Sunday the Seventh

What? Seems like I should be doing something worthwhile with my Time, doesn't it. Instead, what occupies my daily living? Read articles in favorite magazines paper and online. Scan the news, especially online newspapers from Israel, sometimes war news from Ukraine - - reports of killing surrendering prisoners is beyond dismay, though it has always happened as a horror of war. Kibitz with Linda as she works crossword puzzles. Search out and watch German language WW2 films free on Youtube and see how much I can understand without reading the English subtitles. Check out lectionary readings for upcoming Sundays and pick interesting ones to do a one man Bible study of some sort and maybe write it up as a blogpost. Google names of people I grew up with or who were Navy colleagues to see where they are now and who is still alive (at my age most are not). Depending on the weather, go for a walk pushing my red convertible either around Level 7 or down to the garden level or out the garage and stroll. Go somewhere in the car, including to see Malinda. Linda does most of the driving anymore. Go out for early supper a couple Times a month, most often across the street to Captain's Table, where I start with two dozen raw half-shell and maybe fried oysters or fried mullet. Shop at Grocery Outlet, which I can see from my study office den, or the TAFB Commissary or Sam's or Publix or Winn-Dixie. Smoked pork at Bills, fried catfish at Winn-Dixie, sushi at TAFB or Sam's or Publix.  

Too much Time sitting, most of my waking hours here in my chair looking out across St Andrews Bay at Shell Island and the Pass, pleasure boats, ships; fishing boats, some local restaurants' boats heading out the Pass for Today's Catch priced MKT. Should I be trying to use my Time on something useful or helpful in some way to someone or other or myself?

Oh, naps, I forget the naps. When I rise at three or four o'clock mornings, there's usually a nap starting about seven-thirty or eight, for a couple hours, but depends on whether early was one magic mug of hot & black (nap later) or two or three (no nap). Some days there's an afternoon nap as well or instead of; WTH, when you get to this age you also may find that naps are fun and good.

Rambling again, which, next to procrastination, is my chief trait. In fact, it's why I always got into the pulpit with notes or a manuscript, otherwise my mind won't hold it together and I might start talking about cars or my grandchildren.

Watching Bart Ehrman's online podcasts Tuesdays, though I've not watched in recent weeks. And watching James Tabor's podcasts, now reading his TEB translation of Genesis, which is fascinatingly literal in capturing the cultural magic of the Hebrew.

1:20 And ELOHIM said, "Let the waters swarm a swarm of living life-breathers, and let the flyer fly upon the land, upon the face of the expanse of the skies."

And contemplating, thinking, I think therefore I am, right? hard into Pontius Pilate's question "What is truth?" and Steve Jobs' advice "Don't be trapped by dogma, which is the result of other peoples' thinking," at this extreme old age where the shipmates I was at sea with in my early twenties are all dead, I'm still seeking my search for Truth, finding Truth both elusive and illusive, that the enemy of Truth is Finality, the opposite of Faith is Certainty, the opposite of I believe is I know. 

"I believe" is a willingness to go out on a limb on the chance that something good is out there even if much of life's experience says otherwise. Mark Twain, was it? who said "Faith is believing what you know damn well ain't so"? 

So, what do I believe? I liked this from Genesis in Tabor's TEB:  

3:6 And the woman saw that the tree was good for an eatable thing, and that it was a longing to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable for causing insight, and she took from its fruit and she ate; and she gave also to her man with her, and he ate.

I believe that as a son of Adam who ate I am freed and free to seek, and that Truth may or may not walk in my garden in the cool of the evening breeze, and that whether so or not, I'm naked in my ignorance.

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At church this morning I will stand with the rest of you lot and say "We believe ... " anyway.

RSF&PTL

T88&c