May 29, 2021

If I Were Not A Christian

 I could never be a Democrat.... 

or an Agnostic, Atheist, Socialist/Communist or Muslim. Why? 
Because the Democrat Platform includes too many immoral and unnatural concepts.  Abortion, No borders, Legalize narcotics, Punish Police & Protect Criminals, Same sex marriage, Tax the producers & finance the takers, Penalize the savers & benefit the no tax spenders. Practically every moral thing I believe in Democrats are against and what I am against they are for. The Democrat Party has abandoned traditional and biblical Americanism for Socialism. 
Agnostic means "No knowledge of a God" and Atheist means "No God", and I could never deny the existence of an intelligent, Creator God even if I did not know who He is. Socialists and Communists believe in stealing from producers, innovators, and workers and giving to sluggards, the lazy, and the hierarchy.  


Muslim? Islam is simply a counterfeit version of Christianity.

So, if I were not a Christian, I would probably be an Ayn Rand Libertarian. They believe in freedom to do anything you want if it doesn't hurt someone else, keeping everything you work for, taking care of your own family, and staying out of other people's and other nations' affairs. The flaw in that is it eliminates missionaries, rescue missions, food banks, churches and helping the poor, as a commission from God.  But, if you aren't a Christian, and don't believe in most of the principles taught in the Bible. The only other motivation, to help the needy, is your own opinion of what human kindness and generosity are ... if you believe in it at all.  And if there is no spiritual accountability or eternal deity, one person's opinion is as good as another's. But if there were no God, and therefore no judgement day, and no heaven or hell, then we are just animals and justified in acting like beasts.  Anyone who claims to be a Libertarian and is also a Democrat is also a hypocrite. Ayn Rand could never have been a democrat. Her beliefs are encased in her writings. Here is an example:  

________________________

“When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing....

When you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods,, but in favors.........

When you see that men get richer by graft and pull than by work, but protect them against you....

When you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming self-sacrifice ....

You may know that your society is doomed.”........Ayn Rand

____________________________

Much of what Ayn believed makes sense ... but not all of it ... if you are a Christian.  However, its better than being a lying, thieving, power hungry Democrat. RB 


May 27, 2021

Longevity Is No Accident ... It's A Way Of Life

My Doctor, who has a world audience, asked me to write a paragraph on "The Secret To Longevity" for his uses.  So I'll double up and post it to my mailing list, which is much smaller than his, but more personal to me.

Longevity seldom, if ever, survives, except a person embraces 
balance in every activity and phase of life, consistently, if not every minute, of course.  One does not grow aged violating God's natural order of balance in their work, sleep, hygiene, food intake, attitude, emotions, and actions.  Longevity is no accident ... It's a way of life. One may have a  longevity gene and die young, or lack such a gene and live long, if in balance with nature, as God intended. The entire universe, earth, every flower and bee were created in divine balance. They all fulfill His purpose ... if in creative balance.  Almost anyone, regardless of religion, may gain longevity, in balance with nature, for "God is no respecter of persons" (Acts 10:34).  Exceptions are those uniquely determined not to live long, by their Creator ... for His own reasons.  Long, physical, life often begins in childhood with this command and promise:  "Honor thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise ... that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2-3).  Motivation, Mental/Physical activity, and Moderation  in all things are vital elements at the core of balance.   "Let your moderation be seen of all men. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5).   Rayburn Blair (Age 90).

Comment from our son Rex, 
Dad, I had this thought during my quiet time.  "Good things only bring lasting satisfaction after long term discipline has made those things an unconscious habit in our lives.



May 23, 2021

Lesson 1: Perfect God Created Perfection. Lesson 2: Human Free Will Made The Mess

With Lucifer's help.  

Maybe I should say, he did it with our free will  help. Look at the wars, ghettos, holocaust, jails, courts trash heaps, drug addiction, fake news media ... SIN. Who did that? God or us?

Genesis 1 records God's creation took six days. Six times God declared what he had made each day was "good". Then, in the last verse of Genesis 1 He looked at all He had made and declared that it was "very good". ... ALL of it.        

"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."

His final and crowning creation was we humans, in His own image and likeness, with a Free Will. A free will was required if any human was ever to call Him Father ... willfully, of his own volition.

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion .... " Gen.1:26.

At that point, all of God's creation was complete ... or "perfect".

