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Random Thoughts on Evolution

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kevingdrendel's avatarNavigating by Faith

sad chimpanzeeI am fascinated by the Theory of Evolution, but it is a more of a curiosity. How can so many scientific people be so religiously attached to one principle? I am no scientist. I will admit that; but, I have a hard time understanding how rational people can be so dogmatic on this topic.

I also have not heard an evolutionary explanation of the origin of all things, including man, that makes sense to me.

I am not talking about evidence for evolution seen in the adaptation of species over relatively short periods of time. I think there is sufficient proof of evolution in that sense. I am talking about the big picture, the forest, not the trees. Evolution does not satisfactorily explain the big picture, and it seems to me that the forest gets lost in the trees.

I spent a little time today listening to a presentation of…

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The Ugliness of Man

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Hidden camera captures what happens when a woman walks through New York City for 10 hours

This video is disturbing. If it is not disturbing to you, then I suggest that you have been conditioned by the culture we live in to accept this as normal.

We live in a sexualized world. We are bombarded with it. Sex sells. Sex that sells is cheap sex, ugly sex.

This is not who we were meant to be. Our mothers, wives and daughters are not intended to be the objects of every man’s sexual desire. Our aunts, sisters and nieces are not meant to be objectified by the sexual lusts of strangers.

We live in a deeply disturbed world.

We should be disturbed by the fact that the immediate, visceral unfiltered reaction of so many men was to objectify this woman and openly lust after her.

There is no other word for it but ugly.

The outward actions expose dark hearts.

Most darkness we do not see in this outward, open form.

How would jealousy  look if we could see it acted out on the streets of New York or the neighborhoods in which we live? We do not often get to see it exposes like this video. We see read about it in the paper  – “man kills his wife, then himself”.

We see sexual immorality in the prostitutes that walk in places we would not be caught in the daylight, but the real darkness is in the hearts of the men who prey on them.

We do not think about it that way as we watch pornography on the computer? How many of those women decided as little girls to become an objectified piece of sexual meat?

How many of those women are chained to their exploiters by addictions they cannot feed by themselves? How many victims of human trafficking are help captive to the unquenchable sex industry that is fed by millions of white guys in suburban homes who become trapped in the pit as surely as the victims they cannot help but watch?

How dark is the greedy heart that makes a living on the suffering, degradation and dehumanization of women, even children, as sex objects?

This video shows that same darkness resides in those around us who have learned to see woman as objects of lust, even if they are not pimps.

But, don’t be so quick to judge and get self-righteous…. what if someone had a video of every unkind, hurtful thing you have ever done?

What if a video played in Time Square showing every time you took something that was not yours, some thing you did not earn, just a bit more than your share because you thought no one was looking?

Even worse, what if all your hateful, spiteful, petty and mean thoughts were projected out on a screen with a loudspeaker for the world to hear?

Ugliness starts in the heart where no one is looking. Ugliness stays hidden because it hates exposure. Ugliness comes in many forms, and they are all dark.

There is only one cure for the ugliness, the darkness that lies hidden in our hearts.

If you see darkness in your heart, confess it; expose it to the light. “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light….” (John 3:20-21). Your fear that keeps you from revealing the sin that is in your heart will trap you and keep you from God. There is redemption in the light.

Acknowledging the darkness that is within is the beginning of redemption and forgiveness and freedom from that sin that has taken root and holds you in its tentacles.(Psalm 32:1-5)

Recognize the ugliness for what it is and take a step toward God. He already knows your heart. He knew it when he died on the cross for those sins. (Colossians 2:13) There is no where you can hide from God. (Psalm 139:7-8)

Since He knows you already, stop trying to hide and face God today.

“If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9)

Then give yourself to God.

“[I]f you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.…” (Romans 10:9)

Let Him in to your heart. Only He can change it.

“I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you….” (Ezekiel 36:36)

Fear & Loathing in Ferguson

/ kevingdrendel / 1 Comment

Teen Girl Praying lightstock_98499_xsmall_user_7997290I may not have said it exactly this way, but this post from a friend of mine on Facebook says a lot of what goes through my mind. He may be white, but he has black grandchildren, and he lives a life of service to anyone who needs help. He lives what he says, He has street cred. 

My own quick take is that there are deep problems on both sides of the gun, and they are deepening as I write. Where is the Martin Luther King, Jr. of this generation to bring some sanity to the situation? What are the police thinking!? Where is the voice of reason? Where are the peacemakers?

