190 Pentecost 14: Heed, O Sons of God
"But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be merciful to me. My foot stands in an even place; in the congregations I will bless the Lord." ~ Psalm 26
Heed, O Sons of God
Heed, O Sons of God, a Father’s exhortation. Attend these with the zeal of your heart, as advice from your King, who loves you, and intends your everlasting good.
The paths of God are folly to the animal mind. To the fool, repentance appears a labor, and labor a burden. But it is sloth that harbors such contempt. It is pride that generates scorn.
So, Wisdom is born and you are ready to be remade, to cease wavering between two minds, and, armed with the steadfast, duty-true weapon that is the religion of Jesus Christ, do battle against your own soul.
Though the path be treacherous, the name of Jesus Christ, your God, goes before you. He is ever-merciful. You are already his own. You are seized for a price.
Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian
Oh, what filthy rot they sneak
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Clickbait Paradise
In this edition of Mad Mondays:
Mad’splaining: Fitness to fascism?
You kids are all right!
Hearing vs reading
And all the news you need to inform your prayers this week..
Extreme wellness
There have been rumblings for some time, but someone in the corporate media finally asked it out loud – what can be done to disrupt the "pipeline" from fitness to extremism? MSNBC Columnist, Professor Cynthia Miller-Idriss, was quite earnest in pointing out that a lot of men who work out also seem to be into what she deems dangerous conspiracy theories – anti-vaxxers, election-deniers, climate-skeptics and all sorts of shady characters. (Nevermind that one OG based gym bro who got a lot of things right...) Gyms are hotbeds for Nazi recruitment, she states, with young men joking that they’re "doing a fascism" on the regular.
Professor Miller-Idriss insists that "physical fitness has always been central to the far right,” evidenced by the fact that Hitler wanted to use boxing and jujitsu to keep his troops in top form. (Keeping your military fit, you say? That's a novel idea...) She knows that staying fit is good for your well-being, but do these men really need all that martial arts and combat training? She questions who the "perceived enemy" is that they need to defend against.
Over at Hot Air, David Strom collected the receipts to show that progressive media has a real disdain for fitness. Pursuits like lifting and martial arts require self-discipline and self-reliance, goal-setting and commitment – a direct challenge to anyone who wants to push an agenda through compliance. The message dripfed into American culture is that independence and hard work are "assumptions of whiteness.” Eat your Cheerios and leave the thinking up to us. Strom thinks he knows why "fitness infuriates the Left. They don’t just want you weak and dependent; they need you weak to make you dependent."
We have to make the caveats. Yes, there are probably real Nazis hanging out in gyms, fomenting race wars. Likely also there are disillusioned young men, wracked with low self-image and a sense of purposelessness, ready to sign on to all sorts of nefarious causes. But this ain't that. The driver behind this fearmongering is a disdain for men or more specifically, a hatred of fathers.
Another blog summed up this link well. The idea that disillusioned young men are being "driven into the arms of the far right" through fitness trends, is a side effect of none other than "the patriarchy" which indoctrinates boys from birth with the idea that their role is protector, procreator and provider. The writer insists that "late capitalism" makes it too expensive to provide or procreate, leaving young men with nothing patriarchal to do but protect. That’s where the far right, with their tempting Aryan programs of physical superiority for shadowbox imagined foes, steps in.
Whether through baseless fear of a far-right ubermensch rising out of an MMA dojo or an actual desire for control, the “fitness to fascism pipeline” is a fresh way for progressives to scold men for believing that being the best version of themselves is a net good for society. Folks who condemn men for working to be healthy and strong and disciplined show they have no clue about what it means to be a true patriarch. As Sons of Solomon know, authority is given to men for the sake of those under their care, those who are weaker. Here’s a guy who gets it:
See the difference? Despising men for using their God-given authority in service of others results in confusion and nonsense. Rather than giving glory to God for his marvelous design, progressives must obstruct it. They would rather see people unhealthy and dependent than risk that someone might learn leadership through physical discipline. Well, let them rant. We are perfectly aware that life is more than food or health – we know our bodies are wasting away. Yet the radicalizing truth that we were “bought at a price” means we seek to glorify God with our bodies, that we may help those in need. The peace of Christ guards our hearts with the extreme comfort that even while we work in this passing age, Jesus Christ is making all things new.
Don't tread on them
Hey, not all the kids are drinking the woke KoolAid. Here are some positive stories to bring some cheeriness into your Monday.
A Virginia teen has decided to homeschool rather than remove the American flags he flys from the back of his truck.
A 12 year-old Colorado student went viral for defending a Gadsden Flag patch on his school backpack. School administrators said it was distracting to other pupils since it was associated with racism, but the boy and his mother were happy to debunk that. It is a shame he had to be the center of social media attention to be vindicated, but in the end, the school ruled the flag didn't violate school policy.
