazy to retrieve it at the moment

They're obviously unique and really quite elegant.

Years ago I was a casual player but eventually realized I lacked the requisite temperament, time and let's be honest - IQ points - to excel at the game, so I gave it up.

former world champion, antisemite and bona fide looney tunes

True chess players are like musicians; they're born, not made.

Of course anyone can learn the moves, memorize openings, study strategy and end game tactics, and improve their game.

But the great ones have an inborn ability to visualize in a way regular folks do not.

They can play chess without the board or pieces; they see it in their minds and can analyze many moves ahead.

It's why so many of the legends of the game were masters even as children:

8 year old Samuel Reshevsky playing and beating masters in simultaneous games, circa 1920 in Poland

In spite of my lack of talent for the game, I've always admired the beauty and symmetry of a well made chess set, and appreciate the constrained energy its starting formation implies:

Two armies on the brink of chivalrous war, the pieces practically trembling with pent up anxiety, awaiting the call to action.

An interesting story revolving around the game of chess is <The Queen's Gambit>, a Netflix series from 2020.

Based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, this one won't enhance your moral IQ, but it is an interesting look at the passionately obsessive, emotionally violent, high pressure world of championship level chess.

Last "winter" (in quotes because 'twas hard to tell) I was outside swinging my hickories more than all previous winters combined.

Not so this year...winter has reasserted itself with a healthy dose of icy vigor:

driveway's been plowed 5x this week

snowy back yard

a rare evening when it wasn't snowing

the view from my "office" window one morning this week

no judging; we'll remove the Christmas lights when we're good and ready

It's definitely been a Michigan January, and it has me anxiously counting down the <days until Spring>.

It's a new day in America; President Trump hit the ground running with dozens of executive orders...

...reversing Biden's "America Last" policies, righting many wrongs, and making trips to disaster areas that were neglected by FEMA under the failed Biden administration.

His landslide victory indicates most of the people in the country are more than ready for a return to common sense and sanity.

But even some who consider themselves conservative Christians aren't happy with Trump because of his well documented issues with both language and behavior.

He's not perfect, that's for sure; no one is.

He's also not your pastor.

He's the President of the United States of America, charged with upholding the constitution and safeguarding the citizens of this country.

As such it's worth remembering:

Ultimately, it's God who is in control and Donald Trump's heart is in God's hand.

The LORD will use Trump to achieve His will, in His time.

Our job is to continually pray for him and all those in authority over us (I Timothy 2:1,2).

later, mcm fans...

My 2nd Year of Bible Institute...

...we took a mountain flying trip through Colorado and Utah.

There were 4 of us: our instructor and 3 students in a Cessna 172.

A couple of us were working on our instrument ratings, the 3rd student was a senior, building hours in preparation for his commercial test.

We got off to a little bit of a rough start...our first landing was an <ILS approach> in a driving rainstorm at Chicago Midway.

Went pretty well until an engine out halfway down final.

It's unnerving to see the prop standing still outside your windshield...

...when it should be spinning at 1500 rpm or so.

Much to our collective relief, a turn of the key in the ignition got it going again, and thus we didn't literally drop in on someone for dinner below us.

After that heart stopping incident, everything else was small potatoes, and we eventually crossed the fruited plains of Iowa and Nebraska...

...en route to the majestic mountains of Colorado then Utah.

We chose Utah as our turnaround point because our instructor's sister was married to a missionary who was ministering there.

Together they ran a Christian radio station, held Bible studies, hosted summer VBS events and practiced lifestyle evangelism, all in an effort to share the good news of Jesus Christ with as many Utahns as possible.

It was inspiring to see people who valued the eternal well being of others more than their own material wealth in this world.

After a day or two it was time to go, and I flew the second leg from Arizona to Texas on an <IFR flight plan>.

It was during this flight that I had a life changing experience.

When you're in true IFR conditions, you cannot see the horizon outside the cockpit...

