“We do not believe any group of men adequate enough or wise enough to operate without scrutiny or without criticism. We know that the only way to avoid error is to detect it, that the only way to detect it is to be free to inquire. We know that in secrecy error undetected will flourish and subvert.” –J. Robert Oppenheimer
This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
Thursday Trinkets – THEY’RE HERE!!!
(1) Let’s start this off right!
(2) Have you ever heard of [badly] exploding shotgun slugs? Enjoy some humorous backyard ballistics.
(3) Skip over this one if spiders creep you out. Think of worrisome American spiders as 3 categories. Black widows, brown recluses, and “other”. This is about “other”. They’re not so bad, but you might want to pay attention to them.
(4) The end of the Bronze Age is fascinating.
(5) How about an instrumental hymn? Does it sound familiar? Words are provided below!
Blessed Assurance
(Verse) Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
(Chorus) This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.
(Verse) Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels descending bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
(Chorus) This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.
(Verse) Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest; Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
(Chorus) This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.
Today is another slice of real life events with those connected to this guy.
Other than Iran, the subject of ICE and law enforcement recently has ruled the thoughts of many. So, let’s make this a “thank your local and federal boots on the ground law officers” day. Seriously, when you see them out and about, thank them. Buy their coffee or lunch at the local fast food or c-store if so inclined. They do work many people would never do. For most, it is a true calling. Of course there are bad apples in every endeavor. Focus on the overall good and what they mean for a civil and safe society. The vast majority are good people trying to do their jobs well – to protect and serve.
The scripture today is from Romans 13:1 ,
“Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”
Yes, that means to do so if not in conflict with His Word even if the authorities are criminals as we just went through here in America. Their deeds are seen by the Lord and will be avenged through His actions and authorities who replace them in His time and His way.
Any doubts that God raised up Donald J. Trump for these times?
A Dose Of The Real World
Today, I discuss an illegal invaders situation faced by ICE and law enforcement agencies of various types nationwide daily. Subject: Taking down land based drug trafficking. PDT has brought up that sea routes are largely under control, that land routes were underway. It is also a major reason why the border had to be secured first.
A real life example follows.
A neighbor friend of a close family member located in our same county found a large shipped package in her driveway in a residential subdivision in early February. She could not move her car around it to go to work. She called and asked our family member what to do. She told her to call the carrier. The neighbor said there was nothing on the package to indicate who the shipper was. Our family member asked the address on the package. It was a different address located near downtown; just had the same address number and the street name started with the same first letter. They assumed a delivery mistake, so the family member called FedEx and Amazon for the neighbor. They said no deliveries were made in the area or to either address. She then searched online for the package’s address, looked up the business located there and called. She asked if they were expecting a package, that it came to the neighbor’s house and had their address on it. A hispanic guy in broken English answered and said they were not. Meanwhile, the husband of our family member went to the neighbor’s house and worked her car around the package using the yard. The neighbor left for work and told the family member she would try to call other carriers including the post office. If nothing, she would call the police.
Later that morning while the neighbor was at work and before she thought to call the police, somebody came and retrieved the package because it was gone when she went home for lunch. In the early afternoon local residents observed ICE, ATF, and local law enforcement make what appeared to be a huge drug bust in town that afternoon. It hit all over social media around here. The whole area around the bust was shut down for a couple of hours and it was on a major route in the town. Daughter had a long delay getting home from work due to it.
After the dust settled and more became known and handled legally such that it could be discussed in generalities, we asked SonIL about it. Our subject family members were very curious as well. He was only involved in the crime scene security. Turns out it was an ICE related sting. The illegals and others at the bust address had already accepted three of four packages that authorities (probably MEMPHIS related) suspected had cocaine, however, they had intercepted the fourth. They did not have all they wanted to bust the entire operation on major felony charges as they suspected the first three packages may have been moved. Local ICE/ATF had been directed to the fourth package and made arrangements for the “mistaken” delivery to the neighbor’s driveway – it made sense as an accidental delivery. There are only two directions the retrievers could follow out of her subdivision and they were easily covered by the local task force. Our family member had unwittingly helped them by contacting the business on her neighbor’s behalf to let them know where it was. Undercover officers simply waited until the traffickers came to get it, followed them to the business and lowered the boom; catching all of the participants in the process as well as finding the other three cocaine containing packages that had not been moved. Undoubtedly the street value was worth millions of dollars.
