The Debate
Published for Sunday - June 30, 2024
Written Friday - 06/28/24 06:40 AM
Patty and I ordered pizza and tucked in front of the TV. It was for an evening of Fox News featuring the debate and all that led up to it.
We both felt bad for Biden. It's clear that he has something going on and I don't mean that in a good way.
The big question will be whether or not he gets replaced. A part of his camp indicated he would. Still others said the DNC would select him and ride it out.
Some even felt he did okay and would be the winner in November. I don't see how they arrived at that conclusion. Not with what I saw on TV last night.
Rain, Finally
Published for Saturday - June 29, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/27/24 10:40 AM
Rain, rain, and more rain. That's good.
We had about an inch last night and this morning. As I type it's Thursday and this won't be published until Saturday.
The rain is a welcome sight. Especially with the very high humidity and excessive heat we've experienced recently.
You know it's hot when the cat wants to stay inside during the day. It's no wonder. That's a big and heavy coat she's wearing.
Last night we watched as the rain moved in from the North. We could see the rain falling over the lake just before it moved in our direction and forced us to abandon the back deck.
Lightning was popping all around so it's probably a good thing we made the move inside. There's a serious forecast for rain upcoming.
Unfortunately, we never seem to get what is being forecast - except for heat and high humidity. Bring the rain!
Single Sideband (SSB)
Published for Friday - June 28, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/27/24 6:40 AM
Well, I finally moved from digital to SSB on the ham radio. Yesterday was the first day I've gotten on 20m and called CQ.
Much to my pleasant surprise, I had several people come back to me in a one at a time fashion. I wound up working New York, Virginia, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
I did a terrible job of writing things down and remembering names and calls. I learned a good lesson about the importance of logging everything so that I would be able to show some courtesy and respect for the other station and the operator of that station. Shame on me for not being better prepared.
I used 14.257 on 20 meters and was even able to tune the external tuner on that frequency. It was nice to see the tuner displaying a significant amount of wattage without any SWR. That made for a good feeling.
After having Mike assist me in swapping out the Icom rig to PC USB cable and the PC (using Patty's) Mike said he had real concerns that I had a bad port on my Icom. That seems to affect both digital communications and SSTV.
However, it does not impact SSB and I don't want to pay for shipping an old Icom rig when I'm not 100% sure if it's a bad port or something else. I've already paid for shipping when my power supply went bad.
I may go the route of a new Icom 7300. However, I'm just not prepared to put out the funds for a new radio when SSB is working just fine on the old rig.
My Better Half
Published for Thursday - June 27, 2024
Written Tuesday - 06/26/24 7:05 AM
Well, I've been reporting on the events lately. It's time to share from the heart. But just a quick report first on some of the medical events.
It seems I still have my wonkyness no matter what I do with the medications. The dysautonomia specialist could not find anything.
My appointment to the UAB movement specialist was moved up from May of 2025 to August of 2024. That's a big step in the right direction and brought about by a cancellation for doctor Julianna Coleman.
And now, from the heart. God's been doing a lot of good stuff in me lately. I feel his presence and can hear his voice. He's been using my reading and my movie watching (The Chosen) to do the sharing.
More importantly, he's been using my wife. Her servant's heart is something I envy and love about her. Despite the battles that I know she is going through, she always has time and energy to honor me with this or that or the other.
Whether it's the best pieces of the pizza, or something as simple as putting the cat down for the night without bringing attention to herself for doing it, she is always thinking of others first and herself last.
Lord, I pray that you would grant her the answers to her prayers. Let my prayers not be about me, but let them be aimed toward others. Let me follow my wife's lead.
Help me with my empathy. Let me not walk the Asperger's walk on that one. Thank you for what you have done and are currently doinig in my life. Please let me see the needs of others first. Most importantly, my wife's.
Episode 7
Published for Wednesday - June 26, 2024
Written Tuesday - 06/25/24 6:25 AM
Spoiler Alert:
I watched episode 7 of season 4 of The Chosen last evening. It involved the death and raising of Lazarus.
But the story spent a lot of time dealing with Thomas and why Jesus chose not to heal his dead wife. Thomas was not understanding but, basically Jesus promised Thomas that he would understand in time.