A 14 year-old fisherman who hooked a wallet containing $2000 while angling in Minnesota. The boy and his dad drove to Iowa to return the money to its owner.
And in her "counterintuitive guide for teenage happiness", a New York teen advises her peers to read old books, use their phones less, learn how to conduct themselves in public and invite senior citizens to their parties. Sweet!
So it wasn’t all bad!
Thinking clearly
Do you think more clearly when reading or listening? That is a question researchers set out to answer in a new study. They found that when listening, people's thought process was more intuitive. When reading, the thinking was more analytical. They propose the difference in thought processes may stem from childhood where we learn to speak intuitively, but master reading in a more analytical way.
While the researchers say more study is needed, they believe their findings have practical applications. "Consider a patient reading online about the risks associated with a new medication – or asking their voice assistant to tell them about it. Would patients decide differently depending on whether they read or hear about the risks?" In the end, if you are making important decisions, they say, it's probably best to read up.
We couldn’t help but think of this study in the context of faith. Since Christians are people of the Book, the fact that we can hear the Word preached and also read it for ourselves is a great gift!
Odds and Ends
Medicine and health
A new study has affirmed that Sweden's let-people-decide-for-themselves strategy during the pandemic has paid off, with the nation suffering "fewer excess deaths and far less economic and social damage" than similarly wealthy countries. (Reason)
Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci is adamant his advice was not responsible for lockdowns in the US but insists that lockdowns should be used to convince people to get vaccinated. It has been said somewhere that if freedom is a reward, then you live in a prison. (Twitter, Twitter)
Earlier this year, investigative journalist, Lee Fang, reported that Pfizer had quietly funded groups to lobby for mandates. "Many of the supposedly independent consumer, medical and civil rights groups that created the appearance of broad support for the mandate received funding from one of the vaccines’ manufacturers." (Lee Fang)
In non-covid news… A lawsuit against 3M over earplugs has been settled for $6bn. Military veterans claim to have suffered hearing loss due to the earplugs failing. (Forbes)
Narcan, the drug given for opioid overdose will be available over-the-counter. (NBC)
How smart phones are making people sad: it’s addictive. (YouTube)
Ice baths can give you a bigger high than drugs. (DMarge)
Law and the courts
Right-to-repair comes for soft serve: The ongoing legal wrangling over who gets to fix McDonald’s ice cream machines has lead some DIY advocates to pull one apart to show that it's not rocket science. (Vice)
Not actual size: Burger King sued for their burgers being 35% smaller than advertised. (Reuters)
History: Lessons from Finland's experiment with "day-fines" – penalizing offenders according to income. (Now I Know)
Economy
A recent report shows that record retail theft in America is being driven by Mexican cartels. Cartels recruit vulnerable Americans to shoplift for them, selling the stolen goods online. This organized crime contributes to the cost of life for Americans. Theft generally increases during harsh economic times, but one financial blogger says that there is a relationship between theft and inflation. "By lowering the real incomes of those already struggling to make ends meet, inflation results in an increase in the demand for stolen goods, and in doing to it creates an economic environment that motivates thieves – both of the opportunistic and organized variety.” (Washington Examiner, First SecurityNZ)
A key US inflation marker has increased giving rise to the possibility of further interest rate hikes. (WNG)
Toyota has halted vehicle production in 12 Japanese factories due to a system failure. (Reuters)
Did you know we have a Red Bubble store? You can pick up shirts, mugs, stickers and more with Mad-inspired messages.
Climate and natural world
A group of scientists known as the Global Climate Intelligence Group (CLINTEL) have published a World Climate Declaration titled, "There is no climate emergency." The document noted that "…climate science should be less political, while climate policies should be more scientific." The paper, signed by 1600 CLINTEL members, slams current climate models for being "immature" and inaccurate, while noting how carbon dioxide is beneficial to nature. (ZeroHedge)
New studies have cast doubt on the eco-credentials of paper straws and paper cups. Both were found to contain cocktails of "forever chemicals" detrimental to humans and animals. (USA Today, Wired)
Fresh headaches for lithium battery design.. In the midst of tropical storm Idalia, electric-vehicle owners in Florida have been warned that exposure to saltwater could cause their cars to catch fire. (ZeroHedge)
Something you don't see every day… State troopers in Nevada were having none of it, when climate protestors blocked the highway, backing traffic up for miles. The officers drove their truck through the barricade and arrested the lot lickety split. (Not the Bee)
And thinking outside the box… What if oil is really a "renewable?” (The Blaze)
Science
The human Y chromosome has been sequenced for the first time. (CNN)
Scientists have created a rare oxygen isotope with twelve extra neutrons. Although it was predicted that this isotope would be "unusually stable," it deteriorated quickly. "If the results can be replicated, physicists might need to update theories of how atomic nuclei are structured." (Nature)
What is that question mark in space? (Hyperallergic)
Technology
Tesla has secured a permit for a drive-in movie and diner supercharger site in L.A. (Teslarati)
AI-generated foraging books are probably a bad idea (The Hustle)
Google made a watermark for images that is invisible to human eyes and can't be edited out. Developers hope that the tech will become standard for the internet and help detect deepfakes. (The Verge)
Religion and the church
Pope Francis has warned "backward" conservative Catholics in the US that they are putting politics ahead of faith. Citing slavery as something which former popes supported, he said "[US Catholics] must understand that there’s a correct evolution in the understanding of questions of faith and morals." One cardinal accused the pope of sowing "confusion and error and division" which, as Al Mohler concluded on his podcast, must be a deliberate effort to liberalize Rome. (AP, Al Mohler)
A judge has deemed that Theodore McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C is not competent to stand trial on sexual abuse charges. (AP)
Everyone's favorite working class troubadour, Oliver Anthony (of "Rich men North of Richmond" fame) gave a shout out to Proverbs on Joe Rogan's show. We're here for that! (The Blaze)
Waking up on Monday...