That must have hurt business for their bosses as well as the recreational pursuits of many of their customers. Oh well. Can you imagine all of the excited news stories the local fake news media put out about it! Oh wait, crickets. Here we are over two months later and not one news report from area fake media. None. The storefront “business” (vape store) the traffickers operated on that main route was closed of course. Not one mention about that either.
After the busted drug traffickers finish doing hard time in prison, they will be deported back to their shizholes or El Salvador depending on cartel affiliation many years from now. This type trafficking has been happening all over the country for decades with the knowledge of many elected officials. This one example should illuminate the minds of even the least informed.
We voted for these policing and deportation actions. Pay attention to just how deep it goes and realize it is all around you. If you see something, say something.
My Downside
As a patriot, what downside, you may ask? I now have to put up with an annoying family member bragging about how she helped law enforcement make a huge cocaine trafficking bust in our area. I really do love her even if she is annoying. I am also jealous that I did not have the opportunity do it.
😂
My View
Raise your hand if you believe the fake media’s and Uniparty’s representations that there are less than 20 million illegals living in this country? Yeah, I know. Anybody who chooses to read here knows that is pure bullshiz.
Which is a major reason why #47’s patriots are spending nearly $40 billion on warehouses around the country to house all of them until they are jettisoned. However, you do not purchase real estate if the commitment is shorter term – you lease. This is a long term plan that is being executed. It will take the better part of a decade to get the 50 million or so out of here because of the intentionally misrepresented documentation they utilize as well as their hiding places.
However, as that is done it will free up “beds” to be used by the other criminals that are pulled in and processed. That would be for those such as fraudsters and the like found primarily in blue states as well as domestic illegal drug dealer networks. Be assured there will be future plans executed for the use of the facilities once the immediate mission is complete.
We ARE going to receive our country back. Criminals are criminals no matter their nation of origin. Which means other clean up will be occurring on a major scale. DHS facilities will not only be used for processing foreign invaders. They can also be used for temporary detention of domestic insurrectionists and criminals who fall under the umbrella of DHS.
This war is like so many others. It is about money and power. With our Treasury becoming more assertive in conjunction with law enforcement and national security departments, the noose will continue to tighten around the necks of those opposed to the American Way.
Conclusion
I will wind up with a quick story. i have brought up about my neighbor previously. He was an Army Ranger for 20 years before joining the LAPD as an officer and weapons instructor. He told me if he was a younger man he would have long since joined ICE to protect the homeland. He finds it to be the most important law enforcement role in America today. When he retired and moved back to the south, he left feeling that California was lost and would never be a part of America again. He no longer feels that way. He sees positive change on the ground with average citizens when he goes back for visits with his wife, who is a native of the state. He has hope again.
That helps all of us know we are on the right track, even in the bluest of states. Eventually sincere people stop enabling criminals when their activities start affecting their own lives. Keep the hammer down.
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.
Joe Biden never won. This is our Real President – 45, 46, 47.
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Our various sister sites, listed in the Blogroll in the sidebar
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.
Joe Biden didn’t win.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House. Which we did, but whatever. We love this picture!
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:
winglet
noun
a small wing
Used in a sentence
A winglet is a small wing, often used to augment larger wings on, for example, aircraft.
Shown in a picture
Explained in a video
MUSIC!
Wings – winglets – whateverlets!
THE STUFF
This is an EXTREMELY interesting LINGUISTIC analysis of the Biblical account of Eve’s creation from Adam. Not only is the whole “rib” thing now a highly questionable translation – the “maleness” of pre-division Adam is in play.
