Monthly Archives: June 2023

Face-to-face…NOT

Posted in Awkward Situation, CEO Princeple, Computers, Crazy Nuts, Customer No-Service, experience, Phones & Cell Phones by

At one time, I really thought that the phone was a wonderful thing.  When the cell phone came out, even better.  But it would seem that, as with all wonderful inventions, they can be good or bad.  A hammer, when used to drive a nail, is a wonderful thing.  When used for murder, not so much.

Okay, I agree.  I overdid it, not a little but a lot.  However, sometimes the extreme is a good thing when illustrating a point.

I have heard that Alexander Bell, the inventor of the phone, would never answer his phone during dinner.  As I think it over, maybe that was a good idea, whether he did or not.  The old door to door sales man has been replaced by the telemarketer.  No one seems immune.  During a recent visit to my doctor, he got two robo-calls.

I’m sure they are much more of a bother to him than to me.  Yet, he must answer.  It just might be an important call.  We have all somewhat become a slave to the wonderful invention.

It is quite common for me to receive phone calls from Memphis offering to buy my house.  I don’t live in Memphis.  Don’t want to sell my house.  I must have something to keep the rain off me.  Maybe roofs aren’t so important in the desert of Arizona, but here in the Mid-South; they are something of a necessity.

I think the worst thing about phones is that they have virtually destroyed the face-to-face relationships, both socially as well with business relationships.

The other day, I went to answer my cell phone and when I touched the thing in the wrong way, it displayed the internet screen.  I rarely use the phone for internet, only when I can’t get to a computer.  The screen is too small for my 73 year-old-eyes.  It is common with my not-so-smart phone.

So as the phone continued to ring, I continued to fumble.  I easily got rid of the of the internet screen, but there were no buttons to answer the phone.  So.  I missed the call.  Just as well.  It was a telemarketer.  But what if it was that guy that wanted to give me a million dollars?  I think I would have been very angry with that phone company and the character that designed that stupid phone, the one they call a smart phone.

So.  Today I went down to the store where I bought the phone.  I told the sales person there I wanted to drop the line.  I have a good flip phone that works much better for my purposes.  He said that he couldn’t do it.  I had to call customer service, on the phone.

So much for face-to-face service.  Of course, if I wanted another phone, they would have had me all set up in roughly twenty minutes.  I would have walked out of the store with a new working phone, a smart phone that would really be dumb.  They don’t carry the flip phones.  They have to be ordered.  Takes 7 to 10 days to get it.

Soon after getting home, I called customer service.  I explained that I wanted to drop the line and why.  The lady I was speaking to hadn’t an idea what I was saying.  She immediately started trying to say she might be able to reduce the price of my service.

I explained I wanted the line deleted, like right now.  “Sorry.  Can’t do that.”  Better to talk face-to-face.  They obviously did not want to lose the line.  After I reminded her that there are many other cell phone services, she stopped that ploy.

Still, in about a year, when I no longer have to pay penalties, I just might go to another service.  I am currently paying 200 a month.  I think I just might be able to find somewhere that will provide pretty good service for 50 or less.  Still.  Push-come-to-shove.  I am going to have to admit to it.  The days of talking to a person, face-to-face are gone.  In essence, the corporations have decided to use the hammer for something other than a nail.

Joke?

Posted in Crazy Nuts, Politcal Opinion by

Just hear former Gov. Chris Christie will soon announce his candidacy for president.

Sounds like the worst joke I’ve heard all year long. Sounds like the man either has an uncontrollable ego or he’s lost his marbles. If he has lost his marbles, I can understand why, considering where he resides. That sort of thing can rub off on person, you know. It’s the sort of thing that happens when a person hangs around the libs too long.

Even if he were to become the candidate, does he have a clue what the media will do with him? After they get done, figuratively slicing and dicing him, he’ll need a rubber room. Maybe, perhaps a helmet too.

