IF they were wise and not given over to sinful pursuits of the world;

Matthew 5:45

That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (KJV)

Jesus taught us to be as kind as possible to everyone we are in contact with in our lives because that emulates God the Father and how he treats all of us. He shares the sun, the rain, and the harvest with everybody regardless of them being good or bad, or that they are a believer or unbeliever.

Were those who reject Him wise, they would look to the beautiful creation around them and praise God for His love.

Were they wise, the unbelievers and skeptics would look to the endless heavens and see the magnificent intelligent design of something far too beautiful and complex to fully understand and explain with our limited minds; and then praise an Almighty God for His creation.

Were they wise, all of the heathen, narcissistic, and self absorbed people in the world would stop and thank God for their beating hearts, breathing lungs, and thoughtful brains.

God’s goodness is displayed openly for all to see. Many people go through life blind to Him, missing the gifts while thrashing about wildly seeking what they believe will satisfy the unquenchable thirst in their beings.

These are the people who need kindness the most. They need to see and hear us give God the praise for His power and love. Yet, standing for God and pointing out His goodness to an unbelieving world can be more of a challenge, especially when we have close relationships who seem to reject it.

The opposed to God and His ways need to discover for themselves the error of their choices through how the believers live around them. In that manner they may grow wiser and might recognize and acknowledge they have been wrong and repent.

In The Days Of Noah

It may seem a stretch to consider that the current path of the world has led to conditions that were present when God declared He had seen enough and brought the sin and evil to an end. Yet, here we are and no, it does not appear to be a stretch. The drumbeats of war, disease, natural and unnaturally caused catastrophes, sexual perversions, perceived gender dysphoria, child abuse and sacrifice, human trafficking of slaves, lovers of money, drug addictions, hatred and violence against groupings of people and cultures, worshippers of false and and pagan gods with their religions, and on and on and on. The evidence of wickedness is spread throughout the world and everybody is touched by it to some extent. Some of us on here lament the choices that even family members and friends make that we know will bring pain or even their destruction.

God chose Noah and members of his immediate family for a restart of mankind and a cleansing of the earth. For this story if you do not remember it or have not read it, please read the scripture found in Genesis 6:9 – 9:17. You can change the version from NKJV as you prefer.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%206%3A9-9%3A17&version=NKJV

Noah was not like Jesus. He was not sinless. However, he was judged by God as righteous. So what is the difference between those two terms? We probably need to know since no human being beyond Jesus, who was both God and man, has been sinless. He who was without sin was sent to earth for the purpose of reconciling mankind to God. As The Word tells us, He desires that none be lost. That demonstrates how much God hates sin, yet, loves us, His created beings.

Being judged righteous by God is something all believers should seek, that Noah was in spades. Place yourself in his position. You are living and located in an incredibly evil region of the world that has no belief and understanding about the God you worship. You are the middle aged patriarch of a family that includes a wife and three sons along with their wives. The Biblical account does not tell us if the sons and their wives also had children prior to The Flood.

One day, in great detail down to materials and measurements, you receive a clear instruction from God to build a huge float boat without propulsion of any type, a covered animal party barge of sorts. You learn that God, whom you have always trusted and worshipped despite the ridicule and wickedness around you, is over it all with mankind. He tells you that with the exception of who and what you are to bring aboard the ark all else are going to die. He makes a covenant that you and your family will survive.

Upon hearing this, you decide you better get started. Why? You do so because you completely believe and trust God, whom you have worshipped, believed and walked with during your life. You know from His words He means business. You tell your sons and the wives who then begin to do what you instruct from His instructions to you.

I can just imagine the stank eyes they gave you when you explained the task and who commanded it to be done. But they get busy and do as instructed.

Next, think about how long that project took using tools and methods from the period and using a limited labor pool. Mind blowing. Scholars are not sure, but the overall consensus time range is that it took 40 to 100 years. That meant decades of ridicule and scoffing from the wicked area population toward the village idiot, Noah, along with his family for building a huge boat on very dry land.