Bottom line – the translation presented here sounds much smarter than the one that critics of the Bible love to cite. I’m still not a “literalist” on Genesis – but I think the metaphorical nature of the Genesis account just got way smarter by this translation and interpretation.
Anesthesia and surgery. Useful stuff. Even in an analogy.
This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
Thursday trinkets are here! Take your pick! This one is “buggy”!
(1) Ladybugs. All kinds – both the old American ones, and the imported Chinese invasive ones that try to bite to hold on but just pinch. And the LARVAE. Ewwww – larvae. AI has opinions about them. Sorry that this one has to be watched on YouTube.
Let’s finish off with the most common and closest look-alike, IMO – the Western Conifer Seed Bug (WCSB). This is America’s version of the Chinese ladybug, an invasive American species hitching a ride to the rest of the world! BUT IT’S CUTE! And it only stinks [LIKE BANANAS!] or pokes you if you manhandle it!
Their primary defense is to emit an unpleasant-smelling alarm pheromone;[2] however, if handled roughly they will stab with their proboscis, though they are hardly able to cause injury to humans as it is adapted only to suck plant sap and not, as in the assassin bugs, to inject venom.
PS – a great (and FREE) scientific article about controlling the invasive WCSB.
What is all the fuss about? It does not matter if it was Noem or is Mullin leading DHS, the laws and rules remain the same. Should there be any surprises in anything Homeland Security and ICE are doing by enforcing long established laws approved by Congress and signed into law by the POTUS over decades? According to the leftists, criminals, propagandists and sheeple idgits these patriots enforcing the laws are fascists, Nazi Gestapo, KKK, and worse. That KKK description is a boomerang back on them, but they are too dumb to know it. The fake media joins in to create more chaos by telling outright lies and disinformation to clueless citizens who believe what they say. The uniparty claims it is all unconstitutional, just like their claims about the Iran war. But, is any of the protesting true?
We do not have to guess or take a media or any politician’s word for immigration laws or policies. Every American citizen as well as every person in the world with a computer and internet access can discover for themselves. How? The Federal Register is one primary source that helps as does the Homeland Security and ICE websites. Below is the FR relating to ICE related immigration notices and regulations.
So let’s go with an easy, recent notice issued on 9/8/25. How many of you were aware that for every illegal caught or ordered to be removed in absentia that the subject invader is ordered to pay $5 K to the federal government? Some will say, so what, they will not or cannot pay it. Well, that is not exactly correct. It means the feds can go after all assets, garnishee any pay, connect dots back to employers and known associates, and so on in pursuit of this fee. If convicted of a crime or ruled to be deported for illegal entry the subject also forfeits all of their remaining assets. The pursuit of those assets by authorities reveals more illegals as well as those that harbor, supply and employ them.
You did not have to hear or read that from another source, you could read it for yourself and then think it through. But there is more that is interconnected and will also stand the test of legal challenges.
Here is another one from 8/28/25 that was a proposed rule.
Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media) classifications, with limited exceptions, are currently admitted into the United States for the period of time that they are complying with the terms and conditions of their nonimmigrant classification (“duration of status”). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposes to amend its regulations by changing the admission period in the F, J, and I classifications from duration of status to an admission for a fixed time period.
If incorporated and you think this one through, it eliminates the perpetual foreign invader who operates under the guise of student/exchange visitor/foreign media/etc. authorization. There is a fixed leave date. To stay they have to reapply and be vetted all over again. This time, not by Demoncraps as long as the patriots remain in power.
No more spies, operatives and such being here for decades as under the previous rules. For a recent example, like a supposed former student from Portugal who remained embedded in America for over two decades. He returned some 25 years later to Brown University where he had spent less than a year in school, to murder two and wound nine students of a more conservative persuasion in a study class. He then proceeded to execute a former Portugal classmate who was a renowned MIT physicist involved in advanced fusion research and development in a different location. The latter hit was probably the real assignment of the assassin, of course.
