She is not an only child, but she sort of feels like she is most of the time.  Her older sister seems more a part of the neighborhood than the family.  That is why she felt this was the best Christmas ever.  Dad and Mom got her an adorable little puppy.

Dad:  It's not the most common breed, but we know you will love it ...and we picked it, hoping you will always know how much we love you.  It's a Brittany.

Brittany:  Oh, Dad & Mom ...this is a day I will never forget, and never will I forget how much you love me.

            *************

When he opened his birthday present, he couldn't hide the disappointment he felt upon seeing the huge shoulder bag ...and he didn't quite understand what it was for either.

Dad: I got you a paper route ...and that's the bag the papers go in. But, it's a rather large route, and I wouldn't expect you to walk the whole way ...so, come to the back porch where the second part of your gift is.

Brody: Wow ...can I ride the bike when I'm not doing the route?

Dad: Of course, but make sure you don't wreck the bike before next week ...that's when you will be starting the paper route.  People do like to get their news, you know.

            *************

Brittany becomes a teenager.  The neighbors see that Brittany belongs to what they consider a good family.  And they ask her to babysit.

She knows she will do a good job.  She recalls when her dog was just a puppy ...and she had to train him not to pee on the floor, but to go outside.  The baby would be easier ...babies wear diapers. And she knows how to hold a baby ...and how to give a baby a bottle.  The rest is simple ...burp the baby, and rock the baby while singing any old lullaby.  Babies sleep a lot at this age.

Many times Dad and Mom have said Brittany was cute as a baby.  It could not be denied that's how they felt ...they had multiple photo albums filled with her baby pictures. And this baby she is to babysit is also cute, she supposes ...though she still thinks puppies are cuter.

            *************

The economy is suffering ...not so many jobs as there had been. And people aren't retiring as early, as investments have not proven to be all that reliable.

Brody has a college education, but that doesn't seem to help him much at this time.  

With the private sector suffering ...it seems government is getting bigger.  So, Brody decides to take the government exam.

And he waits for the results.

          *************

Brittany graduates from Community College.  She gets a job as a Medical Assistant in a Doctor's Office in her community.

          *************

Brody gets his exam results back and is offered a job at a Juvenile Center.  The interviewer tells him he can start as soon as he can relocate.  So, he quickly finds a listing for apartments, moves into one the next day, and starts work with the juveniles the following week.

            *************

'Boy Meets Girl'

Seems like a movie title, or a sitcom ...sounds familiar anyway, but that's what happens with Brody moving into the community. He finds a church ...and he meets Brittany.

            *************

But, though that could be considered a 'new beginning' ...that is not what this is about.  And neither is it about either one of them, though part of what Brody goes through next ...well, it does have something to do with what comes next, so we will go to Brody's work.

Brody works afternoon shift. It seems like it is going to be one of those nights.

Report from the day shift was that it was a difficult day.  The report was not very clear.  They said there were several fights that broke out, but it wasn't clear what they did about it ...if they did anything at all.

Brody felt that things had to be dealt with sooner than later ...especially if he didn't want it to be a difficult night. And soon came sooner than he had anticipated. 

Brody doesn't wait to see if his coworkers have the same resolve to take care of business ...he intervenes in one fight, and directs both to an empty room which is considered the 'time-out' room.

Brody doesn't feel they should sit on the floor, so he brings three chairs ...one for each of the two boys, and one for himself. He knows he has to supervise them, otherwise they will likely start fighting again.  So, Brody sits the two boys in chairs in opposite corners ...and he sits in a chair in the doorway.

The age for this group is eleven through thirteen year old boys.  And some of these young boys think more of themselves than perhaps they should, but they are 'street-smart'.

The evening does not immediately quiet down.  Within the next few minutes, Brody's coworkers send two more angry boys to the 'time-out' room ...and two more chairs are provided for the two remaining corners.

It seems that at this point, most of the trouble is sitting right in front of Brody, in the four corners.  And things start to settle down and get quiet outside this room ...which doesn't seem to satisfy one of the boys in the room.

This boy gets up, and walks to the middle of the 'time-out' room, smiling at Brody. His name is not remembered ...only his attitude, as he is the main one that could be called 'street-smart'.

Street-smart: I don't want to live by the rules here ...I believe in anarchy.

Brody: (Knowing fully what that meant, he decides to amuse this youngster, and play along a bit.)  What's anarchy?

Street-smart: Anarchy is when everybody does what they want to do.

Brody: Well, it takes time to change the outside world, but what if we have anarchy just here, right now?

Street-smart: Yeah! Let's do it!

Brody: But, nothing is going to change.  With anarchy right here, right now ...nothing will change.  Everything will be the same as it is right now.

Street-smart: No way!!

Brody:  If everyone in this room does what they want to do ...there is going to be trouble, because what one person wants is going to conflict with what another person wants. So, everyone can't have what they want ...and since I'm bigger than you, I get what I want.  And this is the way I want it.

