Trib Updates

This is a weekly series that will include a brief summary of the latest articles that have been published on The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter.  Hopefully, this will encourage you to go check out some truly outstanding articles that have been published by a number of truly outstanding authors.  Moreover, I hope this will also encourage you to want to become a contributing member/author, as well.  The “Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!” site explanation near the top of the side-bar should answer many of your questions.  Yes, this series also included an “SOS! (Spam On Saturdays)”  segment before, but it just wasn’t working for me.  Therefore, that will be replaced by a republishing of one of the Trib articles.

[WhiteHeart Wednesday] has a video and the lyrics for Black Is White.

[Witty Banter Should Be Witty] contains another rant about the quality of local newscasts in the Springfield, Missouri.

[Politics in Connecticut] is from G.D. Dooley with a question about how one can tell when a candidate truly has a heart for God.

[Has Cleveland Been Cursed?]

No, this is not about the city being [the mistake by the lake].  For those days are gone.

Nonetheless, the misery still continues for the fans of at least two out of three major sports franchises located in [Cleveland], and it is arguable that it is just as bad for the fans of the [Cleveland Indians].  For it has been many a moon since the last time they won the [World Series], but they did play in three during the [90s].

Alas, the fans of the [Cleveland Cavaliers] and the [Cleveland Browns] have even less to cheer about, which I place most of the blame squarely on the management of the teams.  For the Cavaliers are owned by [Dan Gilbert], who acts like he truly [owns] his players, which is reflected in their play.

Now comes the news that the Cleveland Browns have been bought by [Jimmy Haslim], who is a very enthusiastic [Pittsburgh Steelers] fan, which would be like a diehard fan of the [Dallas Cowboys] buying the [Washington Redskins], and it will surely lead to even greater depths of mediocrity for the Browns.  For every move that Haslim could make to improve the Browns would eventually hurt his beloved Steelers—especially with them playing in the same conference division.

No, nothing personal—just business cannot be used to explain this away.  For owning a professional sports franchise has to more than just a business decision or you will wind up with a team like the...well…the Browns were, which I would think that the NFL would want to guard against at all costs for the good of the entire league.

Of course, maybe Haslim can keep his heart separated from his head without making too much of a mess out of things?  For he is currently the CEO of [Flying J], which is in direct competition with [Pilot], which is the company that his father founded.

No, I am not buying it, and it makes me a little angry to even be given the choice to.  For back during the early days of my over-the-road trucking career, a wonderful group of diehard Browns fans adopted me for a couple of days while a [lake-effect snow storm] shut down all travel in northeastern Ohio, and ever since, I have had a soft-spot for them.  Not enough to have me cheering for the Browns over my beloved Cowboys, of course, but one has to respect the devotion of someone who would stand in line while being covered by freezing rain just to buy a ticket to go see a team that was more than likely going to lose the game and [break] the hearts of their fans in the process.

Hey, maybe Haslim buying the Browns might actually be a good thing?  For it might not be long before the Browns are so obviously bad that there won’t be any expectations of them ever winning a game.  Hence, no more gut-wrenching losses!

Please Also Visit:

[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]

Trib Updates

This is a weekly series that will include a brief summary of the latest articles that have been published on The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter.  Hopefully, this will encourage you to go check out some truly outstanding articles that have been published by a number of truly outstanding authors.  Moreover, I hope this will also encourage you to want to become a contributing member/author, as well.  The “Hear Ye!  Hear Ye!” site explanation near the top of the side-bar should answer many of your questions.  Yes, this series also included an “SOS! (Spam On Saturdays)”  segment before, but it just wasn’t working for me.  Therefore, that will be replaced by a republishing of one of the Trib articles.

[Varmint Signs 11] has a cat engaged in an epic battle with a stuffed fish.

[Greed is not Good] contains a prophecy against America.

[Varmint Signs 12] has a very young owl reacting to seismic shifts.

[Bob Ryan Needs To Get Out More] contains some observations on why an ESPN contributor needs to get out more.

[It Ain't Braggin']

[Dizzy Dean] was quite fond of saying, “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back it up.”  Since he is a [St. Louis Cardinals] legend as the leader of the [Gashouse Gang], I have to give him some slack.

As a side note, I was surprised to find that the Wikipedia article on the Gashouse Gang is incorrect about the nickname.  For it is actually referring to the perception (especially at the time) that most of the members of that 1934 team would have surely been on [death row] by then if they hadn’t become baseball players on account of being such an ornery bunch.  Of course, I could be sorely mistaken, but I don’t think so.

Anyway, getting back to the braggin’ part, what Dizzy Dean would like to say is somewhat different than what the Apostle Paul was given to say.  For it is written: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. [Philippians 4:13]

Alas, as with so many other things, the significance of that verse has waned considerably in far too many hearts.  For they are so focused on the fact that there is nothing good about any of us that they absolutely refuse to recognize the work of our Heavenly Father’s Holy Spirit in and through someone [Philippians 2:13].

No, I cannot naturally blame them for being that way.  For it has been widely taught for far too long that the ability to overcome any obstacle is available through Christ, but we have to actually do the overcoming.  Subsequently, that leads to a lot of so-called boasting in the Lord that is really just boasting about what we want to believe we have accomplished in His name as He cheers us on.

Yes, our Heavenly Father could certainly put an end to all doubts.  For He could actually stand on the sidelines and watch as those who want to believe that they have been empowered to wield the sword of truth and justice against all unrighteousness make complete fools out of themselves in the eyes of this world, and in many cases, He has.

You see, as it appears to be in a man-made army, a solider is given a weapon and trained in how to fight with it, but this is not the way it is with our Heavenly Father.  For He is really the One who is doing the fighting through us, and this is true of everything that we do in this world—from raising our children to making a living.

Nonetheless, it is so very important to know and understand that it all depends upon what He wants to accomplish in and through someone.  For He will raise some up in the eyes of this world while He will crush others, but in all cases, it will be as it should be in the end [Matthew 19:28-30].

Again, none of this means that we have nothing to do with anything.  For we all have a part to play, but instead of wanting to believe that we have done good, we would be much better off wanting to truly be thankful for the good that He has done in and through us, while humbly accepting that even this is another gift of His grace.

To bring it all home, it would have been wonderful if Dizzy Dean had of been fond of saying, “What I have done ain’t mine to brag about.  For it is the Lord God Almighty, who takes the mound, when it is my turn to pitch.”

Please Also Visit:

[FishHawk Droppings]

and

[The Tribulation Times Herald-Exhorter]