Jesus said to others that this would be the last miracle he would perform. However, He was careful not to say why things were coming to an end. He obviously did not want to announce His upcoming death to the public.
It's obvious that this miracle and the proclamations of Jesus sent some of the church elders running from the empty tomb of Lazarus back to town. It will be interesting to see how the writers of this story end the season. The final episode of the season will make its initial airing this coming Sunday.
Field Day
Published for Tuesday - June 25, 2024
Written Sunday - 06/23/24 1:05 PM
Well, I made over 50 contacts on Field Day and they were all SSB as opposed to digital. It felt good to be on the mic again.
A big thanks to ham radio operator Mike, who took a phone call and worked with me for quite a long time attempting to assist. Unfortunately, it doesn't look good for that port on my radio.
We even tried a different USB cable to tie the rig to the computer and we tried my wife's computer so Mike thinks it may be the rig. Well, it's about time I got on SSB and back to my roots in the hobby.
I stayed on the 20 meter band for all of Field Day and used the internal tuner on the rig with great success. Received a couple of good reports and others struggled as I anticipated running only 100 watts.
All is all, it was a good two days. I had plenty of other things to get done and did not run Field Day 24/7. I used to be able to handle the lack of sleep but not anymore. No way!
Sunday
Published for Monday - June 24, 2024
Written Sunday - 06/23/24 6:25 AM
I finished my newest book yesterday. Stealing Your Vote by Christina Bobb and read on Audible by Danni Williams. It was quite the eye opener. It's Sunday morning as I write, but will be Monday as I publish.
It's difficult to know who is sharing the truth these days but the evidence listed in this book was hard to ignore. As I mentioned in my review, I thought the book was well researched.
Ms. Christina Bobb got my attention with what she revealed. If nothing else, it's plain to see the corruption these days. And it's difficult to believe it's a new thing, although the level of corruption probably is new. Maybe not. Who knows?
Saturday
Published for Sunday - June 23, 2024
Written Saturday - 06/22/24 6:30 AM
It's early Saturday morning as I type. I'm a day ahead for publishing.
I suppose I will need to water the new grass today as I've been doing each and every day since we had it installed. I also want to watch the new episode of The Chosen.
And finally, I would like to finish my new book. Sounds like a pretty busy day but not too much to do. Still need to do my 2 miler for the day and get all my other routines out of the way.
I'm off of the rosuvastatin medication for the second day to see if that makes any difference in my stability. All evidence suggests that it is not going to make a difference but it's still worth a try.
Oh, and it's ham radio field day. That ought to be fun.
I also have my questions posted for the missing drivers. Hope someone will respond soon so I can get my FT8 (digital) working again. Would love to have it for field day but I'm not holding my breath on that one.
Stealing Your Vote
Published for Saturday - June 22, 2024
Written Friday - 06/21/24 6:25 AM
I'm reading another book. This one is very good.
The title is Stealing Your Vote and it's written by attorney and avid Trump supporter Christina Bobb and read aloud on Audible by Dani Williams.
I was amazed when I went and read up on Christina Bobb. Suffice to say that what I read was not flattering at all. In fact, I didn't understand why someone would allow such to be written about herself without putting up any defense - especially in a place like wikipedia.
But then I realized. Her defense is in her book. And she provides an incredible defense as do so many others who have written on the same topic.
One thing is for sure. The Democrats are doing quite a number with respect to putting up arguments. They're working hard to try and defend their turf.
I begin to quickly and easily believe a story when the Democrats launch their counters. They work so hard at it.
It's sad that there are still those who vote democrat. With all that is going on, I can't figure out why.
Weight Training
Published for Friday - June 21, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/20/24 7:35 AM
Just finished up regimen #1 of weight training and a one mile run. Boy are my hands tired.
It's difficult to type after that workout. Even with the run to calm things down just a bit, the last sets are forearm workouts which explains the hands.
Regimen #1 on the weights is my most difficult weight training regimen. That's because I use the most weights and use them most often compared to regimen #2 and my 2 mile runs.
