my careless contagion

I really hate writing posts like this (but perhaps this is the direction this blog needs to head). But something is amiss in Minneapolis. I was hoping to ignore it, that it would just go away, that it wasn't yet another media war on the United States people, but it just blew up. They got what they wanted: rioting in the streets. More division. And your attention just shifted from 10 other horrible things they are doing to one. Sleight of hand. Now that they have your attention on this one thing, what are they getting away with? People are figuring out the purpose of the pandemic, so we better start something else. Okay, slow down, Joshua. It's all planned. These things almost never happen organically. Americans are fat, lazy, peace-loving, and not at all organized. They don't do stuff like this unless there is pressure from an outside force. And torching one's own city does not endear people to your position that things are very wrong in your community. It only mak...

"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Proverbs 18:10) The above proverb relates to a recent post about the names of God. The very name of God is a strong tower or defense. According to Philippians 2:9-11 ( Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father), there is nothing higher than the name of Jesus Christ (nor more powerful!). And, as Christians are supposed to point the way to Jesus Christ, Jesus points the way to the Father. In Him is found everything we need or want. In these present times, which are more than a little uncertain, some things remain certain. Those things are found in my Bible, from which I daily seek comfort. Lately, I've been spen...

For months now, I've been watching the COVID-19 pandemic unfold. Initially, I thought people were underestimating it, that we (the U.S.) should close its borders, etc. Now I'm starting to see things that make me worried in a different way.  Something doesn't add up. The news stories of "war zone" hospital scenes are not corroborated by people on the ground. People have gone to those supposed war zone hospitals that are desperately saving lives while untold numbers are dying amidst the chaos, cameras in hand, filming, and are finding ... nothing of the sort. The hospitals are mostly empty. If there are "tent cities" set up, they are mostly empty too. I've been wondering for a long time which way we were being lied to. I mean, China has no new cases of coronavirus just a few months after it all started, yet they're telling us to prepare for 18 months of this crap in the U.S.? And Wuhan residents say the incinerators are "working round th...

Recently I felt God convicted me of something. I'll mention that in a little bit. But first, I want to talk about the names of God. During these strange and troubling times, it is important to keep our eyes on God because "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3)  For those who are sick (or afraid they will get sick), claim this promise: " Bless the Lord , O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (Psalm 103:2-5) Recently, I came across the photo below which lists 17 names of God. Of course, the term "recently" doesn't mean much right now. I feel like I'm in a time warp. It may have been last year, actually...

I started this blog two-plus years ago to deal with the emotional fallout of my divorce. I named it My Careless Contagion because I felt I infected those around me with sadness. But I want to talk about a contagion of a different sort in this post. For months, I have stayed silent while the specter of coronavirus has cast a long shadow over our planet. What follows are my opinions only, though I have followed this disease closely since the beginning.   Pandemics have routinely ravaged the planet, killing millions and rearranging civilization in their wake. At this moment, people are referencing the Spanish Flu which killed an estimated 50-100 million people 100 years ago. The fact that we don't know how many actually died is not inconsistent with pandemics, as bodies are normally disposed of in haste and if whole villages die, who is left to count the dead? Satellite images of mass graves laced with lime in Iran have hammered this point home. Are they counting the dead or ju...