Knowing Jesus and Doing His Will

    We celebrate the Lord and Savior on Easter Sunday. It is a time of remembering, celebrating, worshipping, and faith. Many celebrate and remember with sharing eggs or candy for the children. This is nice. Christians in all places have their ways of showing their respects, devotions, and traditions for Easter.

    In my family I recall going to the Tudor Room, a more posh restaurant on the IU campus at the Indiana University Memorial Union. Belgian waffles and things fancy. Or, maybe that was more Mother's Day in May. Although maybe both. This, after attending church, of course.

    We would have chocolate bunnies and the cotton-like colored bunnies, and fun eggs to find around the house. Sometimes we would paint the shells, and there would be the egg searches at the city ground so Bryan Park across the street.

    Easter: bigger than even Christmas in the Christian world. Or it should be.

    The world of Christianity is very large thus far in the 21st century, despite the growing numbers of atheists, secular "nones" (people with no religious affiliation), agnostics, decreasing birth rates in Western and traditional Christian nations, trends of some going back to pagan or nativist faiths or practice.

    Made up fictions have gathered their own belief-system momentums like Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, and dozens and dozens of other fictionalized universes. Some people mark Jedi as their religion on their dog tags for the military. It is as real as anything else that some people claim.

    In 2025 I learned quite a bit more about C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, plus many of their friends and acquaintances. Both of these thinkers and writers created their own worlds, but it turns out Tolkien was very Catholic, while most of us knew that Lewis was a very popular Christian apologist. However, it is interesting to note that Tolkien was vehemently opposed to Lewis claiming erudite scholarship as a Christian apologist since he was not trained in the science nor authorized as such by any faith, not only the Romans of Italy but by no faith under Protestantism as well.

    They had their disagreements, but they also believed in creating their own myths. Which, going on a hundred years later is still going strong. Hugely successful, especially Lord of the Rings. They made the Silmarillion into a coherent story, and spent a lot of money on it. Rings of Power has been a potent show for many.

    There are billions of Christian stories. 

    Make it good. Make your story of Him good.

 What Christianity Brings

    It brings good and bad. When applied wrongly, it can get ugly.  Awful. Almost the worst. Millions have died for bad reasons in its name. Like hate and oppression and control, which is not what Christ intended, surely. Jesus did say and proclaim things that implied revolution and force, but not outright hostility and violence. Yet people over the centuries have used His name and His religions to justify hatred and violence. Like the Crusades. Were those correct? No, we can agree.

    Muslim and Jewish people have suffered unnecessarily from many Christian-based regimes, governments, and even Christian movements over the years because of unrighteous actions by so-called Christians.

    All this said, Christianity can be very good, too. Philanthropic, full of good will very often, charity and well-meaning charities, magnanimousness, organized systems that help others, even the poor. Jesus would approve. Education. Alms and health and anti-poverty drives and inititiatives.

    Metaphysically, or spiritually, Christianity works well for millions, if not billions. Jesus the Anointed One, the Promised Messiah, brought His Kingdom to earth, as planned, and conquered death and died for our sins, paying with His blood for our eternal redemption, defeating or washing away our sins.

    We as believers and practitioners of Christianity enjoy or take advantage of great interpersonal and collective benefits.

    However, there are those of us that misuse or abuse those gifts. We may be prideful or overconfident, bossy or self-righteous in our attempts to be a good Christian, a follower of the Master, Son of God, Jesus the Messiah.

    Belief and faith in Jesus is supposed to be about joy and renewal, not abuse or over lording.

    But we can make mistakes in trying to do His will, and we do all the time. Individually and collectively.

    So, I wish us all a Happy Easter, and I recommend temperance and patience, solid faith and love, and not extreme acts of hypocrisy or chicanery.

    Let us be our best selves, this Holy Week, Easter holiday, and always.

    Let us be brothers and sisters to our Muslim, Jewish, atheist, and agnostic, secular friends and cohorts.

    Being Christian is a privilege that we should never exploit.

    Be good, be loving. Be a good faithful, follower of Christ.

    

 The Perfect Write Up

    Sometimes, or occasionally, I will write something and I think it was really worth its print, and I want to share it. That happened last night.