The arts
Apparently, there will be no G-rated movies released this year. There could be many possible reasons but here are a couple of our guesses: 1. families are not the biggest market for cinematic releases, 2. classifications have changed to include more triggering categories, or maybe like a lot of aspects of our current culture, 3. families are not valued. (Axios)
One photographer captures the nostalgia of abandoned movie theaters. (This is Colossal)
Politics
The palace intrigue and political drama are enough to spin your head, but it’s clear the US is not in the best place politically. Here are a few of the things that went down last week..
Could Donald Trump be disqualified from running for President under the 14th Amendment? A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit proposing just that, but on the grounds that the plaintiff did not have standing. The idea that states could choose to remove Trump from their ballot, if he is the Republican nominee is not without merit. However the move would probably end in mutually-assured political destruction across the divide, since red legislatures could do the same to Democrats. Pray for the nation, that God would grant stability and wise men to lead. (PBS, Washington Times, GBH)
The Commentary Magazine podcast spent an episode discussing the legal trials of Donald Trump and raised concerns that the “Lilliputian effort” to prevent another Trump presidency by tying him up with so many legal woes could backfire resulting in a constitutional crisis. (Commentary)
A new poll has revealed that a bulk of Americans think of President Biden as "old" and Donald Trump as "corrupt.” Participants were asked what came to mind when they thought of either man. (AP)
A House Oversight Committee has requested flight logs to verify when Hunter Biden flew on Air Force Two. The same Committee also wants to see all National Archive emails which contain pseudonyms used by President Biden. (The Federalist)
Mug shots are apparently good for raising campaign finance. (Time)
Stories from far away
The US is sending armor-piercing munitions to Ukraine. (Reuters)
Chile's government has launched an investigation to find out what happened to "disappeared" people under bloody 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. (Reuters)
Nigeria: police have held guests from a gay wedding for questioning. The nation's sodomy laws have been disparaged by "enlightened" Westerners. News from Uganda that two men will be charged for homosexual acts have also enraged Twitter users – thankfully Community Notes added a bit of clarity. (CBS News, Not the Bee)
North Korea has fired missiles into the sea following the completion of South Korean military drills. (AP)
John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad ⳩ Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.
Quick Hits for the Eyebuds
🇲🇳 This Mongolian band makes heavy metal using traditional instruments
🐂 When your bull rides shotgun
🦪 Love to hate: America's most polarizing flavors
🏃♂️ Amazing composite photo of men's hurdles race
🪢 Knots for every occasion
🔍 One man's quest to find the reason for a seemingly useless Minnesota foot bridge
🖥️ Play 90s classic Wipeout 2097 in your browser
🇩🇪 This Viking village in Germany
☢️ Curious? A place where no humans will tread for 100,000 years
🍄 Design in the details: Incredible macro photography of fungi
🏢 An architect breaks down New York's most common types of apartments
😍 Boy can't stop laughing after being showered with puppy kisses
A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes
This week's Stop the White Noise was jam-packed with Bible! Here are some of our highlights:
Pastor Fisk’s current Bible reading :
Sons of Solomon prayers
The Nicene Creed
The Ten Commandments
Ps 121, 91, 23
One section of Ps 119
Ps 55, 56, 57, 54
Ps 137, 138, 139,140
Ps 118,116
Isaiah 45
Jeremiah 30
Isaiah 49, 50 and more to pray the hope that is given to us by God in a time of collapse…How to pray back to God His promises:
Pick one verse such as
Ps 125 vs 1 (from Sons of Solomon)
Prov 31 vs 1 (from Daughters of Wisdom midday readings)
Pray it every day and don’t stop , so that you remember who you are.
Sweetness You May Have Missed
This Week Preached: Joseph 4 – God speaks, He lives
Podcast Release: BHoP#158 Border Wars Part III
Let us pray: Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.