Chances, Three For A Buck

Headline seen on MSN.com on 4/18: "Darth Vader Booed By MLB Fans"...

...and I'm wondering who I should feel more sorry for, ol' Darth, (one of the great scary movie villains of all time) or "MLB Fans" for not having the good sense not to boo a movie character? Besides, Darth was a great bad guy, why would you boo him? Luke, Luke was a toad; pretentious little twerp, with his delusions of grandeur and his ridiculous arguments with Han Solo, who was LIGHT YEARS cooler than Luke would ever think of being. And making out with your sister? Eeeeyeeeeeeewwww, what is that?

No, MLB Fans, don't be picking on ol' DV; he might have been evil personified, but at least he was honest about what a douchebag he was. (For some reason I couldn't get the link to work, so I never did find out which MLB fans were booing, and where.)

Six days a week, (not to be confused with "Eight Days A Week" by the Beatles), Monday through Saturday, (with Sundays off, per the Bible), your Pope takes a mile and a half walk, typically before the breaking of the dawn. I love the early morning solitude, the still air, the cool breeze in my face, no extraneous noise other than nature waking; it's a special time for me and I spend most of it talking to God.

(Oh, the Pope thing in the last paragraph? Yes, I am Pope John The Tall, leader and head honcho of the All John All The Time World Church and Pizza Parlor. I make a feeble attempt to explain this abomination above.) I am also the grand-human to the Tucker Dog, see picture to --->.

So the other morning, as I'm walking along, I was thinking and praying to God about a friend of mine who I believe is trying to find God, given the signals that I feel I've been getting from him lately, and I was asking God to guide me in providing for my friend whatever help or support or witness that I can that will help him find his way to the Truth of God's love and mercy. (Hopefully, something more subtle than taking a baseball bat to the "upside" of his head.)

As I'm walking, and by the way, I'm not talking about casual strolling here; at 61, I do a mile-and-a-half walk in just over twenty minutes. It's not Olympic caliber, but it's brisk, lemme' tell you. Anyway, I'm walking/praying and for some reason, an idle thought intrudes itself on my quietude, a random thing about a "good deeds" point system; you know, gee, God, how many "brownie" points does someone get for a conversion, should my friend be successful, with my assistance, in finding God and accepting Jesus as his Savior?

Now, I know that's a tad irreverent; okay, maybe a whole lot irreverent, but I have a very "unusual" sense of humor (ask my long-suffering daughter), and it's hard to keep it under control at all times. Most of the time, truth be known.

So I'm thinking, what? 500 points for a conversion, with maybe 50 points for a going to church, with a 50-point bonus if you REALLY pray? "X" points for good deeds like volunteer work, charitable donations, helping old ladies cross busy streets? Does a priest or a minister get 250 points for a well-written, well-delivered sermon? Can someone pick up a few "salvation" points for helping a stranger change a flat tire, maybe just a way to move them that closer to Heaven? How about a healing, a healing has to be MONSTER points.

Wow, just think the points you could get for a Roman Catholic sainthood?

Whoa.

The pictures above are of my "garden", all one of it, as I described it in my last post here at the home blogsite of the AJATTWC; the one at the top was taken just after I planted, in early April, the one in the middle, taken just last weekend, roughly two and a half weeks later. As you can see, great progress has been made by my solitary tomato plant, to whom I speak tenderly every morning on my way out for my daily walk (described above, thank you); he has grown precipitously, and as you will further note, he already has one little yellow bud (see the bottom pic), which is, of course, an incipient part of a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich some time around late May.

I have watered him religiously, as needed, and fertilized copiously and lovingly, with more attention to come. And I have to tell you, I love the smell that comes off the plant when I spray it's leaves with water; it's a high summer, out-of-school, playing baseball all day, going to the neighborhood swimming pool with my friends, cutting the grass at home, great-to-be-a-kid-alive-in-summer, the growing things that come up out of that black, wonderful loam of Northern Illinois kind of smell.

I almost didn't have a garden; I had one several years ago, in a little patch of ground next to the building here in the placid but deeply troubled San Fernando Valley where the AJATTWC has its headquarters, but being inexperienced in gardening in the semi-arid, desert conditions of LA (pronounced LAH), the experiment was an abysmal failure. Some of my neighbors have these "Topsy-Turvy" tomato planter thingies, and I figured, hey, I know these people, they're just as lame as I am, if they can grow tomatoes that defy gravity, better believe, I can too.

