Good morning!
*Please forgive the grammatical errors
I'm a little bit country. A little bit rock 'n roll. I grew up in the 70's and 80's. Raised around a bunch of farmers. Corn. Hens. I'm definitely old school. The first farm job I had I was around fourteen years old. The farm was nearby Mennonite farms. Super nice folks, Mennonites. The farmhouse I worked at had no electricity. No gas. No hot water. They boiled hot water on a wood burning stove. They weren't Mennonites but they lived a simple farm life. I have friends to this day who still heat their homes and cook on wood chip burning stoves and fireplaces. It's nice really. Minnesota is one of those places where planting trees is encouraged.
I have some very old school ways of thought and some new(er) ones. For example, I would like it if everyone including mature adults went back to dating without sex. Dating. Movies. Dinner. Miniature golf. Conversation. Walks. Dating. The boy picks up the check because he really likes the girl and is willing to risk her not liking him back if it means at the very least, he gave it a try. It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. Of course, that also requires everyone to make better choices. You know that scene in A Bronx Tale where Sonny is advising Calogero, "If she doesn't unlock your car door, she's no good" or something along those lines and then Calogero takes the girl out on a date, and she unlocks his car door and he's so happy he dances in front of the car. That needs to come back. Simple dating etiquette. It never goes out of style. You're never too old for dating etiquette. If she/he isn't kind to you on the first date, they're not going to be kind to you on the tenth date or after the first six months of marriage. Then you politely move on. Make better choices. I use boy/girl examples, but the same thing applies with LGBTQ community.
I keep seeing these guys online using the term "dating" but they're not describing dating. What they're describing is, "I expect sex for spending money on her." And that's not dating, dear. That's prostitution. I remember one fella in his 40's told me what he expects on the first date with a gal and if she didn't go along with his program, he would never see her again. And I thought to myself, "Wow. You need Jesus."
Marriage is between two people who love each other and are devoted to each other until death do you part. Those vows matter. All of them. Ten commandments matter. All of them. Constitutional rights matter. All of them. It makes no difference if you're straight or gay if you want me to marry you, we're going to have counseling sessions first. I need to know it in my bones you're both devoted to each other. The high divorce rate in this country (USA) is inexcusable. Don't get married if the sun doesn't rise or set without your partner every day for the rest of your life. Don't keep dating. "People change" is a selfish poor excuse. Make better choices. Devote yourself to marriage if you're going to marry. Devote yourself. In many cases one person is at fault for the marriage ending. Most likely someone cheated. That person absolutely is at fault for the marriage ending. There ought to be consequences.
I cannot stress enough the importance of being independent, living on your own as young adults. Live by yourself for at least a year. Live alone or with a pet but no other humans. You pay the rent and bills. You buy the groceries and run all the errands. You take care of you even if that means living in a 250 sq ft unit with a space heater. In doing so you will 100% learn who you are and who you want in a life partner.
I appreciate the positive life coaches online. I appreciate those who stand up against poor behavior in their industry like Joey Swoll. If someone is going to the gym to better themselves let them be. If someone is trying a new fashion let them be. If someone is learning a new culture let them be. Stomping down others does not rise you up. It takes you down especially when everyone else backs ten feet away from you. No one wants to be dragged down by drama created for the sole purpose of attention. The lower a person sinks themselves the easier it is for the hand of the devil to reach up and take you all the way down.
As I said I have old school ways of thought and new(er). I am a protestant, and a preacher, but I am not a protestant preacher. I'm not anointed by a church for the same reason I am not a Catholic, when I speak, I am beholden to no one. My words are mine. I don't represent a church here though I worship with one elsewhere. That said, the two most controversial beliefs I have are new(er) for Christians.
1. Provided we have completed my five-month marital counseling sessions, and I am more than satisfied this couple is devoted to each other I will marry gay couples. No problem.
2. I am prochoice. I am prochoice for so many reasons concerning physical health, economics, and society as a whole.
I do not subscribe to Papal supremacy. No protestant does that is the whole point of being protestant. No man will ever get in between Christ and myself. That said, there are many protestants who are prolife and please do not get me wrong, in my heart I am prolife too BUT I live in the real world with social deconstructs against women and a country's economic problem of about 34 trillion dollars. How much further in debt should we go. Add to that, forgive me for saying but anyone who says they live strictly by the Bible had better surrender all their gold, wealth, automobiles, electricity, and start raising their children Amish.