Whether the assassin was MK’d or programmed in some other way, the weirdness and random nature of his actions over years strongly increases the odds that it was a hit job on the MIT professor acquaintance and the Brown situation was a false flag to deflect from the intended mission. You know, like the Las Vegas massacre. There was little doubt of how it all would end, because this lone wolf was destined to shoot himself in the head in a warehouse in another state. A few links to update it all are below.
Done. All neat and tidy. Brown will now install those restrictive entry keypads and security cameras along with changing a couple of policies to correct those oversights. Brown U with their billions in endowed funds, yeah, that Brown.
As a side note, it is simply amazing (not) that story just sort of disappeared from media interest. Next up will be the crazy lone wolf explanation with pure speculation as to motives from the law enforcement authorities. Move along, nothing to see here. Oh yeah, what’s up with that Brown University police chief (Chatman) they placed on administrative leave after the incident? You know, the same one who had been previously fired from the top law enforcement post at the University of Utah for not having proper credentials for the role as well as committing some acts that could be classified as criminal. Still suspended as of the posting of this thread you say ? Watch what happens with him as well.
We also know we will never be told the truth in its entirety. Ever. It is The American Way of uniparty led law enforcement and government.
🤔
With the DHS rule change discussed above, that assassin would have been exited by patriots from America many years before the horrendous events as will future lone wolves using that immigration cheat code. Nearly always there is a simple answer to a manufactured complex issue or problem. Remember, criminals and unipartyists always use obfuscation in their methodology because they know a large number of less in formed and gullible Americans will believe their BS.
In fact we could rename Congress the Obfuscation Machine used for the fog of war.
Next, consider that all of this nastiness has been going on openly despite most of We the People being unaware. If we have access to the information through the Register as well as FOIA you can bet our enemies do as well. They know the previously soft underbelly of our government and law enforcement efforts. Which is why they are so pizzed at #47, our collective national hide is growing tougher. Think about how all of the elected officials over the years have known the problems all along and did nothing. Nothing. They did not care or wanted these foreigners to be able to be here with no limitations or else they would have sounded the alarms and taken steps to save America before PDT came along.
😡
That leads to the next question.
Why? Do they hate our country that much?
Yes, many do. Others are too narcissistic to care one way or the other as long as they get theirs.
Which is why the following was seismic in the patriots fight to reclaim our rights.
5th Circuit Court Of Appeals
A true judicial bombshell landed, not the grandstanding media type. It obliterated its target – leftist attorneys, judges and politicians who try to circumvent immigration laws. If challenged on the SCOTUS level I predict it will be upheld, if they agree to hear it at all. The legal basis for the decision is solid and reflects the original intent. Especially after the SCOTUS just ruled 9-0 on another case that immigration judges are the path for all asylum claims.
This decision is massively important – one of the most important of the year. It means that if you are an illegal alien who never presented themselves at a port of entry, and ICE finds you, you can and must be detained without bail.
After reading the order I concur with the follow message, which could be addressed to illegal or wannabe immigrants as well as patriots:
“This decision is massively important – one of the most important of the year. It means that if you are an illegal alien who never presented themselves at a port of entry, and ICE finds you, you can and must be detained without bail.
The knock on effects from this will be enormous. Prior to this – if you were caught as an illegal alien and put in removal proceedings, you were entitled to bail while your lawyers string things along. You could stay out of jail for months – even years – and keep doing what you were doing in our country. No more.
Now – if you crossed illegally and ICE finds you, you’re done. You’re not walking American streets freely again unless you prevail in your removal proceeding (which is supremely unlikely). You won’t be able to go to your apartment and grab your things. You are simply done. You can either accept deportation or sit in immigration detention while your lawyer wastes their time on futile filings, and then get deported when you lose.
This will lead to a lot more illegal aliens simply giving up on their frivolous court fights and accepting deportation, which will help relieve the court backlogs. This will also lead to many more illegal aliens self-deporting. Would you rather pack up your things, settle your affairs, and get a free flight and $2500? Or would you rather try and hide from ICE, knowing that the moment they find you, you will never breathe free air in America again?