So I decided to give the "garden" a chance, (just like John Lennon and peace), went out and bought the TT planter, knocked together a frame to hang it on, got some potting soil and, most importantly, a seedling to plant, and the rest, as they say, is geography.

(You should have seen me inspecting all the little tomato plants at the local garden place; the way I was checking them out, you would have thought I was buying a new car.)

Now I know this is a really corny metaphor, but I couldn't help but think about someone allowing something to happen in their life, i.e., giving something a chance, like my giving the tomato plant a chance for success by taking the time to plant it, nurture and care for it, and giving God a chance to come into our lives.

And I wondered about all the people, including myself for so many years, that have never given God a chance. Just a chance.

I don't want to get all PollyAnna here; the metaphor lacks a certain weight of credulity. But given that, there's still the argument to be made that, most of us, too many of us, don't ever give God a Chance, capital C, a real one.

We don't ever give God the opportunity to enter our lives; to ever show us how, by sending His only son Jesus to Earth in a human form, to die on a cross to expiate our sins, and that only by our acceptance of Jesus as Savior, we can attain Heaven, which, gee, I don't know, seems pretty much like a worthwhile goal to me.

It isn't as simple as saying, "Okay, God, I give up, come on in and put your thing down, I'm listening", making God entering your life into a matter of your will against His. Quote Pat Benator, hit me with your best shot, God; so to speak. (Love Spandex Patty.)

No, there has to be some effort on our part, a little seeking as it were, at least being open to the experience. I mean, we're talking about "giving chances" here, right? So, a REAL chance, that's all God asks. You know, be fair, open-minded, that kind of thing.

"'You will call upon Me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'" declares the Lord." Jeremiah 29:12-14

I took 60+ years to finally say, okay God, I'm listening; I had heard Him before, but I never gave Him a chance. Never, ever.

And what's so awful about it now, as I look back on my life pre-God, was that I still blamed Him for "punishing" me with a crappy life, even while I refused to grant His existence. The dichotomy was mind-wrenching at times. I mean, I'm ashamed of myself now, not because I was an "atheist", although that was bad enough, no, my shame stems from my duplicity. I couldn't even deny God with any consistency.

But that's neither here nor there. Finally one day, which I have mentioned before in my posts so I will not belabor the story here (see my post of 1/13/12 for the story of my "Saul on the road to Damascus" moment), I gave God a chance.

Big of me, wouldn't you say?

Yeah, I finally let down my guard, bowed my head in defeat and humility, and told God, with all sincerity for the first time in my life, go ahead, hit me with your best shot, I give in; You can have Your chance.

(God knows I've given that rat-bastard Satan enough chances in my sordid past; I think it DAMN big of me to finally give in and allow God an at-bat.)

Okay, enough Pope-bashing; yes, I was a doofus, but the big point here is that (well d'uh, Mr. Obvious Man), late or not, I gave God His chance. And well thankful I am that I did.

Just like giving my "garden" a chance, all one of it.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

"If you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul." Deuteronomy 4:29

Give God a chance, why don't you? I mean, all He ever did for you was give you your life, right? Go ahead, live dangerously; the worst that can happen is you might go to Heaven.

Or wind up somewhere near Cleveland.

Love and raffles (chances, get it?), yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012 Krissongs, Inc.

This, That And The Other (Its Your Choice)_Take II

That is a Porsche 914, one of the few automobiles in the world with an air-cooled engine; that's right, sports fans, no radiator, no coolant. I actually used to own one of these, a 1974; it was a great car. They only produced this model for a few years, from '69 through '76. (Mine was white; unlike the 914, I am not air-cooled, nor is my engine in the rear.)

I'm sitting here, deep in the throes of evening on a Sunday, in the headquarters of the All John All The Time World Church, located here in the benign but deeply confused San Fernando Valley, wondering what I should write about; I've often read about authors (real ones) being tormented by "writer's block" and never understood how exasperating it can be. ("Writer's block", I assume, is the equivalent of "athlete's foot" to athletes or "fireman's carry" to...; never mind.)

