on the rim

Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from? After death, what? For centuries, the philosophers of men have taken these questions, parsed them, tried to explain, and ultimately, not be able to answer them. These are variations of the questions that God asked Job.  Bottom line? If you have read the Rim from the beginning, then you know I have probably answered to some extent, each question.  I could spend a lot of time answering, but the answers are: A child of God To receive a body, to gain experience, choosing right from wrong, to learn faith and obedience.  To repent. As a son of God, I came from His presence.  No, I can't remember, as NONE of us can.  We can't demonstrate faith if we have a perfect knowledge. We go to paradise.  Our spirits freed from physical suffering.  We go to anxiously await the reuniting of our bodies.  For those who were true and faithful on earth, it is a paradisaical state.  For those who h...

My son Ben gave a talk for the ages at church today.  He works with special needs youth, and is working on finishing his degree.  He has grown immeasurably in the last several years.  A proud moment, for a proud father.  Not that I had anything to do with that.  I suspect much has to do with his wonderful wife, Tausha. I read a study that showed that atheists are far more close minded than religious types.  That stands to reason, of course, as to be a true believer in nothing, requires a complete rejection of the world around us.  The world testifies of God, or if you would rather, intelligent design.  Believing that life just happened seems to me harder to believe than that God created the world. I am content to wait and learn the mechanics of creation, and not get into the details that no one can know with certainty now. God is our Father.  Whether you choose to believe or not, has NO impact on the fact that He IS our Father.  He...

I am sitting here, honestly not believing that 7 months into retirement, I have been so busy.  When did I ever have time to get anything done while working?   Yes, I spend a lot of time online, probably too much, but it gives me something to process, and to get ready for the upcoming semester.  So, at least it is a rationale for keeping my head buried in the BS that has become our political discourse. Back from camp, I am grateful that we did not deal with the heat that they are dealing with this week.  I truly enjoyed it, something I have not been able to say for a few years.  Maybe it is the lost weight that allowed me to get around easier.  I so enjoy talking to people that I have known for years, and they always SEEM glad to talk to me.  It seems that most of the more senior people know me.  They are always so welcoming and kind.  In many ways, I feel closer to these wonderful people, whom I see one week of the year, than to many others...

an opinion.  normal disclaimers. I wanted to write a little about a something that has given me a place to feel a part, to be in a brotherhood.  Probably I would not be so enthusiastic about the Boy Scouts of America, were it not for this program. What prompted me to opine on this group?  I was on the Facebook page, and read some rather disparaging comments about the program.  Calling it "Fake" , or a "secret society" , in direct violation of the Youth Protection Training.  Many other things.  It bothered me, especially as one poster complaining about the program stated that he had been tapped in years ago, and had just been to the Tapping this past week. (probably the best tapping that I have seen in years) I am referring to the Tribe of Mic-O-Say , which is the Honor Camping Society for the Pony Express Council, in St. Joseph, MO.  The Heart of America Council, based in Kansas City, also has a Mic-O-Say program.  Heart of America, also u...