Pride Month

 It is Pride Month and with that always comes those that freak out over it. Cue the usual memes and posts on social media bitching about "The LGBTQ gets a whole month and our veterans only get a day". I have seen this multiple times a day across all social media platforms. As a veteran myself, this is really irritating. I really hate when someone uses my service to kick down on marginalized communities. I really like how this wonderful person  on Twitter framed it. 

 May isn't the only month set aside to honor the military, April is the Month of the Military Child and November is Military Family Appreciation Month. Not to mention Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and 32 other days set aside to honor the military or veterans in some fashion. One would think that if the military and veterans were so important to these folks they would be aware of this. 

Next comes the "they are cramming down our throats"  drival.  This year seems to be extra special. The same groups and people who complain about "cancel culture" now want to boycott and put out of business any company or corporation. They spout their mantra "go woke, go broke".

It all started with when Bud Light sent a personalized can to Dylan Mulvaney. Dylan is a trans woman who has been documenting her transition on her TikTok channel. Bud Light sent that can to honor her one year anniversary into her transition.  The right lost their minds. Like they did with Kaepernick jerseys and Nike shoes in the past, the right went about destroying or thowing away product they had already purchased. The irony of all that was they made only one can with her likeness on it. It was shown only on her social media accounts and was not a national campaign. Bud Light works with hundreds of influencers. The only way to even know about this is to visit her various accounts. Personally, I never heard of her until all this came out. These chucklefucks go upset without understanding that Bud Light and its parent company ABinBEV have been supporting LGBTQ events for decades. Doing so today is nothing new. 

Right after the Bud Light fiasco they set their sights on Target. This isn't the first time Target has been targeted. (see what I did there). Back in 2016 evangelical Christians lost their minds when they made their bathrooms gender neutral. Now people are going into their stores and filming themselves tearing down their Pride displays, showing childrens shirt with rainbows or complaining about how close the display is to the front of the store. Other falsely claiming that they are selling "tuck friendly" swimsuits to children. It doen't take much looking to discover those are only available to adults. Target has had sold pride merch for a decade now. But has really only gotten any backlash the last two years. It amazes me how they can claim these products being sold are somehow "shoving it in our faces".  This comes most prominently from so called "Christians".  None of the rest of us complain or destroy displays when they are directed at members of their faith. 

The right proudly quotes the dropping stock prices of these "woke" corporations. They fail to mention that stock prices go up and down, and neither of them are near their all time low.  They will, of course, bounce back. But by then those screaming for their demise will be onto the next "woke" thing to be angry about. 

Next comes the evangelical crowd. You know who they are. They are the ones who are constantly outraged at things or people who have zero effect on their lives. Everything upsets them.....red cups at Starbucks, folks saying "Happy Holidays", gender neutral bathrooms, CRT, same sex marriage, and most recently... vaccines and masks...
Every June they post their favorite "pride goeth before a fall" verses with no understanding of what "pride" means in the context of the Bible or the LGBTQ+  community. This year has been expecially toward that community. With hundreds of anti-LGBTQ laws proposed and many signed into law. This all being done under the auspices of "protecting the children"  The current buzzword is "groomer". They are accusing everyone of "grooming" kids to be LGBTQ. From school teachers to drag queens to parents. Doen't matter there is no proof at all of their claims. They rant and rave on their social media platforms and blogpost about how "they are coming for your children". The claim is that is all a "satanic" attack on kids.  This has a faint sniff of the salem witch trials and the satanic panic back in the late 80's early 90's. Just like back then, innocent people are geting hurt, but evangelicals don't give a damn. Now evangelical politicians, in a effort to please their base, are enacting laws to restrict the LGBTQ community wherever they can. From banning drag shows, banning gender affirming care to laws telling people which bathrooms to use. 

Recent discussion I had on this subject are telling. When I mention that my faith requires me to support the LGBTQ community and that being part of the community is not a sin, I get the same old tired trope "Love the sinner but hate the sin" which is only said to make them feel better about hating the sinner. Or my favorite.. "you must tell them the truth in love". This is their excuse to be rude and just downright mean to those they deem beneath them. Apparently, they want me to remind my LGBTQ friend and family daily that they are going to hell, rather than treat them with love and humanity. Unfortunately, there is no reasonable discussion to be had with the evanglelical. They cannot listen to anyone other than their own pride. 
The world, however, will move forward without them. They will eventually tag along. Just like they did with slavery, interacial marriage, civil rights and so many others..

Trae Crowder...

Congratulations! You have your "pro-life" President!

  Congratulations! You got your way. Donald Trump is President, and says his is "pro-life". You stuck to your guns, you stood up for life, you stood up for those who cannot speak for themselves, you stood against murder, you stood on the side of God, you stood on the side of the Bible, you didn't back down, and most importantly, your conscience is clear. You just couldn't bring yourself to vote for anyone else because Trump said he was "pro-life". You clung to that ideal so tightly you couldn't see reality. In some ways I can understand, this election was like none other I have ever seen. Neither of the candidates gave us any real hope. Neither of them offered much more than catch phrases that can be easily chanted in a crowd.  So you reached for the one thing that you knew without a doubt was right. In your heart of hearts it was the only choice you could make. You chose Donald Trump.

 However, you failed to see the consequences, you failed to see reality, you failed to see Donald J. Trump for who he really is, you failed to see the truth, you failed to do the research, you failed to look at his past, and you failed to see his true character. 