Noah could later claim he who laughs last, laughs best, especially as they came running to convince him to let them come on board as the heavy rains fell and the flooding began. However, his blameless life tells us that it was doubtful that he laughed and none were allowed to join him.

That is some major league faith exhibited in an evil world that had grieved God to the point of bringing about the near extinction of life. Noah’s response is a perfect depiction of the righteousness that God ascribed to him.

Righteousness as defined in Merriam-Webster for this application:

“acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin“

That would fit Noah except he was not without sin and that was even demonstrated post flood as the story in Genesis unfolded. We see from this that using secular sources to define God things is not necessarily the way to go. Below is a good description of the term from a Christian sense.

https://www.gotquestions.org/righteousness.html

Post death and resurrection of Jesus, we who accept Him as our Savior are judged to be righteous in God’s view. But how does that square with the condition of a sinful Noah being judged righteous in times prior to Jesus?

It lies in the interpretation of the term in the Hebrew Torah, known as the Pentateuch to Christians, which is the first five books in the Old Testament of our Bible. Noah was deemed righteous by God as the one who was blameless in the wicked period in which he lived. It appears he did not speak out against the evil around him, however, he did not participate in it and walked with God daily. The full measure of righteousness of God did not appear on the earth until thousands of years later in the person of Jesus Christ.

From the times of Noah forward the faithful remnant of followers of God becomes a theme concerning the Hebrews throughout the Bible and has continued throughout world history.

Which leads to the heart of man. For us, post Jesus, that means how our heart is turned toward God and accomplishing His will. It’s personal. In short, do we love and trust Him? Do we accept the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus for our own salvation from the flood of our sin? Do we respond to our belief and salvation with actions that reflect the relationship?

Donald J. Trump

Some may say, “Trade, you are losing your mind here.” That’s OK, I get accused of that often. 😂

Honestly, in your lifetime have you ever witnessed anything like you are now seeing on the world stage or in the history books? Peace making through strength that is unparalleled in magnitude is occurring.

Go back in time, would all of the evil we have seen in the world in more recent times have existed if our world leaders had adhered to Godly principles and lived under God’s providence? We know the answer.

Donald J. Trump appears to be a man chosen by God to accomplish His will for America and the world. We can debate whether he is an instrument or a servant of God. However, it seems America has seen this happen before in its 250 years and the same debate about instrument or servant could be held. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and others have all been raised up when the times demanded it, yet, had questions, detractors and enemies.

I contend that We the People made a covenant with God at our founding. Our founding fathers were not like most of the more recent crop of politicians. The current bunch most closely resemble the unprincipled, evil politicians of the ancient Roman Senate during that body’s more darker periods. Our founders were serious people who had real skin in the game. They quickly hit the enemies list of the then world superpower, Great Britain.

Which is just like Donald J. Trump has in our times; except his listing on enemy lists is far more wide ranging and includes a larger number of traitors and seditionists within our own borders.

In essence our founders asked for God’s dominion over us. His obvious responses through the years have proven He honors the relationship, the covenant. The evidence is in the raising up of leaders and movements when our choice has been to remain faithful. It is also in the discipline we received when collectively most did not and turned from him. This is similar to what has happened with His chosen people of Israel. I am not suggesting He is equating or replacing them with us. Instead. it appears that we have been taken into His care by our faith and dedication of this nation to His Providence. He accepted our intent and hearts then, He continues to honor the intent and hearts of the faithful We the People today.

Once again, please take time to read the last paragraph of our Declaration of Independence.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Do not fear.

Think about it.

Remember Wolf’s site rules. Note and label all AI. Please be kind to one another, we are all in this together. May God richly bless America and all of you.

Before all things and people – In God We Trust. Also, trust Trump and the plan.

