ThinMint

TM, may I recommend while we wait for tonight’s announcement that we listen once again to Trump’s inaugural speech?

The fact that you care, the fact that you are curious, the fact that you want to get better at this says good things about your character. Stay curious, stay vigilant, stay hungry for God’s truth. You got this Precious Patriot!

Opinions do not necessarily reflect the true heart of the speaker. Commentators offer their opinions because they want to bring you to their side. Some are more subtle than others. Some have a nefarious purpose, some have an honorable purpose, but the end goal is the same: it’s to cause a change in your perspective. Is the person you’re looking into consistent with the values they tout? Do their ideas, beliefs and lifestyle conflict with God’s? With the constitution? With your own personal beliefs? Do they encourage beneficial discussions? Do their positions promote freedom of speech and association, private ownership and self-determination? Do they quickly shutdown contrary views? Do they do a 180 in their views without reasonable explanation? Are they really who they say they are? I cannot stress this enough: do their ideas, beliefs and lifestyle conflict with God’s and do they align themselves with those whose ideas, beliefs and lifestyles conflict with God’s? [This would include language, memes, humor, symbols, who they fraternize with, the organizations they promote.] Turn-off the fluff, the noise, the ear tickling. Learn to read between the lines. Understand body language, voice fluctuations. Pay attention when the elephant in the room is deliberately ignored. Is there something about an individual or an idea they are espousing sound off? Not quite right? Anti-God or anti-freedom? Maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but something…. Listen to your instincts! If you’re a person of faith, pray for guidance. We have to research. Everything. Everyone. And the only way we are going to be effective at doing this is by implementing Challenge #1. It has to be God-directed.

Same with real life. Same with people, events and ideas. On the one hand, keep an open mind; on the other hand, maintain a dubious inclination. Lean on your own instincts and trust your gut. Yes, sometimes we get it wrong. However, more often than not, our initial gut reaction (not our emotional reaction) is the correct one. For people of faith, we know what this is! Ask as many questions as it takes to satisfy your curiosity. Look for patterns, look for the common denominator across many spectrums, even look for the opposite of what you believe. The latter will either solidify your own beliefs or get you to consider another viewpoint. As you read news stories and commentaries, note if they are able to offer evidence –real tangible, traceable, knowable evidence for their statements. Or note if they ask pointed questions to get your own wheels turning.

Put another way let’s consider reading reviews for a product you are thinking about purchasing. I’m guessing one of the first things you do is read the negative reviews, right? As I’m sure you easily recognize, a lot of those reviews don’t pass muster. The reviewer may not have liked the taste or color, or the item arrived late, or their child didn’t like the product, or they thought it would be larger. Unfortunately, you have to wade through these irrelevant reviews to get to the ones that are actually about the function and durability of the product. These kind of personal opinions can usually be dismissed because it has no bearing on the quality of the item. Then you go to all the high mark reviews. Did the item arrive recently thus the reviewer didn’t have time to test the product? Did the reviewer simply praise the delivery method and not the product? Did the reviewer not have personal experience with the product but rated it high because someone gifted the item liked it? All these reviews need to be tossed out as well because the reviews do not give any indication as to the value and reliability of the product. I think you know where I’m going with all this 🙂

When it comes to wanting to understand a political or historical matter better, you must look at many opinions, perspectives and theories. Sometimes this means going out of our comfort zone for a bit. [Apply Challenge #1!] We are not meant to know everything, but that doesn’t mean we cannot question what we don’t understand. There are a few methods to getting to the truth when you may have limited access, acuity and assets. Start researching your questions and doubts. Reverse your quest. For example, if you want to know if Thomas Jefferson was a good and decent man, find materials and opinions that point to him being a malicious man. Look at the sources of those who paint him as malevolent, and discern if there are ulterior motives for their descriptions. Then read through all the glowing praises, assess the motives behind their accolades. Finally begin to construct a well-rounded embodiment of Thomas Jefferson.

Do the Due Diligence For implementing the Less Is More idea into our lives we must do our due diligence. How are we to know what to amend, adjust, abandon or add to if we haven’t done the homework? We won’t know which organizational or cleaning method works best for our lives. We won’t know what preps we need. We won’t know what book, paperwork, social media or entertainment that needs eliminating. We won’t know what ideas are cluttering our minds. We won’t know the root of our stress, conflicts or disease … unless we research. Yes, this can be time consuming, however we all know that something worth pursuing takes effort. The fruits of this labor will bring us closer to and dependent on God, peace of mind, confidence and wisdom.