Street-smart:  But, the four of us here in this room can take you on.

Brody:  I doubt that very much. Remember, I'm here to look out for all of you ...not just one, but all of you.  And I believe that's good.  Think about it ...what if there are four guys outside this room that get fed up with your bullying, and they want to take you down?  In that case, I will protect you.

Street-smart:  I don't need protecting ...and I still say the four of us here in this room could take you down.

Brody:  And I say you are wrong ...and I think you know it. I don't want anyone hurt ...and that includes me. If you attack me, someone will get hurt, and if I get hurt then I can't protect anyone, so I'm going to protect myself first.

Street-smart continues to stand in the middle of the room, and he looks around at the others sitting in their corners. 

Brody tells one of the boys he can leave the room, then a couple minutes later, Brody lets another boy leave.

Street-smart:  Hey, why did you let him go?  I was here longer than he was!!

Brody:  He was sitting in the corner like I asked him to ...you were not.

Brody lets the third boy leave the 'time-out' room, and at that point 'Street-smart' goes to sit in the corner.

Street-smart:  Are you going to let me go after I sit quietly?

Brody:  After a few minutes of quiet, you can go ...but, remember, with anarchy I wouldn't have to.  I think you should be happy I don't believe in anarchy ...that I believe in fairness.

            *************

Not all juveniles who are problematic are sent to rehabilitation facilities.  And not all people who work at rehabilitation facilities are fair.

We have a rather dysfunctional society in many ways.  And few of us agree with what the solution is. Government often does not know how to handle the problem because government is composed of people who seldom agree on things.  And if something comes to their attention that they feel they can't dodge, they have their 'spin doctors'.

I don't believe I'm being a pessimist, and I'm not like 'Street-smart' as I believe we should have rules and government ...and I admit that sometimes government comes close to getting it right. If they don't get it completely right, it's not all their fault because they have to work with others and often have to compromise.

And we live in a world with imperfect individuals, but also with those who approach perfection with badness.

After the 1992 Los Angeles riots, emergency aid legislation was enacted.  Funds were made available for youth employment initiatives, inner city empowerment zones, and public housing transformation ...to name a few.  And many other cities also created empowerment zones. I will not dispute it if you want to give them an 'A' for effort ...but effort begins with an 'E', and we often don't know why they fail, but they constantly do. 

Government housing, often called 'the projects' ...is often seen as a humiliating lifestyle. To combat many perceived stigmas, many programs have been modified, not abandoned ...such as 'food stamps'. Now, a debit card is used ...not to appear as a government benefit. And much good comes from improvements in many of these areas ...though inner cities still are hot spots for robbery, drug-fueled gang violence, prostitution, assault, and rape.

In 2019, the Presidential Primary debates were televised ...and one candidate mentioned how government can often fail, giving the example of how much money was spent on the city of Baltimore, yet crime continuing to increase. One of the other candidates said that things were not getting better in Baltimore because government did not spend enough money.

Now, I am not a politician ...nor am I qualified as a city planner.  The only reason I'm mentioning this is that the perception which is usually always present ...is that government is big, it has the means to collect and redistribute money, and it is inhumane not to use the money to give to the poor. Slogans always include 'Tax the rich'.  And the wealthy often appear as an enemy of sorts. 

There are the 'haves' and the 'have nots'.  And the more one has, the more one should share ...is a very common attitude. But, it is an attitude that is not shared by everyone. So, how does one perceive their fellow man??  And to what lengths will a person go to ...to obtain what they feel is due to them??  To what extreme will they go to make a point??

            *************

These are just ideas ...yet ideas can mend, or they can destroy. With so many diverse ideas, how can one know which path to take??

Certainly, the serenity prayer has much wisdom in the words: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Yes, to look back on this concluding year ...knowing there were things we couldn't change, things we could help change, and the determination to blame others.  No, that's not it!!

Let me start that over ...yes, isn't that the hope for many of us as we look towards the new year, to 'start over'??

What's in a new year??  How about a new day?? Can't we resolve to make each day better??

And if we are having a bad day ...can't we stop, regroup, and try to have a better moment??

            *************

So, what's all this about government ...politics ...anarchy ...and 'boy meets girl'???

Well, you could say, that's typical of him to ramble on ...and not make much sense.  But, if you actually know me ...you know I've done my share of logic puzzles.  And though there are times I don't like puzzles at all ...there are also times I'm very interested in puzzles.

You may say, well, you may be interested in puzzles, but I'm not, so why give me one??

Well, for those of you who feel that way, I think you are no longer reading this blog anyway.  I may be the only one who gets this far, and it benefits me perhaps to reread it to look for mistakes I've made in writing this.

But, I am not just rambling ...there is sort of a deliberate puzzle to it all, one that only I may find value in using as a future reference.