I don't use my 30 pound dumbbells on regimen #2 but I do on regimen #1. The crunches (with no weights) and medicine ball swings on regimen #2 go pretty easy, not to mention the 15 pound dumbbells to start things off. All in all, regimen #2 is a pretty doable regimen. Regimen #1, not so much.
A week or so ago on regimen #1 I put a kink in my side. I think (and hope) I've worked it out and am getting back to normal. The runs and crunches help on that front.
Thursday
Published for Thursday - June 20, 2024
Written Wednesday - 06/19/24 5:30 PM
As I write it's Wednesday afternoon. As I publish, it's Thursday the 20th.
Just finished watering the new grass seed and straw cover on this side of the house. Doesn't take too long fortunately.
As I mentioned in the post yesterday, it's a bit tricky getting down to the lower spot that covers the drain pipe. It's a slip-sliding good time.
Patty and I had a very nice time with the grandsons for the past few days. Now things are getting back to normal around here. We watched movies, ate popcorn, checked out the garden, and even took in Mickey D's (McDonald's) on two different days. Yum!
Josh and Allie came by to pick up the kids because they wanted to use our internet. It took about 2 hours to upload the file they wanted to upload so Josh and Allie very kindly took us to Pruett's for lunch. Yum again! Boy that catfish was good!
The Chosen
Published for Wednesday - June 19, 2024
Written Monday - 06/19/24 4:50 PM
Just went outside to see my better half watering the raised beds. I'm so glad things are set up for her to do that and yet automatically water the other things in the beds along the house and the fence.
I will need to water the grass seeds on the other side of the house. It's going to be a bit tricky to get down to the part that covers the drain pipe.
I also just watched Episode 5 of the Chosen in Season 4. I love the way they bring the scriptures to life in those films. It's not like they don't already have life in them, but for those of us who our consumers of films and movies in particular, it's a wonderful way to consume that which is written.
The date of availability got pushed out a bit from what is listed in the picture above. There's only about a month difference.
Log of The World Status
Published for Tuesday - June 18 2024
Written Saturday - 06/15/24 7:40 AM
Hard to believe that LoTW has been down so long. No doubt in my mind that they are facing a major disruption of service such as a ransomware attack.
It's been a full 31 days down, 32 in you include the partially up day where they went down. That blows their good stats out of the water.
I'm glad I use QRZ.com for logging my ham contacts. I'm also glad I keep a backup of activities for my digital contacts.
If QRZ.com has the same problem I will be in trouble since I don't have a good backup of my voice contacts with LoTW being down. Fortunately, I don't have but a few voice contacts at present.
Episode 4
Published for Monday - June 17, 2024
Written Saturday - 06/15/24 6:20 AM
Episode 4 of season 4. That's where I'm at with The Chosen. I watched episode 4 last night and it was amazing.
The praetor (Quintus) had killed Rama, the wife of Thomas, in the previous episode. As such, he was demoted and Gaius became the new praetor.
Jesus walks with Thomas and the crowd to take Rama back to her father. Much goes on during this scene between Peter and Thomas. Also between John and James.
We also get to witness the distress of the father of Rama. He meets Jesus on the walk and curses him until one of the followers of Jesus speaks up and indicates enough had been said.
Gaius had a sick son and asked Jesus to heal him. In fact, Gaius indicated that Jesus need not come to his home but just speak the words and the healing would take place. He also mentioned that he did not want Jesus to have to come to the home of a Roman.
Jesus marveled at the Roman's faith and performed the healing. At the end of the episode, you see Gaius going home and his wife coming to greet him with the news. Of course, Gaius already knew what had happened and said as much to his wife.
It was so cool to see that Gaius was a believer and particularly cool to see him hug Jesus, Peter, and his former tax collector, Matthew.
My Weight
Published for Sunday - June 16, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/13/24 7:20 AM
I go up for a few days in a row. And then I take on the difficult task of going down for a few days in a row.
It's all a function of doing like my wife says about the French and staying in a 5 pound range. I find myself below the middle of the range and almost 4 pounds down in my 5 pound range.