In scripture certain individuals such as Abraham and Noah are referred to as perfect because of their obedience to God, not sinlessness. Abraham sinned with Hagar and Noah got drunk. So neither was perfect, as we understand the word today. In these ancient passages, "perfect" is used as a synonym for "complete" obedience to God in each of their  unique callings. Since nobody on earth is "perfectly sinless",  without exception, "perfection" in absolute obedience or holiness, in this life, is given as the goal.  Few people ever even touch that goal, but Noah and Abraham, though not sinless, 
evidently did. Scripture is constant, language is not.
If we interpreted the word "perfect", in ancient Scripture, to mean "without sin or flaw of any kind", in this flesh, then what did Jesus mean when He said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect" ????  Can we be as perfect as God?  Not in this flesh we can't. Then how?  God is as complete as it it possible for Him to be on an infinite scale. We should seek to be as complete as it is possible for a human to be, on this finite scale. Only our eternal spirit is perfectly pure. But soon, when Jesus comes in the sky and raptures Christians into His holy presence ... we shall finally be "like" Him, body and spirit, in absolute holiness and perfection.

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." 1 Jn.3:2


May 21, 2021

I Won't Say "God Gave Me This", But I Won't Say He Didn't

So I will take the credit or blame...

One of my blog reader friends mentioned the picture, on my last post, of Maxine Waters.  The comment inspired a few thoughts. I won't say God gave me the thoughts ... but neither will I say He didn't, so I will take the credit or the blame for what I think. I'll just call it "Free-will thinking" which I share with you....


Only Swamp Muddy Maxine Waters is closer to the bottom of their swamp than Hillary Clinton, who says she was named after the hero of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary. Only she was born in 1947 and the Englishman, Sir Hillary, wasn't famous until his heroic climb, 6 years later, in 1953.  Hillary is just  a lying, crooked, witch floating on the swampy scum; But Miserable Maxine sunk quick to the swamp's bottom, loaded down with vicious hate, sharp steel teeth, claws, a big bag of hand grenades and an alligator's tail.  Only time will tell which witch will win the devil's "Queen Of Mean" title, Ugly Maxine, Smiling, Pretty kamala, or Hellish Hillary. All three beat out Jezebel in brutal, savage cruelty.  Oh, and have a pleasant day all you sweet Christian women.  And you husbands, when your wife makes you crazy, just imagine you were married to Maxine, Hillary or V.P. Kamala ... before they became multimillionaires .... or even now, wallowing in their wealth. Would your life be better on their pink, pretty, puppy dog leash?  Eating caviar out of your silver doggie bowl, looking out the window all day, not for love but for nature's call, and only she can let you out for a few minutes. Then at bed time you have to go and hide from the witch to avoid any unseemly contact.  So if your wife is looking old, or flat or is fat and sassy, how is that so bad when compared to living with the devil's demon daughter?  Hitch up your britches and love "old, flat, fat and sassy".  The rule is, "If you make her happy, that automatically helps make you happier than if you don't make her happy". As grandpa said, "If Momma ain't happy ... ain't nobody happy".  Your happy old friend, Rayburn


May 18, 2021

Democrats Have Pirated Control Of Presidency/Congress/News Media

So how are things Improved under Biden, 
Pelosi, Schumer, and Maxine Waters ?

Maxine Waters accused of abusing air marshal access, putting others at risk



Israel, our ally, is on fire, war in the middle east, Major US pipeline hacked, price of everyday goods is skyrocketing, Russia is massing troops on the border with Ukraine. Ukraine is threatening to take Crimea back by force. China is threatening Taiwan and its neighbors while also threatening our ships and Navy. N Korea is testing missiles again and restarting their nuclear weapons program. Iran has been emboldened and making more than their normal threats.
Our southern border is a humanitarian disaster and the promised transparency is hiding it and not letting the media have access. Ford is closing a plant and moving it to Mexico after just bringing it back from Mexico because of the current plan for Increased taxes.
Price of steel up 145%,
Lumber 126%,
Wheat up 25%,
Food index up 25%,
Cotton 35%,
Silver 38%,
Copper 50%,
Soybeans 71%,
Oil 80%,
Pipeline jobs lost. - Wall construction jobs lost 
1.9 trillion in stimulus that funds pet projects and only paid a fraction to the people.
29 trillion in debt with 4.8 trillion projected 2021 deficit before the 2 trillion dollar stimulus proposed for the new green deal.
9+% unemployment with millions of job openings that can’t be filled because federal unemployment assistance makes it more advantageous for people to stay home than w
ork.