It’s a much easier choice.
Congratulations to Pam Bondi, Todd Blanche, and everyone at DOJ responsible for this victory. It’s a milestone win.“
Enjoy what happens next, fellow patriots. In fact, celebrate it! You can also do what I do, check the following website out periodically. Have some fun watching and ridiculing all of the showboating speeches and shouting from those not wanting all those new, ICE detention facilities in their city or state. You know the 92 K of beds that will be used to cycle the criminals out of our great nation to never return.
As a PSA to foreigners here illegally; if you got suckered by Soros’ and Gates’ criminal operatives and Demoncrap politicians, you have the opportunity to correct your mistake with money in your pocket. Leave on your own. You will have the opportunity to return after vetting if you have a clean record. If our patriots catch you before that happens, that option ends.
Go – now.
Conclusion
We will be bringing more of the work forward on our more local level relating to ICE next week.
For now, know this is eternal: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NASB)
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
We are in such a time of which this scripture speaks and readers know which statements apply. Iran, ICE, treason, and so on are all around us. However, God knows and patriots are doing what they are commanded to do to counter it.
Just do not forget to consider the five verses that follow the above scripture reading.
9 What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the task whichGod has given the sons of mankind with which to occupy themselves.11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God.
Remember – people aways self identify with which camp they belong. You will know them by their works.
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.
Joe Biden never won. This is our Real President – 45, 46, 47.
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
(cosmology) the original matter that (according to the big bang theory) existed before the formation of the chemical elements
Used in a sentence or two
Ylem is a term that originates from the ancient Greek word “hulē,” which translates to “matter” or “stuff.” In the context of cosmology, ylem refers to the primordial substance or state of matter that existed before the formation of the atomic elements we recognize today.
This Rejoice & Praise God Sunday Open Thread, with full respect to those who worship God on the Sabbath, is a place to reaffirm our worship of our Creator, our Father, our King Eternal.
It’s also a place to read, post, and discuss news that is worth knowing and sharing. Please post links to any news stories that you use as sources or quote from.
In the QTree, we’re a friendly and civil lot. We encourage free speech and the open exchange and civil discussion of different ideas. Topics aren’t constrained, and sound logic is highly encouraged, all built on a solid foundation of truth and established facts, and not by agenda-driven accusations and pronouncements.
We have a policy of mutual respect, shown by civility. Civility encourages discussions, promotes objectivity and rational thought in discourse, and camaraderie in the participants – characteristics we strive toward in our Q Tree community.
Please show respect and consideration for our fellow QTreepers. Before hitting the “post” button, please proofread your post and make sure your opinion addresses the issue only, and does not confront or denigrate the poster. Keep to the topic – avoid “you” and “your”. Here in The Q Tree, personal attacks, name-calling, ridicule, insults, baiting, and other conduct for which a penalty flag would be thrown are VERBOTEN.
In The Q Tree, we’re compatriots, sitting around the campfire, roasting hot dogs, making s’mores, and discussing, agreeing, and disagreeing about whatever interests us. This board will remain a home for those who seek respectful conversations.
God is in Control . . . and His Grace is Sufficient, so . . . Keep Looking Up
Hopefully, every Sunday, we can find something here that will build us up a little . . . give us a smile . . . and add some joy or peace, very much needed in all our lives.
“This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” . . . “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
A Ready Answer
First Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” It’s a verse that motivates Christian apologists as they prepare to give answers in defense of their faith.
In the immediate context, the apostle Peter discusses suffering for doing good (1 Peter 3:13–14). Persecution and suffering are to be expected in the Christian life (John 16:33), but a believer’s response to suffering should point others to Jesus. Peter emphasizes that Christ suffered and died to provide eternal life for those who believe in Him, and His example of suffering for doing good should strengthen all of us (1 Peter 3:17–18). Instead of fearing persecution, Christians are to make sure they suffer for righteousness’ sake, “honor Christ the Lord as holy,” and be prepared to give a defense of one’s hope in Jesus (verse 15, ESV). A believer should always be ready to tell others the good news of salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:2–4).
