PIONEERS AND US (10)

January 7, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Did the pioneers have something inside, that we don’t have today?

Yes, several things—one at a time here.

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Pioneers had a consistent set of values and beliefs that they were bound and determined to pass on to the next generation, intact.

It was a package—with God, family, work, the 3R’s, right and wrong, Bible, morality—known and universally sanctioned in the home and in the community.

It is referred to as ‘the old school.’

Today we scarcely even know what that package is, to pass on, much less how to pass it on.

Question before us, not faced by pioneers:

What will happen when the few people who can remember the old school are gone?

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Inspirational, Political---Cultural, Time

SUCCESSFUL SALESMANSHIP

December 31, 2022 By Leave a Comment

+ ONE—Some products are successful simply because they are so good that they sell, regardless of the salesman or salesmanship.

+ TWO—Some products are successful because the salesmanship is just too good to pass it up.

+ THREE—Some products are successful because the salesmanship is just so relentlessly repetitive, that people believe it and repeat it and buy into it whether it’s true or not.

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Successful salesmanship apples to marketing physical products.

Successful salesmanship applies to marketing ideas and cultural values as well.

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++ ONE—‘The Old School’ was a package of information, values, skills, and beliefs that families and communities accepted as a given and committed to passing on intact to the next generation. Whether they had the best techniques or not (salesmanship), everyone involved would do their part to make sure children behaved and believed and grew up to maintain what mattered.

++ TWO—Cool and clever commercials work because they catch us and we remember them. People buy the products whether they live up to the commercials or not. Campaign slogans use tried and true phrases that win elections whether the truth was told or not. Some televangelists and prosperity preachers perfect the presentation of cool, and right or wrong, the money pours in.

++ THREE—The power of evil government officials and the ‘fourth branch of the government’, the media, combine to prove once again that if you tell a lie enough times, people believe it.

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Political---Cultural

PUNISHMENT – – – GOOD, BAD, UGLY

December 17, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Parenting and Punishment

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Insult is a very poor punishment.

Pain is a necessary punishment.

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Incomplete punishment develops immunity.

Proper punishment produces regret.

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Delayed punishment is a disaster.

Swift punishment is Biblical.

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Threatened punishment is not good.

Prescribed punishment is understood.

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Negotiated punishment is the worst.

Authoritative punishment is respected.

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Uncontrolled punishment is scary.

Controlled punishment communicates.

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Insufficient punishment causes disrespect.

Appropriate punishment builds character.

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Belabored verbal punishment is abusive.

Punishment with action speaks louder than words.

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Uncertain punishment breeds more.

Definite punishment diminishes.

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Angry punishment alienates.

Loving punishment wins.

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Punishment without authority is anarchy.

Orderly punishment creates order.

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Punishment by consensus is a loose cannon.

Punishment by the Bible gives THE authority.

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Punishment for power instills hatred.

Fair punishment will be appreciated.

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Lack of punishment generates rebellion.

Consistent punishment provides security.

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Punishment for childhood clumsiness may be waived.

Punishment for willful disrespect must be decisive.

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Effective punishment is inversely proportional to volume.

The time for punishment is time for action, with calm, limited verbal reminder of the rules.

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The best behavioral expectations—and their alternate consequences—are laid out in advance.

Then, swift proper punishment may catch the disobedient by surprise, but not blindsided.

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Inspirational

MIDDLE GROUND – – – CONSEQUENCES

December 1, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Comments before the Temple City Council in Texas—December 1, 2022

DEI—LGBT—all one big agenda—never satisfied

Claims of being persecuted have been used to gain a hearing.

Media obliged, followed by compliant government and accommodating businesses.

+just want equal rights

+got it—sodomy laws revoked

+got it—gay marriage

+not enough—want public endorsement

+got it—White House lit up in rainbow lights

+got it—lots of celebration, and prominent business endorsements, in Temple, for the first ‘annual’ gay pride day—with enthusiastic expectations of  bigger and better next year

+got it—a drag queen show hailed as family friendly, open to the public, in Temple, without a word of regulation to protect children

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T has been added to LGB.

DEI is the new code to slip in their agenda.

The drag queen show in Temple is directly in sync with sexually mutilating children’s bodies irreversibly, at the altar of transgender (just like we mutilated sixty million children already).

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Do you think for a moment that it will stop here?

Do you realize there is a powerful, organized force behind all this, organized to destroy everything we hold dear in this country, this town?

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Soon, every business mission statement must include inclusion—specific wording catering to LGBT—or else you can’t do business, IN TEMPLE ? ? ?  YES, IN TEMPLE—sounds good, except for the Christian in business, IN TEMPLE ! ! !

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“Jesus Is Lord of This Business” on MY business card is not compatible with any form of LGBT/DEI.

If we do not take a stand to halt this agenda—and just let it be—guaranteed it will take over this city—lawsuits with Christians pining through the courts for years, like in other cities right now (Lorie Smith, Christian web designer in Colorado, appears before the Supreme Court Monday).