...it's just fog and clouds and rain.

That may not seem like a big deal, but hearken back to <The Day The Music Died> for context (scroll to the bottom).

The truth is, without all the visual cues outside the cockpit - the horizon, the earth below, sky above - you have no way of telling your physical orientation.

You may doubt it if you've never experienced it, but any pilot who's flown in IFR conditions will say the same.

And halfway between Tucson and Abilene I got "the leans":  I became convinced we were in a steady climb to the left.

That's how my body felt, and so naturally I wanted to push the yoke forward and turn it to the right so we'd stop climbing and fly straight.

Only problem was my attitude indicator...

blue sky, brown earth, yellow wings; looks straight and level to me

...told me we were flying straight and level.

But I definitely didn't feel like we were straight and level - as far as I was concerned we were climbing to the left.

So...decision time: what to do?

Do I go with my feelings, or trust my instruments?

I and the occupants of our Cessna 172 all survived that flight and eventually made it back home in one piece, so you know the answer to that:

I ignored my feelings and trusted my instruments.

It wasn't easy and I had to constantly fight off the urge to "course correct" which - had I done so - would have spelled disaster for all of us.

Eventually my undependable feelings subsided, realigned with reality, and the last hour or so of our flight into Abilene passed without incident.

And you know what?

It's the exact same way in life: you can either trust your feelings, or you can bet your life on your "instruments", God's Word.

It's the only reliable way to prosper in your sojourn as a stranger in this strange land.

I mentioned a couple of months ago these 2 huskies...

tweedle-dee...

...and tweedle-dum

...came up onto our back patio and mauled our cat Smokey...

...to death.

Consequently we decided to have gate enclosures installed on the 2 stairways from the lower patio/yard to our back patio:

Amazingly, they did so on a frozen day during a snowstorm, and guaranteed them to be solid and secure come spring and summer.

Today we found out they work as advertised; both huskies showed up here again, only this time were unable to gain access to our back patio.

We contacted animal control - again - but honestly expect nothing to be done about it.

Our original plan when we bought this place was to fix it up, enjoy living in our beautiful mid century modern classic...

...and then sell after 10 years or so.

This is year 8, and we may bump that schedule up by a year or two.

We've been kicking it around for awhile now, feeling like our next place might be an American 4 Square, which we'd decorate in art deco style.

If we do, we'll probably move somewhere other than a suburban neighborhood so our quality of life is not so tightly tied to folks living around us.

Time will tell...

Alrighty, let's get some 23 Skidoo motivated, shall we?

that's not "snow", it's "lake effect".  see the difference?

and that was the last meme he ever created as a married man

As you rush the exits, consider this:

Apparently today kicks off the start of a "Polar Vortex" event here in West Michigan with temps headed down to the single digits and wind chills below zero.

In my younger days I lived in a mill town in northern Maine...average snowfall around 220 inches and temps regularly fell below zero from December through March.

Back then cold weather wasn't news.

<To Build A Fire> was schoolboy reading and no one wanted to end up like Jack London's nameless unfortunate.

A cold snap didn't merit a special sobriquet, nor ominous sounding forecasts delivered in funereal tones by stern faced meteorologists.

We called it "winter", and anyone with functioning gray matter between their ears knew you should dress for it or else stay inside.

Of course, that was before we put warning labels on tooth paste and college students needed <legos, milk and cookies and coloring books> to comfort them when things didn't go their way.

My oh my, how things have changed.

Stay warm, mcm fans...

How Would You Like A Career...

...that involves enough travel...to circle the globe 6 times?

Exciting prospect, yes?

There is a catch, however.

Much of the time you'll be living in remote areas with no electricity or running water, ministering to a people descended from a warrior nation:

The Zulus of South Africa, during the dreadful apartheid years.

Enticing?

For most people, the answer to that question was a resounding no.

But for the family of a friend of mine...

my friend Peter is the young lad standing on the far left

...the answer was "Here am I Lord; send me." (Isaiah 6:8).

