Senator Rand Paul has my first name

Randal Paul. One "l" not two, like mine. Was called Randy before his wife prompted him to shorten it to Rand.

There's a subscriber to one of my lists that used to call me Rand. Coincidence, I guess.

But Mr. Rand Paul doesn't have my politics, nor my faith, nor, probably, my vote. (Probably nobody will.)

Protestants no longer protesting

Protestants have come full circle. They now have creeds, clergy, and calendars of religious holidays. Once against the sale of indulgences, they now market the slickest products of health, wealth, and personal fulfillment. Faith-only, always the Reformed touchstone, is now served up as a light froth on the tony drink of individual preference. What they once railed against they now practice.

Remembering the email option

I'm waiting on Posthaven to come out with their themes until the end of December, as they've promised. It's been a long nine- or ten-month wait. It had better be worth it.
 
At the same time, I really like the option to post by email and it becoming an email discussion at the same time it's posted on site. I've not taken advantage of that.
 
The demise of email has been loudly heralded. But if fax machines are still around, it's not likely that such a common means of communication will soon go by the wayside. Marketers, though they are by no means the harbingers of technology and trends, still tout email lists as the best way to get a message out there.
 
I'm testing the quote feature, pay no mind.
 
Must be that year-end itchiness to regroup, reevaluate, redefine things, but I've been looking more at Known, RedMatrix, GNUsocial, and TiddlySpace, etc., and how to best use them, or if to use them further. Are there too many good options out there? Or do all of them offer something unique?
 
I'm leaving my email sig in this time to see if Posthaven removes it, as I seem to remember it will. Anything below here?

Cloudburst: What to Say?

Writers and poets often make words and actions their topic, I among their number, and this poem also devoted to the subject. Two stanzas of five lines each, with a rhyme scheme of ABABA, makes for an interesting arrangement. (You already know I love chiastic structures.) The unstressed feet vary between the two stanzas, and the second uses enjambment, furthering the contrast between the irony of the first and the plain declaration of the second.

The last line alludes to James 1.26-27. James, Proverbs, Jesus, Paul, all have much to say about the use of the tongue. Peter talks about how ignorance is not silent — on the contrary, and the first stanza alludes to this fact. "For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people" 1Pt 2.15 ISV.

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Enjoy the poem in your inbox, and chime in with a comment below, if you would, to further motivate the poet.


Man's imagination

Glory to God for man's imagination and creativity, for his engineering ability to manipulate his surroundings and invent machines and technologies that serve good and make life more comfortable.