Christ Animated

Right Now, I am ... Listening to Demon Hunter Watching it rain Editing my weekly newspaper column Checking my teaching notes for tonight's class Wondering about the new boss tomorrow Writing a paper proposal in my head Deciding to decide on something Missing my youngest ones Munching mints Listening to Joey+Rory

I will praise You, Lord, When the sink is full of dirty dishes And when the trash can is full Because we have had food to eat. I will praise You, Lord, When the power bill comes And the rent is due Because we have had heat and a roof over us. I will praise You, Lord, When I don't want to go to work And I'm tired through and through Because I have a job, to earn. I will praise You, Lord, When all is well When all is right Because You are God and good. I will praise You, Lord

Though these are far from exhaustive, these five "statements" are truths that have shaped my life, and continue to do so. I share them with you, for whatever that's worth. > Today is the only day we have been given (yesterday is gone, & tomorrow hasn't arrived) - so live in it, for the Lord! > Can you do anything about another person's attitude? Not really. But you can do something about your own. > People are not basically good. All people are basically evil, until God changes them. According to the Bible, no one can do things that are intrinsically, everlastingly good unless God's Holy Spirit lives within them. So love people to the Lord. > No one should expect lost people to act like they are saved. Expect lost people to act like lost people. Expect saved people to act like saved people. > You should always be the first to ask forgiveness, and the first to offer it.

I can't stand it. I am so weary of seeing article after article, book after book, from intellectual snobs who make and remake the same claim and accusation. The only thing that changes (moderately) is the accuser and the accused. Authors claim J. R. R. Tolkien was not an original author because he owes so much of his mythology to actual mythology. Others claim the same about C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, etc. To answer as with as deep intellectual enthusiasm as I can muster at the moment, "Duh." Of course Tolkien owes much of his mythology to actual mythology. He was a professor of such, for Pete's sake. By the same claim, the author of the book making the accusation can be accused of only being able to publish said book because of what Tolkien did. Plagiarist! Liar! Thief! Any book written about lovers in New York borrows from every other story told about lovers and set in New York. Gasp! Any spy novel borrows ideas from actual events and the authors of sp...

I have had some interesting Thanksgiving Days in my life. I've been sick (cold/sinus/flu) on many of them. Once, a car fell while I was working under it on T-Day. My left wrist has had problems ever since. But last Thanksgiving,  2012, was the hardest day of my life, bar none. It was the day I waved goodbye in tears to my children as they left their grandparents' house to go home, just before I moved a state away. Their mother and I were divorcing, and I was trying to find a job. Today, I'm sitting at the table with my daughters in my home. Their brothers are around here, too. I've met someone who is very precious to me, and her daughter is a great addition to my four. My family lives nearby, and God is meeting our needs. I am blessed. I am thankful. I am even thankful for the pain of last Thanksgiving, because it has taught me to be even more thankful today. God bless, and Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm thinking http://www.RottingPepper.com should be my blog's new permanent site. Any thoughts?

This is my favorite time of the year (but you probably guessed that from the title, didn't you?). I absolutely love the Fall.  I love NCAA college football! I love grilling outside when it's nice and cool. I love the changing colors, wearing a windbreaker and shorts on the same day, my birthday, and ... Halloween. I know - lots of Christians say you can't celebrate Halloween, and you certainly can't (gasp) love  it. But I do. I love the tingly, suspenseful "scary" stuff (not gore, that's just gross, and unnecessary, in my opinion). I love the opportunity to talk to people about what they believe about spirits, death, etc., during this time. It's amazing how people will open up if you just ask. I see nothing wrong with my kids enjoying dressing up, eating candy, and playing with friends. It's dress-up like any other day for us. I don't like them to dress like something ungodly, or do things that are ungodly. It's like any other ...