Issues of Frustration & Trust

You Know, Someone just Recently Sent me a Comment that I did not Post.  Mostly it was because it Seemed more Like a Personal Message to me, then Like Something that Needed to be Posted.  The Truth is, though, his Message has Stimulated some Thought.

There were a Number of Themes in it that I'd Like to Respond to and the First one is Frustration.  It's just Like I said to Beth, Beneath an Earlier Post, "As a Person who Struggles with Depression on Occasion, it is Interesting how Often People will Tell me to Stop Doing a Particular Thing that I am Doing at the Time in which I am Talking to them, as if Giving Up that One Item is going to be the Solution to a Life Long Problem."

It just so Happens that Frustration is a Part of Life.  Life isn't Perfect and because of this, we are Never Going to be Experiencing Exactly Everything in the Exact Way that we would Like to be Experiencing it and Unfortunately, this Reality Brings with it at Least Some Level of Frustration.  This is why it Puzzles me that People will Tell me to Run Away the Minute I Admit to some Frustration, as if they Think that the Existence of such Frustration is Something that can Actually be Avoided.

Another Thing Worth Noting is that just because I Admit Frustration does not Mean that I am being in some way "Dominated" by the Frustration.  I believe that is the Word my Blogger Friend Used.  To Me, the Challenge is to NOT "Submit" to the Various Levels of Frustration that will Inevitably always be in my Life.

Some People may Find it Odd when they Hear me Say that I Prefer Stress to Boredom and yet to me, Boredom is What Results whenever we Succeed at Removing all Stress from our Lives.

The Next Theme that I'd Like to Respond to is Trust.  My Friend was Absolutely Right when he said that we Need to Trust Ourselves First.  This Really is True, for we Need to First Trust Our Own Judgment about who is Trust Worthy and Who is not.  We Also Need to Trust Our Own Level of Self-Discipline in not Giving in to Things when we shouldn't.  If we are Afraid that Someone is Going to Steer Us Down the Wrong Path, then at Least Part of that is Trusting Ourselves that we are not Going to Allow that to Happen, for we are not Going to Follow if we do not Like the Direction that the Person is Going in.

Trust Does Indeed Begin with us, yet Part of that Involves Deciding who not to Trust and that is where the Responsibility of the One who Desires to be Trusted Comes in, for Trust is Earned and should Never just be Expected.  If Someone Refuses to Even Try to Work to Earn Trust and Respect, then they Deserve the Lack of Such that they are Given.

I'd like to Thank my Friend for Inspiring this Post.  I Know that there are Others who would Like to Take Credit for Saying Similar Things as this to me, yet the Credit Goes to the One who Said these Things to me more Recently, because his Delivery of the Information was both Humble and Respectable.

Penguin Goes Shopping

Here's Something Cute that was Recently Sent to me through Email.  Aren't you Proud of Me?  I Figured Out how to Post the Video Direct, rather than Posting a Link to it.  Ok.  I'm a Little Slow, but Check this Out!  It's Really Cute!!

The Sun, The Wind, Dominants & Submissives

Ok.  Maybe I Will be Submitting this One.  I didn't Know Yesterday, when I Posted, that I would be Posting two Days in a Row and yet somehow it Seems like the Appropriate Time to Submit this.

Here are just a Few Thoughts that I've been Recently Thinking about.  The First is about the Story of the Competition Between the Sun and the Wind.

The Sun and the Wind were Talking about a Man Walking Below them who had his Coat on and they Both Claimed that they could Influence the Man to Take his Coat Off.  The Wind Went First and Tried to Use Force.  He Blew and Blew and Blew in the Attempt to Blow the Coat Off of the Guy, but the Harder the Wind Blew, the More the Man Clung to the Coat, so the Wind was Unsuccessful in Forcing the Man to Do as the Wind was Insisting on.

Next, the Sun Took a Turn.  Instead of Force, the Sun Simply Used Warmth.  The Sun Came Out and Shown Brightly, Warming Up the Air Until, Guess What?  The Man Removed his Coat of his Own Free Will, without being Forced in any Way to Do so.

So what is the Moral of the Story.  Well, the Warmth of Love is more Effective than any Form of Forceful Persuasion.