Providing a “defense” or giving an “answer” for one’s hope is based on the Greek word apologian, which carries the idea of “defending” something as a lawyer would defend his case in court. From the Greek word comes the English apologetics, “the discipline of defending” the Christian faith. Notice that Peter does not say that the job of giving an answer is only for the pastor or professional apologist. All Christians need to be prepared to give an answer or defense when someone asks them the reason for the hope that they have.
Peter wrote to the persecuted Christians in Asia Minor. As they were undergoing persecution, their outward behavior demonstrated hope in Jesus—not a wishful thought, but a solid and assured faith (see Hebrews 6:19–20). The believers’ lack of fear in the face of suffering would have propelled others to ask about the reason for their faith, giving the believers a perfect opportunity “to give an answer.” When believers display their sure hope in Jesus despite their circumstances, others will notice (see 1 Peter 2:12).
To properly answer someone who asks about one’s faith, the Christian must use “gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience” (1 Peter 3:15). There’s no place for harshness or disrespect in a Christian’s life, especially as he represents Christ and gives an answer to explain his faith. Peter exhorts the believer to answer unbelievers gently, respectfully, and with the example of one’s life (cf. Colossians 4:6). Believers should reflect Christ’s teaching of gentleness and “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15, NLT).
The command to “always be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” presupposes a faith that causes us to live out our hope in Christ visibly before others. When unbelievers see a Christian’s great hope in the face of persecution or suffering, they will naturally want to know the reason for that hope (Matthew 5:16). We need to be prepared to share the gospel in a way that is gentle and respectful. The result will be “that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:16).
A simple answer when questioned about the reason for the hope that we have might be:
As a Christian, my hope comes from faith in Jesus Christ, who offers forgiveness, purpose, and eternal life through His death and resurrection. This transforms my perspective to a Christian worldview, giving me peace and confidence in God’s love and plan, no matter life’s challenges.
We don’t need to masters of apologetics and present ironclad arguments on why we believe what we believe. It’s our hope and our reason and our confidence and faith in God and Christ.
As we go through our lives, we can be assured of God’s unwavering faithfulness. We will have ups and downs, but God remains dependable through all situations. As we think about His faithfulness, we are assured by the promises He has made to us. We can trust that He will always fulfill His word, no matter what we encounter. We can build our faith on the solid ground of His promises and then live in a way that reflects His faithfulness.
Amid the chaos around us, we find comfort in the assurance of God’s love for us. Knowing that we are loved by the Creator of the universe gives us confidence to face our difficulties. God’s love is a promise that gives us confidence. In every moment, whether we feel joy or sorrow, His love is an unchanging truth.
Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you. – Isaiah 54:10
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments. – Deuteronomy 7:9
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. – Lamentations 3:22-23
I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. – Psalms 89:1
God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. – 1 Corinthians 1:9
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. – Psalms 100:5
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38-39
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. – Psalms 136:1
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. – John 15:9
This man, making Christmas calls from the White House, believes the world is a sphere. And he has even flown around it! So has our beautiful FLOTUS, who happens to be his wife!
Truth and common sense must be valued by us, as individuals, in order to lastingly disempower the authoritarian fake news media. This includes the perniciously smarmy science media, which never answers for its errors and lies. I believe that the media has been responsible not only for leftist pathologies like scientism, medical fascism, and radical gender ideology, but also for reactionary movements like modern flat Earth, rejection of all medicine, and Biblical geological literalism.
Just as Wheatie’s Stormwatch Monday Open Thread was created as a place for people to openly express their thoughts and opinions, so, too, is this Thank God Thursday Open Thread, where honest but civil discussion of all topics is encouraged. This thread is also to be known as Theistic Evolution Thursdays, due to the author’s expected “pontification” about his scientific, religious, and political opinions. You are welcome to pontificate back! Free speech matters!