Through their decades of service to the Lord, they really did travel enough miles to circle the globe 6 times as they made repeated trips from the states to South Africa, as well as the European continent, Britain, Norway and Israel.

Beginning in 1946 and ministering under the auspices of The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), Peter's father and mother were involved in training African pastors, overseeing the building of a 175 bed hospital at the top of a mountain, 300 miles from the source of their needed supplies, as well as supervising area churches and 30 different schools.

What was life like for Peter, growing up in South Africa in the 1950s and early 60s?

He has fond memories of playing with a Zulu friend named Mgaai (Oom-guy-ee) and roasting flying ants on an open fire...

seconds, anyone?

 

...so they could eat them like peanuts.  Yum!

Another time he and Mgaii found a can of sardines...

...which they decided to share.

We should pause at this point to consult "The Chef's Resource" re: this "delicacy":

"Sardines are small, oily fish with a salty, briny and fishy flavor..."

Considering that ominous description, it’s impressive they actually ate them, but there's more:

They also used the remaining oil like an all over body lotion, because Zulus liked to make their skin shiny.

Predictably, you could smell them coming a mile away for a couple of days, and Mom was less than pleased.

But childhood in South Africa was more than just exciting culinary adventures; when Peter was old enough he attended a boarding school, rooming with other boys his age.

Enterprising and resourceful, he used to read after lights out...

...by Nature's Nightlight: a jar full of fireflies he caught earlier in the evening.

He also got a job at a local bakery, starting work at 2 am, then attending school at the regular time during the day.

Why did he keep this punishing schedule?

So he could earn enough money to buy a 50cc Honda motorbike, of course.

Eventually his hard work and perseverance paid off, and he was one happy camper when he finally reached his goal.

No doubt he was also the envy of his classmates until that fateful day when he collided with a hapless dog on a tar road.

It's easy to imagine our canine friend casting his eyes heavenward wondering, "why me?" as he trotted away unscathed.

Peter, on the other hand, was left with the unenviable task of accounting for his ruined school blazer, which effectively turned the page on his Easy Rider days.

By his high school years he'd developed a love for rugby, swimming and playing tenor drum in the marching band.

On family vacations he enjoyed seeing wild life at the Kruger National Park of South Africa...

...and swimming in the ocean...

...off Durban, Natal.

By age 16 he was back in the states where he graduated high school, went to college, got married...

...and eventually had to choose a career.

What do you suppose he chose for his life's work?

No, he did not go pro in rugby or - to the relief of dogs everywhere - motorcycle racing.

Here's a hint:

Proverbs 22:6 says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

Like his parents, Peter chose a life devoted to full time Christian ministry.

Serving as a pastor at several churches, he raised his family while preaching the gospel and shepherding his various congregations.

I met Peter when he was doing visitation work at several local companies, the one I work for included.

His friendly, open, easy going demeanor invited frank conversations about life's challenges, and through the years I've come to appreciate both his wisdom from and dedication to the Lord.

He's retired now, splitting time between California and Michigan where his children are, but he and his recently visited South Africa again, returning to several places his family lived and ministered so many years ago:

the hospital Peter's father helped establish

the hospital chapel Peter's father helped build and at which he held worship services

the hospital's doctor and administrator

So why am I sharing all of this?

Pretty simple, really.

One, Peter's a good guy who's led an interesting and impactful life, ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of those under his care.

That's worth sharing.

And two, because it's Scriptural to do so:

He's labored in the Word and doctrine for decades, and only God knows the souls saved and spirits lifted due to his faithful service.

I'll be fortunate if I get to polish a few of his crowns now and then when we both get to heaven.

Woke up this morning to find even more of my favorite form of precipitation blanketing the grounds:

Quite annoying, but I think I've found the source of the problem:

what the heck were we thinking?

...and hit upon the solution:

much better

Some encouragement on your way out the door:

later, mcm fans...