I wish I could keep it down here but my wife's good cooking (I've got to have something upon which to blame my weakness) shoots me in the foot every time. So much for always being in the lower part of my range.
One would think that the hard work that goes into moving down the range would help me stay in the lower part of the range. But nooooo! Some of that good food from Pruett's (including the wonderful homemade banana pudding) would be enough to get me in trouble if it didn't bring about so much weight-loss help in the bath room.
It worked out wonderfully yesterday and today but that's not the norm. And I'm guessing it won't be the norm for our Father's Day gathering this coming Sunday for lunch at our (my?) favorite Mexican restaurant.
Patty's Flowers
Published for Saturday - June 15, 2024
Written Wednesday - 06/12/24 9:30 AM
My sweet wife has an amazing ability when it comes to flowers. Here's a picture of some of her wonderful handywork.
She also has an uncanny ability for suggesting updates. Here's a picture of an addition to the upper deck which includes both the wood slats and a switch for the Edison lights:
And here's her wood slats addition to the lower deck with room left on the right side to get to the garden:
More Politics
Published for Friday - June 14, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/13/24 6:20 AM
Hunter Biden, son of our current president, was found guilty on all 3 counts. I'm a bit surprised that the jury both found him guilty and did it that quickly.
His father, our current president, says he will not offer a pardon. It will be interesting to see if he follows through on that.
I've wondered why we can't make the same level of progress with the father, our current president. I'm wondering if it's because folks have realized who would have to step in and take his place if he was convicted and impeached?
My better half showed me a video of a Juneteenth celebration where our current president froze in place. Not a good sign of his condition.
Still makes me wonder if he will receive the Democratic party's nomination for president? It's hard to imagine that would change this late in the game, but it's also hard to imagine that the Democrat party would go forward and once again nominate our current president to run against Trump.
Free Will
Published for Thursday - June 13, 2024
Written Monday - 06/10/24 7:55 AM
Yesterday I went looking online for Free Will. I did not find what I was looking for but found it today. Apparently there are (at least) two types of Free Will and there is an important distinction between those two.
Here's what I found online:
In order to understand the distinction between the two, one must first understand the concept of determinism. Since antiquity, people have been wondering whether or not the course of history is pre-determined.
Determinism says yes, it is. According to a determinist, once the initial conditions of the world were set up, it was pre-determined that everything would happen exactly as it did. It was pre-determined that the Roman Empire would fall in 476 AD. It was pre-determined that the Spanish Armada would sink in 1588.
It was pre-determined that the coronavirus pandemic would happen in 2020. You get the idea. There was only ever one possibility for the history of the world. And likewise, there’s only one possibility for the future. After reading the above, you would probably conclude that a determinist could not possibly believe in free will. And you would be correct. However, there are some philosophers who make excuses and who argue that determinism and free will can both be true at the same time. This is where the idea of compatibilist free will (also called compatibilism) comes from.
The type of Free Will to which I am referring is Libertarian Free Will. This does not involve determinism and refers to man's freedom to make a choice. Here, there are no strings attached.
Molinism offers this to us. That is why I have taken on this position.
More on Molinism
Published for Wednesday - June 12, 2024
Written Sunday - 06/09/24 10:45 AM
Yesterday I may have made a mistake. I listened intently as two people shared about their relationship with Christ. But I did not question their beliefs. I honestly differ with them but perhaps we actually agree and they just don't know why.
My wife mentioned we were reformed in the conservative tradition of the PCA. (Presbyterian Church of America.) I was reformed in the PCA tradition but have since had to give that up. Now I find myself a Molinist or a believer in Molinism. Do what? You might ask.
So, here are the questions one should consider. Does God determine what will happen or are we the recipients of free will. Be careful how you answer that.
A Calvinist in the reformed tradition of John Calvin believes God predetermines everything. There's plenty of Scripture that seems to support that position. However, that position would also suggest that God determines 'evil' or that God is the author of the evil actions of man.
Scripture paints a clear picture that God is not the author of evil. But how can God be sovereign if he does not control and create evil. Can it disrupt His plan? If not, why not?