I've Know this for a Very Long Time and yet Applying it is so Very Hard to do.  Sometimes the Way in which People Resist us and at Times Behave in Ways that we Consider Inconsiderate just Cause us to Feel Angry to the Point in which Our Love Dries Up, yet Applying Our Own Source of Forceful Wind does not Alleviate the Problem.

As Difficult as it is, the Lord Says that we are to "Turn the Other Cheek" (v. 39), "Go the Extra Mile" (v. 41), "Give to him who Asks of us" (v. 2) and "Pray for our Enemies" (v. 44).  (Matthew 5:39-44)

Here is where I have Struggled in Relation to this...

I've Discovered that there are People Out there who have Divided the World into Dominants and Submissives and who Appear to Believe that the Above Verses are for those who are Submissive by Nature.  I Hated this because the Above Verses are not just for "Submissives", but for Everyone.  The Other Reason that I Hated this is because if a "Submissive" does Apply the Above, God does not Get the Glory, for if Submissiveness is in some People's Nature, then those who are Submissive get the Credit for Acting in Accordance with their Own Nature and it is not God who Gets the Glory.

The Other Problem with Dividing the World into Dominants and Submissives is that Submissives then, get Taken for Granted.  They are Viewed as People who are just Acting in Accordance to their Nature and the Full Extent of the Sacrifice that is being Made is not Recognized.  This Results in Lack of Appreciation and a Disregard for their Needs.

What such a Dominant doesn't Realize is that these Verses were Written for Everyone, not just for Submissives and that the Principle that the Sun Persuades Better than the Wind is Still True, even for those who are Dominant.  Submissives are Human Beings and Human Beings do not Always Behave as they Should.  Even if there is Submissiveness in that Person's Nature, the Dominant is Still Required to be Warm, rather than Cold and Forceful.

What I have Said is Actually Quite Conservative in Nature, for I Know that Some would go even Further with the Idea in Favor of these "So Called 'Submissives'" by saying that there is no such thing and we are all Equal.

Excessive People Pleasing. Still Overwhelmed.

You Know, I've been Feeling Overwhelmed now for Quite Awhile and it is not Letting Up.  It's Frustrating how Blogging can be at Times.  I Watch my Hit Counter and when I See the Number of Hits Drop a Little, I Feel Compelled to Post again and it is not as if I do not have a Post Ready that I could Submit, yet here's the Problem...

I Know that if I was to Post the  Post I'm Referring to, it would Open Up a whole other Can a Worms and since I'm Feeling Overwhelmed by Worms already on a Number of Other Blogs, it would not be Wise for me to Submit my Next Post at this Time.  You see, here's the Thing...

I have a Tendency to be Overly Submissive and to at Least one of my Other Bloggers, even that is a Can of Worms, yet I'm going to Try and Explain this anyway.  There is an Unhealthy Form of Submissiveness and this is what Causes my Stress.

Let me Start by Saying that I Expect too much of myself.  Even the Expectation that I should Post when my Hit Count Drops can be at Times an Unreasonable thing to Expect because I can become Overwhelmed by the Commenters if there is more Activity than I can Handle.

The Reason why I Started with the Idea of Excessive Submissiveness, though, is Because a lot of what I Expect from myself comes from what I Think Others Expect from me.  This Includes Expectations such as Don't Speak Unless you can Prove Everything that you say.  This is a rather High Expectation for me because I am Slow at Web Research and even Arguments that do not Require Web Research Take Time to Think Through and Present to those I'm Dialoguing with.  Sometimes I just Plain Fall Short of this Goal and when I am Judged because of it, this Causes Stress.

Another Expectation is that when I am Challenged, I Need to Offer a Defense in a Timely Manner.  Again, if I do not Meet this Expectation, I Risk being Judged and being Judged or Misunderstood causes me Stress.

The Most Serious Excessive Submission Problem, though, is Caused by the Fact that I Feel Compelled to Respond Positively to most every Request that Sounds Reasonable to me at First.  A Good Example of this is the Request that I Visit a Certain Person's Blog and Offer my Input.  This wouldn't be so Bad if this was the End of the Request, yet Unfortunately the Expectations Continued and Turned to Don't say anything that you can not Give Full Support to within a Certain Time Frame.