Back to reality, the reason I love renaissance period piece films is for historic references and the romance of it all. Would I like to live during that time after living during this time for almost 56 years absolutely no. The thought of using a chamber pot is terrifying. When I had my stroke in 2021, they put a wheelchair with a white bucket in the center of it for me to use as my toilet. They parked that wheelchair right up against my bed. I was horrified. Luckily, with the assistance of my nurse I was able to get to the bathroom. Still, would it be so horrible for people to greet each other respectfully like they did then. Would a slight bow of acknowledging you're sharing a sidewalk with another human being be so terrible I often ponder. Would it be so horrible to court one another respectfully. Spend time together respectfully. Speak respectfully to one another. Would it be so horrible to think of the future rather than constant instant gratification. I live in the moment. I'm present here and now. I'm agreeable with that philosophy but only as an individual person. The moment you add another human being to your equation you can no longer think of just yourself. When I was young, I used to say I want a man is who just like me but a man. What an utterly self-centered thing to say. Thankfully people are individuals and not carbon copies upon carbon copies. Variety is the spice of life. I adore culture especially art, film, and food. I'm the one friends go to when they read about a new Ethiopian restaurant opening. I'm in! Let's go!
I'm so old my kindergarten class had air raid drills. Then starting with first grade we had constant "fire drills". Back then "fire drills" were land raid drills. Every class had to learn their safe zone. Each class had different zones. They might get some of the kids, but they wouldn't get all of us was the strategy. We're talking the mid to late 70's here. The threat of another American invasion was a possibility. Wine cellars today were once bomb shelters. Fear is a very powerful weapon. Fear is what helps to build instinct, but if you don't keep that fear in check, it can also build paranoia and hatred. Like our guy Yoda says, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." And that's what some of these old guys, older than me, that's their tool to use against the American people. Fear.
A fella on social media once said, "We're all just colors of wheat." Amen, brother. That said, we are not equal because equality has not been given to everyone. Fear prevents equality. I'm a woman of color. I've been assailed upon in varied degrees from one wheat field to another including my own. Mostly because of stereotyping and people feeling owed. Entitlement is a belief found in every wheat field. To single out someone and say "that wheat field in particular" is inaccurate. Entitlement (or so I believe) stems from cause and effect. We talk about the effect more than the cause. What causes entitlement. Someone once said to me, "If you want to know how something is built you must take it apart piece by piece and then put it together again piece by piece. That's the only way to learn the significance of each piece." After each riot where cities are looted and burned down there's always news channels interviewing a local person of color on the street (after the fact) and getting them to scream into the cameras, "Yes we loot! None of these stores are ours! We don't own anything!" And all this does (dear news channels) is create more effect. These "news coverages" serve only the media. You know this. We all know this. It does nothing to better understand the cause. To understand the cause of looting and rioting you must go all the way back to the first piece of construction. All the way back. That's where your cameras need to go. All the way back to the first piece. Politicians use. News medias use. The wealthy who want to be wealthier use and that includes opulent wealthy preachers. Part of the cause is when people are manipulated and used, and used, and used. It's only naturally for effect to occur.
I would love for people to live simpler. Healthier not wealthier. The minimalist lifestyle is coming back in. I would love to see minimalist communities. And not for nothing this old gal would love to see grandma purses like in the olden days. What do I mean by that. This...
Mini picnic
Tissues
A tasty beverage
Candy
Secret "walk around money" for the grandkids.
Yes, grandmas used to carry all that in their purses. I don't have children, so I carry around cat care in my purse: Food, treats, bottled water, tissues, extra shirt if I need to pick up a kitty, etc. Because when life is simple, we think of others.
"It is the Cause. it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, these chaste stars. It is the Cause."
-- Othello, Shakespeare
-- Othello, Shakespeare
Live simple. Just. Give it a try. Healthier not wealthier. God bless you.
Heavenly Father, as we gather today, we ask for your spirit of unity to be present among us. Amen
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