Childlike Civility (A Poem)

To be like a child,

brave, loving and humble.

Free of most worries

which make adults stumble.

Christ as your bedrock,

the world is your oyster.

Be not ye tempted

your kindness to cloister!

Friend, family or stranger,

it mattereth not.

"Love one another"

is what Jesus taught.

The Eye of the Storm: As 2021 Draws to an End

This is a poem that came to mind today, seemingly out of nowhere. I hope you find it meaningful, insightful and/or enjoyable.

 

2021, the year of “relief”;

Though to many it’s brought nothing but grief.

2020 was considered by most “a year to forget”,

But I can’t shake the feeling we’ve seen nothing yet.

While this year has seemingly flown right by,

I find myself oft gazing up at the sky.

And I wonder, “When the time comes, will I be prepared?

Will I be ready to fight for what’s right? Or will I be scared?”

For lies abound throughout all the earth,

Confusion and fear reign while up is down.

Can you hear the evil one cackle?

“Worship me”; Satan is seeking his crown.

We know how this ends; for the scriptures foretell,

No matter what comes, Christ will prevail.

The Master of ocean, and earth, and sky

Will assuredly come, for He cannot lie!

Though the season seems dark, I continue to pray:

“Let me not be led astray.

Life as we know it seems lost and slipping away.

Please, Lord, come to save the day.”

Infanticide Should Be a Non-Starter

This is Ralph Northam (D), Governor of Virginia.

Pay attention to his example carefully: "So in this particular example if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered, the infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother." (emphasis mine)

Consent or not, deformities or none, this is murder.

Mitt, It's Too Early for This

Dear Senator Romney,

Thank you for confirming my suspicions as to how you would actually conduct yourself as a senator. Please go to work to "take Utah values to Washington". That is what you campaigned for after all; not bashing the President from a more prominent position (though please feel free to call him out when warranted).

We all know President Trump is not a saint. Let's get past that and find the common ground. Now is your chance to make a difference in Washington. I hope you will prove me wrong and accomplish a lot. It remains to be seen whether you will be instrumental in getting things done which will ultimately improve the lives of Americans and the future of our country.

Time to move beyond the pettiness.

Sincerely,
Your Constituent

Dear Star Wars, Time for a Break

Dear Star Wars,

For the past few months, I have found myself holding out for things to be different, but I am realizing that may not happen anytime soon. I think it is time for us to take a break. My heart can only take so much, and now I realize I need to protect it more carefully than I have been. I know, you probably think I am being unreasonable, but hear me out.

I just need some space.

I know you think I am too tough on you, but I hold you to high standards because I care. I want you to excel and make something of yourself. You have so much potential and I have always hoped you would stand out, especially after making your big comeback. My hope was for you to really make your mark on the world, not join in with the crowd and become mediocre like many of your peers. I always held you in high esteem, for as long as I can remember. However, since you left home I cannot condone the person you have become. I still believe you have the potential for greatness, but right now you are on a path that makes me cautious. What a fool I would be if I were to hope for too much only to be let down again.

Also, maybe you see something in them I do not, but I fail to see why you continue putting up with that one friend of yours. What was their name again? Easton? Eamon? (I just remember it was Ea..., something or other.) They obviously have no respect for you, or anyone else for that matter.

When the time is right, I hope our relationship will have a better dynamic. I will cherish the memories we have made up until now, and I hope that we can create new ones in the future. Perhaps this is just a rough patch and things will be different down the road. For now, however, I think it is best if we go our separate ways.

May the force be with you,

Your Hopeful Fan

Ben Shapiro Really is a Robot!

The video posted to YouTube for the May 15th, 2018 episode of The Ben Shapiro Show had a funny glitch. (See the original video, with timestamp, here: https://youtu.be/v5I_Z4AABwk?t=12m33s)

Just the other day, he was joking with Dave Rubin about his yarmulke covering his wiring instead of horns. Ironically, two days later the aforementioned glitch makes Ben look like he is short-circuiting for a few seconds. A GIF version of that part of the show is available below:


via GIPHY

MCU Films to Watch Before Avengers: Infinity War

Short answer: All of them. The payoff at the close of Infinity War will be greatly enhanced by having seen all the movies released to date in the shared Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

However, if time is of the essence, or you just want the bare essentials, here are the movies you should have seen, watch in preparation, or at least be familiar with before you see Infinity War:

• Captain America, Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Thor (for character origins; as listed = chronological order; Hulk could probably be skipped if you know even a little about Bruce Banner/Hulk)
• Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Guardians of the Galaxy (Vol. 2 is mentioned briefly, but not terribly relevant)
• Captain America: Civil War
• Doctor Strange
• Black Panther (the story of this movie is not really relevant, but the setting and characters introduced are front & center in the climax of Infinity War)
• Thor: Ragnarok (Infinity War essentially picks up right where it left off)

That comes out to about a full day worth of Marvel films (21 hours, more or less), but the investment is well worth it in the end.