Bits and bytes of randomness found along the flyways of cyberdom
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Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. – Matt. 5:37
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 2 Tim 4:3-4 (ESV)
In his book “Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business“, Neil
Postman warns us of the danger of a world of information overload…
He reminds us of a chilling futuristic vision-‘Aldous Huxley‘s Brave New World‘, which describes a world thoroughly flooded with information. But that data is manipulated so that none of it has any significance.
It would appear that perhaps we have entered into that time talked about in Neil Postman‘s book. A time when sound reasoning and even common sense as been tossed out the door and replaced with myth, hyperbole and equivocation. Truth has been replaced with half-truths and fables. Despite any actual proven facts these fables are bantered about as truth and the truth is maligned as old-fashioned or too rigid.
In a society that seems to nuance all public speech into politically approved sound bites it is unusual to actually hear someone speak forthrightly. For someone to actually stand up and speak a word or two without spin or political posturing is a rarity indeed. Bloviatian abounds in our society, pontificating endlessly on this or that. Goobledegook is no longer confined to the political class for it has infiltrated the public arena as well. No longer do we hear the simple plain talk of a by-gone era. Simple speak has been replaced with well rehearsed homilies filled with platitudinous pomposity, or much ado about nothing actually.
Whoever can tell the best story in the most fanciful manner has taken the place of straight talk, honest discourse, and thoughtful communication. Instead of factual information being the driving force behind these discourses, they create stories based on falsehoods or biases. Pick a side and then argue your cause eloquently without regard to actual facts, just make sure it sounds good and tickles the ears of the listeners. Tell them their felt needs and trigger an emotional response. This is how we motivate and influence people in our intellectually challenged society. Institutes of higher learning have become propaganda camps for liberal philosophy and new age world views. Godlessness is espoused as the ideal and self-gratification is held up as the goal. The ends justify the means. Anything goes in your personal quest for self-fulfillment. Personal responsibility has been replaced with the phrase ‘it’s not my fault’. Continue reading “Straight Talk”
Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8 (KJV)
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. James 4:8 (KJV)
Better to be a poor person who has integrity than to be rich and double-dealing. Prov 28:6 (GW)
The old machine just could not handle the load anymore. It grew tired and unable to spin dry the clothes like it once did. There was no longer a spin cycle in that old machine. All it could do was agitate the clothes but it could not spin out the dirty water. What was left in the tub was dark and dingy. The machine had to either be fixed or replaced. I chose to replace it with a newer machine with several spin cycles.
In washing machines, spinning is a necessary function, in fact clothes could not be cleaned properly if there was no way to drain out the dirty water through a spin cycle. Gone are the days of the wringer washers manufactured by Maytag. In their place are the modern day spin cycle machines.
In the political and social realms however, a no spin cycle would be a welcome relief. Oh how I wish I could switch off the spin cycles and just let those news talking heads agitate one another. It would be nice to see the dirty laundry exactly as it is. DIRTY. But no, these slick politicians and public figureheads have invested heavily in spin cycles to make sure that all the dirty murky water gets stirred to the point that it is impossible to differentiate between clean and unclean, truth and untruth, honesty and dishonesty. I want to pull the plug on those spin machines and watch them sit there and idly rock back and forth, vacillating between two opinions but never arriving at any solid position. A constant stirring but never settling.
It is primary election time in Pennsylvania and to tell you the truth there is not one candidate on the ballot worth voting for. If you take away all the political spin and just look at what lies in the bottom of that old washing machine, I think we would all agree there is way too much dirty laundry lying around. He said, she said, they said, what I meant to say, back and forth it goes, stirring the water and going nowhere. Personally I do not need a politician telling me how to live my life, because to be perfectly honest, my life, in comparison to theirs, is pretty good. I would strongly suggest to all political wannabes to spend less time on the old spin cycle and more time on being sure you are wearing clean clothes to begin with. Let your yes mean yes and your no mean no. Speak clearly so that everyone can understand you so you will not need a spin cycle to sort it all out in the end.
How I wish for the “spin cycle” to end.
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)
Insight for your “Journey across the Sky
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’“Everyone asked to be excused. Luke 14:16-18a (GW)
I was excited! I couldn’t wait! Finally it arrived in the mail! I got my invitation. The party was going to be in a few weeks and they wanted to give me plenty of time to make arrangements to attend because they really wanted me to be there. It felt good to actually be invited to go to the party. It was nice to be wanted. To be singled out to receive an invitation. No one else on my street got an invitation. No one else at work got this invitation. It was sent to me and to me only. It was a special invitation. I had been chosen to attend.
Perhaps you would not be as excited as I am to get an invitation. Perhaps you get invited to all kinds of affairs and this would have been just another invitation. To you it may have been just one of many but to me it was the only invitation I was to receive. I knew there would not be another one at least not this year so I made arrangements to attend. Nothing was going to stand in my way from attending this party. I made up my mind I was going. I felt special because I had one of only a few invitations to this particular party It was not exclusive but it was a party for only a few people. Friends, family and just a few people the hosts wanted to share the evening with. Continue reading “We’re Having a Party! Are You Invited”
Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org
For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. 1 John 2:16 (NKJV)
How many ways can you serve chicken? Well just ask the Chinese, it appears they have discovered at least 101 ways to serve it. Take a look at the menu and you will see things like: Ginger chicken, garlic chicken, orange chicken, pineapple chicken, cashew chicken, General Taos chicken, sweet and sour chicken, chicken and broccoli, chicken and mushroom, chicken chow mien, and the list goes on.
The main ingredient in all these items is – you guessed it – chicken. In fact, for the most part, the chicken is made the same in all the dishes. The only thing that changes is the sauce poured over it and the vegetables that accompany the chicken. Remove all the extras and you have a piece of chicken – no more, no less.
That is how it is with sin. Although it may come in different dressings, to appeal to different taste buds, it is still the same basic ingredient. Lusts of the eyes, lusts of the flesh, or the pride of life. These three main ingredients remain no matter how much you change the dressing.
Some people may not be enticed by orange chicken, but perhaps the mushroom chicken will be more appealing. Not a connoisseur of pineapple? Well then, try ginger or garlic chicken instead. No matter how you disguise the chicken it is still after all, chicken.
Faith, hope and love are the anti-sin ingredients in life. Faith battles the pride of life, hope deals with the lust of the eyes, and love deals with the lust of the flesh. Although these too may appear in different recipes they still remain when all the dressing has been removed. When you strip away all the added ingredients, what you have left is a simple message of faith. God love the world so much that he gave his only son to die so that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life.
How do you like your chicken?
But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)
"...that where I am you may be also." Jn.14:3
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. (Matthew 6:33)
Daily Bible verse plus a picture of God's creation following Wayne Cordeiro's "The Divine Mentor" format.
"Come and hear, all you who fear God. Let me tell you what he has done for me." - Psalm 66:16
Daily Thoughts and Meditations as we journey together with our Lord.
Sermons and Devotions
Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor
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