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What Will People Think of Me?

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Admit it, you've had some situation where you've said or done something where you seem as smart as a fence post, then been concerned about what other people think. It could have been making a comment on social media with bad wording or you speld somethn wrong. Maybe you were stopped at a traffic light and start mining for the irritation in your nose, then another car pulls up next to you and someone in the other car is looking. Or you pay for something at the convenience store and didn't have enough money, so you had to use a different method of payment. How often do we wonder what people think of us, and imagine that they keep that memory to make chin music with someone else? Then there are times you read something in social media and assume it's about you, so you get all het up even though you're not even named. Conversation , Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1879 Centuries ago, I'd be cutting up as a bratty child and my mother would say...

Not Love is Not Love

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen While browsing social media, I came across the hash tag, "love is love", which was used in reference to homosexual relationships. This is nothing in which rational people can take pride. People hijacked the word "gay" as well as the rainbow (which they perverted for their own style), and are in open rebellion against God — their behavior is also unnatural. While it is irrational for atheists to wrap their identities in their rebellion against the God they pretend does not exist, it seems even more irrational for people to seek their identities in how they use their genitalia. It's mighty simplistic to write it all off as "love is love". As we have seen in the news and on the web, ever since the US Supreme Court redefined "marriage" to include same-sex relationships , there has been an increase in other deviant groups who want their sexual preferences recognized, accepted, and even celebrated. Those of us who be...

Breaking News: C.H. Spurgeon did not Compose Sacred Writ

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Research indicates, science shows (when someone uses one or both of those phrases, you know something is guaranteed to be a fact) that the English Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon did not write any portion of the Bible. In addition, books of his sermons cannot legitimately be considered as sacred writ. Someone may object, "I don't cotton to your insinuation that Spurgeon fans think that his writings are infallible!" Well, I did get your attention, didn't I? Now let this child 'spain hisself. I'm choosing Rev. Spurgeon as my first example because so many people admire him. Yes, the "Prince of Preachers" had some good things to say. Yes, professing Christians know that he didn't get a revelation brought by an angel on golden plates that is to be a third testament to the Bible. No, I do not dislike him. In fact, many people that I admire use his material. Right, Phil, Todd, Dr. Mac, Dr. James, and others? I...

Humor Fail

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Way back yonder, before Roku and other streaming devices, before we had the evil known as cable television, I saw an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show called "Father of the Week". It aired in 1962, so I appreciated it in syndicated reruns. Maybe I did see it on cable after all. Rob (his character) was giving a talk to the kids about being a comedy writer. When he stumbled , the kids laughed. He pointed out that people laugh because they are surprised; something is unexpected. The old slapstick pie-in-the-face routine lost its charm long ago because it was used so much, but can be funny when it has an unexpected twist. Surprise is lost when jokes have to be explained, and they're usually not as funny. My humor has been called "dry", and I see that this definition says that it is based on word play with a straight or "deadpan" expression. Well, some of my humor influences use plays on words. I like ambiguity in hu...

Morality and Spy Stuff

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen What is spying ? That word has various meanings depending the individual. The meaning seems to have broadened nowadays, what with advances in technology, internet usage, and all that. Generally, it is obtaining information for your own purposes through secretive means. This is often done illegally or at least without the subject's knowledge and approval. Because I work with protected information, my employer has cameras to help them ride herd on us. Although we know about them, some folks feel "spied on". It is legal. Credit: Pixabay / Free-Photos Privacy concerns on the internet have given rise to encryption software for email and browsers, and even for files on your computer. Cyber security checks for and attempts to thwart spyware and malware that track your browser activity, and to keep hackers out of your system. Your smart TV is probably spying on you, and the makers do not have your best interests at heart. There is also industrial ...

Examining the Witnesses of the Resurrection

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...

Thoughts on the Passing of Billy Graham

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen On February 21, 2018, a man beloved by millions of Christians died. Billy Graham was 99 years old, and spent decades preaching the straightforward gospel. I am not going to give you a mini biography since many other people have already done that. However, I have some things to say about him. Interesting that my father, a pastor in the ever-increasingly liberal United Methodist denomination, was fond of this Baptist preacher. Franklin (left) and Billy Graham, 1995, photo by Paul Walsh People packed out entire stadiums to see Billy Graham crusades, and many of those were supporters, some excited about his celebrity status, Christians bringing friends, the curious — and those who didn't know why, but were drawn by the Spirit of God. Although I had never attended a formal crusade, I think I was taken to see an associate of Graham, Leighton Ford . Back when I was a youngster, I was taken to see a movie from World Wide Pictures, the cinematic division of...