Cowboy Bob Sorensen

This weblog will focus on my grieving process for a while, and I hope that it will help some people who are going through these things as well. Everyone grieves sometime, but not the same way. There is no "getting over it." Some of these will be short, some long. Music has power. It can influence moods and even cause excitement (such as with rallying songs chosen as anthems). Some become a part of us while others have poor lyrics that were only effective because of the delivery and production. Songs can take us back to times in our lives, both good and bad. I'll hear a song now and remember how Charlene liked it. Some make me think of her even if she didn't know them. She told me that she was playing mix CDs in her car that I had made her years ago. I had label and case insert-printing software, and had fun doing it. What is seen here may be the very first one I made for her. (The picture was taken in the lantern area of the Rondout Lighthouse, and it was quite a feat

On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, my beloved wife Charlene left this world to be with Jesus and loved ones who have gone before. I love her and will be with her again someday. A rather detailed version of what went on is here , so no need to do it all again. There is a great deal to learn about the grieving process, and it is different for everyone. Do not expect someone to get over the emotional gut punch and mental fog (especially with unexpected losses like mine) quickly. We have to experience it and learn to deal with it. Here is one way I am facing it. Esopus Creek near Mt. Tremper, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen In September of 2022, Charlene and I gave ourselves an outing. We went on Route 28 to Mt. Tremper for some walking in nature and so I could get some pictures. (This is comparatively recent for me, partly motivated by the fact that newer smartphones tend to have good cameras.) Unfortunately, the Esopus was muddy from low rainfall . During this time, her back condition was

Most professing Christians around the world are celebrating the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! If it had not happened, our faith is in vain (1 Cor. 15:12-19). But it did  happen and is the best-attested fact of ancient history. Those who are in Christ are forgiven and adopted as children of God (1 John 1:12-13.)  Like last year, no full post today but I am going to link to my other posts on the subject: Doubt Creation, so Doubt the Resurrection? The Trail of the Resurrection from Genesis (which I had written about a year ago in case I was not around to post something for this year) Resurrection or Evolution as a Basis for Hope Bible with Resurrection account and flowers, Unsplash / Anuja Mary Tilj As a bonus, here is a short post from Jimmy, " This Sunday at Church: Being Grateful for the Resurrection of Christ ." Please pray that God blesses his missions trip and for safe travels. Also, Why?Outreach has reposted a link to a collection of links regarding

Wow, Christmas already? It feels like a year...okay, it happens that way. This post is a follow-up of sorts to " Christmas is More than People Think ", and it would be helpful to read the article linked there before reading this one. Helpful, but not essential. Most professing Christians and some people who give a nod to it celebrate Christmas. Ask them what it means, you will be told that the Son of God was born. There is far more involved than that simple answer provides. Pixabay / Gerd Altmann As a child raised in the Untied Methodist Church (misspelling intentional), I learned my best theology from the hymns and public reading-mumblings of the creeds in the back of the hymnals. My understanding was still very weak, however. I have a vague recollection of getting on the prod when someone said that Jesus is God: "No he isn't! He's the Son  of God!" Later came knowledge of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Then the phrase, "

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  It was one of those nights where I lost some sleep, and frustrating because I had to go to work the next day. Tough it out and pray for strength. Have you experienced dreams that stay with you throughout the day? This was not one of those. Instead, I was laying there at four in the A. of M. trying to remember it so I could write this here article. The first dream that I will mention, however, did  stay with me. I remember most of it rather well years later. Old house, Pixabay / Peter H In the older dream, I was walking alone on a very straight country lane on a very fine day. It was unpaved and there were no fences. Coming toward me was a figure in a hooded black robe, and a dog (like a Labrador Retriever, but with a bit more hair). The dog ignored me and kept on going, but I knew the other character was a demon. I was annoyed, and my immediate response was to rebuke it. "Satan, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the blood shed on the cross —" &q

Glory to God, Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! That means he has defeated death, and all who believe in him have the blessed hope of eternal life. There is a fearful expectation of eternal life in Hell for those who have rejected God's offer of salvation. It is amazing that atheists are so hateful, and without hope in life, that they not only spit in the face of Jesus, but try to destroy our faith. Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. Our hope is certain because it is based on the person of Jesus. Don't let anyone try to take your eyes off him! Pixabay / congerdesign I'm not going to post an article here. Instead, here's a list of what I've written up for this Easter season. Some of these were written several months in advance: The Crucifixion and Counting to Three — People say it is not possible to get three days from the Crucifixion on Friday to the Resurrection on Sunday. Modern readers of ancient texts have a habit of imposing their own culture

This Easter has a deeper meaning for me. Thinking about the bodily Resurrection of Jesus, but it is also the anniversary of the birth of my late father. He, too, had that blessed hope. I will meet him, my mother, my oldest brother, and others in Heaven who have gone before. Credit: Flickr / Kristin Klein  ( CC BY 2.0 ) If anyone was looking for a longer post, yes, I've been busy: Answering Good Friday and Easter Questions  (putting to rest false claims of Easter and Good Friday paganism) The True Source of Life The Other Resurrections (especially that puzzling passage in Matthew 27:50-54) Moses and the Resurrection of Jesus?

