TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2024 - THE WORD

 TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2024 - THE WORD

First, from the Beatles “The Word”

Say the word, and you'll be free.
Say the word and be like me.
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?

It's so fine, it's sunshine.
It's the word, LOVE

In the beginning, I misunderstood
But now I've got it, the word is good

It’s the word LOVE.

*****

WORDS 

John 1:1-4  and 14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him, all things were made; without him, nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(In Greek, the “word” is also “logos.”   The Greek word logos (traditionally meaning word, thought, principle, or speech) has been used among both philosophers and theologians.

Hebrew 4: 12

 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

Acts 5:34-39

 But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a law teacher honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while.  Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men.  Some time ago, Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing.  After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He, too, was killed, and all his followers were scattered.  Therefore, in the present case, I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! If their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you cannot stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

*****

Throughout history, there were times when some groups should have acted against oppression, and times to not react.. As an individual, I guess life is okay, but as a society, we should fight oppression against minorities.  Hilter oppressed Jews and others; The Middle East is a hotbed of Muslims against Jews - but also for Sunni Muslims against Sunni Muslims.  

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.   Psalm 20:7.

(Sometimes I think even the Jewish leaders trust in “chariots and horses” and aggressive actions instead of trusting God.)

I’m going to die someday - and at age 77, that day is closer than at 50 years old. I am trying to be a good proponent of loving all people - until I am dead.

Love does win

Love does transform

Karen Anne White, October 15, 2024

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2024 - MOVIES

 MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2024 - MOVIES

I am not a big moviegoer.  I have a hard enough time to make time to play Words With Friends, do Duolingo German, check my Facebook and e-mail - and walk 5 miles. (And, this week, I’ve only walked five miles twice).

My friend Janet invited me to go to a movie last Friday evening. Janice is a movie aficionado. She said she goes twice a week. 

So, first, I saw the movie White Bird last Friday night. In it, a grandmother tells her grandson (who has had social and acceptance issues in school) about her difficulties in France as a Jew during World War II.  

I “preach” Love Wins - and World War II was when hate overflowed. Here the grandmother’s family is taken away by the Nazis. The girl (grandmother) escapes. She gets help from a crippled classmate that she has snubbed all through school - because he is crippled. Ultimately, she learns love from the boy. Alas, about the time the Allies free France, the boy gets taken and shot. “Hate is strong”. The grandson listens to his grandmother and changes his ways.

I was born after WW2. I’ve read the stories of concentration camps, of hatred. I know the flood swept away some Nazis. Aside from that, my friend Andre, who was in the USSR, was a member of the Communist Party. He needed to be to get his position as a professor. We call it brainwashing or propaganda- but I sense we aren’t much different.  

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it” Proverbs 22:6

It can be fun to be a member of the in-crowd. The in-cross can be bullies and get away with it. 

Learning to love is the answer.

*****

The second (not entirely a) movie was Wil and Harper on Netflix. Will Ferrell (who started his extensive career on Saturday Night Live, learns that one of his closest friends from SNL transitioned to being a female.  

Will and Harper take a cross-country road trip. They meet up with old SNL friends, go to a biker bar, go to an NBA basketball (and shake hands with the governor who has recently signed strict anti-transgender legislation. Along the way, Will and Harper talk about Harper’s transition.

One of the big points for transitioning is “Do I pass?” Harper worries about passing. A few times, she doesn’t pass, and it hurts her; sometimes, she does pass, and people accept her.

*****

Both of these movies were moving. The White Bird was dark with a dark cloud of hatred over the people of France (and in particular, the Jews of France and Germany and Europe). Will and Harper get into the topic of Gender Dysphoria and passing.  

*****

It seems as though, recently, I haven’t “passed” well as a woman. At my Bible Study (which tends to be liberal), one of my friends said, “He <something>” - referring to me. In my bridge group that has been together for six years, some say “he” or “him” frequently -referring to me. 

Yes, at 6 feet 2 inches, I am tall for a woman. I have broader shoulders than women, and my shorts don’t fit well as I don’t have a big enough butt and hips to keep them up.  

I stick out in a crowd. I doubt myself as a woman. (I’m so glad I have a support group). 

I think of a Biblical character who stood out. This person ate bugs (locusts) and wild honey. He dressed strangely, and he seemed okay being outside the norm. I stand out and am outside the norm!!!

Some think I am weird when I say forgive all and love all unconditionally. 

Don’t be a hater, be a lover. 

Don’t fight back - turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, love your enemies.

Allow God to transform your mind, and be willing to be different—not just different but different from yourself! 

 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44

LOVE DOES WIN

It may take eternity, but LOVE WILL WIN.

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Romans 12:2 -:-Be transformed by the renewing of your ming

Karen Anne White, October 14, 2024

 SUNDAY FUNDAY OCTOBER 13, 2024

*****

For thirteen years, I taught at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. We checked the internet for the best fall colors. In two hours of driving, we could be at the Massachusetts/Vermont border, and then the fun began. Vermont has the most covered bridges, and New Hampshire is second. Most are near small towns on gravel roads.  