The dynamics of politics, and the accusations have taken place from 'the beginning' ...and we don't know the specifics of those events which happened so long ago, but we get hints.  And some of those hints were used against humankind.

You may not know me from Adam ...but speaking of Adam, and I guess we have to be fair and talk about Eve also. Yes, for those who know me from Adam ...you know I like to talk about the Bible.  And the book of Genesis is about the 'in the beginning' ...which I believe is mankind's beginning, which I believe is the introduction we read in the first verse of the Bible.

And a hint comes in the 3rd Chapter, verses 4 & 5.  The serpent contradicts what God had said, telling Eve she won't die, and furthermore, if she eats the fruit of the forbidden tree she will become like God.  The serpent/devil/Satan tells Eve that God is withholding from her.  

Government and academia have formed a coalition, whether or not it is a conscious one, they seem to be bound together with ideologies ...the source of it all not easy to really know.

Yet, consider these changes over the years.  It is no isolated group, nor insignificant number of people who say the Bible is corrupted. Others say the Bible is only equal to other stories, or less than stories from other cultures which they say the Bible borrowed ideas from.

What news was peddled when Brody delivered the newspapers through his youth??  What was delivered through textbooks in his classroom??  Brody went to public school where they taught evolution.  Then he went to college where he was taught what was right & wrong in a political sense.

Brittany was told that her cousin was having a baby ...and all the friends and relatives rejoiced as the ultra-sound of Kyle was posted on Facebook.

Brittany read each endearing comment: 

"Oh, welcome to the family, Kyle ...even though it's your first picture, I feel I already know you!" 

"Congratulations!!  He is going to be such a fine young man. You must be so happy!"

But, her cousin didn't stay happy very long ...and Kyle would be robbed of the chance to be a fine young man.  Brittany's cousin did not post for a while on Facebook ...as her marriage was not only called off, he had walked out on the friendship also. Brittany heard about it through a mutual friend, and her cousin didn't want to talk about it ...though word was that she got an abortion.

Precious little Kyle could no longer be welcomed, and it was no longer said that they already knew him ...as everyone knew not to mention Kyle anymore.  It was as if the one who was once celebrated, never existed.

Yet, each of us began to exist ..."in the beginning". 

We have many examples of anarchy throughout history, though we don't know how the first bid for power took place, or how the takeover bid led into a hostile coup attempt ...we should just be thankful it was not successful, and there was peace as the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

On day #6, humankind was created ...though humans are not always kind.  We just celebrated Christmas, and hopefully each of us has found some kindness in some form or another. Now with the beginning of a new year ...hopefully Jesus is much at the center of our hearts, not deceitfully as hearts can be, but through a mind which acknowledges who He is.  If you haven't done that, this can be a 'new beginning' for you.

We have more of an advantage than anyone ever has had ...as we have a Bible to read, telling us who God is, and showing us how others have failed, so hopefully we do not.  We have a record (the Bible) of not only what God has done for us, but also why ...and showing us how much He loves us.

Don't believe God's Word is corrupted ...there may be small inconsistencies that we can explore together to understand, and even build our faith stronger, but it is not corrupt.  There are corrupt forces that are telling us it is corrupted.  Most of these people are not bad, but they are being used to pass on corrupt and divisive messages.  Remember the first one to do this, to say that which was told to them was not true, that God was not being open and honest ...that God was actually keeping something from them.  You remember who that was that said that, don't you??

And that person wanted to divide us, and he didn't want us to follow God.

Who is God??  

I believe God is who I read about in the Bible.  If you don't believe this, is there another record that you believe instead??  And if you don't really believe any record, then how is it that you believe in God?? Maybe you don't, I am not to say ...as I don't know what you believe, I just know what I believe.  But, if you believe in God, and you say the Bible is corrupted, then how do you formulate your beliefs??  You don't just make it up, do you??

The Bible does not only tell us of 'the beginning', it also tells us of the end ...the end of pain & suffering, for those who will receive it.  This end is not death.  Our existence is eternal.  The next life goes on & on ...either with God, or without God.

We should rejoice in life ...cling to the thought of what Jesus said in telling us He goes to prepare a place for us. I hope 'Street-smart' is there ...but, he will be changed.  We can rejoice in the new ...and the New Jerusalem will be our home.  The Tree of Life will also be there.  But, most importantly, God will be there.

If the world so quickly reacts to anger and mob emotions, let that not be your response.  Yes, hearts love ...yet, hearts also hate. And the Bible says the heart is deceitful.  So, it should not be our hearts that rule, it should be the pure heart of God that we trust.

Philippians 4:7 reads, "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In Jesus, we are a new creation ...and we are to renew our minds.  And if we believe in Him who can do this, then once again, live this next year anew.     




God ❤ bless!!!



(We can't really know the heart of God ...) ---but there is much He wants us to know.


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(Why I Believe What I Believe ...) ---at least at this moment, I think, but what I know, is that God's Word does not change. And I am grateful for His love.