This may be where some claim 'faith' as their answer. But shouldn't faith be reasonable? If not, then I can choose to believe anything I want and chalk my belief up to my faith in the unknown. There are too many who already do this.
So, here is where Molinism comes into the picture for me. It provides a very interesting answer to the question of how God can be sovereign without being the author of evil. Some believe that Molinism cannot be correct because the concept is not mentioned in the scriptures.
To that question, I believe William Lane Craig has a 'reasonable' answer. He would posit that the concepts in Molinism are compatible with the scriptures in the same way that God exists in a world that is spaceless and timeless.
These attributes are not in the scriptures either but they are compatible with the scriptures and therefore serve as part of what we all believe. He offers that Molinism serves us in the same fashion in that it provides an air-tight answer to the co-existence of man's freewill and God's sovereignty.
Season 4
Published for Tuesday - June 11, 2024
Written Sunday - 06/09/24 6:30 AM
Well, season 4 of The Chosen started with a bang. The first episode involved the beheading of John the Baptist. It's a powerful part of the story and you didn't have to hear the request that was made for it. I would think that everyone knows that part of the story.
I also watched episode two which involved the Matthew character. I really like the way that they have presented him. And I so relate to his thinking. He had a talk with Jesus and then had to go and get right with Simon who had been elevated to the name of Peter because he was seen by Jesus as the Rock.
I so related to Matthew's talk with Jesus and his problems with Peter. It was presented as one of those 'can't see the forest for the trees' types of situations. When he went to complain to Jesus, that could have been me.
One of our neighbors said it best. The stories sort of follow the story line in the bible but fill in some of the gaps in a very plausible fashion. She mentioned that her pastor did not like The Chosen because it seems to take liberties in the filling of the gaps, despite her and my thinking that the writers do it in a very plausible manner.
Episode 3 comes out today and I'm sure I'll be watching. Such a deep dive into some of the back-story. It really makes you think about the potential realities behind some of the stories with which we are already familiar.
Addendum: Monday 06/10/24 07:30 AM
Watched episode 3 of The Chosen last night and it was not a disappointment. The primary theme seemed to be the death of the wife of Thomas.
Ramah, the wife of Thomas was killed by Quintus, the narcissistic Roman Praetor. According to YouTube, Peter was the only Apostle who was known to be married.
Still, I so relate to the scene where Thomas does not believe his wife-to-be 'needs' a wedding gift. Peter pulls him aside to explain that Thomas should hear a different message that the one Ramah is telling him. Jesus obviously agrees and says something to Peter about going ahead and setting Thomas straight.
Being Social
Published for Monday - June 10, 2024
Written Saturday - 06/08/24 2:50 PM
Since we moved here about 2 years ago, we haven't been very social. Now it seems we are making up for that and becoming very social.
I taught a guitar lesson for my handyman's wife and looks like I'll be doing the same for the seniors at the senior center. In fact, they invited us to a BBQ lunch next Friday (leading into Father's Day) and looks like we may attend.
We're headed today to join the HOA for a cookout and will host a Father's Day get-together next weekend for the family, once again at everyone's favorite Mexican restaurant.
Should be a lot of fun. Can't wait!
Home Owner's Association
Published for Sunday - June 09, 2024
Written Saturday - 06/08/24 6:20 AM
Last year, the HOA sponsored a cookout and Patty and I attended. This year they're doing it again and again we're attending. In fact, it's today.
It was great to meet so many of our neighbors last year and we're looking forward to doing it again today. I hope the event will be well attended as it was last year.
I'm a bit concerned at the lack of advanced notice for this year's event and how that might affect attendance. I hope that will not be the case.
Today's event starts about 1.5 hours ahead of supper being served. Our plan is to show up about half an hour before they start serving. I suspect it will be too hot to just hang out for the day, even if they have shade tents like last year.
Thinking Out Loud
Published for Saturday - June 08, 2024
Written Friday - 06/07/24 7:35 AM
Just finished my Friday workout and run. Hoping the garbage guys picked up the mess that I left for them in the garbage can. Dead rose bush stickers and the like. Ouch!