Apparently, I can't Handle High Expectation Blogs because I am just too Limited in my Ability and Speed at Doing Web Research.  This Particular Blog that I am Referring to has been Highly Stressful for me and I Never Should have Honored the Initial Request that I Visit the Blog and Give my Input.  It was my Excessive Submissive Tendencies that Led to this Stress.

Some have Called this Sickness "People Pleasing" and what it Basically Consists of is the Inability to Say No.  I Keep Working on this Problem, so that I can Experience more Peace and Less Stress in my Life, yet I Continue to Struggle with this Weakness and Experience Stress because of it.

I want to Apologize if I have Allowed my Recent Stress to Cause me to be Rude to at Least one of my Commenters.  Even if such an Apology is not Required, I'm Doing it anyway because I have a Personal Need to.  Don't you see, even Honoring a Suggestion that I shouldn't Apologize would be a Form of People Pleasing and I Need to Stop doing that cause it is the Cause of my Stress.

Black and White Thinking; The Definition is Gray.

Once in Awhile, I am Inspired by my New Friend Man of Wonder and he has been Inspiring me in Relation to that Black and White Idea, mostly because that is Stated as the Main Theme in his Blog.  I'm Finding that the Concept of Black and White can be Understood in Quite a Number of Ways.  Some of them are Negative and Some are Positive.  I Realized this, as I was Writing Responses to Man of Wonder on his Blog, and then Later, as I thought of a Response to him on my Own Blog, that I've Decided not to Post Until Now.  Here is what I was Thinking of Writing to him below the Next Post Down,  Why do People Believe What they do?....

"There is just Something about Sloppy Thinking, Boy Wonder, that just Seems to Stir Anger within us, in the Flesh.  1)So Many People Out There just do not Know what is Black and White and What is Not.  2)Some Call what is Gray, Black or White and 3)some Call what is Black, White and what is White, Black."

Now to Show you What I Mean by the Different Meanings of the Black and White Concept, in the Context of the First Sentence Above, in which Black and White is Mentioned, it Means that which is Simple and Obvious, as well as Absolute and in the Context of the Second Sentence after that, the First Usage or the Words Black and White is about what is Confused and/or Relative being Called Obvious and/or Absolute and the Second Usage of them Refers to what is Right (White) and Wrong (Black).

Now Read that Paragraph again and see what you get out of it.

Now, for those of you who are Caught up in the Gray (that is Confusion), Some Things are Indeed Black and White (Clear and Obvious, as well as Absolute, or the Same for Everyone), but not Everything is Black and White.  Some Things are not Clear Cut and Obvious and also not Absolute, for Some Things are Gray (Relative) to a Person and/or Situation.

As to the Definition of Black and White as Nothing More than Simple, rather than Complex, Yes, we can "Over Complicate" with Irrelevant Details, yet we can also "Over Simplify", by Assuming that Everything Works According to Our Own Perception on Things or Our Own Point of View, while not Realizing that not Everyone is the Same and that the Way we are Viewing Things May be Beneficial to Oneself, but not to the Other Person (Relative, Rather than Absolute).  Perhaps it would be better not to be quite so Dogmatic in out Thinking.

You See, Black and White can Mean a Lot of Things and some of them are Negative and some of them are Not.  For Example, when Black and White Means Basic and Simple, this is not Necessarily a Negative, but when Black and White Means According to MY Point of View, or "My Way or the High Way", this is a Negative.

Also, When I Say that some of Life is Gray, at Least Part of What this Means is that Sometimes Things are not As they Seem.  Or Put another Way, Things are Foggy and Confused, Not as Easy to Understand as they Seem, or there is "more there than at first Meets the Eye" and this could also Mean that some things are Relative, rather than Absolute.

Now, as a Review of a Few of the Links that I had Referred to in an Earlier Post,  these Links; (Thoughts on Standing Beside a Bomb in a Crowded Square &  Black and White Thinking doesn't Work in a Gray World); Place the Idea of Black and White Thinking in a Very Negative Light.  The First of these Links Actually Places Black and White Thinking Right Along Side of Extremism and the Second just Explains why Black and White Thinking, as Described in the Article, does not Work in the Real World.  Both of these Links Came from a Post at Dave Millers Blog, The War on Extremism.  I Agree with what is Said in these Linked Articles.  The Problem, though, is this...