Anyway, as is frequently the case with your Pope (yes, I am Pope John The Tall, leader of the AJATTWC; how I came to hold such a lofty position in life is explained above) (see above), I have no particular theme for today's post, nor reason to write one, other than being afflicted with the inability to keep my mouth shut. Or my thoughts to myself.

So for lack of a better subject, this will be another essay on "This, That And The Other".

Rather than a treatise, say, on quantum mechanics, a subject of which I know absolutely nothing; my knowledge of quantum mechanics is equal to my understanding of women.

*** The legislature of the great state of Tennessee recently passed a law making it legal for school-teachers to beat their students profusely with a large stick any time they so choose; wait, that's incorrect, that was the Mississippi legislature that passed that law. No, Tennessee made it legal for teachers to challenge "the teaching of some scientific subjects," including global warming, evolution, human cloning and gravity. (One can only assume that Scientology and astrology are not targets for later legislation; and okay, I made up the part about gravity.)

There are NUMEROUS comments I could make about the passage of this law, but since I make a studious effort to avoid speaking of politics here on my blog, I will refrain. I will say that the great state of Tennessee is second to none in its respect and admiration for teachers everywhere, and that the lawmakers of the State feel strongly about the American flag, motherhood and apple pie, not in that order.

And I feel certain that, should I ever decide to run for political office, the above comment would be completely apropos in all instances I would be called upon to express an opinion or to articulate a stand on some issue or another. (As a Christian, I am pleased that Intelligent Design can now be taught, right alongside Darwin's theory of evolution, in Tennessee schools; as a moderate, I'm terrified what some conservative right-wingnuts will do with this opportunity.)

So much for refraining from "speaking of politics".

*** Speaking of politicians with no discernible agenda (we were?), I came across this gem in the third volume of the incredible series of books on Presidential elections, "The Making Of The President 1968", by one of the most erudite and influential political authors of all time, Mr. Theodore H. White, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his first volume, "The Making Of The President 1960". Mr. White, speaking of the candidacy of George Romney, then governor of Michigan and father of the current presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, "Mittens", quotes then governor of Ohio, James Rhodes, as saying the following: "Watching George Romney run for the Presidency is like watching a duck try to make love to a football", proving unequivocally that history, indeed, does have the capacity to repeat itself. (Why do I suspect that Governor Rhodes used slightly saltier language when making this observation in private?)

*** Today is April 15th; do you know where your tax return is?

*** Organizers of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London recently contacted Bill Curbishley, manager of the rock band The Who, to inquire as to whether drummer Keith Moon would be interested, and available, to perform in the opening ceremonies of the quadrennial sporting event.

Unfortunately, Mr. Moon died in 1978, making him both a) deceased and, I would imagine, b) unavailable.

Mr. Moon is currently the drummer for the All Dead Band, which features Jimi Hendrix on guitar, Jim Morrison as lead vocalist, fellow Who member John Entwhistle on bass, Janis Joplin as back-up vocalist, both John Lennon and George Harrison on rhythm guitars and Bob Marley as resident reggae person.

To quote Homer Simpson: "D'uh."

*** If there is a more beautiful stadium in Major League Baseball than Dodger Stadium, which celebrates it's 50th birthday this month, well, actually, there isn't. Thank you, to Mr. Walter O'Malley and his family, for bringing the team to Los Angeles all those years ago, and building this incredible edifice to the greatest game in the world in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. He was truly, one of a kind, as is his stadium. (And you can mark this date, 4/15/12, as the day I predicted that the '12 Dodgers will make the playoffs this year. Book it.)

FYI, Dodger Stadium is the third oldest park in baseball, with Fenway Park in Boston, home of the ridiculous "Green Monster" left-field wall, in second place, and the granddaddy of them all, the oldest stadium in the country and home of the most futile organization in the history of modern sports, the Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field in Chicago. (If you look up the word "futile" in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of the Cubs.)

*** For those of you who do not understand the joys of apartment living, the above is a picture of my garden, as viewed from my front porch, all one of it. (There is, at once, to my mind anyway, something heroic and yet very poignant about this picture.) FYI, I can happily report that, since the picture was taken, several days ago, the "garden" is growing well and amazingly fast. I should be up to my gunwales in tomatoes by summer.

Apparently, tomato plants have no recognition of the theory of gravity, much like the legislature of the State of Tennessee.