And here is the worst revelation of all ...



May 16, 2021

Seriously, If We Christians Do Not Take Action Now...

We are done for as a free Nation

Holy, Common Sense from Gen. Flynn.

Everyone...
This is the only "Save America Plan" possible, written by General Flynn... I think it is profound. Worth our time to read. The guy is indeed a Christian patriot. Please pass it on... Copy & paste if you prefer. RB
Exclusive from Gen. Flynn: 5 Lessons I Learned When the Deep State Came After Me and My Family

You do not have to watch the news for long to see that America is rapidly changing. The downward slide can be found not only in our leadership but also in the shifting definitions of right and wrong blindly accepted by many Americans today.

Our leaders would have us believe that these changing values are inevitable and that they are good. That is why they are called “progressive.”

Yet to those of us who still believe in the immortal truths upon which America was founded, their so-called “progress” is alarming, to say the least.

Sadly, some will allow this alarm to grow into defeatism. They will turn their faces away from the battle before us in hopes of finding a position to retreat to.

To those who would prefer retreat or surrender rather than the fight, I ask you one simple question:

If America falls, where will you go?

Where will you go to find another nation that provides the opportunities and individual guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Where will you find a nation whose founding documents guarantee a government of, by and for the people?

Name a place that offers you and your family the same or more than our United States of America.

The answer is simple: There is no such place.

In spite of our downward slide, America is still the best nation on the face of the earth. This is our land, these are our people, these are our cities, neighborhoods, and streets. This is our country.

Though the battle for the soul of America is fierce before us, we cannot afford to look away in hopes of finding retreat. There will be none.

Though I may sound pessimistic, I am anything but. God enabled me to endure a yearslong campaign by the left to destroy me and my family. They wanted me to serve as an example to anyone who would defy the entrenched bureaucrats of the swamp.

Despite their best efforts, I stand before you as living proof that victory is absolutely possible.

The very fact that we are gathered here today as American citizens free to speak and peaceably assemble should fill us with hope.

But being hopeful is not a survival plan. Hope has never won a war, nor will it win peace on the home front. In this article, it is my intention today to share with you a few lessons I learned in my battle against the dark forces that still threaten our nation today.

When fighting for truth, the most important place to start is to be well-grounded in the Truth itself. I am referring to Truth with a capital T, as in “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Faith in God is an essential part of the fight to restore American greatness. Our personal faith is inextricably linked to our personal liberties.

Alexis de Tocqueville, the great French author of the groundbreaking work “Democracy in America,” wrote “Upon my arrival in the United States, the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention…

“The Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive the one without the other.”

De Tocqueville is exactly right. Prior to America’s founding, no document in the world had directly linked the individual rights of citizens to their unique value and autonomy before an omnipotent Creator.

We should not try to commemorate our Founders’ willingness to pledge their lives, fortunes and sacred honor without also acknowledging the faith that served as the foundation for such boldness.

Faith and freedom can never be separated from one another.

If you wish to have boldness in the fight for America like our Founding Fathers did, have faith in Almighty God. Trust in his power as your sword and your shield.

I must confess that I am rarely one to wear my faith on my sleeve, but fighting with the deep state taught me just how faithful our God is. Even when so many of my friends and colleagues abandoned me, God never did. In fact, going through those trials only brought him closer. Make faith an essential part of your battle strategy today.

As we root ourselves in faith, we must also root ourselves in the writings of our Founding Fathers. If we are to preserve the legacy of such great men as George Washington, John Adams and Patrick Henry, we must know what they stood for.
Anyone can learn more about our nation’s founding. Start simple. When was the last time you read the Constitution or the Declaration of Independence?
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/full-text
We tend to forget just how easy it is to read the Constitution from cover to cover. President Obama’s Affordable Care Act was more than 314,000 words long, but the document that frames our entire system of government is only 4,500 words in length. The average American can read it in half an hour.

Of course, if we really want to get into the mindset of our Founding Fathers, we must dig deeper. “The Federalist Papers,” de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” Paine’s “Common Sense” and the writings of John Locke are all well worth the read.

America’s conception was indeed miraculous, but it was far from accidental. The men who met in Philadelphia were bold men of faith and character who risked everything to “secure the blessings of liberty.”

