Sunday, June 7, 2026
Times half time
In the darkest era of the 20th century, a little kraut colonel summoned up the demon of ancient iniquity, the destroyer, the mystery of iniquity. He mounted up the forces of hell itself to destroy the people who, for thousands of years, had written the pages of history.
The furious feurhrer wore down the defenders of mankind for a time, times and half a time. As the ancient prophet had foretold: (1933-45)
He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the people of the Highest One and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law, and they will be given into his hand, for a time, times and half a time. (Daniel 7:25)
Then the furious feurhrer, by his iniquity, ran his precious third reich into the fires of hell itself, even to a point of destructive desperation wherein he raised his gun to his own head and blasted himself dead in a Berlin bunker.
During the war, the American defenders of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness allied themselves with the Europeans to destroy the third reich and to clean up the mess that the third reich had inflicted on mankind.
Not long thereafter, the persecuted people, the ancient descendants of Moses, were released from their captivity and holocaust, liberated by the Americans and the British from their tribulations at Dachau and Treblinka and Auschwitz. As the ancient prophet had foretold. (1945-1948)
But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for time, times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)
In 1967, the Israelis were able to gain access to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. They had ancient plans in mind,
which they have not yet been able to manifest, to, Lord willing, build another temple. This could take some time, and some serious negotiations.
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again , with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. (Daniel 9:25)
It is the opinion of this author that there is room enough on the Holy hill in Jerusalem for a temple to be built right next to the Al Aqsa mosque, if all parties would just settle down and heed the the advice of Jesus Christ who said: (Matthew 5:9)
“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall inherit the earth.”
Glass half-Full
Friday, June 5, 2026
The Big Middle
On Friday, we attended a middle school graduation; young people were completing 8th grade, having been prepared for the next big step in education . . . the next step in adolescent development. . . moving on toward high school.
In my youth, I had been at that stage in 1965. My class ascended past junior high school and into the big leagues, high school!
So, at this special even, this morning, student and faculty speakers were talking about “middle” school, and students being prepared to enter “upper school.” It was a little strange to me, because where I grew up, we referred to these phases of life education as “junior high” school and high school.
And then. . .for whatever reason. . . I know not what. . . I found myself contemplating this concept of “middle”. . . whatever that is . . . a word that can be used as an adjective or a noun.
I was contemplating “middle age”, which is a period of life that I used to qualify for, but at age 74. . . maybe not. Now it’s more like. . . what they call “old age.”
Even though I still feel like a middle aged person! Read ‘em and weep! Just kidding! It’s all good, y’all. Life is good, and there’s so much middle to muddle on. . .
There’s the middle ages:
And there’s Middle Earth, an imaginary place dreamed up by J.R.R. Tolkien, where hobbits’s live, where the shire is something like a middle ages way of living.
There’s the middle of the road, where the yellow line is, or the median, or whatever that keeps you from drifting over into oncoming traffic. . . . also the “middle of the road” in a symbolic political sense, where American citizens used to conduct their politics, back in the day. . .before magamania and the proud boys and their maralago donald attacked our Capitol, thereby magnetizing US politics so that most folks are either stubborn donkeys or lumbering elephants with not much in between.
Then there’s the middle of the country, which is roughly somewhere between New Orleans and Chicago and between, say, Ohio and Iowa, between Alabama and Texas. . .or maybe between one side of Kent, Ohio and the other
Let us hope and pray that those middle schoolers are never confronted with soldiers who were sent out to to quash their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and their first amendment right to free speech and free assembly in the middle of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
King of Soul
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Call Me Thishmail
Call me Thishmail. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having a few bucks and a baccalaureate, and nothing in particular to interest me in River City, I thought I would traverse the Gulf coast and establish meself in the fair city of St. Petersburg, to seek my game and fortune among the old folks who had made their home there.
Such was my fateful acceptance of this strategic relocation, chosen for me by insurance-peddling kinfolk, affording me the great American opportunity to translate a post-academic question into a business response. But that was a long time ago, miles and miles before I slept, and dreamed a dream and thereby drove my little yellow VW up to the Appalachian wonderland,
and long before the darkness of failure descended upon me and I ultimately redirected the VW to Waco, where I found myself in the presence of the Holy Spirit. . . you know— the One mentioned in the Book of Acts— and the Spirit of the Risen Lord redirected my voyage through the various gulfs of experience.