During tumultuous times, celebrating the birth of Jesus is a stark reminder to Christians that we have hope. This hope is not based in humanity. Instead, we need to focus on how God the Son left Heaven and became the man Jesus for our salvation. Credit: Pixabay / falco He did not come to make everything into our best lives now. In fact, following Jesus involves sacrifice and persecution; it is not a lazy tinhorn's religion like atheism. But we are given eternal salvation, adoption as sons and daughters of the living God, purpose, victory over death, and much more. I'm not going to take much more of your time, unless you have a hankering to see what I've done for this Christmas season. I'd be much obliged if you'd watch the "flash mob" video. Look for how people are awestruck around the 4 min. 23 sec. mark. Okay, the other posts: Why the Genealogies of Jesus are Important Christmas — Relatively Speaking The REAL Mother of Jesus

Step aside, guard! The king must use the throne. No, this is just a game. Two television programs have ended that were loved by many. One was a fantasy drama called  Game of Thrones, the other was a comedy known as The Big Bang Theory.  From what I read, both generated quite a bit of emotion in some folks.  Background image before malevolentification by NASA / WMAP Science Team (ain't no way they endorse any part of this site), with a graphic from Clker clipart I didn't care. Two shows that people talked about that had many episodes, and I never saw any. Previews for The Big Bang Theory  struck me as silly and I didn't want to spend time on it. Game of Thrones  has been described as not only violent and trying to be politically correct, but it had graphic violence and was pornographic. via GIPHY Fans were disappointed in the ending  of GoT, I'm sad to know that some professing Christians were putting that kind of thing in their minds. So, did you ima

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Until the last few years, people knew that men and women are different . Not only do we have distinct biological differences that are important medically and in other ways, but it is the way God designed life. We are also psychologically different. It is indeed unfortunate that I have to state what was formerly obvious. Credit: Flickr / Mike Baird ( CC by 2.0 ) The University of Notre Dame was a religious school last I knew, and as such, claimed to uphold certain standards. Apparently modesty is not so important. One of the differences between men and women is that us menfolk are visually stimulated. Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. discussed a problem at the university where a mother wrote a column in the student newspaper about leggings. I highly recommend his March 29, 2018 The Briefing podcast that can be heard online, downloaded, or you can read the transcript. One of the various names for this piece of hosiery for women is yoga pants , which shows t

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited 4-15-2019 Many of us who have jobs know the frustration of having upper management make demands, expecting those of us who actually do the work to somehow make their dreams and their bonuses come true. Unfortunately, too many people in their positions do not know how things work, but they make promises to clients that cannot realistically be fulfilled. I say that the motto of The Company is the song by Queen, "I Want It All (and I Want It Now)". USSR Order of Labor Glory 3rd Class Medal Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Fdutil ( CC by-SA 3.0 ) While my work at The Question Evolution Project and the Piltdown Superman site (among others) sometimes feels like a full-time job, I have a day job to pay the bills. It is a data entry job, so you can imagine the eye strain from doing that plus writing posts and articles. My own social media rules are stricter than those of The Company because all y'all don't need to know where I work. On

Yes, we celebrate Christmas. No, we will not be manipulated into feeling guilty about it by Reverend Dourpuss or uninformed, legalistic Christians. Or professing atheists who pass along falsehood. Claims that Christmas is based on plagiarized pagan and mythic figures are false, pilgrim. Credit: Pixabay / RitaE I'll allow that there are some errors in our traditions, such as the Magi visiting Jesus in the stable (their visit was a year or two later, and it was probably a large group, not just three). What if Christmas did have pagan associations? If that was true, then Christians who shun Christmas are inconsistent because several things we know and use today actually do have pagan origins — which are largely forgotten. Those people might want to avoid the days of the week and months of the year if they want to be consistent, for example. December 25? I have read and some interesting arguments that insist that Jesus was indeed born on that date. Then I read others that make

Using science, psychology, and years of refinement, investigators have developed some rather impressive systems at determining the truth of "Who did it" and "How it happened". This can apply to horrendous criminal cases, reasoning to a conclusion, and other applications. Credit: RGBStock / Robert Linder Circumstantial evidence can only get you so far. Forensic (historical) science involves determining past events with evidence that exists in the present, so it gets mighty difficult when a significant amount of time passes. Eyewitness accounts are extremely important, and when hitched to a team with circumstantial and forensic materials, you are likely to reach a logical conclusion. People who have watched courtroom dramas (on the screen or in person) may have encountered attorneys putting some hard questions to witnesses. This is to establish credibility or discredit the witnesses. In police matters, never let witnesses sit together . Separate them. Why? So

The way I've always understood it, a gift is something that is freely given. If you work to receive something, it is not a gift, but earned like wages or something. Children in many parts of the world are told about a being known by many names, including Father Christmas, Sinterklaas, Saint Nicholas, Santa Claus (see the pattern on the last three names?), and others. Credit: RGBStock / LUSI Way back yonder, Nicholas was a godly man who was also a giver of gifts. Legends built up, and today we have a recluse who lives at the North Pole, flying around the world with in a sleigh drawn by reindeer and giving gifts to all the good little girls and boys. Probably defies the laws of physics, as this internet legend indicates . Like many others, I believed in Santa Claus, but as I grew older, I realized that the storyline was impossible. The myth was shattered when I walked past my parents' bedroom, the door was wide open and a big box of unwrapped gifts was in the middle of

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Heard a message by Dr. Charles Stanley about rejection. I don't cotton to stuff about building up your self-esteem since those are usually humanistic platitudes, and there's not a great deal of truth there. While most of us deal with some form of it every day, rejection can cut to a person's core. Worse, people will use rejection to manipulate people. Depending on the impact of the rejection (a child by parents, former spouses or romantic interests, a powerful boss, and so on), scars can last a lifetime, and people try to earn some kind of acceptance in the aftermath. Some are so programmed for defeat, they set themselves up for failure and say, "See? I'm no good". What do I have to offer? What makes me successful? Not a hatful. A poorly-paying job that cheats me out of my wages, no books published, no riches or fame, reasonably bright but not a genius. Certain atheists and evolutionists hate me with a passion because of my activ