2 or maybe even 5 might respond. Most who did would give me an emoji response if anything, and some with a call or an occasional thought. I could count on you, Dad, to share with me. You offered insight, history, guidance, and the occasional opposition. I think those are the things I’m missing most with your absence. So… I’m going to post this knowing you won’t respond, with tears in my eyes, and praying I’ll enjoy talking with others the way we always did when you were here on Earth. Or, maybe, not having someone to communicate with the way we did is the future I’m destined to inhabit. Many thoughts stem from there.
Either way, I miss you and love you. Thanks for being a great Dad. Your son, Michael.
Tremendous insight, and one I happen to share regarding the fundamental shift in the politics and culture of America. I agree, mostly. However, I don’t share the TRUE origin for the decay of Soviet Russia with this author. This gentleman espouses spending that couldn’t keep pace with America, as the downfall of Mother Russia… Wrong… While that did happen, it was moral bankruptcy, not financial bankruptcy that toppled the Soviets.
Solzhenitsyn was 100% spot on. The moral decay and ethical evaporation of the Soviet Union created an atmosphere with no moral objective truth. None. Everyone became an informant or a criminal waiting to materialize (in practice or in thought). This is what happens when God is ushered out. A culture void of trust cannot be perpetuated. When trust is absent everything declines. Everything.
Don’t hear what I’m not saying… I DO NOT WANT GOD intertwined in U.S. politics. But, I would welcome Americans with Biblical knowledge and Christ-like behavior influencing the decisions and direction of the future. And that *might* be a possibility in the here and now. Either way, a change in doing business is upon us and I’m interested in the short-term outcome. This guy summarizes things pretty well:
Count among your many blessings the wholesome relationships you have with others. Especially parents or that special someone who “gets you” as it were. That appears to be rarer in this world than one might think. The exercise of the mind is among the most important things you may do. We’re told in Romans 12 to not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds. The Biblical premise is one of refreshing your psyche with that of Christ, for His glorification. And as we read in Proverbs, iron sharpening iron is akin to one person elevating another. If we combine those, and I don’t think it is a stretch in any way to do so, renewing your mind with the aid of a brother or sister is inherently good. Biblical and intellectual pursuits are good for the mind as near as I can tell…
I pray you to be both Salt and Light.