Later, on a fateful summer day, while the pipes were a-calling on Grandfather, I and my bride diverted our path up to the Boone trail, where the rest of life happened. . . in a Holy Spirit-led community of Christian believers, a fellowship of young families into which my bride and I introduced our three young ones to this world of wonder, woe, wealth and worship.
Monday, June 1, 2026
Temple Times
Temple come, Temple go, built in stones, row by row, like Michelangelo, sculpting inspirations of long ago. As years come andcenturies go: temples built high from stones below. Solomon had built a temple long ago. Alas! His temple’s history’s filled with woe; Nebuchandnezzer destroyed it to put on a show, until Cyrus let the Hebrews go, go, go to rebuild their temple, high up from low.
Herod’s show built on sacred mount a Roman show.
Messiah’s words, misunderstood, implied destruction, a woeful show, although he had been referring to his crucifixion woe, which update their ancient sacrificial show.
Temple come, Temple go, while eras come and go. Along comes Titus with his dreadful Roman show: Tear it down!; do not collect 200; do not pass go! Titus struck the fatal blow that Jesus had foretold, in one swift blow!
Jews in woe, renewed their ancient Exodic Go! Second exodus, y’know, and then a third, more diaspora woe! Centuries rolled by as Time did flow; along came Mo. . . hammed, in night flight journey he did go! On Buraq burrow he did go, arriving at the wall of ancient Hebrew woe. He climbed up ladder to view celestial show, remembering Jacob’s ladder long ago, which may be same, but I don’t know. I did dream a dream of Jacob’s ladder, many moons ago. So who am I to say about Mohammed’s show?. . . with Angel Gabriel. long time ago, with angels climbing to and fro. . .to see an Adam, Joseph, Enoch, Aaron, Moses show, patriarchs of long ago, all lit up in such incredible angelic glow. When Islam’s Prophet reached the top of his ascending show, he encountered Moses, patriarch of long ago: Law receiver, ancient believer, recipient of the YWHW glow. Moses advised him to negotiate, don’t ya know, about how many prayers one must say when negotiating with God from day to day.
Now I don’t know but I been told that wise men talk to God when they get old.
Solomon built that first temple long ago. Zerubbabel’s version brought the second show. Now I don’t know. . . I heard it through the grapevine: Isreali Jews prepare to whisk the sands of time and build another temple on the Mount, which would be their third, by my count.
Now the Jews are amping up their plans to erect their third temple there, built for God’s elect, so they say. . . and really, getting right down to it, you see. . .there’s only one place it could be! So one little problem we can discern, as Muslims fret and Hebrews burn: if Jews start digging in sacred Al Sharif ground, then the world may hear that dreaded sound, as Arab ire sends shots heard round the world, and temple stones get flung up in apocalyptic whirl.
Now I don’t know but I been told, this contention’s very old. We just don’t know what could go down, if Jews go digging Sharif ground. I mean. . . the Jews made it holy in ancient days; maybe they’re due some acreage in these Israeli days.
Just sayin’ . . . keep prayin’. Now I don’t know but i been told, the new temple awaits us in streets of gold!
Glass half-Full
Friday, May 29, 2026
Boomers Lament
Ole Noah led a quiet life until one day, when Creator YWHW told him to build an ark.It’s a good thing that he did. . . a lot has happened since then. After the great flood, the world was repopulated with humans, people. . . men and women.
As the human race spread out across the wide world, different levels of authority were manifested. Some folks worked and grew crops; some sought precious metals. Some enterprising people put crops and metals and animal skins and whatnot together to make useful things that people could use to do whatever. . .
In the historical development of these agricultural, industrial and mercantile developments, some men like to take charge of things; others were content to do just do their jobs, maybe raise a family, cultivate crops, crank out a few trinkets, tools or toys.
As the humans spread out across the world, certain men emerged beyond mere leadership to military control, recruiting soldiers along the way. So we witnessed the rise of empires.
Strong men, pharoahs and kings asserted their hegemony over tribes and nations. Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, Artaxerses, Alexander, Caesar, Genghis Khan, William, Henry, Charles, George, and a host of others.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the paths to leadership shifted beyond mere military might.Men began to measure power and authority according to wealth. Especially in Britain and America, financial power and technological mastery made it possible for entrepreneurs to take charge of institutions. . . manufacturers, financiers, distributors of goods and service were taking charge of things, while government people tried to make sure the powermongers were playing by the rules.
