Hey Ed:

As to where I get my scriptural references. Why the scripture of course. don't you two find it the least insonsistent that you pass judgement on how christianity is suppose to be when you are unaware of elementary details of scripture? The basis of the christian faith afterall.

And unless your Civic is a particular valley in Palestine in the not too distant future, you should not need to worry about the apolistry.

But that's not why I was writing, I was looking for a different post. So I will ad lib while Chet picks Brahm's Lullaby.

As to the medical question. No I am not worried for myself. I am fine with dying and I'd just as soon find a spot with a nice view and be left behind when i can no longer keep up. I believe this stems from a leeroi jones poem of my youth called Cool. If you're not familiar the scene is a couple awaking to the sounds of the family next door ramping up for a Sunday afternoon cookout; followed by the radio announcer breaking in to detail the launch of atomic missiles that will be arriving shortly; whereupon, as the sounds of panic begin to rise next door the couple puts on some Coltrane to drown out the choas next door, before snuggling up for is presumeably the remainder of their lives.

And besides, the Son of God is faithful. And even if that were hokam, I'll either cease to exist or come back as a even more ignorant toad stool I suppose. So I can't figure a down side to worry about. Besides it ain't all that great here, unless it's all you know.

Now my wife is another matter, she worries about not having medical insurance to some degree. I understand her concern. It could be better if we had it. Just as I wish all people could afford medical services they actually need, many of us do without rather than spend money we can't anticipate appearing in our budget instead of having preventive diagnostic tests. Laura Brannigan might be alive if she hadn't ignored two weeks of headaches before she passed with an anorism(to lazy to look it up just now).

So sure, I'd like to have better access to medical advice. I'd like to have better auto mechanics too. I'd like to move to NZ and/or winter in the western Rockies. But the fact is, at least in most parts of our country, no one can be turned away from an ER. And another fact is Alan Greenspan is saying the Feds can't keep the promises they made about Medicare or Social Security. And another fact is our small family business found out today that a nonprofit is going to be competing with us, in earnest, for the largest segment of our livelihood. Bugger me dead, who knew life wasn't fair. Or that people suffer from want.

Y'know what? People just keep movin', and when they don't anymore, someone will bury them rather than risk a public health crisis from their rotting corpse.

(I am suddenly struck with the question of asking what you have hope in? And before that, I wondered what you and Mick have to offer that is better, since neither of you have offered up anything specific that outshines the good news of the gospel of a risen savior who stood in humanity's stead so that any one of us who chose to, could get right with their creator on His terms in a very easy fashion: changing their mind by changing what the believe; and God calls it grace.

Mick has offered up some incomprehensible lymricks or some such, without exlaboration.)

Anyhow, it is late here and I've got a 6am appt. Y'know gentlemen, the sadest part is that I know I can never reason with either of you sufficiently to even get you to honestly consider Jesus Christ and the gift He has made available to you two also. You don't think you need it for one. I suppose you can't envision your Maker judging you decisively or permanently in one fell swoop one day distant.

Actually the saddest part is that I don't care. You're grown men, if you want to go to Hell, hey it's your decision. That is where the scripture says the unbeliever will end up. You knnow I didn't make that up either. I keep trying to understand whether I am simply being scripturally pragmatic, some sort of mature outlook, or something worse.

Anyhow, yeah, readily available medical attention would be grand, but in my case, I'd rather your souls be saved, my suffering won't last long.

Be well Gents.

GM

PS All I meant, is children are the best this life has to offer. In a purely humanistic sense, there is nothing more important, rewarding...or fleeting than childhood. Especially your own children.

With much knowledge cometh much sorrow. - but where in scripture, hmmm?