"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.'" Genesis 1:29

He did not, however, clear up the controversy over whether the tomato is a fruit or a vegetable; there is also some doubt about my older brother, along the same lines.

Oh, and in looking up "gunwale" in my Webster's New World Dictionary Of The American Language (not to be confused with English), I found the following definition:

"A large marine creature with an AK-47 rifle growing from its frontal lobe."

And just for the record, at least in MY dictionary, "cleanliness" in NOT next to Godliness, it's next to "cleanly".

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1-2

"Praise the Lord, oh my soul,

and forget not all His benefits-

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases." Psalm 103:2-3

Love and miscellany, yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012 Krissongs, Inc.

He Is Risen!

A happy and glorious Easter to you all, and may God's grace and blessings be on each of you.

"When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices so that they might anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?'

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

'Don't be alarmed,' he said. 'You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.'

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid." Mark 16:1-8

He has risen!

On this, the most glorious day of the Christian faith, let us all celebrate the Easter story and love of God for us all, in that He sent His only Son to Earth to die on the cross to expiate our sins, only to rise again, three days later.

Thank you, Lord, for your Son, and for your love.

Yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012, Krissongs, Inc.

This, That And The Other (It's Your Choice)

Being a typical guy person, I know little of cosmetics and creams and ways to cure unsightly blemishes, so I'm wondering if ProActiv would help this guy...?

I've decided, since I have no great theme for today's post, to write a "This And That" essay, touching on a number of subjects that I felt should be touched upon. (Sort of like a number of my ex-girlfriends.)

*** I have to apologize to all my loyal followers (all three of you) for my recent hiatus, which is a city in Massachusetts, I believe; wait, that's Hyannis Port. Anyway, the reason your Pope (that would be me, Pope John The Tall of the All John All The Time World Church and Gambling Casino) hasn't posted anything recently is not for a lack of anything to say; believe me, I have plenty to say, being afflicted with a disease my mother used to characterize as "diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the ideas". No, my problem was a lack of GOOD ideas for a post, lending some credence to my mother's point of view, I suppose.

Actually, most of my period of quietude resulted from the fact that I'm still feeling my way along with my new-found Christianity; I'm trying to raise the level of my thinking and writing, so as not to sully in any way my newly adopted faith. And if you review some of my posts from my "pre-Salvation" days, well, let's just say that maybe, just maybe, I needed to raise the bar a little.

It's a guilt thing, I believe (I was raised a Roman Catholic, and other than the Jews, NOBODY does guilt better than Catholics): I still have the mind of a pubescent 14-year old, but now that I've found God, and accepted Jesus as my Savior, I don't want anyone to know. (I guess it's too late to worry about that now, isn't it?)

But the urge to create with words has overwhelmed me recently, and since being a smart-ass is really all I'm good at, I fall prey to the temptation, and here I am, being irreverent again.

(Please, God, help me keep within the boundaries of good Christian decency and good taste. In Jesus' name, amen.)

Okay, onward and upward; well, onward anyway.

*** Today, April 5th, is Opening Day of the Los Angeles Dodgers 2012 baseball season, and thank you, Lord, because it couldn't get here soon enough for my money. I am so tired of NBA basketball and the inflated egos of this generation's players (see LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, of whom I am fan, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, et al.), of the unending soap opera of Tiger Woods, of the NFL/New Orleans Saint's travesty of a "bounty system", of doping investigations and that repulsive David Beckham and the BCS system and on and on, that it is such a relief to get back to what was for years considered to be "the national pastime". (No, despite all indications to the contrary, sex is not the nation's pastime.)

Not that baseball is innocent of egos and doping and soap operas and all the other nonsense that seems to be part and parcel of today's professional sports; no, baseball has it's share of all those things (thank you, Ryan Braun), but baseball remains, at least to me, purer in some way, much like it was when I was a kid, playing Little League ball and cheering for the White Sox. It's still a slow game, played at a leisurely pace, by average-sized people, who mostly seem like decent enough guys, in stadiums where, in most cases, you can still take your kids to see a game (assuming you can afford it).

For all the nonsense, there's still a "Field Of Dreams" quality to baseball, and I hope there always will be.

Nostalgia, thy name is the myopia of years. (Ooh, that was poetic.)

Oh yeah, and Go Dodgers.