If Sometimes Black and White Thinking is Understood According to the Given Linked Articles, than Later when someone Uses the Same Terminology to Describe what is Simple, rather than complex, then the One Who Means Only Simple, and not Complex, will not be Judged Fairly for what he or she Says if the Readers are thinking instead about some of the more Negative Definitions of the Terms, Black and White.

There Obviously is a Negative Form of Black and White Thinking, yet this Concept has been Used in so Many Different Ways that Perhaps we Need to be Clear in Our Definitions before Throwing such Words Around.

Why do People Believe What they do?

Perhaps some People Believe the Way they do because of a Bad Experience.  If the Bad Experience was with a Business, then they become a Democrat.  If the Bad Experience was with the Government, then they become Republican.  None of This has Anything to do with Believing in Something because it is the Correct Way to Believe.  This is all Based on Emotion and thus, it Clouds Sound Judgment.

 

Sometimes the Object of One's Anger is One's Parents and therefore in Protest, they Choose the Opposite Political Persuasion of the One's who Raised them.  This is Quite the Opposite of what is Often Said that we Believe what we Believe because we were Raised to Believe that way.  In Truth, Quite Often, just the Opposite is True, for Out of Protest or Rebellion, we choose to Believe the Opposite, rather than the Same, as those who Raised us.

 

I Really Truly do Like to Believe that what I Believe is Rational, rather than Emotional, for I Look at it Like This.  If Some People are Angry at the Government and therefore Become Republicans and Some People are Angry at Businesses and therefore Become Democrats, then the Right Conclusion to Come to is that BOTH the Government and also Businesses have the Ability to be Irresponsible and Cause Pain.  Since this is True, Neither Position is Fully Correct, because it Places Blame on Only One of the Two Parties, when, In Fact, BOTH are at Fault.  Therefore, the Conclusion of it all is Balance, not Extremes.  This Makes Perfect Sense to me and I do not see how such a Position can in any way be Based on Emotion, rather than Reason.

 

The Actual Answer to the Political Dilemma is that we Need  Ideas from Both Parties and Neither One Should Have Total Control and get Everything that they Want.

More False Assumptions/Prejudice/Conditioned Anger Responses

My Mind is so Very Very Full Right Now and yet I Wish that I could Find the Peace I Need in Order to Move Forward in my Blog.  Usually when I Feel Like this, I have a Tendency to just Brain Storm.

Let's see.  There is the Subject of Prejudice or should I call it Pre-Judgment.  Though the Definition of the Word Prejudice is, In Fact, Pre-Judgment, even so, the Last Time I was Jotting a Few Things Down on the Subject, I Found myself saying Pre-Judgment, rather than Prejudice and the Main Reason is because the Word Prejudice is too Often Connected with Racism, as if Racism is the Only Type of Pre-Judgment there is.  I've Decided to Make my Posts on the Subject Broader than that and here I go again.

Perhaps I'm too Stuck on this Subject, yet I'm Finding that I have a Conditioned Anger Response to being Misjudged and it has Nothing to do with Racism.  Could it be Possible that Misjudging and Accusing is another Form of the Same Thing as Racism?  Think about it.  Racism is a Pre-Judgment Based on the Color of One's Skin.  Why is a False Accusation any Less of a Pre-Judgment, Based on Whatever?  Why should this be Considered any Less Offensive?  Why Should someone Who is Experiencing Racism be Any More Justified in their Anger than someone who has been Falsely Accused of Racism, or for that Matter, of anything Else?  There are those Out There that have a Conditioned Anger Response to anything that Appears to be Racism, rather it Truly is or not, and then there are Others Out There who have a Conditioned Anger Response to being Falsely Accused.  Put these Two Personalities together and what you've Got is a Real Disaster.

Wow!!  That Brain Storming Session Came Out more Clearly than Expected.

I'll just Add more Later in the Comment Section.

Loss of an Angel

I was Saddened when I heard about this one.