The Age-Old Question, Predestination

Posted in Christian values by

Please read the passage yourself, the death of Ahab, the king of Israel in the Bible. You may want to start as early as First Kings 22:1, though this post speaks only of 22:31 to 22:37. It says, more or less that a Syrian soldier had but one arrow left and decided to just shoot it, at no one person or nothing in particular. That arrow found its mark in Ahab. Therefore, the prophecy was fulfilled that Ahab would die in battle.

I have heard that the arrow was the first guided missile ever in history. You see, Ahab had disguised himself as a plain soldier to keep the Serians from finding and killing him, as foretold in the prophesy. To a point, it worked. The Serians never found him, but, be sure, the prophesy was still fulfilled. Even though the arrow was not aimed, it found its mark and killed one of the worse kings Israel ever had.

I’ve read the story a number of times. Yet, I still have one question. Did God cause the arrow to strike the man or was it something he just foreknew. I mean, he does have the power to make it happen. On the other hand, he does have a perfect knowledge of what has, is and will happen. It simply may not have taken any intervention from anyone to cause it. It might not have been a supernatural thing at all.

In my opinion, this is one of the times God directly intervened in the history of man. Still, He could have caused the death of Ahab in many ways. Apparently, He put the thought in the soldier’s mind. I’d guess he caused him to point and draw the arrow just right to strike the king and kill him; my best guess. On the other hand. he did have the power to make the arrow make a complete 180 if He had wanted to do it that way.

Yet, the Bible, and our national history, and our personal history… we wonder, is it coincidence or did God somehow put His finger on the situation to get it to turn out the way He wanted.

There are some situations where God tells us, either before or after the fact. God told the people of Judah that he would raise up a king from the east that would overthrow the nation. The Jews refused to believe. Nonetheless, the Babylonians, after a little time, overtook the country. We know it wasn’t just foreknowledge because God said he would do it. He left no doubt. He didn’t just say it would happen but that He would make it happen.

Still, when you come right down to it, does it really matter?

In some cases, it does. God had the day of Jesus entering the city of Jerusalem planned right down to the day, likely to the minute, truth be told. We know that, to some degree because of what He told Daniel. It happened right on time; they were watching and waiting, and yet, still the Jews chose not to believe. And, by the way, it was foretold that they would not believe.

Where the question really becomes important is with man’s salvation. Are men determined ahead of time to be saved or not? Does God pick and chose who will be with him eternally. Be not confused when I say, from the time he formed the earth, God knew every person that would not be saved and every soul that would be saved. I mean; what does God not know? What thing will happen that He will be surprised at it.

However, that does not mean that it is the way he wants it to be. Indeed, even Judas was given every chance to repent. The last time Jesus saw Judas as a human, He treated him as friend. After about three years with Jesus, Judas rejected Jesus. Jesus knew he would. He predicted it. And still, Jesus made one more plea to him with the question, Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”. (Luke 22:48) He was not speaking to him as an enemy but a friend.

Had Judas at that time accepted Jesus as his savior, he would have been saved. If not, why would Jesus asked the question? Jesus wanted Judas to repent and accept Jesus as the Son of God and Judas, in his heart said no and hung himself. How odd. Judas knew what he did was wrong, and yet never repented. It was totally his decision. Yet, even as Jesus chose his as a disciple, He knew what he would do. And, after three years of individual teaching, the man chose to reject Jesus. It was his decision.

It is an important point. While God can force the decision for us, which we would benefit from, God still waits on us to decide.

And so it is, while God does have the power to decide for us, He doesn’t. We all decide on our own. We all go to heaven or spend an eternity in hell based on whether we accept or reject his offer of salvation. However, be ye sure, He will never be surprised by what you decide. Still, I would suspect he is frequently disappointed.

The Bible is full of situations where it might be somewhat difficult to determine if God actually intervenes or simply knows in advance. However, I think Jonah was going to go to Nineveh whether or not he wanted. God created a storm and then a special fish to make sure Jonah went on his mission. I think we can honestly say, Jonah had no choice. Those in Nineveh realized it. They saw what God did to Jonah to get him to their city and they decided to repent. In this case we might guess that Jonah’s rebellion actually increased how effective Jonah’s mission was.