*** I know I've mentioned this previously, but not being overly concerned with being redundant, I'll mention again that my daughter and I, back in early January, embarked on a plan to read the entire Bible, chronologically, over the course of this year. We're utilizing a reading plan that she found at a website called YouVersion.com, and so far, so good.

Since it presents the Bible in chronological order, we haven't as yet ventured into the New Testament, and boy, have I learned a lot about the people, the times and the happenings of the Old Testament.

Whoa.

We recently finished (well, I did; certain family members of mine have fallen behind in their reading schedule) the Book of Deuteronomy, and I have to tell you, I am EXTREMELY glad that I did not live during those pre-Jesus days. Screwing up in those days had some VERY severe penalties.

For instance, Deuteronomy 21:18-21:

"If someone has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of town. They shall say to the elders, 'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard'. Then all the men of his town are to stone him to death."

I'm glad my mom and dad never stumbled onto these verses.

Or Deuteronomy 22:20, on the charge of a new wife not being a virgin:

"If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the young woman's virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father's house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death."

I guess the ancient Israelites took the virginity thing pretty seriously.

I love this one; Deuteronomy 25:11:

"If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to the rescue of her husband from his assailant, and reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand. Show her no pity."

I assume Moses, who is believed to have written Deuteronomy, along with Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, was referring to the assailant and not her husband when he spoke of "him" being seized by his private parts.

One more; Deuteronomy 27:21:

"Cursed is anyone who has sexual relations with any animal."

Once again, making some assumptions, I would think that was four-legged animals, because I've had some girlfriends who, well, never mind that now.

*** I've become really cognizant of the subject of aging recently, seeing all kinds of reminders of the encroaching years, of others, as well as of my own. I've read a bajillion times about how people, as they age, talk about not feeling their years; "I still feel 25", or "I'm not any different than I was 20 years ago".

I get where they're coming from; I recently celebrated the 32nd anniversary of my 29th birthday, and my body may be aging, but my mind still thinks like a 25-year old.

Or maybe more to the point, a 14-year old.

I was reminded of this, once again, when I stumbled onto an article on the website of World magazine, a Time-like publication, written from a Christian point of view, about athletes like Hines Ward and Derek Fisher and their reaction to and their handling of the coming of the end of their careers. The passing years, and the passing of good friends, and suddenly, whoa, you mean I'm mortal, this doesn't go on forever?

Well, isn't that a kick in the nuts?

But I'm comforted by my God; Hebrews 6:1 says, "Let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity."

Or in my case, what passes for maturity.

Oh, the article about aging athletes on World is at:

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/19335

*** Last, but by no means least, isn't it wonderful that God allows us to seek, and find, our faith and inspiration in so many different and, occasionally, unusual ways.

The article on HuffingtonPost referred to the above as the "Jesus ray", not to be confused with a Tampa Bay Ray. (That's another baseball reference, for those of you who don't follow sports.)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/03/jesus-stingray-dead-fish-south-carolina_n_1400118.html?ref=weird-news

A happy and blessed Easter to you all; Matthew 28:7: "Then go quickly and tell His disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.'"

Love and miscellany, yours in Christ.

PJTT

copyright 2012, Krissongs, Inc.

The Joy Of Being Christian (And Still In A Classical Mood)

Jesu, joy of man's desiring,

Holy wisdom, love most bright;

Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring

Soar to uncreated light.

Word of God, our flesh that fashioned,

With the fire of life impassioned,

Striving still to truth unknown,

Soaring, dying round Thy throne.

Through the way where hope is guiding,

Hark, what peaceful music rings;

Where the flock, in Thee confiding,

Drink of joy from deathless springs.

Theirs is beauty's fairest pleasure;

Theirs is wisdom's holiest treasure.

Thou dost ever lead Thine own

In the love of joys unknown.

(Lyric by Robert Bridges)

I was thinking about the joy of being a Christian the other day, something that I wasn't aware of before I was saved, since I had never experienced it before. It is a joy to follow Christ, and to strive to make my life more Christ-like every day.

(This, of course, is beyond all the yukes I get from the great names in the Old Testament. See Numbers 27:1, the daughters of Zelophedad, who were named Mahlah, Noah, which I thought was a man's name, considering the guy who built the Ark and saved all the animals, two by two, Hoglah, Mikah and Tirzah.)