I hope Memorial Day weekend brought enjoyment, remembrance and peace for all. We remember our fallen military heroes who gave all for every American. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.

Providential restoration is well underway in America. Patriotism and God have reentered into the conversations of We the People in major ways without reservation. You see it in the enlistment ranks swelling and in the return to church pews. One way we also see it openly displayed is our overwhelming economic success with the return to America First principles. That includes the vanquishing of many criminal operations in the country, which is also well underway.

However, today’s daily is a lighter take on where we are as a country. We will attack the remaining items on my America First agenda in the coming weeks.

It is kind of amusing to me at least to state the following. I always can tell when the economy has turned and the average American is ignoring the fake news. Everybody is well aware why fuel prices have temporarily soared and increased the cost of the usual stuff they buy. They also know there are no shortages of fuel in America at all. So instead of hunkering down and buying into fake news media fear porn they are going about their lives, which includes having fun. How I know all will be fine is due to golf balls.

😄

Golf And Prosperity

Yeah, I know, it is the usual TradeBait BS. Bear with me, I have a point or two to make… eventually.

I love golf. I play it when the ole back lets me even as I grow more and more “elderly”. I taught the game and a good swing to Daughter, grandkids, other young people through the years. Wifey gave up trying to play, however, enjoys watching the sport with me. I have followed the PGA Tour on the tube since my youth. Being a former Middie, I grew up idolizing golfing legend Jack Nicklaus, the Golden Bear, as my sports hero. Our family could not afford the cost of playing the game much during those days, so my opportunity to play regularly had to be deferred until I became a young adult.

Over the years that followed I have played many quality courses in many states. I have played in pro-ams locally. At one time I was a member of an area golf club (not a country club) whose family that owned it had a club pro son who qualified and played in the U. S. Open and PGA Championship a couple of times as well as some events on the PGA Senior, now Champions Tour. A local retired former Senior Tour pro helped me work on the swing of Daughter as a young child. She had a natural swing as a 3 year old with great hand/eye coordination. She just needed to work on basic grip, stance, etc. stuff.

As I stated in a previous BIMD story, Daughter played in high school events that included a future tournament winning PGA Pro (now medically retired), Scott Stallings. A female teammate of Daughter’s in high school played for America in the Junior Ryder Cup. Other male teammates of hers went on to compete on area college teams.

This love for golf led to us buying our current home in a small PUD along a public golf course in our area as I semi-retired and Daughter entered community college and later joined the workforce. Over the years a few other retirees and I got together and formed an Old Farts Foursome. We played a couple times per week until the other guys hit their 80’s and their bodies said no more. All three are still able to do about anything else they want and I attribute part of it to being active in the sport all those years while being outside in the sun having fun with buddies.

I am now teaching grandsons #1 and #2 to play. When I am unavailable Daughter can teach them equally well. Daughter and I could still go to about any course in America and each shoot under 80 for 18 holes. After retirement with more free time available my personal golf handicap dropped to a 2 in my early 60’s even playing from the tips (back/championship tees). Daughter has been busy having and rearing babies in more recent times, but she can still pick up a club and rifle the ball down the fairway without a warm-up or practice. When the granddaughter gets a bit older and less dependent, Daughter and I plan to hit the links more often together as long as my health holds up.

Did I say I love golf? Yeah, pretty sure I did. A lot of people do in America. Which leads to…

Golf Balls

I have 50 years of experience hitting golf balls. I have seen the evolution of the ball over the entire time. Yes, I know the difference in a two piece solid core, three piece wound ball and balata balls of yesteryear compared to the current four and even five piece balls with various mantles inside and Surlyn or Ionomer covers. I know compressions and who should play which compression. Even dimple patterns to reduce drag and increase/decrease spin have evolved until more emphasis was placed by the rule makers to standardize. All of which has led to discussions today about more limits on golf balls since their improved performance has led to many golf courses become too easy for better players. It is easier and far less costly to rein in golf ball performance than it is to add distance and course enhancements to keep the challenges necessary for the game to be challenging. My sports idol says to address the problems through the golf ball, not through the costly golf course design changes. He knows, all of the pros and better amateur golfers know.