John Dye, "Touched By and Angel" Star, Died at 47.

Interesting Vedio of Cars During a Flood

If you guys Need a Break from all these Politics, here is something Interesting to Watch.  The Credit for Bringing this to my Attention Goes to ManofWonder, the Author of One of the Blogs I Watch Entitled Black or White is a Choice.  Enjoy!

False Assumptions/Racism/Socialism/Health Care/Etc.

Well, when I Wrote the Below Post, I wasn't Expecting the Type of Comments that I Received, though I Mentioned the Accusation of Racism as One of the Main False Assumptions in Relation to Other's Motives, the Subject that Emerged was that which Liberals Think are False Assumptions about Obama being a Socialist, as well as Socialized Medicine.  I Allowed it because I Figured that the Subject of False Assumptions could Actually be quite Broad.

As a Quick Review of the Previous Post, Aside from Issues of Racism, I also Talked about how People Assume they Know the Motives of those who have Decided to No Longer Participate in a Conversation.

When Talking about Accusations of Racism, I Discussed the Mosque.  I Guess I Could Add Something that someone Said on Malcolm's Blog, which is that I Guess there was a Mosque that was Destroyed when the World Trade Center was Destroyed, yet as I Understand it, it was much Smaller than what they are Planning to Build Now in Order to Replace it.

I Guess Things can Get Very Confused at Times and it is no Longer Clear who is the Most Assuming the Motives of the Other.   Are the Liberals Assuming the Motive of Racism or are those Opposing the Mosque Assuming the Motives of those who want to Build the Mosque?  My Guess is that Both of these Things are Occurring.  Politics are so Emotional and No One Seems to Give Anyone the Benefit of a Doubt for anything.

I Also Discussed Amnesty and Illegal Immigration and Reasons for Certain Positions other than that of Racism.  And I Discussed Voting Against Obama.

Another Problem with Accusations of Racism is that Some People will Use this as a Means of Preventing all Criticism and Challenge, because any Accusation at all will be Taken as an Act of Racism, yet People Criticize and Challenge other People all that Time and this has nothing to do with Race.

I'm Really Surprised that so Little was Said About Racism in the Comment Section of the Below Post.  Please do Feel Free do Do so here, yet if you Prefer, I am also Opened to Continuing the Discussion about Socialism and Health Care or about anything else that you Feel the Opposing Side has Made False Assumptions about.

Assuming Motives, False Assumptions & Racism

You know, it's Funny.  When I Write Posts like the One Below this One, what I am Really Waiting for and Maybe even Fishing for is for Someone Else to Inspire me to Write Something in the Way in which they Comment on what I've Said and it just so Happens that the First to Respond to me was Malcolm and the Subject that he has Inspired is that of Racism, as well as the False Accusations of Racism.

I have just been Responding to One of His Posts, Heroes and Villains, and Feeling sort of Tired while doing so.  If you Like, you can go there and Read the Post, as well as my Response to it.  Before Getting into the Subject of Racism, I'd Like to Talk about something else that Relates to the Judging of People's Motives.

In the Next Post Down from this One, I was just Explaining to Malcolm how I haven't Figured Out a System yet for Deciding what to Read and what not to and When I Get too Caught Up in Responding on Other Blogs, I Neglect my Own Blog.  This Problem has Lead to the Problem of Deciding whether or not there are People I should Ignore, as well as also Wondering how I should go about Doing so.

The Problem is that People have a Tendency to Assume the Motives of those who Ignore them and Think that it is because we have nothing more to say and have Run Out of Good Arguments, yet the Reality is that People can Only do so much and Some People who Appear Unwilling to Learn anything from any of the Arguments that are Presented are not Worthy of the Time that it Takes in Order to Continue to Argue with them.  This is One Assumption that I Absolutely Hate, especially when I Feel Over Whelmed and Have no Choice but to Ignore.

Also, the Stress that Causes my Feeling of Being Over Whelmed is Usually Caused by More than One Source and for any One of those Sources to Assume that they are the Primary Cause of my Discomfort and Incorrectly Assumed Lack of Things to Say would again be Assuming my Motives Incorrectly.

