Why Not?

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Maybe not. What if God isn't benevolent? What if He is actually malevolent? Or just volent?

The question many people struggle with is why God would allow good people to suffer. I think the struggle with this issue of suffering comes with an assumption that God is nice; the disconnect is why a nice entity would permit bad things. But if God isn't nice, then there isn't a conflict. Suffering and malady is often explained away as an obstacle that God places in front of us so that we can grow spiritually. That is actually an integral part of Latter Day Saint theology, as I understand it. It seems like that perspective is a choice based on a desire for God to be good.

I don't desire God to be anything, but I find the opposite perspective interesting. There is plenty of evidence otherwise that God isn't nice. Take, for example, His chosen people, the Jews. There are other groups of people that have suffered, but I'm guessing not to the prolonged historical degree that they have. The Old Testament is one long record of their oppression and suffering.

This perspective then shifts everything else. If God is not good, and possibly even mean, all spiritual success is then solely incumbent on people. They succeed inspite of God. However, I think people, that spiritual success relies on, derive that success from a belief that God is good. I could be wrong though, maybe someone who thinks God is against them, would strive to acheive success to overcome that.

Lungile Sinandile

Mind If I Borrow Some Quiet?

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first of forty days of Lent. It is a time of penitence and fasting. I am going to fast from noise. There are a lot of ways I'm going to implement this in my life, a lot of them surrounding turning off the radio. Turn off the radio when I'm in the shower, in my car, at work when no one else is around. I'll also mute commercials on television, and not turn the television on unless there is a specific show I want to watch (no TV browsing). I'm going to try to keep my jibber-jabber to a minimum at work too; there really isn't that much that needs saying.

Last night after working out, I went to IHOP for a free short stack of pancakes. Interesting to me, the waitress I had is one of the spirit leaders for the Husker wrestling team (that sentence has some tricky cases in it). This fact, of course, increased her tip. We talked about the Big XII wrestling championships in Columbia, MO the 3rd of March. She has to leave at 4:30 Saturday morning to make the five hour jaunt. Wendy and I, however, are going down on Friday and are coming back on Sunday.

I'm going to ask this question now and have more on this in a latter post: Who or what is to say that God isn't nice and good?

Maw-ly

Anna Molly

Today Molly and I went for a spontaneous walk. I had gotten up after my late evening and taken her out to do her thing. Then the day was just so nice I figured we would go for a walk. First we went to visit Angela, but she wasn't in, which was fine. Molly didn't take too kindly to the stairs, which required me to carry her (what a sissy). Then we went and visited Kyle and Cassie and Emma, their seal point cat.

Because today was so nice, the snow did plenty of melting and mudding, so when we got back I gave her a bath. Don't worry though, my sister tested her shampoo/conditioner blend on herself before I used it on Molly. Fortunately, our hour and a half walk has finally pooped her out (figuratively and literally), and she is laying peacefully at my feet. As I said before, "She is a delight."

Post 201 or Only Molly Knows

Molly, the 9 week old 3/4 golden laborador 1/4 retriever, is now in the house. She is cute as the dickens, if by dickens you mean whimpering and whining at many hours of the night. I'm approaching this evening with some trepidation, as she is napping now and might not reach the appropriate level of enervation later.

Aside from my normal concerns, she is a delight. If you're in the area and would like to bask in her puppy power, you are more than welcome to visit.

Dog Names

So I'm watching the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show tonight. There are lots of great names for these pure bred dogs.