We must learn of their sacrifice, and we must honor it.

The great pamphleteer Thomas Paine eloquently wrote in his “The American Crisis” that “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as freedom should not be highly rated.”

Those words were read to the entire Continental Army by order of General George Washington, but they still apply equally to us today. Freedom requires the sacrifices of every generation.

As we build upon our faith and a clear understanding of our founding documents, we must never forget the importance of our family in the stand for truth.

When no one else would stand by my side, my wife Lori was there, just as she has been since we met at 13 years old. I married my high school sweetheart in 1981, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Lori has been my rock on a sea of uncertainty. The same strength of character and conviction that made her an amazing Army wife has also equipped her to withstand the political battles of the past few years.

She is my best friend. I count myself blessed beyond measure to have her by my side.

There is a reason why the forces of darkness are trying so hard to eradicate the family as we know it. They see how powerful the bond of family can be, so they want to redefine it, water it down and replace it with a dependency on the state.

We cannot allow them to destroy the family. As long as marriages and families are strong, freedom will always have a fighting chance.

Never concede to those who say they know how to raise your children better than you do. God entrusted the care of children to parents, not to governments.

As Ronald Reagan famously said, “Freedom is a fragile thing, and it’s never more than one generation from extinction.” Take Reagan’s words to heart as you train up your children. Your fight for freedom today will mean nothing if the next generation does not know to keep it.

Do not think of the fight to protect our families as distinct from our fight to save America. The fight to protect the family is the cornerstone of our fight to save America. It is unlikely that anything else you do in life will be as important or as meaningful.

Looking again to our forefathers, we see that they acted courageously for the sake of future generations. We see their concern for their children and their children’s children in everything they said and did.

Benjamin Franklin urged ratification of the U.S. Constitution with the reasoning that “For the sake of our Posterity we shall act heartily and unanimously in recommending this Constitution, wherever our Influence may extend, and turn our future thoughts and endeavors to the means of having it well administered.”

When you fight for America, remember that you are fighting for your family (moms, dads). Make that a guiding light when you do battle against the forces of darkness.

After building the importance of family upon the foundation of faith and the founding, patriots must come to see the importance of true friendship.

John Adams called friendship “one of the distinguishing glories of man … From this I expect to receive the chief happiness of my future life.”

When I became the favorite target of the left for the crime of helping candidate Trump win the presidency of the United States and then serving as his first national security advisor, I was abandoned by many who said they were my friends.

Those who I had previously spent time with suddenly stopped calling, texting and engaging with me and my family. Only when I needed them most did they reveal their true colors.

To be honest, I felt betrayed.

Yet, it was during these dark days that I discovered that I had more friends than I ever realized. Letters began pouring in from every corner of the nation, and in some cases, from around the world.

These letters, many of them from Christians and patriots I had never met, contained words of encouragement, funds for my legal defense and offerings of prayers on my behalf in my darkest hours. These were the expressions of true friends.

I was so moved by these thousands of friends that I made it my mission to thank every one of them. I still treasure their letters to this day.

You may not receive thousands of letters of encouragement as I did, but you should think now about who your true friends are. If you are going to fight the battle for liberty, you must ask yourself whether the people you depend on are going to be with you when the going gets tough.

Remember, you are not alone. There are many other Americans like us who want to defend our great national heritage, but those who stand against us want to divide in order to conquer us.

Don’t let them get away with it. Find your true friends and stand with them boldly. We can win this fight if we work together.

So far, I have told you the importance of faith, addressed our nation’s founding and spoken to the importance of family and the value of true friendship. These are the elements I have found to be vital when everything else seems stacked against you.

Now I would like to talk about the fight.

America needs fighters today. We need those who will say as President Andrew Jackson did, “I was born for a storm, and a calm does not suit me.”

We need those who will stand against failed Marxist ideologies that have invaded the mainstream of our consciousness like a network of choking vines seeking to strangle the mighty American oak tree.

These vines manifest themselves through:

Social media censorship of the free exchange of ideas
Mainstream messaging that drives toward thought control
Political correctness designed to force behavioral compliance
The selective application and weaponization of the very ideals, laws and institutions designed to protect us
Large-scale attacks on the family and on patriotism itself
These problems are big problems, but you do not have to be some D.C. superstar to be a part of the solution. Victory can be achieved through the coordinated efforts of many people doing small but courageous acts of patriotism.