False Assumptions is also the Main Problem with the Accusation of Racism.  It Assumes Motive and such can not be Proved.  About the Only Accusation that is Legitimate is that of Name Calling, yet even that must be Proved.  If there are some who say that such Happened and Others that Deny it, then it is Simply One Person's Word Against Another.

There are Possible Motives for Objecting to the Mosque at Ground Zero, for Example, other than Racism.  The Primary Complaint is the Location, not the Building of the Mosque.  To Assume Racism is to Assume Motive and it is not Possible to Know that to be the Motive.

There are also other Possible Motives for Objecting to Amnesty and Illegal, rather than Legal, Immigration.  Mostly the Reason for this is that Offering all these Programs to Illegals is Bankrupting Certain States and also Our Country.  This is Actually Part of the Health Care Problem as well, yet no One Wants to Look at that Side of the Issue.  Wouldn't it be Better to just Make Legal Immigration Easier?

You can't call these things Racism, for such is just Side Stepping the Valid Reasons Offered for these Positions.

I shouldn't have to Mention this one, but Assuming that all those who Voted Against Obama did so because of Racism is Equally Invalid.  Come On!!  Do you Honestly Believe that there is no Other Reason than that for Voting against a Very Strongly Left Leaning Democrat?  Give me a Break!!

Though my Focus was Race in this Post, the Comments Took Off in the Direction of False Assumptions Relating to Obama being a Socialist, the Economy & Health Care.  My Next Post is Meant to be a Continuation of this Post and any Further Discussion about Either Racism or False Assumptions of any Kind.

Still Here, just Feeling Over Whelmed.

When I Get Behind, I just Feel Over Whelmed.  I Got Behind on the Reading of the Blogs Over the Holidays and Now just don't Know where to Start or what to Read.  There were a Few Blogs that I did Keep Up with, but the Others, well, there's just too much to Read.  I don't know how Most of you do this Blogging Thing.  I just Can't Keep Up, even when the Blogs I Follow, for the Most Part, are Slower than those Crazies that Blog Daily.  My Hit Count is Down Again and yet I'm not sure what to Write or Say.

It's Funny How Life Goes On when I'm Away from Certain Blogs and I Wonder if anyone Notices or Cares whether or not I'm Present.  I don't know why I am Feeling that Way.  Oh well.

Please do me a Favor, and if you are a Brand New Visitor and I am in One of my Non-Inspired Sort of Moods, Please do Check Out my Labels, for it is not as if I haven't had my Moments of Inspiration.

Aaaaaaaa! I'm so Busy/Christmas Procrastination

I don't Get it, you Guys.  My Hit Count has Not Dropped to the Extent that I would Expect Over the Holidays and so many of you are Still Posting Somewhat Regularly.  I don't Know How you Guys do it.  I Feel Guilty when I Realize that a lot of you are Still Visiting my Blog, Even though I haven't given you much more to Read.  Isn't anyone Else Busy?

I Procrastinate Every Year and Suffer the Consequences and yet I Never Learn.  Next Year, I am Highly Likely to do it again, because it's just the way I am.  Oh well.

I don't have Time to Talk Much on the Blogs.  I just don't.  Whatever.  If you are Still Visiting my Blog, here's a Little Something to Read.  I May or may not Respond Much to the Comments, but I'll Tell you What.  I'll Post them and you guys can just Talk to Each Other.

Christmas Stresses & Joys

BB-Idaho Just Wrote a Comment on the Next Post Down about Christmas Trees and Tinsel and for some Reason this Comment Reminded me that it is time to Post Again and I Guess I'm Still Focused on Christmas.  The Part of BB's Comment that I want to Respond to in this Post is...

"Christmas is a time of year when people cheer up and mellow out.  Something we should probably do much more often."

As Odd as it may Seem to some of you, I'm not Really as much of a Christmas Fan as some.  I Really Struggle with a Little Bit of a Buh Humbug Attitude throughout a lot of the Holiday.  To me, Christmas is more a Time of Expectation, than of Genuine Cheer, for those who do Genuinely Enjoy the Holiday Expect that same Mood from those who are Less Cheery.