For example, Wyndham Clark won the CJ CUP Byron Nelson PGA tournament this past weekend at -30. That means he shot 30 strokes under par, which is 30 better than the course layout indicated it should be played by a scratch (0 handicap) golfer. That was after the course ownership commissioned changes and paid millions of dollars to the course to lengthen and make it more difficult the previous year. To some degree that happens because of the players being better trained and prepared than yesteryear. However, primarily it is because of greatly improved tech relating to equipment and especially the golf ball.

As a result of my experience and understanding I know who makes the best golf balls and why most tour pros still play Titleist Pro V-1 balls over the other quality pro level balls on the market. I like that ball, however, my favorite today is the Callaway Tour Chrome because it adapts better to individual swing speeds, especially for older golfers, while still providing exceptional performance around the greens.

But Titleist Pro V-1 balls are still the gold standard for pros and amateurs alike, partially due to their performance and consistency as well as partially due to international marketing of the brand. Amateur golfers who can not break 100 play them due to their excellent marketing and promotion. However, the same is true with other expensive, pro level golf balls made by Taylormade, Srixxon, Bridgestone, Maxfli, Callaway, etc. Why pay for and play a pro level ball when you are a mediocre to poor weekend golfer who loses them in rapid succession? I honestly do not know why some people are that dense in the head.

Which leads to why golf balls reveal the real condition of our economy in TradeBait’s mind.

Golfing And Economy

When times are tough and the economy is struggling, golfers still play the game when they can. It becomes an addiction. Hit one great golf shot in a round and you HAVE to come back another day and do it again or even hit more than one. You are chasing that dream of one day being a guy or gal who can shoot par or better for 18 holes at least once in your life. Or maybe you are chasing that dream of someday hitting a hole in one. You dream of making that one perfect swing and watching the ball flying through the air, fall to the green and roll straight into the hole. For us oldsters, a worthy goal is to shoot your age or lower. If any of those events happen it is heaven on earth for golfers!

But assume troubling economic times and the cash being in shorter supply. So you go to Wally World and buy the $10-20 a dozen specials or a bag of renewed former water balls. You may even dig out the old scuffed or found balls from other times you played. You head to the course, pay your not so cheap green fees. If they allow it, maybe you choose to walk the course instead of paying for that rental golf cart. You just need to get your fix in. What happens next is what is revealing.

Living along the fairway in very close proximity to our local course has led to our home being struck by golf balls routinely over the past couple of decades. We and many of our neighbors even had to add super screened cages to protect our windows along with a netting along our top deck to prevent from getting hit when on it. The course is public play and there are golfers who play it regularly who are beginners, duffers and rank amateurs. Some grab beer at the clubhouse and begin firing away indiscriminately. It is a price we have paid to live here and have the convenience of a low cost, decent course to play at our back door; while enjoying the peace and beautiful sunsets over the course and scenery every evening after the course closes.

These experiences have led to the following observations.

The first indicator of the state of the economy is how often our houses gets hit in golf season. More is better for the economy. It means Average Joe and Jane can afford to play. Quieter times are worrisome.

The second indicator is how many golfers use rented carts versus walkers. The more carts that are rented the better the economy. Average Joe and Jane are generally overweight and not in sports fitness shape. They want to play faster, drink more beer, and get home to that NASCAR race. They have the cash to pay the cart fees, which are not cheap. The course we live along uses gas carts, not battery carts. They are not obnoxious, but we do hear them fire up as they make their way around the course. The more we hear them, the better the economy. The less they are used the more troubled are the economic times. So a quiet golf course is not good.