Start by reaching out to those around you. Be an outspoken voice in your church and community. You will be amazed how many hearts and minds can be swayed just by calmly, intelligently and respectfully presenting a viewpoint outside of what is said in mainstream news.

Next, make it your goal to be where the action is taking place. It is commonly said that “history is made by those who show up.” Take the time to go to meetings at city hall. Be a presence at your local school board meetings. Get to know your state’s legislators and keep on top of what is going on at your state’s capitol.

Don’t just complain about how elections are not conducted fairly. Be a part of the solution by petitioning or lobbying at whatever political level that suits you to strengthen election integrity laws. Contact your local party precinct about volunteering as a poll watcher. Remember, the most powerful office in the world is not the President of the United States but, on any given election day, it is a determined and patriotic precinct volunteer.

If your local officials refuse to stand for what is right, employ the ultimate weapon of the grassroots activist. Tell them that you will run against them and follow through on it.

Every politician at every level fears nothing more than the possibility of losing their power. Even if the odds are stacked against you in your township or district, a strong showing from conservatives can keep your officials from straying too far to the left in the future.

However you decide to get involved, make the decision today. America needs soldiers in the fight for freedom.

No one is coming to rescue us from our problems. Some think that the judiciary will solve all of our problems, but they have proven themselves to be unreliable at best.

Rather than waiting for someone else to fight for us, we must be willing to do the hard work ourselves.

The forces arrayed against us are great. They have money, power and privilege on their side.

They want to force the neck of every hardworking American into the yoke of servitude and taxation.

They want to force our mouths into the muzzle of Big Tech censorship and cancel culture.

They want to take our children from us, forcing them to look to Big Brother government rather than those who truly love them.

Yet, for all their plans and power, the forces of darkness can still be defeated.

A friend recently gave me an interesting new perspective on a familiar chapter in American history. Remember that General George Washington commanded a small band of patriots against the greatest military force on the planet.

My friend said “His Continental Army was out-trained, out-gunned, and out-numbered by the British Regulars. The Red Coats were a hardened and well-disciplined army against whom Washington’s rag-tag volunteers were no match.

“The colonies were divided over the war. Congress was practically dysfunctional during the most critical period. And in the infamous 1778 winter encampment at Valley Forge, Washington’s 11,000[-man] army nearly dissolved from starvation, disease, and discouragement among the ranks!”

We all know how the story ended. Against all odds, the Americans beat the British and formed the greatest nation in world history.

It wasn’t strokes of luck but divine Providence that made this possible. President Washington later charged his fellow Americans that “We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.”

As today’s patriots, we fight for those same “eternal rules of order and right.” No matter what anyone says, the character of righteousness has not changed.

Those rules were established before the foundation of the world, affirmed by our great Founding Fathers and maintained by every American generation up to this critical chapter in our history.

With these eternal truths at stake, will you fight with me now in the cause of freedom?

Will you be counted among those who cared enough to pass the torch of freedom to a new generation while it still burns bright?

There can be no retreat and no surrender. As I asked before, where will you go if America falls?

Our battleground is here. Our shield is faith. Our sword is truth.

Victory is ours if we do not cower in the face of evil and oppression.

Will you join the fight?

For the sake of our children and grandchildren, I pray you will.

God bless America.




May 15, 2021

Your Calling as a Believer and follower of Jesus Messiah

Is always the calling of His people ....

If your problems seem too great, your enemy too strong, your mountains too high, and your abilities too small, look up above all of the obstacles... above the impossible to the Creator of the universe and your Savior.  He knows your limits and fears.  He cares about yours and He has no limits or fears.  Ask for His will and wisdom and then go out and do what needs to be done.  He is with you and you can rise above the fearful things of this world if you ...

"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth".  Col.3:2

Hear God's message of hope, endurance and success in his words to the descendants of His friend, Abraham ... in Isaiah 41:9-13.

Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.


May 12, 2021

Communisms Parallel Cyber & Biological Attacks Against America/Freedom

And Against God Himself ....