Fear and Loathing in Ferguson Missouri

September 3, 2014 at 12:45pm

The news reads like deja vu: “Another white cop shoots an unarmed black youth”. Such a tragedy often gives us an x-ray of just what is in our hearts and minds. The truth is seldom sought as emotions only further the grief. What is it about racial discrimination that keeps us blind to our own fears and loathing ? Why cannot we get past this ugliness and put it in the history books, once and for all ?

As a white older Christian man who is about to reprove everyone in this mess, may I offer the black community some politically incorrect truth instead of patronising as the liberals do and castigating as some conservatives might. Here it is: 

  • Lawlessness is not the way forward. If you want to rise up and do yourselves and your community proud you must shed the mind- forged manacles of blaming others and take responsibility for your actions. Justice is not served by looting innocent merchants.
  • Aggression toward police officers is an invitation for disaster, and by the way this advice is what I told my children and grandkids. Do not aggress or sass police officers. They have authority and if you disrespect the badge, you invite the force necessary to subdue you. For sanity’s sake, don’t aggress.
  • Look for racism last, not first when there is a tragedy. We all know there are bad apples in Police uniforms. Let the light of investigation prove what has happened.
  • Black parents and teachers and pastors and community leaders all must address the black on black crime that is eating ya’ll alive. The enemy is found and it is WITHIN. ( That goes for all of us, white or black )
  • This may surprise you but most white folks LOVE you guys. Mixed in with that is a lot of fear and for good reason. Even Jesse Jackson would not walk past a group of young blacks without crossing the street. Deal with this in earnest !
  • GANGSTA culture is one of death and demerits your people. Build up your women, they are the backbone of your communities, not bitches. Your adolescent ideas of masculinity would be laughable if it were not so deadly. You are dragging your people backwards and reinforcing white on black racism. GROW UP ! Oh and bigotry toward white folks is not helpful, even if some are a**holes. 

And here is some truth for the law enforcement community: SERIOUSLY !!!

  • Militarizing the Police represents such profound disregard for your mission to serve and protect, that I am ashamed in this moment to be an American. The whole world is shaking its head at us. The Captain of the State Police, who is black ,did a fine job turning things around after you City clowns gave up your wannabe military approach. Remember this: YOU FAILED. LEARN NOT TO DO THIS AGAIN TO OUR OWN PEOPLE !
  • Until your white officers get in touch with just how much fear and loathing they might have for people of color, we are going to see another tragedy unfold. I feel no judgment for the Officer who shot this young man. I don’t know the facts, yet. But why is there no protocol to subdue an unarmed man who is aggressive without lethal force ? Is there no baton, or mace, no tazer. Now there are cameras and we will know what happens but only a fool would feel happy that a young man’s life was snuffed out. 
  • Serious outreach and recruitment of black officers is NECESSARY when the majority of your citizens are black and you only have three out of fifty three officers who are African American.

To myself and other conscionable white folk:

  • LISTEN to and penetrate black culture with life giving and supportive love. Do not give in to fear and loathing. There is a toxic amount of this on both sides of the racial divide. Go Cross Cultural and be a bridge of understanding. Help the poor and take special interest in their well being. Avoid politicizing issues and get REAL ! Get some friends of COLOR and together reach out for light and love.
  • If you are a RACIST, get behind me Satan ! No more of that CRAP !
  • Take a look at your church and if it is all white, find out why. The answers might be painful to face but we have no choice. GET TO WORK !

Lastly, as an outsider to the dynamics of the Ferguson community we hope recovery is In your future and that real healing will result from yet another wake up call. It is never too late to repent and now is an opportune time to do just that ! Amen. I pray the peace of God upon your lives and your loved ones in the coming days. PEACE ! Ken Peters

Thank you for words of wisdom my friend.
 
Now we need to pray!

The Hobby Lobby Case Summarized

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The storm of comments have died down, but they have not gone away. What will the ramifications of this opinion be? Will it be like the case of the Amish family in Wisconsin (Yoder) who insisted their children stay home from school after 8th grade? The Yoder case has been distinguished much more often than followed? In laymen’s parlance, that means it has been largely ignored as precedent. Or will it be like Roe v. Wade that marks an historic and seismic shift in jurisprudence and social construct? Time will tell, but it has certainly caused quite a stir in the meantime.

kevingdrendel's avatarNavigating by Faith

j0321176There have been many reactions to the recent Supreme Court decision in the “Hobby Lobby case”; and many reactions are emotional responses that are not guided by the actual facts. In particular, people are objecting to large corporations wholly refusing contraception to their employees. The facts are less dramatic, but they make all the difference. let’s consider them.