I suppose if my name were Zelophedad, I might take it out on my kids and stick THEM with some doozies.

The classical piece above, entitled in English, "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring", was written by Johann Sebastian Bach back in the early 1600's, although he called it the 10th Movement of "Canata Herz und Mund und Tata und Leben" BMV 147, which doesn't mean a thing to me since I don't speak any German, other than "Sprechen sie Duetsch? Nein".

The English title jumped into my mind when I was thinking about the topic of Christian joy; it's a lovely piece, one which you've probably heard at some wedding or another, although played in those circumstances much more slowly than Bach had originally intended. Roger McGuinn of the seminal rock band The Byrds even used it for the lead guitar solo in the group's song "She Don't Care About Time", which was on their first album, "Turn, Turn, Turn"; great song, but lousy English.

(FYI, the song "Turn, Turn, Turn" written by Pete Seeger, was based on the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1-9.)

Anyway, there is great joy in the Christian experience, stemming, for me at least, from the knowledge that, by accepting Jesus as Savior, I will go to Heaven when I die. I also know that many of the people closest to me, my daughter, my son-in-law, my grandsons, others of my family, many of my good friends, my fellow church-members and all the Christians around the world, will also go there based on their belief and acceptance. Amongst other things, there's the joy of worship, of witnessing for Christ, of the fellowship I have with these other Christians, of the pleasure of doing His will and helping others. There is joy to Christianity, more than I would have suspected before I found salvation in Jesus.

"You make me glad by your deeds, Oh Lord; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands". Psalm 92:4

Singing in church during Sunday service...

Reading my Bible and laughing, not maliciously but with genuine glee, at all the unusual names...

Watching my friend Jim's silly but serious homemade videos about dying and the judgment of our lives and how we led them...

Listening to my grandson Jake talk about God and Jesus...

Watching my daughter grow into the fine, devout, and beautiful, Christian young woman she has become...

Laughing with the other men after a meeting of the Christian Businessmen's Connection...

Sharing the message of the love of God for all of us through my essays here on my blog as "the Pope" (see above for how I became "Pope John The Tall, leader of The All John All The Time World Church" and how to avoid having the same thing happen to you)...

Knowing God loves me...

And that He forgives me...

"God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy". Job 8:21

"Jesus said, 'Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete'". John 16:24

There's a sublime pleasure in the little things of life, and that pleasure is enhanced by the knowledge of God's love for us, and the faith that I have in Him.

"Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". Hebrews 11:1

I'm sure I will someday see Heaven, and even greater than the temporary thrill of the Christian life, I will have the unending joy of God's presence, for all eternity.

"I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns." Revelation 19:6

"But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people'". Luke 2:10

Joyous, joyous, indeed.

Love and harpsichords, yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012 Krissongs, Inc.

Forgiveness In G Major

Ich verfing mich vor kurzem die Öffnungsstäbe bis eins meiner klassischen Lieblingsstücke durch klassischen Lieblingskomponisten, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart pfeifend,

Sorry, my word processor slipped automatically into German there for a moment...

What I was saying was that I recently caught myself whistling the opening bars to one of my favorite classical pieces, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusick", which is the more common name for the Serenade No. 13 For Strings In G Major, which, translated into English, means "a little serenade", or it's more literal, but less accurate translation, "a little night music", which was written by my favorite classical composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

If you've seen the movie "Amadeus", which is Latin for "God's Beloved" and one of my all-time favorites, you heard the character Antonio Salieri, who was the court composer to Emperor Joseph II of Austria (the so-called "Musical King") and a contemporary of Mozart's, as well as the main character in the film, playing the first few bars of this piece for his "confessor" in an early scene; this was after Salieri had attempted suicide, all the while asking for God's forgiveness for "killing" Mozart, (which he didn't do), and ended up in a sanitarium, where the scene occurs.

Forgiveness is what my impromptu mini-concert got me to thinking about that day, because it was a central theme to the movie: Salieri wanted forgiveness from God for what he thought was his role in Mozart's eventual early demise, yet he was completely unable to forgive God for creating a superior talent (Mozart) to his, bemoaning his fate as a "mediocrity", which he truly wasn't; I have several recordings of some of his more well-known works, and he was very good. Not Mozart good, but good, sort of like comparing the Hollies, the rock band from the 60's featuring Graham Nash, later of Crosby, Stills and, to the Beatles. Graham and Co. were good, but they weren't John and Paul.