Please label all AI-generated content as being such, unless it is patently obvious (e.g., humorous AI images). It is important that we as individuals not begin to pretend that socially derived artificial intelligence is actually our own, as this form of stealthy social information averaging and feedback would be one more pretense and deception between people, in service of stupid Marxist socialism, and of those who wish to substitute their communally protected lies for actual truth.
The source of alleged truth matters, not for the truth itself, but for validation.
And yes, it’s THURSDAY…again.
And that’s it. We’re done stealing from Wheatie.
OK – maybe her rules need to be posted.
No food fights.
No running with scissors.
If you bring snacks, bring enough for everyone.
Other rules may be derivable from these, and that conjecture is left for discussion.
If there is nothing beyond the “W” below, then this is a placeholder. For health reasons, I can’t always post a timely opinion before each Thursday, but I will try. Otherwise, you have this placeholder post, where YOU provide the content. Enjoy!
W
Enjoy the first set of Thursday trinkets for March!
(1) Fake Feynman AI does a nice job here of being our Silicon Steve – explaining why [probably] Venus rotates BACKWARDS relative to the other planets of the solar system.
Watch for the typographical errors by the writing AI, which get sucked up into face-palm narration by the vocalization AI. It’s just stupid and cringe. Nevertheless, the science is good.
(2) An interesting chess rematch narrated by DrMike – check it out.
(3) Transitional hominin species Homo habilis gets a new set of skeletal remains, confirming the earlier ones, and our favorite junior anthropologist (Erika, a.k.a. Gutsick Gibbon) summarizes both the background science and the new paper on the new find. The real science can be a bit boring, but that’s often definitive for real science.
(4) Reaction video to (IMO) one of the best live rock performances from back in the mid-70s – by that band called Rush.
Yes, it’s annoying that she keeps interrupting the good parts, so here it is without interruption.
And if you’d prefer a shorter version with video, we have that, too!
(5) OK, how about more Rush, but with a SuSE twist? You may have heard this parody before, but it’s worth a listen to appreciate how well it’s re-done here.
(6) This is ….. different. An AI, heavy metal version of “The Old Rugged Cross”.
(7) You know, I think I’ll stick to the calming versions of these hymns!
This is a break from the news of the day, a break from Iran and media overload.
This is dedicated to our friend, pgroup2.
Is Earth “home” for mankind, or, just a stopover on our way to another place of existence?
Hebrews 11:13 tells us;
“All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”
This opener is about a song.
Wayfaring Stranger
I Am a Poor Wayfaring Stranger, from the movie “1917”
[Verse 1] I am a poor wayfaring stranger I’m travellin’ through this world of woe Yet there’s no sickness, toil, nor danger In that bright land to which I go
[Chorus 1] I’m going there to see my Father I’m going there, no more to roam I’m only going over Jordan I’m only going over home
[Verse 2] I know dark clouds will gather ’round me I know my way is rough and steep But golden fields lie just before me Where God’s redeemed shall ever sleep
[Chorus 2] I’m going home to see my mother And all my loved ones who’ve gone on I’m only going over Jordan I’m only going over home
[Verse 3] I am a poor wayfarin’ stranger I’m travellin’ through this world of woe Yet there’s no sickness, toil, nor danger In that bright land to which I go
[Chorus 1] I’m going there to see my Father I’m going there, no more to roam I’m only going over Jordan I’m only going over home
Those are the lyrics of a uniquely American folk spiritual in the public domain dating back to pre-Civil War days. These particular lyrics are from one of many versions of the same song. It is one of many songs from the era of which there is no known songwriter credited. A version of these lyrics were published along with many others from the period in The Christian Songster in 1858. These songs were sung at camps, prayer meetings, social gatherings and revivals. Perhaps you know or have heard some of them.
When you review them they have common themes that center around the belief that this earth is not our home. The songs are filled with both joy and great sorrow. A strong theme of hope for better times and reunions with loved ones abound throughout. And of course, they speak to the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ, as well as the adversity of Satan. Below is one of my favorite versions that match the lyrics above. It is hauntingly beautiful to go with the war imagery.