    But: technical difficulties arose, and it got chopped up. The end of it was lopped off. By me! Yes, I did not save it and publish it right. I may have published it wrong, the morning after. Ach, the morning after.

    "Yelping Foxes". My last post. I shared it on social media this morning, thinking it was complete, completed.

    Boo.

    I tried to cover down on some of what was written, what was deleted. I was talking about the moon, the foxes and dogs of the world, the goings on in Iran, our troops, oil prices, women's basketball...

    Ugh. I goofed it.

    Oh, well. I will try again some other time.

    Get it right.

 Yelping Foxes

    Outside my house, down a sloping hill, we hear the foxes scream. It is not something I grew up with or that I am accustomed to over the years, the decades of of my life in different states and countries.

    Foxes, screaming and yelping, whelping or crying. Smaller canines.

    Like dogs, or wolves, or coyotes. Dingos? Another breed? Or those jackals and hyenas of the African continent. Maybe large parts of Asia, too. Europe must have some feral canines as well. Dogs, mutts, yelpers and barkers and growlers all over, everywhere. Back alley and far off woods, forested mountains and deep, dank jungles. Dogs and packs and groups of hounds and sharp teethed runners. Canines with canine teeth, no matter what genus or breed or family

    The foxes behind my house are not too ferocious. Perhaps they suffer and fear?

    They cry and scream.

    Meanwhile, a U.S. fighter pilot lies dead or dying, or captured and scared, but maybe safe and relieved, in Khuzestan, a province or region, in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. We pray for his safety.

    His flight crew buddy is all right, a little battered and bruised, but he made it.

    While Iranians struggle for their survival.

    As do people in the fighting zones of Ukraine, which most of us forgot about, or part of war torn Sudan, which still more if us never cared about.

    Americans and Canadians and Mexicans and all the others are paying much more for gas or petrol this last month, certainly. We subsidize the rockets and the planes and the ships and the troops.

    All connected.

    People own dogs, and take them on planes flying around the globe. Not much fear of them being shot down by enemy air defense weaponry. Accidents do happen, but not as much in the air as on the ground. Not as much drunkenness and social media with "smart phones" up there, gratefully.

[I had more: I accidentally eliminated it]

Dark splotches on the moon, the plains and valleys...

Come back to the land of the yelping foxes, my dear. (That had been the last line.)

Oops. I will try to fix it. I sabotaged my own post. I had mentioned how the couple on a two month vacation from Florida were in Palm Springs, with their little dog half Shiatzu and Havanese, a black and white good natured dog that suffered on take offs and landings, but chewed its chewies in the wheel chair of its elderly owner, the ones from Cleveland.

    Foxes down by our creek with the turtles. No fish, but amphibians like frogs. And bugs.

    The rather full moon with its darker splotches, must be those features that our astronauts are hurtling to see. The far side, unseen by human eyes before.

    Christians celebrate Easter, while Muslims weep, in places like Iran or Gaza or Sudan...

    It was composed, but I think I may have wiped it out this morning.

So, the foxes cry and yelp, and I am alone. Last night, now, but the family is coming back from Denver, where I waited with that dog in Denver, at a Southwest terminal, not Frontier.

    Okay, I got out the last of it. Astronauts are over halfway there, where I watched them on FoX live TV. Who needs Internet when you have Hulu? 

    A channel for randos like me.

    Sorry disjointed, it flowed better in my original writing.

    See you soon. 

    The moon and the foxes and the hounds and romantic spaghetti scenes. All of it.

    There.

 Bryce is on the Board, 2026. Sneaks back to Get the Nats

    Where were we? Harper finished in the top 100 last season, at the end of 2025? Now he is 33 years-old. Still got a few prime years left, we presume.

    Last September 20 Bryce was at number 89 all-time with 363 career home runs.

    He hit one today, this afternoon, to help his Phils come back from a decent deficit. The relievers for the hometown (no, the visiting team) Nationals fell apart, or maybe the coaching did, because multiple pitchers for the Nationals were giving up runs in the last three innings. They lost in 10. After being up 5-1... Good six innings by the starter. Who was that? Cavalli. New to me. Maybe he's a goer?