It made for a great weekend trip—to be a “leaf peeper” and a “bridge beggar.” Yes, all the tourist sites were busy. We did stay overnight frequently, but we could drive home in three hours if we wanted.  One of our favorite trips was to stay at a bed-and-breakfast at an apple orchard.

I know some of you have made that trip - and enjoyed it.

Plan ahead, get a map of the covered bridges, and go “hunting.”  

Some bridges are now walk-only, but most are still open to car traffic.  There some railroad bridges as well. 

Note - over the years, there has been vandalism, fires, wood rot, and floods.  Many bridges have been carefully restored.

*****

What do you use to mend a jack-o-lantern?  A pumpkin patch.

Who won the skeleton race?  No body. 

 
What do you get when you drop a pumpkin?  Squash.

A family of leaves was trying to change a light bulb when a squirrel walked by and asked why they hadn’t changed the bulb yet. The leaf’s response was, "We keep falling."

Who helps the little pumpkins cross the road?  The crossing gourd.

Who lives in the Hundred Acre Wood? Winnie the Boo

What happened to the turkey when he got into a fight? He got the stuffing kicked out of him!

Why is Dracula so easy to fool?  Because he’s a sucker.

What is a tree’s least favorite month?  Sep-TIMBER.

Why did the scarecrow win the Nobel Prize?  Because he was outstanding in his field. 

 What is a scarecrow’s favorite fruit?  Straw-berries.

How do leaves get from place to place? With autumn-mobiles.

What is the cutest season?  Awwwwtumn. 

What did the hat say to the scarf?  You go around while I go ahead. 

Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall? To make up for a lousy summer.

Why shouldn’t you tell a secret in a cornfield? Because the corn has ears. 

Why did summer catch autumn?  Because autumn had a fall. 

How do trees get onto the internet? They just LOG on.

*****

WRAP-UP

Personal:
This Sunday, October 13th, is Georgetown Pride.  For some of you, this is not of interest.  I’m speaking from 1:30 to 2:00 on my transformation.  It is at 814 S Church St, Georgetown, TX (diagonally from the Williamson County Tax Office and parking lot) 

Enjoy the fall weather.  The high temperatures will come down, and the low temps are great for sleeping.

*****

LOVE WINS

Karen White

 

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2024 - ART

 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2024 - ART

American Gothic -  by Grant Wood

I used to have an ongoing story on Saturdays (but they were boring, and nobody read them).  I’ve tried to have some poetry, literature, or art.  Today art.  Please understand that my platform isn’t very good with art.

John Constanstable - “The Hay Wain’

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/john-constable-the-hay-wain

This is a rural, bucolic picture of a farm wagon (used for hay) crossing a stream.  There are three (I think) horses pulling the wagon.  A dog is on the shore, and a lady is next to a house. There are two men with the wagon.  There is a broad meadow.  One fantastic image is of the clouds.  Constable has great clouds in his paintings, and these clouds are magnificent.

I’m taken back to a time when farming was done with horses and wagons - and not tractors and motorized vehicles.  My first impression is “peaceful”.  (but I’m looking, not doing).  Having once helped store hay bales in a hayloft, I know that farm work is hard.  

In my freshman year in college, with friends, we went to a variety store (not quite upscale enough to be a “department store”). I don’t remember the price, but I bought a copy of The Hay Wain for my dorm room. I’m guessing it was cheap—50 cents, maybe? Because as a freshman, I didn’t spend much money.

Picture 2

Vincent van Gogh's “Starry Night”

https://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starry-night.html

I have a copy of this picture in my apartment.  Yes, it is famous (as is The Hay Wain).  I have seen the actual image in the Yale Art Gallery on a particular loan.  

I’m not doing the picture justice to say it stirs my imagination.  The stars are gleaming, and van Gogh captures the wind.  There is a small town with some trees.  It's not quite peaceful as the wind seems to be pretty strong, but the image “speaks” to me - in an almost whimsical way.  

Picture 3

Grant Wood, Stone City

https://arthive.com/grantwood/works/379510~Stone_City_Iowa#google_vignette 

Again, it is a rural setting.  Stone City is between Cedar Rapids (where I grew up) and Anamosa, Iowa.  Grant Wood painted in Cedar Rapids.

Stone City used to be on the main road between Cedar Rapids and Anamosa. From Anamoa, you could travel to Maquoketa, where my cousins lived. When we visited our relatives, we would pass this spot where Wood painted the small town.

The last part of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church is on the left. The road crosses the Wapsipicon River.  

Grant Wood had his own style for hills and trees.  I smile when I see them.  In the foreground is a cornfield -  still early in the season. The rock quarry was still there the last time I traveled that way.  But, a “new” road now bypasses Stone City.  

*****

So, here are three pictures—all rural, all having some connection with me. As they say, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” I find these three images beautiful.

And all of these remind me that I’m not in charge of anything.  I believe there is a God - infinite, who loves me and loves us - 

And it reminds me that LOVE WINS.

And that

LOVE TRANSFORMS US

Karen Anne White, October 12, 2024

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2024 - EXCLUSITIVITY?

 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2024 - EXCLUSIVITY?