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When “the thief comes to kill, steal, and destroy” America:

+Subversion gains a foothold.

+The fringe gains publicity.

+The radical gains power.

+Evil demands endorsement.

+Good edged out to the fringe.

+Christians persecuted.

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Health, Political---Cultural

VOTE DEM = VOTE EVIL ?

November 16, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Can you find a pro-life democrat?

Do any democrats stand against the destructive lgbt agenda?

Do any democrats speak out to defend the family?

Do any democrats act in defense of religious freedom, specifically Christianity?

How many democrats fight to defend our national sovereignty by securing our borders?

How many democrats push for our immediate return to energy independence?

Have you compared the democrat party platform and the republican party platform, on each of these vital issues?

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Financial, Political---Cultural

WAR – THEN ! – – – AND NOW ?

November 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Every time I watch a World War II movie or documentary now, I have a sickening awareness of the difference between war then and the next war now.

First, there seems to be a prevailing idea, wishful thinking, that we don’t have to go to war now.

It says there should be a way around it through negotiation and compromise.

How did that work out with Chamberlain and Hitler?—nearly cost the world our freedom!

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Our experiences so far this century have further conditioned us where we can’t relate or imagine a commitment to military offensives that won wars in the past.

We are in awe when we see the shock of high-tech war conducted remotely.

Then we get weary of long-term perseverance ‘in the trenches’ to maintain the overnight gains of ‘shock and awe.”

We forget too soon when bad leaders horribly failed us in Benghazi and Afghanistan, because there are so many more disasters coming at us.

WW II warfare seems so far away, from another planet—indeed, like a movie, not real life—not like anything we might experience today.

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The United States was always the powerhouse that the world could fall back on, to stop the bad guys around the world.

This country is faltering now, severely, and accounts for my sickening feeling that we will not be repeating ‘coming to the rescue’ of other people threatened by historical bullies.

Why did I just say we will not rescue the oppressed and defeat the evil again?

Because we can’t.

Because the leaders don’t want to.

Because the leaders of America today are the bullies, the bad guys, the evil.

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And all the other bad actors around the world are boldly salivating over destroying America the Beautiful and devouring the remains.

There isn’t really anything left standing in their way.

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The remaining good guys, the remnant, will stand and sacrifice to resist all the evil mounted against our blessed freedom, as long as we can.

We will pay a high price for believing in the right and fighting for our families, just like freedom lovers and Christians have in the past.

Those who still believe in the God of the Bible like our founding fathers did, will again find the courage to pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

It remains true that there is “no greater love than for one to lay down his life for his brothers.”

Ultimately (the bottom line), “Do not fear him who is able to destroy the body, but not the soul; rather, fear Him Who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.”

Filed Under: Educational, Faith Based, Family, Inspirational, Political---Cultural

PIONEERS AND US (5)

October 5, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Most pioneers did not have many things, at least not at first.

They usually knew what they were going to be up against before they set out.

The attraction of adventure and independence, and the challenge of unknown tough times, were more valuable than gaining a lot of things.

Today, most of us have a lot of stuff, and much of our effort is spent getting, or dreaming, of more stuff.

Then, one of the most striking demonstrations of our accumulation of stuff—more stuff than we can handle—is the booming business of storage.

How do we change, so our blessings of stuff do not become a curse?

Watch a lot of wholesome movies about pioneers, and let some of their life rub off on you.

Filed Under: Educational, Family, Inspirational, Political---Cultural

LIFEMARK

September 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Must see—true story—movie came out September 9—in theaters one week, then extended, based on response.

Try to see it the first weekend—you may likely want to invite others then.

From everything I’ve seen and heard—this movie tops the list—I want everyone I know to see it.

lifemarkmovie.com

Filed Under: Faith Based, Family, Inspirational, Movie Review, Political---Cultural

STORING UP TREASURES

September 10, 2022 By Leave a Comment

An object lesson at my funeral/memorial service at Jones Park in Temple, Texas.

A small U-Haul trailer parked on site.

Two signs posted on the door:

Jesus said, “Do not lay up treasures . . .”

Jesus said, “Do lay up treasures . . .”

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Open the door—it’s empty, obviously.

A sign inside says, “Larry sent it all ahead.”

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Steve, my pastor, would explain in his message:

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

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I want Daddy’s legacy to be my legacy—he constantly shared those words of Jesus, and applied them in practice in his life.

Filed Under: Faith Based, Family, Financial, Inspirational

PIONEERS – – – AND US (4)

August 19, 2022 By Leave a Comment

Pioneers spent amazing amounts of time growing food, preparing food, washing clothes—and yet they visited and helped each other freely.

They just did what they had to do, and seemingly didn’t worry about it like we do.

We have dozens of time-saving devices, and yet we are challenged to fit in helping, scheduling time for, people in need.

We decry that we can’t, or don’t, stop spontaneously to visit friends or neighbors, or even relatives.

Filed Under: Family, Time
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