"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" ~ Isaiah 5:20

Hello and welcome to Thursday's edition, this one clocks itself in as officially published on August 9, 2018. The other day the wife and I were driving down the road. (She driving, me riding.) We caught one of Dr. Ed Young's radio broadcasts for that week. He is the long-time senior pastor of the mega 2nd Baptist Church, Houston. He ran a clip of the mayor of Chicago blasting Chick-fil-A for planning to open a store there. Mayor Rahm Emanuel is the former chief of staff for President Obama. He said this company was not welcome as he claimed that Chick-fil-A did not share Chicago values. Dr. Young responded by saying the folks a Chick-fil-A sell chicken. They sell chicken to anyone who comes into their establishments. Chicken. Different choices, but, chicken. Dr. Young then shared the national statistics of where Chicago ranks in all types of social and crime categories. It was appalling, and one really stood out to me, the number of attempted suicides among school-aged children. We listened. Fast forward to this week. Just the day before yesterday, I watched Mayor Emanuel tearfully addressing the community regarding the 74 people shot, 12 fatally, this past weekend in Chicago. He mentioned how that police and community investments are not enough. He said they needed a return to the values of right and wrong, that parents had to become parents again. My point? Here is a mayor of Jewish heritage who welcomed and embraced with open arms, Louis Farrakhan, one whose violent hatred for the Jewish people is well known. Yet, because the President of Chick-fil-A, commenting as a private citizen, stated his support for what he believes is the Biblical definition of marriage, well, the entire company, who has never discriminated against anyone, is unwelcome in Chicago. I'll let everyone come to their own conclusions on this one.

That's the officer with the arrow pointing towards him. That would be us on the stage.

Sometimes it just pays to be Santa. It can come in handy. The other day, I and our eldest, Chris, were out and about to fetch a part for a plumbing issue at our house. We've lived in the same house since 1984. It was actually built in the early 1970's. It has always seemed to have had a mind of its own when it comes to fixing any problems that come up. At any rate, we were on our way back from the hardware store and Chris may have been driving a wee bit over the limit on that particular roadway. One of the county's finest made a U-turn and caught up with us. The officer approached our vehicle and asked if there was a reason for us to be driving that fast. He asked if it was an emergency. Chris told him he was only working on a plumbing issue. I told the officer it was somewhat of an emergency since he was there helping me. I then hollered out to the deputy, "Hey, I know you. You were the master of ceremonies for the sheriff's department Blue Elf charity function. Well, I was your Santa." The officer looked into the car and said, "You sure were." He took the information and returned to his vehicle, came back, and issued a warning instead of a ticket. Several years ago, Chris was driving and we had the same thing happen. A state trooper stopped us. Too fast. I saw him and immediately recognized him because he dated and later married the daughter of one of our wonderful couples in our Church. I did the same thing. "I know who you are." The trooper, "Sir, you do? Because I don't think I recognize you." Of course, he didn't. The 'Santa' beard. Once I told him who I was he did the same thing. He wrote us a warning. I may not see people when they are sleeping, however, when it comes to using my Christmas connection, be forewarned, if needed I will use it. I will.

They have a life story feature in Facebook. I've never used it. I see notifications from time to time where people have added to their story. I suppose, for me, my story is, more or less, reflected in the blogs I've written. Being an effective storyteller, well, that's a different kettle of fish altogether. I threw that kettle deal in there because I'm not sure I've ever used it before. My point is, that while everyone has a story, not everyone can communicate their story in a way that makes it interesting to those reading it or hearing it. Most experts agree the greatest American storyteller of all time was Mark Twain. He wrote much about the work involved in telling a good story. He actually would tell stories on stage. However, he confessed how difficult it was. Making stories entertaining is tough. Mark Twain wanted his stories to connect. He said if it was a funny story, he would try it out on his family or friends before sharing it on stage. He also knew many who believed their stuff to be funny but those hearing did not necessarily agree. I'm certainly not suggesting in any way that I am in the same universe with someone like him. Yet, when I put pen to paper or keystroke to blogger utility, I am engaged in the same kind of activity. I enjoy writing things that bring a smile but my stuff is not all about fun and games. (Refer back to today's opening paragraph.) To set the proper context, let me quote myself from my very first blog, published on May 9, 2007, "One final thought in this opening monologue: I know that without God as the foundation of my life through my identity with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, there would be little hope in all the ups and downs encountered in this journey called life." May that always be the foundational truth upon which I live out my life, and tell my story. Amen. .....More later.