What is your pure bred name? I think a formula that might work would be an anagram of your mother or father's name with one letter removed, then a compound of two nature words, like oak and rain, and finally a choice of an anagram of your middle name, the title of a movie, a fictional character, or a phrase that includes prepositions (throw in a possessive form for fun). Enjoy:

Windkist Little Rascal, Windbourne Silver Hammer, Churchhils Treasured Moon (dam Shilohs Nomoblues O Churchil), Sunburst Huntsman at Mechta, Bill Cosby's dog: Hobergay's Fineus Fogg, Kiarry's Reflections of the Sun,

Torquay S Demetrio(sire Rapidan Impressive, dam Greystone Harpia), Pequest Persuasive (dam Pequest Tilly Tooter), Gerico's Hawthorne Windsor Rose, Erinwood Clossongrey Smoke'N Mirrors (dam Erinwood Whynsome Of Eagle),

Lindvangen Nemo, Scentasias Howlaway Semper Fi, Sennenhof Xander, Setextra Velikoross Pavel, Hallam's Benenkhons Ra Qena, Aerdenhout's Make It So, Thistleglen Margot, Brushwood's Moxi of Endeavor, Subiras Riley (sire Subiras Charle of Amerdee), Kyleakin Scotsman Invasion, Miimoksen Deneb,

Finnabair Maoli, Geordan Tiger Lily, Best in Breed Kerry Blue Terrier: Aran Ferbane (sire Lescareiot Gorgeous George dam Aran Enniskerry), Alugoaa Del Cornijal, Cause For Celebration (dam Cracknor Cause Celebre),

Cantell You Can Call Me Ted, Showa Fantastic With Pantulf (sire Orlane's Cousteau At Saxonsprings), Breawood's Dancetotherisnson, Ambrier's Nanda Devi (sire Flubber Of Lollipop),

Medawisla Bluwater Yachtsman, Elmo's Men Are From Mars, Zindika Svengali Determinator, Chataquas Valimir Of Kyrov, Bermarg's Boondox Talisman,

Montrose The Golden Harvest, Broadcreek's Titus Of Taliesin, Osferatu Fauve De La Chaume Du Bois Dieu, German Shepherd Best in Breed: Kaleefs Geneva Aeval-Achtung

"Begin Again Gang . . .

gonna get gung-ho about fitness."

So tonight was the third night this week that I ran at Larson Lifestyles Center. Last year, if you remember, I ran in the Lincoln Half-Marathon and completed the 13.1 miles in 1:56. It was my goal to finish in under two hours, and I did. This year my goal is to complete a half-marathon around 90 minutes. This means going from averaging 8:46 minutes a mile to 7 minutes a mile. I don't know if this much improvement is possible, but it helps that I have two opportunities this year. Lincoln's marathon at the beginning of May, and the Black Hills marathon at the beginning of June for my mother's birthday celebration.

This week is the first running I've done since last year's marathon in May. I started "training" for last year's marathon about this same time, so my plan to improve that 1:46 per mile is to run faster paces for the thirty minutes I get the treadmill at Larson and run more longer distances than last year once the weather gets nice. Last year the most I ran before the marathon Sunday was 10 miles on Friday. Hopefully this year I'll get a 15 miler in there before the half. Any advice in this new venture is welcome. I'll keep you updated.

Docus and Eigil

So today was fairly good. Orders slacked off so I was able to leave work about a half hour earlier than normal. This allowed me to go to the Husker's wrestling match tonight against Oklahoma State. I was very glad to see Fred Ambrose as the referee. He is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame and looks like a Turk.

After the dual, which the Huskers lost, I went to the last showing of The Last King of Scotland in Lincoln at The Ross. (Nevermind, I guess they've extended the run.) I now know why Forest Whitaker is winning all the awards so far for best male actor in a leading role. I really liked Ryan Gosling in Half Nelson, and DiCaprio did a good job in The Departed. But Whitaker was better. Near the end of the film, there are two grotesque scenes. They are a powerful part of the film, and what I'm afraid of is that they might even be integral to the film. And for a sidenote, Gillian Anderson is very attractive when blonde and tan.



When you wish upon a star, makes no difference who you are; it won't be answered.

Stern and Callum

Rabbit, Rabbit

Some names for you:

Wizdrins Narcisse

Zsakeba Henderson

Choodian Cassells

and a contestant on the newest Bravo reality competition Top Design:

Goil Amornvivat