In America, Carnegie, Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Ford and many other resourceful entrepreneurs were calling the shots. In recent years, one of those wheeler-dealers managed to get himself elected president. Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the old world of northern Europe, the Russians had tried to implement some Marxian theories to establish a communist nation, but . . . long story short . . . it didn’t work so well, so they took a giant step backwards and launched an effort to work toward a quasi-capitalist system. But that wasn’t working out so well either. . .so one wise guy who had figured out how to manipulate the Russians and their institutions took charge of the failed soviet state and morphed it into a good ole boys club, run by any oligarchs who were willing to work with the new czar. Who is he? you may ask. . putin in feign; ask me again and I’ll tell you the same. As for protest, Navalny nailed it, but they got rid of him.
Such is the fate of some dissidents, who are not as fortunate as our greatest Americans. . . back in 1776-81. But I digress (after attending Hamilton last night.)
Bottom line: nowadays we have a trilateral rendition trying to run the world. We’ve got a magamaniac capitalist in the west, an excommunist bureacrat and a Chinese wise guy calling all the shots. Today I heard that Vlad the Mad invaded Romania. . . sorta like when trump sent the oath bleepers and those other gangs to try and steal the election in 2021.
And that’s the way it is, May 29, 2026
(Where’s Walter Cronkite when you need him?)
Glass half-Full
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Paris 1937
A scene from my novel, Smoke: in Paris, 1937.
Like a violin string stretched across the bridge of time, rendering some
rare vibrato of tenderness that struck now upon their resonant souls, a note
of empathetic enquiry sounded forth. Sandi Leblanc, sitting across the table,
a woman whose attentions were continually attuned to affairs of the heart
and issues of the spirit, asked carefully, slowly, “What is it, Madame, that
you and your family must find—what is it that would require crossing the
ocean, going all the way to America—to find? Surely you will not have to
travel so far for peace of mind?”
Helene wiped the tears from her cheek. “What we seek, Madame
Leblanc, is a young man, a good man in the very flower of his youth; but he is
locked inside Dachau prison—our son, Heinrich. And now it is so very hard
to decide what is to be done. Should we stay or go?”
“Even if you must go. . .somewhere. . .must it be to America? Why not
wait here, here in Alsace. You are close here, close enough to respond
quickly, if Heinrich were to be released. If you were all the way to the United
States, your help for him would be almost impossible.”
“Our travel visas here are good only for two weeks. But we have relations
in New York—they are our people, Jews like us—who are working on our
behalf. They are even willing to deposit thousands of US dollars in the banks
for us, and send affidavits to endorse for our immigration, so that we can
obtain visas to enter the United States and start a new life there.”
https://www.amazon.com/Smoke-L-Carey-Rowland/dp/1495330834
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
To Do or not to Do
To do or not to do; that is the question:
Whether ’t’was nobler in the colonial leaders’ minds to suffer the slings and arrows of King George’s abuses, or to take arms against his tea tax and his stamp act, and his aggressive attacks, and by opposing, end them?
To give up, to fuhgedabowdit, aye, there was the rub, for in that slumber of appeasement. . . what dreams of liberty and justice for all. . . might might have been done away with and forgotten?
Oh, what regrets about what might have been. . . if our founders had shuffled off their Revolutionary coil? What regrets would have come, if, by submitting, they had not endured the thousand oppressive shocks that Liberty and Justice for demands of us?
This conundrum did give them pause, and yet, I still wonder. . .where would we be today if they had not borne the whips and scorns of outrageous fortune, to overcome a king who was tyrannical and covetous?
Even so, y’all, nowadays. . . We the People have been tolerating the slings and arrows of outrageous magamania;
And yet. . . and yet. . .
We the People will bear the abuses of the foxes who steal the vines of Liberty, We will strive to prevent the proud boys and the oath bleepers and the the 3 percent who are oligarchs from tipping the circuits of Ai against us all,. We will duly note the abuses until we, by Rule of Law found in our Constitution, in our Congress and in our courts and in our ballot boxes. . . do overcome the slings and arrows of outrageous magamania and gerrymandering!
Glass half-Full
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