To begin with, the “Hobby Lobby case” is not just one case, but three. The three cases involve Hobby Lobby, Conestoga Wood Specialties and Mardel Christian and Educational Supply. Conestoga is a maker of wood cabinet, doors, and miscellaneous wood products located in Pennsylvania. Mardel is a supplier of Christian books, Bibles, education materials and miscellaneous merchandise. Of course, everyone knows what Hobby Lobby is. Hobby Lobby is the largest corporation of the three.

There is something else all three corporations have in common. They are all family-owned, closely-help corporations. That means the stock…

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10 Life Lessons I Learned On A Wrestling Mat

/ kevingdrendel / Leave a comment

In case you, the reader, have not noticed, wrestling is a theme in my life and my thoughts. Wrestling was the fertile soil for some of the greatest personal growth I experienced. I pass on other blog post of similar ilk because it never gets old for me.

rmendelson's avatarDIO Consultants Blogspot

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Growing up involved in the sport of wrestling is a very interesting experience. You are exposed to a manner of thinking that few others will understand, even fewer will agree with, and none outside the fraternity of wrestlers will recognize the power of. This method of thinking is near and dear to me, as it shaped my entire life to this point. The reason why the “wrestler mentality” is so incredibly powerful is because it makes zero concessions in terms of acceptance of mediocrity or failure. The only option is success, and the only way to get there is to be unyielding in your pursuit of your goals. These are the 10 major life lessons that I learned through wrestling that have impacted me as a husband, father, teacher, student, and overall human being. While some of these lessons are straight forward, there are some that are Miyagi-esque in terms…

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Youth Sports from the Rear View Mirror

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Young Nicholas WinI read a short, but very insightful, article on youth sports that strikes me as very good advice after six children of my own and 22 years of coaching them and other kids. You can read the article here: The Only Six Words Parents Need to Say to their Kids about Sports.

It is very simple, but many people “get it wrong”. I include myself in that statement. It took me much of those 22 years for me to learn what is important with kids and sports. I might finally understand.

Like the article says, team and individual sports can be tremendous character builders, instilling lifelong lessons like team work, dealing with winning and losing, overcoming fears and anxieties, leadership, sacrifice, discipline, hard work, goal setting and many, many more things. The problem is that parents, and coaches, sometimes do more damage than good and sometimes negate the lessons that are there to be learned.

I feel like I need to let parents in on a little, nasty secret. Not every kid is going to be a superstar. The six year old “stars” are not necessarily the twelve year old stars or the high school varsity stars. In fact, there really are not that many stars. Even the stars are not always going to shine. The star little leaguer or varsity player in Everytown, USA is probably not going to be a scholarship athlete, let alone a professional athlete. (Do not tell them though! They will figure it out soon enough.)

The percentages are infinitesimally small the number athletes who get athletic scholarships for college and infinitesimally smaller yet the number of athletes who will make a living at any professional athletic level.

Let your kids be kids and be satisfied that they have fun, work hard and develop some life lessons along the way. In fact, if they do not have fun, do not work hard and do not pick up any character from youth sports, they are missing the best part!

Winning and losing are their own proving grounds without much help from you. Not everyone gets a medal. There are clear winners and losers. Kids know that. Emphasize the fun, the benefits of working hard and the nuggets of character building lessons, and the rest will take care of itself.

One of my favorite stories, one of the times I think I got it right, was when my 20 year old was about 10 or 11. He wrestled and was pretty good, but one opponent “had his number”. They met up at the kids regional qualifier for state for a place match. It was a battle. The other kid led most of the match, but my son fought hard and tied it up in the last seconds of the third period. In overtime, it was scoreless until the very end, when the other kid managed a takedown to win it.

Both kids literally fell over from exhaustion, completely spent! They both lay there, unable to get up, even after the referee, impatiently wanting to move on after a long day, told them to “Get up!” They had both used every last ounce of strength and stamina and could not move.

I told my son how proud I was when the impact of another loss showed on his face afterwards. I pointed out that he “left it all on the mat”, and the other kid did too, and that is all anyone could ask. I reminded him of that match often, and I still do, and he always smiles.