    Enough about Harper's old team. About him. Now:

    He's at 90th with 364 all-time homers. He fell back because I think Freddie Freeman and and Manny Machado have passed him up in the last days of 2025 and the first week of this year.

    He is just ahead of Joe Dimaggio, who I am pretty sure hit for a better average. Joltin' or Jumpin' Joe. Different times, different eras. 

    I talked to some parents of a former major leaguer  now double A coach on a plane Sunday.

    The game. Michael Lewis knows. He knows a lot.

    Here is the current standings of those near Bryce Harper.

    

78.	Norm Cash (17)	377	7914	L	HR Log
	Jeff Kent+ (17)	377	9537	R	HR Log
80.	Carlton Fisk+ (24)	376	9853	R	HR Log
81.	Rocky Colavito (14)	374	7559	R	HR Log
82.	Paul Goldschmidt (16, 38)	372	8831	R	HR Log
83.	Gil Hodges+ (18)	370	8104	R	HR Log
	Aaron Judge (11, 34)	370	5023	R	HR Log
85.	Todd Helton+ (17)	369	9453	L	HR Log
	Ralph Kiner+ (10)	369	6256	R	HR Log
	Manny Machado (15, 33)	369	8215	R	HR Log
88.	Freddie Freeman (17, 36)	367	9384	L	HR Log
89.	Lance Berkman (15)	366	7814	B	HR Log
90.	Bryce Harper (15, 33)	363	7687	L	HR Log
91.	Joe DiMaggio+ (13)	361	7672	R	HR Log
92.	Gary Gaetti (20)	360	9817	R	HR Log
93.	Johnny Mize+ (15)	359	7372	L	HR Log

Analysis later.

Mize, a Hall of Famer, as of course Joe. Mize played from 1936 until 1953, with military service from 1943 to 1945.

    Seems like a whale of guy. Lifetime .312 hoter. Dimaggio? Played in the majors the same starting year as Johnny, 1936, and ended a bit earlier in 1951, also doing military duty from 1943 to 1945.

    What a generation! Here, here, the heroes of yesteryear.

    Bravo, Mize and DiMaggio.

    Play on, even in the heavens.

    And let's play another.

 History of You and Me: A Poem-Like Thing

    I love you

    You love me.

    But: that does not mean that I don't avoid letting you down.

    But: that doesn't mean that I cannot make you feel loved, secure, and hopeful for all things.

    Or some things.

    Hopeful for some things. The essential things. The most important things.

    We know, to varying degrees, that only God can make us hopeful in all things. 

    Love. Respect. Honor. Virtue. Hard work. Attraction. Chemistry. Good humor. Devotion.

    What is our history? 

    I have not given enough. I must give more. 

    You always give, you are not selfish. 

    You give and give and give.

    The former president says that he is in a debt to his wife.

    I understand that.

    I get it. And the president has been much more successful.

    Arguably. No doubt.

    So, I have to be a better guy, better husband, father, provider, protector.

    This is the history of you and me.

    And I pray that it does not end soon, nor will it ever.

    We have today, tomorrow, and next week, and next month.

    Yes?

    Thank you for saying yes.

 Airports and People on a Sunday

    No Pre-TSA, no problem. It was sketchy. But things worked out.

    The cookie cracker in my back pocket was confiscated! Ummm. Didn't want to spend anything in there. Airports cost too much. So, the lady from Montana gave me her delicious breakfast bagel sandwich! They gave her an extra, she did not want it.

    Hmmm... Not bad.

    The couple coming back from Palm Springs vacation to their Bradenton, Florida vacation. With their little shitzu-Havanese dog. An the D.C. lady in the wheel chair asking about the week's weather. My app did not bring it up well so I went to the web page.

    The couple from a small town near Sacramento who has the son coaching Double A. Former shortstop. 

    Finding the vehicle in the Economy parking. Green or blue?

    Back for the Duke and Connecticut game. Wackadoodle.

    Back to work, working on things. 

    By myself in the house. Here I am.

    Must, or want to check out the ole' (new) blog Artistic Musings.

    Yeah. Blogs.