One might try to say the fire and brimstones on Sodom and Gamora might be a simple coincidence. The problem with that logic, I don’t know of many cities so utterly destroyed with fire and brimstone so quickly and right on cue.

Then too, do you suppose that David just happened along to deal with that giant. Do you think that David had no assistance? Even before Sampson was born, it was foretold that he would begin to deliver his people from bondage. Sampson had a free will. He did as he wanted, and he got into a of trouble. But, in the end, he did do as foretold. Debra became one of the judges because the man God chose refused to do as God told him. Now we remember Debra’s name, but few remember the man’s name. Nonetheless, the man did do as he chose and God’s will was still performed. Debra lead them out of bondage.

Did God know the man would not accept his mission. To be sure he did. Yet, God still gave him the opportunity to accept the mission or not. He chose not and lost a blessing because of it.

So is it all predestined or is it free choice? The answer of course is… yes.

Sports and Gambling

Posted in Bribes, Crime, Gambling, Lawyers and Representation by

It is one of many reasons I dislike gambling. It throws a giant shadow wherever it is and wherever it threatens to be. History is full of gamblers affecting the outcome of sports. No sport seems immune. No level seems immune. Certainly, it has made its way into horse racing, boxing, football, basketball and I am sure there are several I have no idea of. They shave points on college games and, for crying out loud, high schools.

It has ruined lives and it has undermined the public trust. Just ask folks if they believe if boxing is legit, rather it is or not. Even if there is a valid problem in a horse race, there will always be those that will be suspicious.

What about the poor horses that are drugged to change the outcome of a race. That makes it inhumane as well as illegal and wrong.

Then too, what about the rooster fights. Okay. I know that it is illegal in the US but people still do it, primarily because of the gambling.  And, by the way, it is still legal in most countries.

Poor Pete Rose will likely never see his name in the Hall of Fame. This is only right. He’s given baseball a big black eye and the bruise will remain long after he is gone. It does bring up the question of who else in the pros has some kind of gambling problems. Just because we know of none, doesn’t mean there are none. Just before Rose was discovered, most thought there was no problem in Baseball.

For years and years, only Vegas permited gambling on sports. Now, almost suddenly, it is encouraged throughout the country. If you want most of the country angry, suggest it be made illegal. In times past, the media,  the reporters discouraged all sorts of gambling. Not any more. They are the head cheerleaders. You just don’t ever see gambling portrayed in a negative light any more. (Wonder if there is any money, bribes changing hands)

The disease has its countless tentacles reaching into every nook and cranny at every level of virtually all governments in the country. I know this because none of them, no not one will consider making gaming illegal. Their tax revenues are too great. They know if they do, there will have visits from a number of people who don’t want the gaming removed. No doubt, there will be threats.

The farmer produces food. The manufacturer produces things we need and use. Just what is it that gaming provides for us? Can we eat it? Does it provide shelter, comfort or transportation?  Does it provide entertainment? Some will say yes to that. I find that odd. I would feel better after giving my money away. The world would be better and I’d feel better.

Of course, what do I know? Maybe you’d rather your “spare” change end up in the hands of folks who feel no guilt making their fortunes off the misfortune of others. As for me, I’d rather give the money to folks who have had misfortune.

Even more, let’s keep them and their kind out of sports, especially colleges and high schools. It’s certainly one place we don’t need them and their lucre

If nothing else, let’s keep them out of our school sports. I have given up all hope of keeping the poor horses out of their grip. I can’t stop people going into casinos and, in minutes, maybe seconds, lose a whole week’s wages.

Then of course, the casino management waves goodbye and says, “Thank you very much. Wasn’t that fun? We’ll see you next Friday.” No way am I, or any of us going to do something about that.

We do have one consultation. The guy that lost that paycheck, the guy whose wife just might divorce him… that fellow sure was entertained, and wow did he have fun, but not so long.

Outback for Fiftieth

Posted in Uncategorized by

Went to Outback for our fiftieth anniversary. Met a man as we were going in that that earned a silver star in Korea. Talked very briefly with him and had the privilege to shake his hand.

