Ale for the Soul

Today is I Love to Write Day, as well as the Day of the Imprisoned Writer.  I thought this was an odd combination for a holiday, but it made sense the more thought I gave to it.  Many writers over recorded history have been imprisoned for their expressed beliefs as the "powers that be" considered them too revolutionary.  As a inspiring writer I yearn for expression, not in fluff and puff, but in topics of substance.  The desire to have an audience, while not compromising my beliefs, is a burning passion within my heart and soul.  Every day I check the audience stats to see if there are people with the same ideas and beliefs reading my blog and subsequent entries.  Of course I don't expect my readers to believe exactly as I do, but I prefer to surround myself with like-minded individuals.  I also welcome objective critical feedback.  The Book of Proverbs states, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."   Some famous authors wh...

Yep, you guessed it, today is America Recycles Day.  As a person who is avid about recycling, this holiday of sorts really struck a chord and resonated with me.   Today's Trivia email in my inbox had a lot of interesting information concerning different and odd items created from human and material waste.  For example, sheep fecal matter can be turned in to the placard used for air fresheners.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Thankfully, however, the odor emitted is not of fecal matter.  Another example is of the water consumed on the international space station.  Such items as shower run-off, sweat, and urine are all used for recycled water.  Another gross example which takes a lot of psychological will-power to overlook if one wants to partake of such items.  On a daily basis I try to remain conscious of what I can and cannot recycle.  Even when I pick up litter in and around the apartment complex and neighborhood I live in, I try as b...

On this day in history Herman Melville published his great work of art, a literary classic, Moby Dick.  Initially the book was a flop, but later it would achieve great literary acclaim.  One of the memorable, oft-quoted lines from the book is, "Call me Ishmael!"  (Sadly I hear people quote this famous line with no clue as to where it came from.)  One of my favorite books from Melville, and I haven't read very many, is Bartleby the Scrivener .  More than anything, I want to highlight today's moment in history to strongly encourage people to read.  Some of today's books may turn in to tomorrow's great works of classic literature.  A few of the books I have read recently are:   The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.  As a favor to yours truly, the author of this blog, please head to the local library and check out a Herman Melville book.  Some of the "old English" may be tough to get accustomed...

At first glance, this holiday was sort of interesting.  LOOSEN UP!  LIGHTEN UP!  Maybe this is what the society-at-large desperately needs.  Giving this idea a little more thought, I am forced to agree people in general need to loosen their grip on daily living and enjoy life as it comes our way.  In our overly politicized culture, a person has to be very careful how they express themselves due to the acute sensitivity of their fellow human beings around them.  Something as seemingly innocent as a benign statement of, "You look nice today!" could be taken as sexist.  Or in describing someone as the Asian co-worker from the rice paddies of Vietnam could come across as racist.  Certainly I need to respect and provide courtesy for those around me, but quite honestly people need to stop wearing their emotions on their shirt-sleeves.  Another example of taking life too seriously is missing the point of a joke and explaining it in order to show how...

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for  and assurance about what we do not see.   This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,  so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended  as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.  And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.   And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him  must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen,  in holy fear built an ark  to save his family.  By his faith...

Today I found two obscure holidays that couldn't be any more opposite from one another.   Start a Rumor Day and World Kindness Day !  Rumors are demeaning and demoralizing; they are only good at destroying the credibility and assassinating the character of its intended target.  Especially among born-again believers of Jesus Christ, rumors should not be found anywhere in our hearts or exiting our lips.  These unfounded stories are malicious and, quite frankly, are more of a reflection on the person spreading the gossip than the subject of the false diatribe.   World Kindness Day , on the other hand, should be at the forefront of every individual, especially Christians.  Why limit this to only today?  Every day should be dedicated to performing a kind act toward someone.  I propose acting kindly behind the scenes unbeknownst to the person on the receiving end of the kindness.  Acting with love and mercy should be without personal gain or benef...

Are you superstitious?  Feel prone to unusually bad luck?  Believing in Friday the 13th is a real phobia that affects life to a greater degree than I would have thought.  The link posted below has a lot of great information concerning the history of the day, so I won't re-hash a lot of it.  However, I do find it interesting people allow unfounded phobias and rituals to affect their lives.  To go out on a limb here, I sometimes wonder how much of this comes from people's mis-understanding of the spiritual realm: angels, demons, Satan, and etc.  In my opinion this only shows people's ignorance and insecurity, and rightly so.  Allow me to place your fears to rest.  There is a God seated on His throne ruling in complete control over the destinies of His creation's lives.  Nothing can happen to us without his permission and foreknowledge.  Without God's hedge of protection, we are at the mercy of evil forces willing and very capable of perfor...