Salieri was good, but he wasn't Mozart, and he blamed God for the inequity, and couldn't forgive Him.

Mozart's father couldn't forgive Wolfgang for marrying without Dad's "by your leave" and staying in Vienna, rather than returning to Salzburg, and Mozart never seemed to be able to forgive himself for his defiance of his father, who was portrayed in the movie as a real horse's you-know-what.

All the main characters in the film were thinking of forgiveness (or not forgiving, as the case may be), and not receiving any from those from whom they sought it.

I had a really hard time with the same concept when I first became a Christian last fall; I found it incomprehensible that God could forgive me, merely by my accepting Jesus as Savior and then asking, for all the terrible transgressions that I had committed against Him over a long and sinful life.

It just seemed too easy; sure, I mean, the commitment to God and to being a dedicated Christian were serious matters, not to be taken lightly, but for me, once the commitment was made, the rest was pretty straightforward.

But forgive me for all the awful things I had done, just like that, no way; I just couldn't accept it as that simple.

It wasn't that I didn't believe that God grants us His forgiveness, I just didn't think I was worthy of His ameliorating all my previous sins, without some major sacrifice or penance or some kind of "payment" on my part.

It just seemed too easy, as I said.

I offered this opinion of my unworthiness out loud in a meeting of a Christian Businessmen's Connection group that my son-in-law Dennis invited me to attend, to which he was a member. One of the gentleman who was there that morning, a man named Steve, who I later learned was the pastor of a church in the area, asked me if I believed in God's forgiveness, to which I responded that I most certainly did.

Just for everyone else, except me: to quote Wayne and Garth from "Wayne's World", I wasn't worthy.

Since that time I have made great strides in understanding how God's forgiveness of our sins works, and how it applies to all of us, including those of us who don't consider ourselves "worthy".

It is a misconception that we have to "earn" God's love and forgiveness, for He gives it freely. It is not necessary to constantly strive for His approbation, when He granted it to us when He sent His only Son to Earth to die on the cross as expiation for our sins.

In other words, we don't have to prove ourselves worthy, we just have to believe, accept and let the strength of His grace and mercy flow over us.

"There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death". Romans 8:1-2

No sin is too awful, no wrong irreparable, and no one has to feel unworthy of God's mercy and forgiveness; we are all creatures of His creation, made in His image and as such, not required to earn His love.

Believe, confess and allow ourselves to accept His forgiveness, as He offers it, unconditionally.

If you're trying to be "worthy", as I was doing, you're working too hard. We don't need to feel unworthy, or to try so hard to earn His love, because God grants it freely to those who confess and believe.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness". 1 John 1:9

Salieri didn't need to seek God's forgiveness, and I don't have to feel like I have to work for something that He has granted us as His children.

"In Jesus we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace". Ephesians 1:7

If you're out there stumbling around as I was, trying to be worthy of God's forgiveness, you don't have to, because it's yours for the asking.

It really is that easy.

I have to close now; I have an opera to compose.

Love and clarinets, yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012 Krissongs, Inc.

Traveling To The Beat Of A Different Drummer Into Eternity

"You and I, travel to the beat of a different drum..."

That's what Linda Ronstandt said in her 1967 hit "Different Drum" (written by Monkees guitarist Mike Nesmith, and a clever title, considering the lyrics, wouldn't you agree?), and I was thinking about that phrase a lot recently, after reading what Rev. Rick Warren had to say about our lives and eternity in his book, The Purpose Driven Life.

Warren talks about how so many people focus on making their lives comfortable, or successful, or powerful or whatever, and his point is this...

...why?

Okay, before I answer the question, let me give you some perspective (and I want it back when you're done with it).

The Earth, according to most reputable scientists, and probably some of the less than reputable ones as well, is about four billion years old, or roughly the same age as some of the food that resides in Tupperware containers in the back of my refrigerator.

Four billion years; any way you look at it, that's a poopload.

Also according to various scientific types, folks who study things like gerontology, aging and old farts like me, your favorite Pope (yes, I am Pope John The Tall, leader of the All John All The Time World Church; please see above (above) for an explanation of how I came to achieve such a lofty position), the average human life-span is about 73 years, depending on a lot of factors such as your gender, your ethnicity, your attitude and a host of other things.

