“There is perhaps nothing more startling for the humanity than how most people start moving in one direction on given a call, without even giving a second thought as in which way they are heading.” ― Anuj Somany, Marketing Manager, Civil Engineering, India

Hello and welcome where we will be celebrating Tuesday all day long on this July 19, 2016. I think most of you have noticed by now, that I do attempt to stay informed, generally speaking. I'm not sad to report that I am clueless regarding this new game app called Pokemon Go. The game sends people to places in order for them to continue playing. They have to go to the designated place. Some people have gone to the designated place and have been robbed. Others have been hit by a car as they attempt to progress in the game. Two men had to be rescued after walking off a 90-foot cliff as they pursued the game. I don't know how the game works, but obviously, the results are not all positive. Gerry Beyer, Governor Preston E. Smith Regents Professor of Law at Texas Tech University School of Law warns: "Pokemon users will have all sorts of accidents as they use the program while walking, biking, driving, etc." I see many of our friends on Facebook along with their children who are actively participating in this craze. One wonders how long before the lawsuits come flying from every corner of the universe. Let me be clear. I am speaking from ignorance in terms of the actual game itself, but, anyone can see bad things are happening to some people who are engaged in playing it. The thought came to me about Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign, "Just Say No". My gut says that just might be a good response to Pokemon Go. No. I am not a card carrying Fuddy Duddy, however, I'm sure I qualify to carry one and it would likely have oak leaf clusters.

I glanced over a list of the prime time TV Emmy award nominations. There are oodles of them. This will be the 68th year they have given out awards for the 'best' that TV has to offers. A total of 99% of the programs we watch regularly were not on the list. The official list looked to me like what one might expect. Everything promoting a morally perverted view of life, marriage, sexuality, or other norm-busting concepts made the list. It was like reading through a textbook definition of how to apply modern political correctness. We didn't get a TV until I was going on nine years old. That means I missed quite a few of the early Emmy Award programs. (It's a joke, you can laugh.) American Ninja Warrior made the list as a nominee. We do watch that if we are home. 'The Voice' made it. We watched a number of those, especially towards the end. The PBS - BBC Masterpiece series 'Sherlock' made the list along with a best actor in a drama series nomination for Benedict Cumberbatch. We like that program. 'Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives' with Chef Guy Fieri was nominated. That's the only Food Network program I watch. I've not cared for that network since they more or less ran Emeril off. (I suppose I do know how to hold a grudge.) There may have been a news special or two in the mix that I caught but the rest of it did not make our Must See list. Okay. I admit it. We are not their target audience. I'm more concerned about why RFDTV hasn't made the promised new episodes of the Marty Stuart Show, and, why they haven't resolved the problems they are currently having with another of our favorites, Mollie of the Mollie B Polka Party. See what I mean? I suppose we fall into the pitiful category. Do we get any recognition for that?

We have so much going on in the world today. Terrible things are happening in far-flung places. These events do have the potential to impact the safety and well-being of us all. However, it is hard to even take in what's happening around the world when we have such madness unfolding every day in our own nation. When I hear American experts taking on the problems of security and safety in places like Brazil at the upcoming Olympics, often in a condescending manner, I can't help but wonder why they are not applying their supposed superior knowledge to solving problems closer to home. These are such sad times as we witness one funeral procession after another. Hate is front and center. America needs healing and while I know people of faith can sound like the proverbial broken record, we really do need God. I do think one must be very careful when attempting to tag verses from The Scriptures without understanding the context and application when it was written. While I see the well-known verses from 2 Chronicles Chapter 7 being posted here, there, and everywhere, there are some general principles we can take from what is presented: "If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land." The 'I' is obviously God Himself speaking. The 'My people' is God's chosen nation, Israel. The situation is God's desire to get their attention by His moving to withhold rain, and in destroying their crops. This is a specific situation involving God and His relationship with Israel. What do we see in this passage that gives us instruction for today? There is a call for humbling, for prayer, and for a turning away from evil on the part of those who know God. That is good advice when a nation, any nation, needs to hear from God. Expecting unbelievers to suddenly do these things is not going to happen, but, you and I, along with all people of true faith can follow these commands from God and we will hear from Him and our nation will be impacted as a result. Amen. ....More later.