To Me, Christmas is a Time of Extreme Business in which Everything that has nothing to do with Christmas Needs to be Put on Hold while we Send Out Cards, Decorate our Houses, Go Shopping, Wrap Gifts, Bake, Clean House and Prepare for the Coming of Company.  I've Tired so Hard to Get Past my Horrible Attitude about the Holidays and yet Every Single Year I go into that Same Trance, in which I just sort of Hold my Breath Until it's Over With.

So if I was to Respond to the Idea of "Cheering Up" and "Mellowing Out", my Response would be I Feel the Way I am Expected to and Do that which I am Expected to do and I "Mellow Out" because I'm too Busy to do Otherwise.

That was Probably more Negative than what you were Expecting, huh?

Well, I'll Tell you what I do Enjoy and that is the Christmas Programs and the Joy of the Day itself when it Finally Gets Here.  Here is something that really Moved me this Year, even though it is just a Video and I did not Actually Experience it in Person.  Apparently a Group of Unsuspecting Shoppers Got a Really Pleasant Surprise one Day in the Food Court at a Shopping Mall.  These are the Type of Experiences that Actually Bring Tears to the Eyes.

The Perfect Christmas Gift, Down Romans Road.

You Know, it is the Strangest Thing.  I had all these Thoughts of Posts that I was going to do and yet as I Sit here and the Christmas Music Plays in the Background, I Realize that Politics and Christmas are Two Entirely Different Moods and I just Can't Keep Throwing Christmas Off and Focusing on the Political.  It Just Doesn't Feel Right to do so.

Even the Links that I was Going to give you Relating to Extremism just don't Feel Right to me Right Now.  You can Find these Links on Dave's Blog at The War on Extremism.  One is in the Post itself and the Other is in the Comment Section; a Link Left by BB-Idaho.  At Least one of the Themes Mentioned is how Extremism can Even be Present in the Churches and this Prevents us from Really Hearing and Responding Lovingly Towards those who have Differing Opinions than Our Own.  I was Going to Comment even Further on these Two Links, yet the Mood of it is Confrontational and though I do not Believe that Confrontations are Wrong, Christmas is more a Time of Unity, rather than Confrontation, so I Find Myself Putting all Sorts of Things Off During the Holidays.

Perhaps the Entire Christmas Season is a Time For Celebration and Peace.  Perhaps it is a Good Time for Peace and not Conflict, Truce and not Argument.  And as to the Church, Perhaps it is a time to Focus in on what we Agree on, rather than what Brings Conflict Between us.

The Pastor Gave a Rather Interesting Message Today.  He was Suggesting that we Find 7 People that we Know to not be Christians and Write the Following Words in the Card.

"This Year I would Like you to Walk with me down the Romans Road to Receive the Perfect Gift of the Season."

"Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9-10, Revelation 3:20, John 3:16"

That's it.  That's the Entire Message.  He Suggested not Even Quoting the Verses, but just Allowing those who Receive the Cards to Go Get a Bible and Look these Verses Up and so that is all I'm Going to do here as well.  I guess if Questions Come Up, I Will Answer them in the Comment Section and may Even Type Out the Quotes Eventually.  I'll just See how the Lord Leads.

All I Want to say for Now, though, about these Verses is that they not Only Describe the Perfect Gift of the Season, but also the Central Theme of Christianity and that which We Agree on.  So my Message for Today is Let's Focus on what we Agree on and if any of you Feel so Inspired, you Might Even Consider doing that which My Pastor has Suggested.

Perhaps I should Add that There is One Other Message that the Pastor Gave that was Interesting.  He Does a Short Spontaneous Sermon for the Kids in Response to an Object that they give him.  The Object today was a Frog and here is what he Said about it.

Apparently, when you Shine a Light on Frogs then Freeze and do not Jump, yet when the Light is Turned Off or Removed, the Frogs will Jump Right  Up into your Face.  This is a Good Illustration of how it is with God.  If we Keep Our Eyes Focused on the Lord (The Light), we will be more Calm and will not Offend, yet when we Get Our Eyes Off of the Him, that is when we Jump Up into People's Faces and this does not Accomplish much Other then Offense.

So Let's Try to Focus on Love and Peace this Season and may you all have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.