The people at Outback were very wonderful and attentive. I’m not saying the potato soup was good but the wife about inhaled it. She ate about half of her chicken tenders. Considering her appetite lately, that means she really liked them.

I ordered the pork chops. Figured I’d have no difficulty downing two them, until I saw them. I gave it my best efforts but I had to admit defeat after a little more than 1 1/2.

To be sure, I do from time to time register my complaints with restaurants. In this case, I have no complaints and I feel I should mention that to one and all too.

Still, maybe one day I’ll meet that veteran of Korea and Vietnam and spend a few minutes with him, that is, if he would permit. Such men receive far too little recognition.

Defiance

Posted in Christian values by

As I have said many times before, I have no college degree.  Most of what I have learned about God has come from church, listening to preachers on TV, and just simply reading the Bible. 

However, if there is one thing that is obvious, if there is one thing that most Bible scholars will likely agree with me on, the one thing God hates more than anything else, it is defiance.  It is what causes a man to say in his heart that, “I don’t care what You want.  I am going to do it my way and You’re not going to stop me.  I don’t care if it is sin, I don’t care if it is bad.  It’s my life and I’m going to live it the way I want and no one is going to stop me.”

Defiance manifests itself primarily in at least two ways, though I suspect it shows up in a few other ways as well.  The first is pride.  It is the sin of Satan, himself when he defied God and attempted to ascend to His throne.  Ever since, he has been trying to get man to follow his example.  And so it is that, at one time being, probably, the most powerful of the angels, he has dropped to being the most horrid.  Still with great power and authority, his time is limited and he knows it.

More than that, God hates pride because it acts as a shield between Him and the sinner.  It is impossible for a man who thinks he is perfect to be saved.  He must first admit his sin, an imperfection.  Anyone knows that it is impossible to admit sin when a person thinks so highly of himself.

Another way that defiance shows its ugly self is in homosexuality.  God hates that sin so much that he destroyed 5 cities because of it.  Actually, he annihilated them to the point that, after all these years of searching, no one can find any evidence that they ever existed.  The only way we knew for years was the written Word of God.  From what I understand, they have found texts from other civilizations recently of their existence.

I say it is a sin of defiance because, as with pride, they have said that I don’t care how God meant it to be.  They defiantly say that they will do as they want and no one is going to stop them.  At one time, they said, “What we do in our bedrooms is no one else’s business but our own.”  However, it is no longer, what they do in their bedrooms.  Defiantly, they march down Main Street with their banners and other things.

And now they have, defiantly, before God, man and children, created something they call gay pride… to the point they celebrate it during the entire month of June.  It has combined, homosexual acts and pride, the two things God dislikes most of men, combined and in His face.  They stand, defiantly shaking their fist at God and say, “I don’t care what you say.  I don’t care what you do to me.  I’m going to do what I want to do and when and where I want to do it.”

There is no doubt that what they do and what they have done is wrong.  All one needs to do is read the Bible to verify it.  They need not come to me and call me homophobic.  I was not around when God built this world.  I was not here when he laid down the laws and established them before men.  I did not make them nor can I change them.

If the homosexual has a complaint, don’t come to me.  He just might try complaining to God about it.  But then if he did that, he would admit there is a God and that they are trampling underfoot the sanctity marriage.  Then too, if they did complain to God, what would they do if He replied.  Now that is something they certainly don’t want.

And so it is, they go on their rampages, hating God and hating those who represent Him.  Indeed, they even hate those who try to help them, though many of them are beyond help.  They have become so full of their pride that they will NOT listen perhaps to God Himself.

Ironically, the God they hate most loves them and will forgive them in an instant.  All they need do is set their pride aside for a few minutes, long enough to hear the plan of salvation.  However, it would seem to be the one thing they fear the most.  If they were saved, then they think they will need to set the sin aside and worship the God they hate, even though many refuse to admit His existence.

God has given them a choice.  It is theirs.  No one will take it from them until they breath their last.  I don’t know.  Maybe even then, some of them might remain defiant, perhaps for a thousand years or so.  I can’t imagine it would be long after that when they realize that maybe they made a real mistake.  Just maybe, then they would really like another chance.