If the Chinese Communist Party philosophy would attack our American Election Systems with secret, undeclared Cyber Warfare, to destroy our Constitutional Government and nation, they would not stop there.  At the very same time of our elections, with Trump a sure winner, they launched technological warfare, that doubled down on the cyber attack with the Covid 19  biological warfare, even though it killed much of their own population and that of all other nations. China had an excess of people and set a policy of only one child per family, with forced abortion of all but one, for many years.  Every principle of Marxist  Communism treats people as pawns and  violates God's word and human decency. When an earlier tyrant did that, God warned him, in Exodus 5:1 ....           "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go ...." Ex.5:1


The fact that COVID-19’s genetics had been manipulated and weaponized was declared by a Nobel Peace Prize Winner for his HIV Aids discovery.

Looking at genome sequencing, French virologist and Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier, MD postulated early in 2020 that COVID-19’s genetics had been manipulated, saying, “Someone added sequences… It’s the work of  professionals, of molecular biologists… a very meticulous work."

Is this French virologist reliable?
This from Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings:

"One of the defining features of the late 20th century was the discovery of the AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) virus, now known as HIV. Luc Antoine Montagnier led the team that identified the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and shared half the 2008 Nobel Prize with his colleague Françoise Barré-Sinoussi.


Montagnier, an established expert in virology, was approached in 1982 by Paris clinician Willy Rozenbaum to examine a new illness (AIDS). Rozenbaum and his colleague, virologist Françoise Brun-Vézinet, suspected the disease might be caused by a retrovirus – a viral RNA strand that corrupts existing DNA to its pattern – and within weeks Montagnier’s team found evidence of an active retrovirus in tissue from a patient’s lymph node."

___________________________________
Therefore, even though all this is fulfilling prophecy, and the Antichrist will arise out of it, we, as Christians and Patriots must stand up against it with God's Word, Fervent Prayer ... and action. RB

May 11, 2021

Has Every Institution In America Been Compromised?

That our ancestors fought and died for?

Must every lesson of the past be learned over
again through battlefields of blood, death, defeat
and submission to a stronger enemy? Stop this 
National insanity in the restored voting booth.

Who is our New Army boot camp 
training our soldiers to fight?
The Muslim Girl Scouts, Russian 
prostitutes or China's Cookie Club?

You tell me ....





May 8, 2021

God Had A Promised Land For Our ForeParents, As He Had For Israel

 But the hateful, Socialist Amoites had other plans.

Discontent has probably caused more people, families, and nations to make wrong decisions, commit crimes, divorce, start wars resulting in the deaths of millions, than any other human flaw.It Christian America, from the days of our forefathers and founders, to changed a love for freedom and contentment, with little else, to this generation of malcontents and complainers. God let our forefathers to cross oceans to gain freedom of worship and suffer hunger danger to lay the foundation of this new nation even as Israel centuries earlier.

And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content
 ...." Josh.7:7.
 
Ten times it is recorded in the Bible, "Be content".

Much of Apostle Paul's huge success, in his Christian ministry, was his contentment in doing the important things in life and turn from fleshly desires.  Thus, he could counsel others to be content.

"I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil.4:11.

"And having food and raiment let us therewith  be  content." 1 Tim.6:8.

The Bible also teaches frugality, not to be stingy or to get rich, but as a matter of stewardship of the material things God has put under your control and for which we will give account to our master.

Jesus warned us that, as God is our master, in His service, that we too shall give and account to Him.

"... give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward." Luke 16:2.


At 90, I remember the "Dust Bowl" in the middle of the "Great Depression".   As a boy, I earned a Nichol for each bushel basket of Mesquite Beans I picked off the ground under a thorny tree, from among the grass burrs, for cow feed. I'm not afraid of poverty. I've already read that book.  Nearly everybody was poor back them, and envied the few rich people ... but did not hate them. The poor were frugal, worked hard, saved and prayed for better days, and many succeeded in learning contentment while improving their lot. It was a common attitude among the people in Sweetwater, Texas .... 


Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without



In the WWII era of Victory gardens, saving kitchen grease, and donating scrap metal for munitions, the frugal slogan “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!” became a nationwide mantra.

Oh, how that has gone out the window today!  Instead of using things up, we buy multiples in every color, style, model, and flavor.  Instead of wearing things out, we throw them out (or they collect dust in our closets).  Instead of making do, we make a fuss about how rough we have it.  Instead of doing without, our credit cards are maxing out.

Our frugal forebears would be appalled by our wastefulness.