Should finish up my latest purchase on Audible, The Wish, today. Will be interesting to see how Nicholas Sparks reconciles the two guys and one gal. It seems like it might be a chapter from his own life. That may be why he said it was one of his favorite books to-date.
I have to side with my wife's thinking. The two guys and one gal thing may work for some folks. But not for me. Not when you consider the current status of one of those two guys. Odd how popular that kind of thinking is these days.
What I like most about the story is the character development. I suppose I'm developing a real empathy for some of the characters, even if I can't really see them like I would on a movie. I still wonder if hearing their voice is making a difference. It sure seems that way.
I know Nicholas Sparks has pulled a lot from all that is going on with the web these days. I'm just not a big fan of some of that stuff. It's just not my thing. It may be for some but not for me.
It would be an interesting study, or fact finding mission, to see how people react and respond to some of the posts out there. There's a lot of tragedy online and a lot of people that seem to be looking for that kind of thing.
There's also a lot of people who seem to be looking for themselves online and trying to discover who they are. I'm not sure if it's that, or the people who are doing the following, that amazes me most. It's an interesting world out there for sure!
Addendum: 06/07/24 01:45 PM
Okay, I admit it. I jumped to conclusions regarding the Nicholas Sparks book. He pulled off the end without going there. Without going to a place where I wouldn't want to go.
I was truly touched by the way he wrapped things up and despite the sadness, he pulled off a kind ending. Kind to both the reader and the remaining characters. Not sure how he did it, but I sure didn't see that end coming the way it did.
The Wish
Published for Friday - June 07, 2024
Written Thursday - 06/06/24 11:00 AM
I decided to add another book of fiction to my Audible account. I had another credit added recently and decided to add a Nicholas Sparks book that was not yet made into a movie. The whole idea was to see if I liked his books as much as his movies.
I'm about 5 chapters into the book with about 6 more to go. This one has really hit me very hard. I still am not able to develop pictures of the characters in my head, but the empathy is there for sure!
I was a bit concerned that Mr. Sparks took 2 chapters to allow a person to share with another person. I wondered if that sharing would take on a role of its own such that the sharing turned into something that would no longer involve one person sharing with another.
Sure enough, he pulled the sharing back in just long enough to make it all seem credible. Then he moved on to another part of the story.
I have noticed that even on Audible, the reading aloud swaps between men and women. I wonder if hearing their voices, even if I can't see them in my head, helps with my empathy for the characters. I have to believe that it really makes a difference.
Slats
Published for Thursday - June 06, 2024
Written Wednesday - 06/05/24 6:55 AM
Our handyman, Mike (and Curtis) are doing a project that I know Patty has been anxious to have done. They took down the old screen and put up wooden slats on one end of the upper and lower decks.
We received a call from the neighbor as to how much she liked what has been done. That was a very nice thing to do.
They completed the top deck yesterday and should either finish up the bottom today (if it rains and they can't paint for their other project in Gadsden) or sometime soon. I paid for a lot of the materials yesterday and will probably pay the balance today.
I should also receive a quote for a potential fence to be built in the front yard in order to prevent some of the other neighbors from riding their dirt bikes up in the yard. That should be helpful, or we may do the same thing with some landscaping. We'll see.
Search File
Published for Wednesday - June 05, 2024
Written Sunday - 06/02/24 7:10 AM
In order to provide a search function here on the blogsite, I have to have a file that contains all of the posts. That way I can perform a string search against that file for any searches that are performed. I'm still amazed at how fast PHP can search a large file. That's amazing to me.
Just from that information a reader can observe that each time a new post is written, I must add the post to the search file. Needless to say, that is extra work in order to provide the search function.
I doubt that it gets used very much if at all, except when I use it, usually just to test it out to make sure it still works. I suppose that's a lot of added effort to provide a function that doesn't get used very often, if at all.
There is a block of code that gets replicated for each post. The only thing that gets changed in that block of code is the date that the post was published.
The code's job is to record the post's date if a hit was found in the search. That way the user can be informed of where to go to see the hit that was located.
I noticed the other day that the search file is now over 2 meg (2 million bytes) in size. That does not include the images for each post that are not part of the search file but it does include the block of code and publication date for each post that I mentioned.
