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Fathering, intransitive verb : to care for or look after someone as a father might.  It is, after all, a simple word, but not so simple to define.  To some, the word “fathering” is merely the act of inseminating a woman, as in “he fathered her child and then left for greener pastures.”  But to beget a child, to my way of thinking, is not truly fathering the child.  Any male can beget offspring, a true man fathers a child.  When I use the term I mean that a true man invests in the long term life of the child by providing for the child’s needs.  Not just providing “three squares and a roof” but rather providing a framework within which the child can grow and mature and gain their independence in a healthy way. Read the rest of this entry »

It was almost time for bed and I was getting ready to shutdown my computer for the night when the news started to pop up on Facebook™ as various friends posted in various ways the latest news flash – “Osama bin Laden has been killed.”   I walked in to where my wife was watching the news and asked her to put on one of the international channels.  They were reporting what little they knew on the subject and droned on and on ad infinitum ad nauseum as they awaited the pleasure of the president of the United States to make his official statement.  Read the rest of this entry »

There is no way I can write a comprehensive overview on the individual ideas concerning love that each and every person on the face of the earth would say “Yep, that’s exactly the way I see it.” However, I shall endeavor to point you towards a few thoughts that are worthy of consideration as we grapple with the differences between the ways in which the sexes view that elusive concept we call “love”.

I recall all the hype over “unisex” back when I was a child and a youth.  In fact, here in Colombia some hair dressers still include “unisex” in their advertisements.  But the concept of both sexes being identical has always rung hollow to me.  As one of five children, three guys and two girls, growing up even someone as dense as my self could see that the guys and the girls had different outlooks on life that were greater than the different outlooks amongst members of the same sex.  When my observations were made amongst my cousins and friends the same matter came to light – guys and girls thing differently. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is an excerpt from some recent correspondence between a friend of mine and myself.

Can you explain to me how a spouse can “just stop loving” their spouse. I am mad and it is not me that is dealing with this. It reminds me of my mom telling me she didn’t love dad anymore. My response was “to bad”. Now that I think of it, not the best response. But I really don’t understand how you just stop loving someone, a spouse isn’t just someone though.

My initial response is as follows: Read the rest of this entry »

Recently I had a discussion online with someone regarding a picture I’d posted that “rubbed them wrong”.  (the actual words were “Where is the ‘Dislike’ button?”)  The objection came from different interpretations of the command to not take the Lord God’s name in vain.  In the course of the discussion the idea of trusting God came up.  I mentioned that to me God is my all in all.  He is my Doctor, Mechanic, Gunsmith, Watchman and more .  I trust Him to care for me in all areas of my life.  The other person replied, essentially, “You don’t really trust in God as you carry a gun.” Since the conversation had carried on long enough (more than long enough probably) I let that go unanswered at the time – but the idea keeps bouncing around in my head.  What does it mean to trust God? Read the rest of this entry »

When someone falls, you can kick them while they’re down or you can give them a hand to get back on their feet. Some folks will try to drag you down to their level, some will ignore your offered assistance, others will let you help them back up. You won’t know who’s who until you try.

The sun was still high as I climbed into my hammock.  It was near four o’clock and I’d slung my hammock about three meters in the air in the branches of a berry tree.  It was hot and still with only an occasional breath of breeze moving the dusty foliage.  It was early August, the dry season had begun two months before and now the animal citizens of the sertão were feeding on blossoms and berries under the great trees at night.  This was to be my first attempt at the espera, that most typical of hunting styles in Brazil’s great north-east. Read the rest of this entry »

“16 Dead Bodies Confirmed Resurrected from the Dead”- thus ran the headlines that blazed like wildfire through the Facebook religious community. Perhaps it’s my scottish blood, perhaps it’s my (Show Me State) land of birth, but somehow I tend to be sceptical of claims without good credentials.  Just because someone says it’s true because they heard it repeated by  someone they  know who heard someone speak about someone who knew someone related to the person who heard from the person who was there does not make it true. It is interesting that the Gospel accounts give names and places.  The Marys went to the tomb to anoint the body.  Peter and John ran to the tomb. All the apostles but Thomas were there.  500 people witnessed the bodily presence of Jesus the Christ – many of whom were still living at the time of the writing about this event.  There were plenty of first hand witnesses who were named and who could be interviewed at the time of the writing of the accounts.

In the matter above, however, there were flags in the account I read that waved “Warning!” from the beginning.  Read the rest of this entry »

Over all length:   2.185″
Rim diameter:   0.785″
Shell diameter in front of rim: 0.656″
Shell diameter at mouth: 0.667″
Case thickness at mouth: 0.055″
Depth from mouth to bottom of shell: 1.90″
Depth of primer pocket vertical edge: 0.090″

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Born to live, born to die, born to be crucified.
The babe from Bethlehem grew to be The Man.
From Mary’s womb the Creator came,
From that point on history was not the same.

Read the rest of this entry »