Opinion - Speech Rallies

As we approach the spring and summer months, more and more people will need to express their right to free speech, either from the progressive or conservative view. Which is the right of every U.S. citizen to do. And we equally have the right to disagree with the opinions of speech made in public. My issue is when speeches turn into rallies, rallies turn into marches, and marches turn into blocking the roads. The initial speech has infringed on my right to legally travel where I want to go.  But when law enforcement gets involved in breaking up the roadblocks, it turns into the suppression of free speech. No one has the right to block roads unless a parade permit is issued. This is not free speech. It is harassment to the general public. 

Just my opinion, and mark this as a notice it's coming.

Photo - pixabay - OpenClipart-Vectors  

Filtered Truth

Truth is truth. Right?

I have written several blogs about truth. Follow the tagline truth to see all the ways truth is manipulated. 

This post is about filtered truth. And just as a filter works on anything, it is meant to remove the unwanted and release the final wanted results. 

What makes this different from other forms of filters about truth?

Most filters are not 100% effective. Truth is always the truth 100% of the time.  With that defined, let's apply the two together. 

We seek truth every day.  It applies to all aspects of life, work, home, personal relationships, and most importantly, our faith. We have those truths in our lives that are known without a doubt. But we must seek and know other truths to make decisions and function in the world. This is where the filtered truth happens. 

Some examples:

Work: A procedure is explained to you by a supervisor, but it is filtered by only giving you part of the information needed to perform the task.  Why? Because there is power in knowing all the truth about information and procedures of a task.

Personal Relationships: We meet and interact with people all the time. We typically expect the truth in conversation, but the reality is that conversations are filtered. This could be for various reasons, both good and bad.

Faith in God: This one is very different from the other two. The truth in faith can be manipulated to work for an agenda that is wrong, as God tells us (Proverbs 14:25).  We must accept the truth of God. The Word as we know it comes from the Bible and the tradition of the spoken Word of the Apostles, which was passed down from generation to generation. This truth can be trusted to be unfiltered and good. God will not deceive us. He gives us all we need to know. It is up to us to discover and hear His absolute truth for us and to beware of filtered truth.

Photo - pixabay - R-steray      

1 Peter 3:18-22

Beloved:

Christ suffered for sins once,

the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,

that he might lead you to God.

Put to death in the flesh,

he was brought to life in the Spirit.

In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,

who had once been disobedient

while God patiently waited in the days of Noah

during the building of the ark,

in which a few persons, eight in all,

were saved through water.

This prefigured baptism, which saves you now.

It is not a removal of dirt from the body

but an appeal to God for a clear conscience,

through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

who has gone into heaven

and is at the right hand of God,

with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.

Lent = Love

This year, Lent was on Valentine's Day.  It is an appropriate day because we often think of Lent as a time of suffering and sacrifice, and we do not generally think of that as a type of love. But Lent is all about love. God wants us to be with Him for all eternity because we can sometimes be stubborn and want to do things our way, not God's. And like a parent, He looks after us and always wants the best. So, this Lent let us become the best child of God and return to Him with all the love we can.          

The Door of Faith

Faith is an absolute trust in a belief.  Faith in something is knowing that it is accurate and correct; it is unseen and not a tangible object that can be held. 

Faith lives and dwells in your soul. And occasionally, our souls question and doubt the presence of faith. Faith struggles at times to even exist.

Why do we struggle with something that we can't see or touch? 

The struggle is when evil sets up camp in our souls, building walls to keep the good out.  Faith co-exists with hope, and these two together form a powerful motivation for anyone who deals with everyday life. If faith and hope are absent from our hearts, despair, and sadness consume our souls, and evil fights to keep out what is good. 

To all, keep faith and hope alive.  Recognize that God's presence is always there at the door to your soul. You just have to open the door and welcome this great gift He gives us.

Photo - pixabay - 4651889     

Is Politics Interwoven into Every Aspect of Our Life?

For the most part, it is for the obviously elected officials who are supposed to represent us as the first initial influence in daily life. They make decisions like raising or lowering taxes, which affect your income, and many decisions are voted on without our direct input of yes or no. Note: we should all practice voicing our opinions to elected officials whether they are heard or not. 

So, how does politics play a part in the rest of our lives? At one time, many years ago, the above statement was the standard view of politics.  But it has become apparent when selecting something as simple as watching the evening news. Specific channels are politically biased, and all their content is focused on an agenda. Let's take it even lower.  What about going to the grocery store?  Do we buy certain products based on the company that produced them and their political views?  I would say the majority of people don't. On the other hand, I believe many people buy products based on social media influencers.

And lastly, is politics involved in sports? If you are unsure, take a moment to watch the Super Bowl half-time show.  And specifically look for political statements and other connotations of social justice. 

Politics are everywhere. And with this being an election year, expect as the closer it gets to November to get prepared to be overwhelmed with opinions, progressive and conservative actors and musicians endorsing candidates, and businesses influencing customers to vote for a particular candidate. And sad but true, religious endorsements for their candidate of choice.

The bottom line is that this election year, depending on who is elected President of the United States, will significantly influence your life, whether you like it or not.

photo- pixabay - chayka1270