Don't really have a lot to write today, but the exercise is to write something every day. Started the day out by getting the last of three sets of shots in my knees. I know that over time these shots improve knee lubrication and mobility, but when I left the doctor's office, I could barely walk. Have decided not to bother with the "numbing" spray they use before doing the shot, though. A shot is a shot; it hurts a little bit going in and then the pressure as the fluid goes into the knee is uncomfortable. But the numbing spray is so cold it's almost painful, it runs down my leg, and it does absolutely nothing to mitigate the pain of the shots. So why bother with it?
Tomorrow I officiate the funeral of one of the rocks of the church, Mr. Marion Ellis. He was a wonderful man who, even while suffering from dementia, expressed a desire to come to church. And even when his mind appeared not to be present during services, his spirit certainly was. When he didn't seem to recognize me, he still allowed me to pray with him. I liked Mr. Ellis, both when he was in possession of his faculties and when he wasn't. I'll miss him.
Since I didn't manage to get to bed early tonight, I'm watching the news. I see that another teenager has drowned. Read an article today that says people don't look like they're drowning when they're drowning. I don't know -- I usually swim at least a couple of times a week, and I don't do much ocean swimming because I don't understand the currents enough to navigate them. Not sure why teens and tweens are out there trying to do ocean swimming. May God rest their souls.
Also see that another coyote has attacked a child, this time a 3-year old in Rye. on a more positive note, the news is showing kids running through sprinklers. Unless I'm mistaken, the patterns on the ground, the background, and the fact that the park is in Harlem, all taken together, indicate that this is the park across the street from me.
Watching a story on medical marijuana. I remember a time in my life when the only thing I wanted to do was to be a commodities trader specializing in marijuana. I used to love it, just as much as this person apparently does. God bless the people who need it to live; I'm just grateful that I'm no longer one of them.
People are talking about the Russian spies. Am I crazy to think that perhaps the US is too lax in its immigration policies? I'm not talking about emulating Arizona, I'm talking about having some kind of standards -- you know, requiring people who want to come into this country to speak the Official (if you don't like official, go with Historically dominant) language of the country, which is English. Not to impose cultural superiority, just to establish a base upon which everyone can conduct business. It seems to me that the issue is the very thing that makes America great: our freedom and our independence. People whose minds and spirits are neither free nor independent come here and, because their spirits are enslaved, they attempt to exploit, thwart, divert. and otherwise derail That Which Is America. The attempt is made ideologically, by planting seeds of dissension without a proper grounding in history; the attempt is made physically, by acts of terror or by planting sleeper agents; the attempt is made spiritually, by attempting to erode the spiritual principles which undergird this country. Despite all these attempts to derail That Which Is America, we survive, we thrive, and we will continue to do so.
I'm more than a little concerned about the future of my church. There's one guy, a bishop, who was accused of some sexual immorality, who was sued, and who offered an affirmative defense. There was another who cannot account for over $300,000 that was entrusted to him. Both these guys have their character passed, which means the church has no formal charges against them. I find it incredible -- what sort of authority or credibility does the church have when it fails to acknowledge that its "leaders" are exhibiting behaviors contrary to what we say we believe? And what kind of message does that send to present and future members? Except, of course. there won't be any future members. Who in the world wants to go to a corrupt church?
Christ, have mercy.
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