CHAPTER SEVEN—21^ST CENTURY

Lying in bed I tried to put the evening’s events into perspective. Here I was in the middle of the Arizona desert. Just north of Mexico in a strange industrial complex waiting to meet a billionaire who has offered me five thousand dollars just to chat for a couple of days. I’ve just finished a gourmet meal, drank very expensive scotch, and now I’m smoking a real Cuban cigar. Another little treat Doctor Staan had in my trailer. There’s a high-speed guard outside my door, I continued, I’m surrounded by a chain link and razor-wire fence guarded by some of the best-trained rent-a-cops money can buy but I have no idea what I’m doing here.

Had I missed anything? No, that about puts everything into perspective. Might as well get some sleep.

I sat up and put the cigar in the ashtray on the nightstand. Taking another pull on the scotch I laid back down and was asleep before my head hit the pillow. Read the rest of this entry

keith

I’m officially retired after over 40 years of working with the US military in one way or another. My bride of 45 years and I settled into a nice home in Fredericksburg, Texas, USA, and are enjoying the many events, organizations, and attractions the Texas Hill Country has to offer. I enjoy urban sketching, watercolor painting, dabble in writing, and do an occasional voice acting gig.

The total eclipse of 2024 has come and gone and I’ve got to say I wasn’t all that impressed.

Total Eclipse 2024

Don’t get me wrong as far as I can remember this was my FIRST and perhaps only total eclipse in my 68-plus years and it was pretty cool, both figuratively and literally, during the four minutes of darkness…but. Then again, maybe I’m a bit jaded. “Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour, there was darkness over all the land.” Matthew 27:45. Now THAT’S an eclipse.

But was it an eclipse? Read the rest of this entry

keith

I’m officially retired after over 40 years of working with the US military in one way or another. My bride of 45 years and I settled into a nice home in Fredericksburg, Texas, USA, and are enjoying the many events, organizations, and attractions the Texas Hill Country has to offer. I enjoy urban sketching, watercolor painting, dabble in writing, and do an occasional voice acting gig.

CHAPTER SIX—1^ST CENTURY

I was in sight of the Golden Gate. I’d managed to duck James and the others and was going over in my mind what I remembered about the Gospel’s description of the events. I was also trying to decide what I was going to do. I knew that if Jesus wasn’t turned over to the Sanhedrin tonight time would be altered–what would that mean? I wondered—had it already been altered?

A world without a crucified Jesus meant a world that never saw the rise of this new religion called Christianity. Some see the Christian religion as causing millions of people over the ages to die because of this man and his apostles. It may have been that millions had died in the name of Jesus, but it was not necessarily his fault. After all, I’d spent the last three years with him, and I knew what Christianity had become in my century wasn’t what Jesus intended. It was, however, in his name that the Roman Emperor Constantine declared Christianity the religion of Rome and forced pagans to submit to the new religion or die. It was also in his name that unknown numbers of Native Americans would be killed if they refused to convert to the Old World’s religion. Then there were the crusades, the Inquisition, the Jews that died throughout the ages, and the martyrs all either dying because of him or for him. Read the rest of this entry

keith

I’m officially retired after over 40 years of working with the US military in one way or another. My bride of 45 years and I settled into a nice home in Fredericksburg, Texas, USA, and are enjoying the many events, organizations, and attractions the Texas Hill Country has to offer. I enjoy urban sketching, watercolor painting, dabble in writing, and do an occasional voice acting gig.

Forgive me, a sinner. “God forgives, and I forgive”.

And thus we begin our Lenten journey in the Eastern Orthodox faith. At the end of our Sunday liturgy, we ask forgiveness of each member of our congregation and they mutually ask forgiveness from us. It’s a humbling and emotional time, one that’s been discussed in the homely by our priest, Father Methodios, as one of the pillars of our Lenten journey.

We’re familiar with fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as three of the struggles we’ll have over the next 40-plus days, but this year Father Methodios wants us to especially concentrate on forgiveness. Something not easy to do in this crazy world today. The gospel reading is from St. Matthew (6:14—21), where Jesus tells his disciples you must forgive others or you will not be forgiven. They’re reminded to fast privately and not make a big deal about eliminating meat, fish, dairy, eggs, wine, and oil for most of the journey. And we’re reminded to give alms by remembering that we shouldn’t worry about laying up treasure in this life…or treasure is in heaven.

Father Josiah Trenham gave an amazing reflection on forgiveness and loving one’s neighbor just recently that drives forgiveness home. Intitled HATRED, he reflects on how easy it is in this world to hate people rather than sin. We can certainly hate the harm someone does, for example, to little children or innocent people, but we should be careful that that hatred doesn’t carry over to the person committing the crime. After all, we’re all made in the image and likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27, and nothing God creates is worthy of hate. Read the rest of this entry

keith

I’m officially retired after over 40 years of working with the US military in one way or another. My bride of 45 years and I settled into a nice home in Fredericksburg, Texas, USA, and are enjoying the many events, organizations, and attractions the Texas Hill Country has to offer. I enjoy urban sketching, watercolor painting, dabble in writing, and do an occasional voice acting gig.