Obviously, by comparison, our life-spans are like nano-seconds to the time the Earth has existed. (I've always wanted to write "nano-seconds" in a sentence.) Even granted that the Bible says that Adam lived 930 years, and that his son Seth lived to be a ripe old age of 912, our lives are still pretty much an eye-blink compared to how long the planet we live on has been around. See Genesis 5:5-8 for the above longevity figures. And according to Genesis 5:27, Methuselah hung around for 969 years; I believe he holds the record.

And it still isn't anything compared to Earth's time-frame of existence.

We humans, even the Biblical folks, just don't live all that long.

Now make this comparison: our lives, which according to Thomas Hobbes, the 16th century philosopher, are "nasty, brutish and short", to Eternity.

Yes, that's Eternity, with a capital "E".

What measurement of time is smaller than a nano-second?

Actually, I don't think there is one, and it wouldn't make any difference if there were, because at that level, it's moot; our lives, compared to Eternity, are REAL short.

So here's where the "different drummer" thing comes into play: why do humans spend so much time, worrying about the quality of their lives, worrying about how much money they can obtain, or how much power they can possess, or whatever, when it's only going to last, at best, about a nano-second in the eternal time of God?

Cases in point:

            -Hitler

            -the guy in Syria, what's his name, Assad, yeah

            -Putin

            -politicians in America

            -the Koch Brothers

            -Stalin

            -Kim Jong Il

            -most people in Hollywood

            -Rush Limbaugh

            -and about a bajillion others, too numerous to mention here.

I can't march to that drummer; I never could. And I don't understand people who do.

Now I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with working hard to have a comfortable life for yourself and your family; God gives us all certain talents, and I believe He expects us to use them, and in the process of using our God-given abilities in the furtherance of His glory, if we're successful, by human standards, well, that's okay too.

Just as long as we don't lose sight of the overall goal, which isn't money, or power or fame, but to do the things we need to do to get to Heaven.

Because, you see, Heaven is for Eternity.

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever". 1 John 2:17

God gives us, at best, about 73 years on the average, to find Him, accept His Son as Savior, and attain Heaven.

73 years, on average; as a percentage of the current life of Earth, that's 0.00000001825%.

That's not much.

I've been thinking about this whole subject of longevity, and our brief lives here on Earth, a lot since last Wednesday, when I learned that my ex-wife, Robin, had passed away at the very young age of 56. That's all God gave her, 56 years, which you have to admit, is a pretty short time compared to Earth, and an incredibly short time compared to Eternity. She had 56 short years to accept Jesus as her personal Savior, and gain Heaven.

That's the bad news; the good news is, I'm fairly certain that Robin, being the good and faithful Christian that she was, is now sitting at the right hand of God, and will be for all Eternity.

All of it.

Given the genes that I have inherited from my ancestors, most of the recent of which have lived to what we humans refer to as "ripe old ages", I figure I'm good for 90+. (Three of my four grandparents made it to 90+, Dad was 88 when he passed on, my Mom is still around at 97, I had an aunt, my Dad's sister, pass away recently at 99, so, yeah, I think I have a shot at 90, maybe even a 100, assuming I don't do something REAL stupid prior.)

That's a goodly age, a poopload if you will, and you know something...

...it's nothing compared to Eternity.

Nada, bupkis, zilch, zero, nothing.

I'm not marching to that drummer that compels people to political power, or to obtain great wealth at the exclusion of all else, or to pursue fame until what is truly important is forgotten, sorry, no way; that's a drummer I just can't hear.

"Jesus said, 'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.'" John 10:27-28

"Jesus said, 'God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.'" John 3:16

90 or 100 years? It's nothing compared to Eternity in Heaven, basking in the glory of God and His Son.

So, yeah, Ms. Ronstandt and I are traveling to the beat of a different drum; I can't say what hers is, but mine is the accepting and believing. I accept Christ as Savior, and I believe I will get to Heaven, for all Eternity, for having done so.

Forever and ever, amen. And that's my answer to the question I asked, way up there at the beginning of this essay; why waste time, pursuing life's gains, when they pale in comparison to the joy and wonder of Eternity with God?

Why, indeed?

Love and hit singles, yours in Christ,

PJTT

copyright 2012 Krissongs, Inc.