   

  It did not matter that his stance on abortion changed only when he ran for the GOP nomination. It did not matter that he stepped on small businesses over and over again for the last 30 plus years. It did not matter when he openly mocked a disabled reporter in front of millions of people. It did not matter that he dismissed Senator McCain for being "captured".  It did not matter that he called Mexicans rapist. It did not matter his misogynistic comments toward Megyn Kelly. It did not matter when he suggested we kill the wives and children of terrorist. It did not matter when he suggested we create a Muslim registry. It did not matter when he made disparaging remarks toward a gold star family. It did not matter when he suggested that someone take up arms against Clinton should she be elected. It did not matter that he encouraged violence against protesters at his campaign rallies. It did not matter when he said that Obama was the founder of ISIS. None of that mattered. Why, because he claims to be "pro-life."  And, apparently, that mattered above all else. That one single claim, ironically, trumps everything else.

 I will let you in on a secret. Donald J. Trump, and the GOP, for that matter say they have a "pro-life" stance for one reason and one reason only. I gets them votes and votes will give them power. Once they get that power, they do nothing about abortion. Even more especially, Trump will do nothing about abortion. He does not care about it, because he stands to gain nothing from it. The truly sad part is Trump never really hid his true nature. It was always there. No need to hack private emails. His egotistical, narcissistic, self-serving nature has always been there for all to see. 

  The Russians may have tried to influence this election. That should not surprise anyone, as we have been trying to influence elections around the world for decades. But the onus is on you, the onus is on me, and the onus is on the voter. The information was out there, it was at your fingertips. Some of us tried to warn you, but either we did not articulate it properly or you were blinded by your hatred for Hillary Clinton. No matter the case, Trump won. Congratulations, you have your pro-life president. I hope you are happy..

You traded the future of the country so you can claim to sleep at night. You traded the future of the country so you can look down your nose at the rest of us. You traded the future of our country just so you can pretend you have done something about "murdering babies". You traded the future of our country because you hated Hillary Clinton. You traded the future of our country based on lies that fit your preconceived beliefs. 

Once again, Congratulations  

  

What the hell???

This years elections cycle has been the most divisive, aggressive, outrageous, baffling, and down right mean in my memory. I have voted in every election since 1988. This seems like some sort of SNL skit come to life.
  Seventeen people threw their hat in the ring for the republican party, SEVENTEEN!!!  One would think that out of that many, the eventual nominee would be someone who is well qualified, well spoken, and well......Presidential. instead we get Donald Trump. Donald fucking Trump. It still blows my mind. (Sometimes I get the feeling he is just as shocked he got this far).  The one who, in my mind, is the least qualified ended up on top. Leaving me to wonder, how? How did he make it this far?

No Buts

There is been a bit of discussion lately on social media about how Christians should respond to homosexuality and same-sex marriage after Vicky Beeching recently "came out" as gay. Now I do not know who she is, nor have I previously heard of her. But it has been a topic on social media. The phrase I hear all the time from people who call themselves Christians is "Love the sinner BUT hate the sin"
 Someone even posed the question "should the Christian not simply just love the gay person, isn't that what Jesus would do?" Yet several people responded with "yes we love them but............."

 There are Christians who will not invite homosexuals into their home, claiming they "do not support their lifestyle" They even distance themselves from family members. If you want to play that game then at least be consistent and refuse to associate with the uncle who has a wife and two girlfriends, refuse to associate with the gluttonous cousin who shovels food in his mouth all day long, refuse to associate with that teenage nephew who does not honor his mother or father, refuse to associate with your stubborn and prideful grandfather...
 I have read all the red words in the Bible, (Those are the words of Jesus) and He never once said "love them but..." Mark 12:31 reads "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other greater commandment than these."                                                              I have read this passage in 7 or 8 different translations and still do not find the word BUT there. Jesus said "Love your neighbor as yourself", there are no exceptions, no caveats, no buts...

Honduras

   Honduras has been on my heart lately. After reading about the many unaccompanied children crossing our southern boarder I did some research that goes beyond what the news media reports. What I discovered was that this is not a sudden spike. The numbers of children coming here have been increasing over the last several years.

   Many of these children are fleeing violence and extreme poverty. These children are coming from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. With most coming from Honduras. In many areas of Honduras gangs have crippled the communities. Simply walking on the wrong street can get one killed. These gangs are attempting to force children into joining them and selling drugs. If they refuse they will be killed. Honduras has the highest murder rate of any country on the planet. The conditions are bleak.

    God is leading me to do something for the children in Honduras. I am not sure yet what all that will entail, but I am considering a mission trip. Pray with me as I pray about the direction I need to take. I am consulting my Pastor and several other friends and will keep you posted.

Starting today I am sponsoring a child in Honduras through Compassion International. Here is a picture of that young man. His name is Otoniel. His is 6 years old and likes soccer and cars.

   I encourage you to consider sponsoring a child in need. It only cost $38 per month and will change their life. In case you wonder if this really does make a difference watch the video below.

 

What the hell!

 I am a little drunk right now. It's a very long long story, but I am missing my wife and youngest daughter. Life is rather confusing now. Which is kind of funny, since I thought by now I would have figured it out and settled into a fullfilling life. My life was supposed to be in order at this point, but instead I am more confused than ever before