Getting back to our roots by learning to “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!” will challenge our current frugal (or not-so-frugal) habits.  While we won’t all go to the same extremes to save a buck, learning to work with what we have and not be wasteful can help us all to be more frugal.

Let’s take a look at what we can learn from this frugal mantra and how we can apply it to our current situation and upcoming purchases.

The frugal mantra "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without" has gone out the window today! Instead of using things up, our spending is up. Instead of wearing things out, we throw them out. Instead of making do, we make a fuss. Instead of doing without, our credit cards are maxing out! It's time to rewind and re-think!

Use It Up

My kids are always amazed at how I can always squeeze one more blob of toothpaste out of the tube.  Leaving the near empty bottle of shampoo upside down always nets another day’s hair-washing.  With the help of a spatula (Mike calls it a “rubber scraper”), you’ll get another sandwich of peanut butter out of an empty jar.  Does anyone else avoid the last two slices of bread in the loaf?

Whether it’s food, toiletries, or another limited resource, we probably all have room for improvement when it comes to “using it up.”  Maybe it means keep the fridge more organized so produce and leftovers aren’t wasted.  Maybe it means making an extra effort to teach kids to not let their eyes get bigger than their stomachs.  Freezing leftover vegetable scraps is great for stew.  Pressure cooking chicken or turkey bones makes great broth.  Getting in a better habit of “using it up” will save us money and help us raise a less wasteful next generation.

My grandma is a frugal role model for me.  Not only does she make use of everything as it was originally intended, she is a champion of reusing and repurposing things.  While I spoil myself with nice food storage containers that I love, my grandma keeps reusing cool whip containers, pickle jars, and butter tubs.  She saves the string, twist ties, and rubber bands from packages.  If foil is still clean it can be used again.

Wear It Out

On their 50th wedding anniversary, my grandparents posed for a picture with the refrigerator (still working!) that they received as a wedding present.  It’s still going strong out in their garage.  It’s pretty safe to say that none of the fridges we are using today will be around in fifty years!

With most current appliances and electronics being built for for a shorter expected life span, it shouldn’t be too hard to “wear it out.”  On the one hand, manufacturers really “just don’t make ’em like they used to.”  On the other hand, how often do we replace something because we lack the self-control to hold on to “just fine” when new models and updates keep rolling out.

When it comes to clothes, my in-laws are the epitome of “wear[ing] it out.”  When their clothes start to show significant wear, they are designated as clothes for working in the garden or other dirty tasks until they are completely demolished.

It’s understandable that not everyone (including me) wants to wear all of their clothes for decades until they are absolutely threadbare.  There are lots of frugal alternatives for clothes, from passing them onto a friend or donating them to a thrift store, to selling them on ThredUp, eBay, or locally.

Make It Do

“Need” is a very relative term.  Almost every time that we (myself included) say that we “need” something, we would probably be fine without it.  Sometimes we just might have to be a little more creative when it comes to a work-around.  Not only does making it do build our character, we’re also saving money and getting ourselves closer to our financial goal.

My grandma’s antique fridge that’s still keeping food cold after 60+ years, lost its handle a decade or two ago, but that wasn’t a reason to get rid of a perfectly functional fridge.  With a skilled hand and a screwdriver, the door pries open just fine.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying that you never buy anything new (or new-to-you).  What I am saying is that too often we don’t exercise any restraint or creativity when we “need” something.  Next time you “need” something, try to think of how you can “make do” with what you already have!

Do Without

Even considering the things we all cut out in the beginning of the Frugal Fresh Start Challenge, we really don’t “do without” the way our grandparents had to, or most of the world still does.  We’re pretty spoiled.  Considering you’re reading this on some electronic device, probably in your own home, vehicle, or workplace, I feel safe including you among the spoiled.

If we’re worried about keeping up with the Jones, going without will make us miserable.  Focusing on our blessings and considering all we do have makes going without easier.  Going without can be good for us and good for our kids.  Are there some luxuries that you normally buy or were planning to buy that you could do without?

Challenge—Day 17

Give a second thought to upcoming purchases that are on your “to buy” list.  Think about how you are managing without that item now.  How can you “Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, or Do without!”  Could you make it do or do without until you reach the goal you set?  Could you hold off and make that purchase part of your celebration for reaching a milestone?

  • What are some of things that you are intentional about using up or wearing out?
  • How have you made do or done without?
  • Do you have a grandparent or frugal role model who exemplifies this frugal mantra?