“Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.” ― Robert E. Howard

I just checked. Guess what? Things are still a mess in Washington D.C. Yep. As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Especially, if it has to do with politicians power and their personal interests. That's what I have that's making a swishing sound in my noggin this morning, on this Tuesday, February 13, 2018. You know things must be bad when younger guys who almost never pay much attention to the political functioning of our nation come up to you and ask what you think is going to happen. To be honest, I have to tell them I don't really know, but, I do know that God does and I trust Him, completely. They glean that we are in trouble based on the soundbites they hear and the teaser headlines they see. Turmoil. Angst. Upheaval. Name calling. Gridlock. Threats. Stock market volatility. A threat of nuclear attack. And, the list could go on and on. It's no wonder they are nervous and perplexed concerning the future of our Republic. Here again, I think trying to predict in these unsettled times is a fool's errand, however, if, the tumult of the times causes us to stop and consider the God who is in control, then, I submit that to be a positive response. We all caught a momentary glimpse of America seeking God immediately following the 9-11 attacks. It was an amazing experience to see that God was at the forefront of our collective heart. Easy to say, very hard to do, but, wouldn't it be wonderful if it could be that way, all the time? Something for us all to think about even as we deal with the times we live in. May God help. Amen.

One thing I've learned. It's okay not to know. Maybe that has come with age. I can remember being in a past career where not knowing something could be the kiss of death. It was an environment where the adage was turned upside down because not knowing equated to failure. Or, it seemed that way. Looking back, I can't be certain if this fear of not knowing something was real or if it was perceived. Regardless, it had its impact and almost no one ever could openly admit they didn't know something. That kind of craziness will keep you up at night. People come up to me often and hit me with that strange question about a particular Bible passage. I immediately tell them I do have an answer. Often, that answer is, "I really don't know, maybe you could tell me why it is important to you." I have found that we all tend to focus on the novelty of areas that may be unclear. Here's a quote attributed to Mark Twain,  "It’s not the parts of the Bible that I don’t understand that worry me. It’s the parts I do understand." I'm not saying some of these obscure matters are not interesting to discuss, but, in the overarching purpose of God's instruction to us in His word, they really do not amount to much at all. I, at one time, would have had difficulty saying I didn't know something when asked about a particular Bible question. Not anymore. Like Twain, the stuff I do understand keeps me humble and busy. How about you?

Superstar fawned over at the Olympics, sister representing her brother, the brutal dictator of North Korea, whose crimes are so heinous they have been dubbed as crimes against humanity.

I kept up with the opening of the Winter Olympics last Friday off and on during the day via an internet feed of a TV broadcast in English from a South Korean TV outlet. The news about the North Korean delegation pretty much overwhelmed any focus on or about the athletes and the competition. We later watched the games at home on the four different channels available on satellite. I don't know about you, but, I am not for sports people becoming commentators on world geopolitical matters. I think I saw the sister of the North Korean dictator so many times, if the sound wasn't going, one would think she was either the star of the show or maybe the winner of some world talent contest. The Russians are banned from competing because of proven doping allegations. The rest of the athletes breathed a sigh of relief with this sentiment, "Finally!" Wait just a moment. A reprieve has been granted to some of the Russians but they cannot compete for their country. They are listed as Olympic Athletes from Russia (OARs, if you will.). Are you kidding me? The North Korean gambit along with the Russian convoluted confusion, well, that may account for the precipitous drop in ratings on the mainline coverage in the USA. I think the curling competition is interesting. I like to see it for maybe 30 seconds at a time. I read about the quirky North Korean cheerleaders who outnumber the athletes from their country. I haven't seen them yet. I'm not inclined to care if I do or not. Maybe my interest will heat up as this week progresses. (Pun intended.) Oh yeah, just me, but I chased every alternative to try and not hear anything being said by Katie Couric. Don't write me. We all have the right to choose and we do happen to enjoy some TV reruns of yesteryear, even if they didn't have 'living color' back then. Take care now, you hear? May God bless each one. Amen. ....More later.