Second thing is I was reminded of some posts I first shared in July 2021 then in May 2022 regarding researching. I will share these again in the hope it helps someone … or sometwo. Don’t forget, we are in this together, those of who love God and cry out to our Savior for justice, for peace and for direction. I consider you my friends; I treat my friends like adults, in no need of censorship or me telling them what to think, feel or do. As the channel description states: A little bit of this and that, with a heavy sprinkling of humor along with gentle reminders of the good in life <<< That’s it in a nutshell. Just wanting to encourage my friends, posting whatever comes to mind. If it’s lovely, good and helpful then it’s God’s idea; all other stupidity is strictly me. I fail spectacularly on my own. Even when there’s no tree around to witness it.

Hi friends! Two things caught my eye in the comments over the weekend. I know it’s one thing to fall into a rabbit hole, another to keep running through it, and a whole ‘nother thing to not move in any direction. I’ve been digging, researching and meandering rabbit holes for decades. I don’t say this for Bragging Rights™, I share because I hope to pass along some helpful tips. At some point during the Rabbit Hole Journey™, Outrage Fatigue™ sets in and you’re left with a few choices: it’s too overwhelming so you go back to sleep; decide everything is hopeless so why bother with… anything; take a break, seek the Lord for comfort and guidance. Which choice is yours right now? What I’ve learned over the years is to keep emotions in check when researching or reading articles. Just like in a debate, you need evidence cards for the affirmative and negative. Don’t jump to conclusions, don’t assume. Read, read, read! Look for patterns. A lot of what we collect doesn’t necessarily call for an immediate reaction or decision. I’ve pondered things for months –years even before deciding on something. And some things are simply curious or amusing to me. But, most importantly, I’ve come to the conclusion that most people who are in the spotlight, popular, noticeable are irrelevant. Hopefully, these neer-do-wells, these vainglorious mouthpieces, these ear ticklers are irrelevant to you as well. If our eyes are focused on Jesus, on promoting the Kingdom of God, on loving our family then the things they say or do will not rattle us.

Writing late at night? It's my thing. You late owls know what it's like 😊 You early risers need to grab some coffee. And cookies. Because... incoming!! 😏👇🏻

Pulling a get together for a large group of people takes a lot work, sometimes to the point when you're mentally exhausted you may start thinking crazy things like, "Is it too late to cancel?" "Do we really need food?" "Do I even like these people?!" Then the event goes just fine, and you realize food is always a good idea and that you do like most of the people there. The best part of a get together is taking home the leftover food. Of course, your kids look miserable because they know what they'll be having for lunch and dinner over the next few days (they're too young to appreciate the versatility of leftovers). The very bestest part of a get together is taking home some desserts. Thanks to one of my beloved neighbors for bringing her Cowboy Cookies (my kryptonite). It's the small pleasures in life. Like chilly, starry nights, bonfires, kids laughing and running, smoky BBQ, hot chocolate and catching up with the good folks who love the neighborhood as much as you do. For just a moment, there are brief glimpses of simple goodness in the midst of a tousled world. It's worth making these moments happen, friends.

Are there any good guys? Absolutely! They're the unsung heroes, working behind the scenes. They fight forces we would never engage in, and they do it without recognition. They are the men and women who are faithful to one another, who raise God-fearing children to love Jesus. They work hard, know family means everything and find the good in others. They are the angels in the unseen realm sent by the Lord to support us, to protect us from the enemy's arrows. The good guys are you and me, those who look to no man, only God for our refuge, strength and salvation. It's those of us who place our hope in Jesus. It's those of us who know the power of prayer and gladly pray without ceasing. Rest well knowing that our Heavenly Father is in control.

So what should a couple do when it's the weekend and the kids are all finally in bed? 😏 Look through and discuss conspiracy sorta stuff while eating cookies. The ah-ha! conclusions and giddy laughter brings this couple closer together. Until Felix falls asleep. Pfft. Amateur. (Look inside the comments...)

When I saw the below headline, it made me think of Trump on March 24, 2020 saying he wants the country opened by Easter (as some folks suggest, Trump never said which Easter). April 9, 2023 will be the next Easter. Have y'all looked into the emergency Trump declared back in March 2020. Just interesting to me. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-joe-biden-plans-to-extend-covid-health-emergency-to-april-2023-reports?utm_campaign=64502

These are the messages from Trump that caught my eye from the last few days (peek inside the comments)...