In fact, and as of this writing, the search file is now 2,009,978 bytes in size. I also noticed that the replicated code for each post is about 263 bytes plus or minus several bytes for some publication dates.
There's also about 1711 bytes of code that sets up the initial values and paints the display of data at the end of the routine. Useless trivia but still interesting to me.
I guess that puts the actual average post size around 1,555 bytes. More useless trivia but still of interest to this geeky nerd. But hey, you already knew that's what I was if you've even made it this far in this post.
More About Calvinism
Published for Tuesday - June 04, 2024
Written Saturday - 06/01/24 7:30 AM
Calvinism came (and went/left) at the right time in my life. It brought with it answers to my questions. But, it presented a question for which I had no answer.
Determinism is by nature part of Calvinism. Determinism is basically the belief that God determines all of the actions of people.
Unfortunately, and as a consequence of that position, it would imply that God is also the author of evil. And yet scripture clearly paints a picture that this is not the case.
I can't live with some form of 'magic' being the final answer. I can live by faith in other matters but not this one. If I am asked to believe that God can be sovereign without being sovereign then my faith becomes unreasonable. In other words, I cannot accept that God can determine everything and yet not determine evil.
I went looking for an answer to my concern and found it in Molinism. I fully accept the idea that something not specifically taught in scripture can still be compatible with scripture. There are already plenty of examples that we live by that fit this idea, such as the worship of a timeless and spaceless God.
As a result, Molinism provides a wonderful answer to the coexistence of God's sovereignty and man's free will which, in turn, provides an answer to the question of how God can be sovereign and yet not the creator of evil.
Guilty
Published for Monday - June 03, 2024
Written Thursday - 05/30/24 8:15 PM
Well, I'm writing this well ahead of its publication date. That's because I'm in utter disbelief at what happened today. I can't believe the democrats pulled this off.
How in the world have we reached such a point of corruption that the Trump trial ended with a verdict of guilty. I must confess, I'm in shock!
Now that I've witnessed all of this corruption, I would be surprised if judge Juan Marchan doesn't send Trump to prison on July 11th. It wouldn't make sense for judge Marchan to have gone this far without sending Trump to prison or at least some type of house arrest situation - anything to keep him from the presidency.
Based on Ben Shapiro's comments, Trump does not remain a free man during his appeal. And, Trump must go through the New York Court of Appeals before he can go to the SCOTUS.
I feel confident that the Supreme Court will back Trump but the timing will tell the tale. It will be interesting to watch it unfold, as I've said so many times before.
Technical Website Stuff
Published for Sunday - June 02, 2024
Written Thursday - 05/30/24 1:30 PM
I wanted to center the left-hand and right-hand columns (menus.) But this seemed like a big challenge when I first developed the blog site since my knowledge of HTML didn't carry me that far.
Since that time, I was able to determine how to position things using the relative command. And, as a result, I was able to center those menus.
I had to state in a 'div' statement that I wanted relative positioning. At that point, and also in the same 'div' statement, I was able to add free space on the left side with a left command followed by a value for specific positioning.
I was also able to move each menu (left and right) as one block of data. However, it took three individual 'div' statements to individually move the "Search Archives" title, search box, and "Search" button at the top of the right-hand column.
My 'relative' and 'left' commands were actually parameters in the style definitions of the individual elements. That's how I got everything working.
I like to add styles to the individual elements as opposed to the webpage menu. It's extra work but much easier with which to keep up.
More Spiritual Stuff
Published for Saturday - June 01, 2024
Written Tuesday - 05/28/24 6:45 PM
I went back and watched the debate on YouTube between William Lane Craig and James White. The topic was Calvinism versus Molinism and it led me to watch several other debates and presentations having to do with the sovereignty of God and the validity of Calvinism.
Anyone who has struggled (as I have) would be well advised to take in these video programs. There's much to be learned or at least considered. Here's an excellent sampling of what I watched.
As a former Calvinist turned Molinist I found both of these to be thought-provoking. To watch in Full Screen Mode, click on either video to start the player and then select the Full Screen Mode option in the lower right corner.
Copyright © 2024 Hutch DeLoach