Time for the Hodgepodge

Once again, it's time for the Hodgepodge.

Join Joyce and the gang

at

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOYCE!!!
(She writes the questions;
we write the answers. Why not join us!)

1. I'm celebrating a birthday this week so a question relating to aging feels appropriate. Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, 'You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." Would you agree? If not why not?

Faith in God gives us hope and casts out fear.  I've seen a lack of faith produce cynicism and bitterness. Without God, it is impossible to deal with the horrific things we see going on in the world. (See #2.)

My trust is in Jesus, God in the flesh, who gives us forgiveness, life and hope beyond the immediate. Do I feel it? No. I know it. I choose to put my trust in Him, who paid for my sin and who will ultimately judge the world and bring justice. As (St.) Peter said, when Jesus asked if they were going to leave him also,  "Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

 "So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” John 8:31-32
John 1:14–16, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

To choose not to believe in God by default means to choose to believe in chance, in fate, in purposelessness (I tried to find a shorter word), hopelessness and despair. Jesus said 'You're either for me or against me.' (Matt. 12:30) There is no in between.

These are things I want in my life: grace, truth, forgiveness, freedom, hope. I choose to put my trust in Jesus. I choose to believe. And what happens if you run up against doubt? Then you choose again to put your trust in God. For someone like me, there's not an emotional cloud that settles upon me. Remember, if you've ever noticed on my sidebar, my personality type is ISTJ. :-) But the alternative to faith is empty, devoid of joy or hope or certainty of justice or a future.

2. What remarkable feat, interesting piece of trivia, or historical event occurred on your birth day and month? Not necessarily in your birthyear, just the same date/same month.

Unfortunately, they are things we would like to think that humans would not do to one another, but even as I sit in my comfortable house in Wisconsin, things like this are still going on in the world. We just choose not to notice:

Deportation of 70,000 Jews from Lodz Poland to Auschwitz begins 1944

Enola Gay drops atom bomb on Hiroshima 1945

3. Describe a time or circumstance where you wanted to 'have your cake and eat it too.'

I want to live in beautiful Wisconsin and have Mediterranean temperatures. I know.


4. What's something you do that makes you feel young? Something that makes you feel old?

Spending time with my grandchildren makes me feel younger. Realizing how old my children are makes me feel old. Doing things outdoors, breathing the fresh Wisconsin air makes me feel young(er); watching the mainstream news media get excited about celebrities, football players, and Beyonce, but reporting almost nothing about the important things happening in the world makes me feel old(er) and sad. And disgusted. And furious.

5. When did you last do something that was 'a piece of cake'?

I don't know.

6.  Beef, wine, and cheese all improve with age. What's something else you'd add to that list? (not necessarily food or beverage) 

Wisdom improves (grows) with age and experience, something many of the young seem to forget. In this society I think we foolishly treat the young as though they are wise and treat the old as though they are irrelevant.

7. If I were to have a giveaway when we hit Volume 200, what should I give away? By my calculations we'll hit Volume 200 on November 26th, the day before Thanksgiving, which means whoever wins would have whatever it is in time for Christmas.

Two Hundred! That is incredible, Joyce, Congratulations! So for the giveaway, let's see. Two hundred turkeys?  OR an Amazon.com gift card!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I know there are people out there who think that bloggers should keep their faith to themselves. I don't agree. Why on earth would we do that? When we see a world suffering, when we see injustice abound, why would we not share with others a Savior who brings hope, justice, life, and joy. Goodness knows the faithless certainly don't keep silent. Neither should we. If someone were dying of a disease, wouldn't we let them know there is a cure.