The Historical Period
Since these songs were originated in America and primarily composed in the lead up to the Civil War, the themes would reflect the attitudes and beliefs of common Americans during the period. The songs pull back the curtain on what people thought, believed and experienced. It appears the commie leftists have not yet found a way to hide these truths.
With our nation being founded under God’s Providence by a vast majority of Christians in its growing population, we can gain understanding of how the two centuries evolved from the pilgrims arrival in the words of these and other songs of the period. What we discover is they are remarkably consistent with those colonial predecessors.
Perhaps they knew what was about to come to this great land as the drumbeat of the impending Civil War became louder. Wars, violence and hardship of some sort always seemed to be present anyway. They also knew they would be the ones called upon to fight those wars and suffer the great losses that were to come. They longed for a better future and many saw that as only happening when they went to their eternal “home”.
So let’s move this along with some quality versions of the song. Pick and choose your flavor, or all of them when you get time.
First, from the Man in Black…
For the hillbilly bluegrass fans comes this performance of the song from the Father of Bluegrass during his latter days on earth.
Emmylou brings her wonderful style,
A quality country sound, a more recent version with some lyrics modification from Travis.
Yet, the song is timeless and travels across the pond as Ed Sheeran demonstrates in his own unique style…
Conclusion
Our American heritage offers strong clues of who we have been and are destined to be. We just need to pay attention and look for the evidence. Today we found evidence in an American folk spiritual song from two centuries ago. What we learn from it and others from the period is that four centuries have come and gone since the Pilgrims arrival and we have been searching for peace that America gives us the opportunity to find… as long as we continue to fight for her and each other.
Meanwhile, Christians know this world is not our home, that we are Wayfaring Strangers. Through Christ we have a heavenly passport to our eternal home. We are just passing through doing God’s will while here. There is no place like home when we are born again citizens of God’s Heaven.
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.
Joe Biden never won. This is our Real President – 45, 46, 47.
AND our beautiful REALFLOTUS.
This Stormwatch Monday Open Thread remains open – VERY OPEN – a place for everybody to post whatever they feel they would like to tell the White Hats, and the rest of the MAGA/KAG/KMAG world (with KMAG being a bit of both).
Our various sister sites, listed in the Blogroll in the sidebar
Our beloved country is under Occupation by hostile forces.
Daily outrage and epic phuckery abound.
We can give in to despair…or we can be defiant and fight back in any way that we can.
Joe Biden didn’t win.
And we will keep saying Joe Biden didn’t win until we get His Fraudulency out of our White House.
Wolfie’s Wheatie’s Word of the Week:
mungo
noun
shoddy cloth made from shredding old or waste woven material
material of short fiber and inferior quality obtained by deviling woolen rags or the remnants of woolen goods, specifically those of felted, milled, or hard-spun woolen cloth, as distinguished from shoddy, or the deviled product of loose-textured woolen goods or worsted — a distinction often disregarded
low-quality wool
a slang term, sometimes derogatory, for a person who is rough, uncivilized, uneducated, unpleasant, perceived as inferior, etc.
one spelling of a Filipino dish made with mung beans (alternatively munggo)
additional proper names, including parks (2 kinds), people, and places
Used in a sentence
Retrosaria Mungo is a lovely worsted weight yarn made in Portugal. Mungo is made with 50% cotton which making it ideal for warmer weather knits. Mungo is entirely spun from pre-consumer waste generated by Portuguese spinning mills making it an amazing and sustainable yarn!
Shown in a picture
Shown in a video
MUSIC!
Mungo Jerry!
THE STUFF
This is a gift for Gail. It is about a Scottish explorer of Africa, by the odd name of Dr. Mungo Park. It is a brilliant bit of insight into the early days of the British Empire.
Up to my neck in “AI slop” videos about Dr. Park, I found this human-created GEM by pure accident. But it has a very different take.