I tend to write spiritual things on Friday - and today, I’m asking a question.

First, some scriptures:

John 3:16-18

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. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 14:6

 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Romans 10:9-13

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you accept and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

*****

Matthew 22:37-39

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. 

*****

Karen’s questionable analysis,

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, infinite, all-loving, and all-merciful.

If God can only (???) accept people who accept Jesus as Savior, can a Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, etc. be saved?

***

So, if God can do anything (and everything) and wants all people to be in Heaven (whatever that is), he can make it happen. It’s not quite the situation, but if God waves a “magic wand” over a non-Christian person, boom—that person can be part of God’s kingdom.  

Catholics have a concept of purgatory, where, after death, some people may spend some “time” (whatever time is) in a waiting room. I think that the waiting room is a “mud room.” A farmer has been out feeding the pigs, cattle, horses, etc., and his (her) boots are covered in manure. The farmer enters the house through a mud room, where they strip, take off their shoes, shower, and get clean. Does that exist for all people?  To be in the perfect place, the “Holy of Holies” - we need to be clean - so - boom, the almighty God touches us and makes us perfect.   (And, of course, God could just breathe on us to cleanse us!!!)

*****

Matthew 7:1-3

 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. You will be judged in the way you judge, and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but do not notice the log in your own eye?

Romans 2:1-4

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself because you who pass judgment do the same things. We know God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.  So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

******

Okay, too much quoting of Christian Scriptures.  

I have known Christians - who, for one reason or another, have left Christianity (maybe a pastor irked and abused them).  I've known Muslims, Hindus, and others leading good lives.  

Guess what? I am NOT GOING TO JUDGE ANYBODY!!!  I not going to judge Adolf Hitler or any criminal. It’s not my job. It’s not in my job description.  As Jesus and Stephen said, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they are doing.”  

I am to love everyone - love my neighbor (and all people are my neighbors).  I understand that God’s ways are not mine (hallelujah - because I’m a sinner - hopefully forgiven by God’s mercy and compassion.  

So, I can’t totally embrace the first scriptures above. I’m not going to judge others, but I will love them.

I can only change myself.  Others have to adapt and change themselves.  (That is become transformed)

BECAUSE:

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, 

October 11, 2024

WEDNESDAY - THURSDAY - OCTOBER 9-10 - 2024 - CHINA

 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2024 - CHINA?

Okay, today I am blundering into an area I know little about - the relationship with China.

First, Other than food, many things in my apartment are made (or partially made) in China. Research shows that Canada and Mexico are our #1 and #2 trading partners, with China as #3.

Okay, I’ve bought things from Temu; I have friends who love TicToc. My phone? It was probably made at least in part in China. My this and that—it was probably made at least in part in China.

Yes, we are in a global economy.  Keeping up with the “Jones” (local competition) is now keeping up with the “Chans.” 

In such a global economy, my clothes might come from Vietnam, Sri Lanka, China, France, Italy, or the United States. Product quality can be a concern. “Is this a real Coach bag or a knockoff?”  Are the clothes (at least partially) made by a 12-year-old girl in China (concern over child labor)?  

In terms of technology, America has been a leader dating back to Henry Ford and cars and the Wright Brothers and airplanes. American universities have many international graduate students (especially from China) in technology fields. Knockoffs of computers, computing devices, tablets, circuitry, etc., are made around the world.  

Of course, politicians watch China closely.  Are they stealing our secrets?  Is TicToc gathering a vast American database?  Has TicToc touched Americans to collect information for the Chinese Government so easily? 

I bought things from Temu, a Chinese company similar to Amazon. My friend MN purchased a sofa from Temu and was disappointed.  It’s hard to return a sofa you didn’t like to an online company like Temu.  (It would have meant disassembling the couch, finding suitable shipping devices, and paying to ship it back to an American warehouse.  Ultimately, MN gave the couch away.  

Do (or did) American companies “steal” from other American companies?  While I don’t know, I suspect they do.  Ford might have had an advantage in some thing (let’s say brakes), and would Ford or Chrylster copy the idea?  (Maybe make it slightly different).

I have earrings from Temu. They were cheap—even with shipping from China—and I liked the price. I am frugal (cheap). I shop at Dollar Tree for certain things. If Dollar Tree could not sell products made (or partially made) in China, I’m guessing the store might be pretty empty.  

****

Yes, there is a concern that China is spying on the US (and … I guess that we (that is, the United States) have spies all over China - and can tell you precisely where all the essential leaders are at any given minute.  

This is a “hate game” - we spy on you, you spy on us.  We don’t trust (that is love) you, and you don’t trust (love) us.

****

Another concern is that now that the baby boomers are retiring, we are cashing in our investments, and Chinese groups are buying shares in American stocks and American farmland. (Tongue—not quite in cheek) China might have more American assets than we do!!!)

In my perfect world, where love abounds, we would love our (Chinese) neighbors as we love ourselves. And our Arab (and Jewish) neighbors and Russian (and Ukrainian) neighbors.  

Love will win - maybe not now, but in a perfect world.

Love will transform us!!!

Karen Anne White, October 10, 2024