Here’s a progression of leadership that I find interesting, not that you have to be recognized “leader” in this sense to make the lessons noteworthy. This is, however, a true countercultural mindset that I personally find very informative and challenging.
And David realized that the LORD had confirmed him as king over Israel and had greatly blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
In the mass hysteria that is the superhero-universe phenom, here are a couple of guys that are somewhat overlooked:
Credit: Newsweek/google images
Give it time. Hollywood will find a way.
The other kind of hornet is more real in my personal experience as a school nurse, however. One of the custodians in my school building was called to go kill a wasp or two flying around inside the building one the second day of school because there were a couple of kiddos registered as “allergic”. (SOOOooo glad the teachers read my notes to them—thank you and I love you!!)
No, that was not a reference to any political affiliation, but any true Trekkie would recognize that phrase as the warning signal on the Starship Enterprise, which might be followed by such notable quotes as “shields at full” or “fire proton torpedoes”.
However, the term is a good illustration of a deep-seated anxiety plaguing our American society right now, one of many in fact. The election of 2016 is being touted as one-of-a-kind, and to some degree rightly so. On the other hand, the angst and rancor are nothing new, but a fine old American tradition dating back at least to Rutherford vs. Tilden of 1876.*
Of course, the political climate is only one example of the generalized apprehension that is so much a part of our culture. It’s unfortunate that, as a Christian, a purported follower of the Creator of the Universe, I have a tendency to acquiesce to some of the same anxieties. I say unfortunate because a) I should know better, b) I know WHY I should know better, and c) I have been given sufficient Power to act on that knowledge.
In reality, these fearsome “what ifs” are the 64-color crayon box version of worries, complete with the sharpener on the back, just in case the particular color of the day becomes a bit dull in our Enemy’s hand as he tries to scribble on my world. And my Enemy is not the government, the boss, or even the neighbor next door.
There’s the rub, the real point. The apostle Paul wrote that we “war not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen powers of darkness”, and when it came to supernatural antagonists, if anyone knew what he was talking about, it was Paul. I have an Enemy far more seditiously subtle than anything I may read or hear on the news. And if I get wise to one of his colors, he’s got plenty of others to choose from, unless…
As I write this, I am at a nursing conference. Here is a piece of scientific wisdom from Dr. David Schramm’s session:
Hmmm…sounds familiar:
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”
That doesn’t mean I ignore all the bad news in favor of the good. But it does matter what I choose to focus and reflect on, since it helps determine what my responses will be to all things, both good and bad…
…no matter what color the next “alert” is. (And there WILL be more.)
As I write this, I’m sitting on my patio in the cool of the early morning springtime watching a mommy robin feed squiggly brown disgusting things to the little ones in her nest, which she decided to make in a hanging basket outside my back door. When I think of what we used to have for our young’uns to eat back in the 80’s (strained peas and carrots???), I guess to each his own.
Now she’s taking a bit of a break, just sitting on the babes keeping them warm. Not that moms ever really take a break—yep, there she goes again, off to get more disgusting brown squiggly things.
Earlier, we had a little drama. There must have been another robin invading the nearby territory as mom and/or dad went on the offensive. There was a brief but Continue reading “Blue jays, beware”
Here’s a progression of leadership that I find interesting, not that you have to be recognized “leader” in this sense to make the lessons noteworthy. This is, however, a true countercultural mindset that I personally find very informative and challenging.
No, that was not a reference to any political affiliation, but any true Trekkie would recognize that phrase as the warning signal on the Starship Enterprise, which might be followed by such notable quotes as “shields at full” or “fire proton torpedoes”. 
INSPIRATION with an ATTITUDE 