The third indicator is the type balls the golfers play. When times are tough they play more recycled, scuffed up and off brand balls. They cut costs as much as they can. When times are good it is the opposite. We know by the brand and type of ball we find. The top balls are expensive, some topping $5 a ball. It is a ball that can disappear or become unusable with one bad swing of a club, yet, average Joe and Jane are willing to play and lose them in good times. Of course Average Joe does not really believe he is as bad as he is. It’s a guy thing. He gets some beer in him and thinks he can take on Tiger Woods. Maybe he can when Tiger is busy extricating himself from his latest car wreck.

The fourth indicator is the clubhouse parking lot. There are less golfers when times are bad and when they do come they do not tarry at the clubhouse. They play faster and drink less beer. The opposite happens when times are good. The parking lot is filled with vehicles more hours of every day. They hang around the clubhouse shooting the shit, play the video golf swing training simulator equipment, drink more beer, etc.

The fifth indicator is how many balls we residents find in our yards. Golfers are not supposed to go on private property, but some do anyway. When times are tough we see more of them on properties looking for their and other balls. They can be very testy if we ask them to vacate the premises. More than once the deputies have been called when things escalated with a drunk golfer got belligerent who thought he could do whatever he wanted including hitting their golf balls from our yards. When times are good, they are pleasant to talk with and just move on without even looking for an errantly struck ball. Some pretend they did not hit it in a yard. As a result we find many more quality balls in our yards. Which means ole Trade doesn’t have to go to Wally World or anywhere else to buy them.

🤣

The Verdict

Over the years it has become obvious to me how golfing relates to the economy. Golfing is something people can live without during tough times unless the golfer is hooked deep. So more golfers and good golf balls bouncing off our house that we find in our yard to go with slightly noisy cart usage means a better economy. In my opinion the same scenario would be how it plays out across the country with golfers and the economy. It helps that I have golfed in over 20 states and simply observed things. Nothing scientific and built into a data base, just using my eyes and knowing human nature over time.

Currently, we are getting hit often, sometimes multiple times per day. That means more bad golfers have money to spend. More golf carts are firing up and less walkers are playing in proportion. They are playing some of the best balls we have ever found on our properties. Bad golfers are playing $5 golf balls in bunches, even the cheaper folks are playing brand new $3 balls. We are seeing very few of the old scuffed up types. We are also finding more than we have ever seen with very few golfers wondering on to our properties looking for them. The parking lot has stayed full of vehicles even on week days when most people are working. The retirees and youth are there during those times.

Needless to say, with our location in flyover, hillbilly country this is a great sign about the economy. Now if PDT settles the Iran thingy and the fuel prices drop, we will probably have to wear helmets when we venture into our yards during daylight hours.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

So, how was the economy during Brandon’s time pretending to be in office? In rapid decline. I rarely found an expensive golf ball in our yard and we did not get hit nearly as often after four years of getting hit often with #45’s term. Most of the balls were terrible and old – like Brandon. A lot more of the golfers were walkers and the carts generally sat unused at the clubhouse parking lot. I even found range balls in our yard that had been stolen and used on the golf course instead of regular balls.

How has it been since #47 won? I have found more brand new Titleist Pro V-1’s than ever before. I have filled up three dozen egg cartons of them along with Taylormade and Callaway pro balls without a blemish on them since March. Add in five dozen more of other brands. With that happening with a war in Iran going on and spiked fuel prices in play – it speaks volumes. Which tells me that Average Joe and Jane like how things are going and trust POTUS and our economy.

That leads me to believe that America First and MAGA are going to triumph in the midterms.

And it is happening all because of golf balls. Well, maybe with a little assistance from the beer. It’s science. Trust me.

If you have actually read and considered this, you have now entered into the mind and world of TradeBait. And just like Hotel California,

“You can check-out anytime you like, but you can never leave…”

Remember Wolf’s site rules. Note and label all AI. Please be kind to one another, we are all in this together. May God richly bless America and all of you.

Before all things and people – In God We Trust. Also, trust Trump and the plan.