I am SO EXCITED: 2023 is almost here! OK, so I know that all of the pizzazz is supposed to go to Christmas and there is an air of nostalgia from the '80s. But, we totally took the air out of the inflatable Santa by celebrating Presents Day the day after Thanksgiving in a subdued, less event-driven approach. Instead of an endless array of things that they salivate over for weeks, I just said, "Here's some cool stuff and it's yours."

It's the way to usher in the season while guiding the kids down the road to adulthood by other means than being stuff-centric. In the past, it was about opening a lot of presents and ensuring they all had the same amount. Sure, we shot for things they might like, but I think it was of secondary importance. In those days, we envisioned something like a mound of presents, the type of things you'd sit upon the lap and ask about to that guy at the mall. It contrasts with the new goal to have less sizzle and more steak.

And this is the first Christmas that I can remember where we stayed on budget.

As this is the threshold of 2023, I eagerly await what lies beyond. Moving to a new place: where? When? What opportunities will there be? We toured around Harrisburg, Arkansas—it was completely a shot in the dark. We even walked about in the Jonesboro Walmart Neighborhood Market; in that hallowed den of the common man, long has it been that eyes have possessed the light of life.

I search on, my eyes see what has not been shown.

I scoffed as I lay the disheveled mailings across the kitchen table. "A flu shot is your best protection against the flu." Immediately, I mused to myself that a better approach would be to apply an anti-inflammatory diet. "With nothing else better to do, the body would make quick work of that!" But, I caught myself: "Just leap into a missile silo and stay there...done. That's the best protection!" Oh, who are we kidding: "Just get it and get it over with. That's the best protection."

Those ads in the mail never have my interest at heart. Even "free" shots cost somebody something. They don't have that in the mailer out of the goodness of their hearts. They care nothing for what's in my soul, but everything that's in my wallet.

And sadly, the medical field is driven by ideology, not truth. Can we expect more from a system that promotes shifting sands politics and a "science" that tells me that flies DO spontaneously generate, not from meat, but ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Yes, they tell me I've evolved from nothing. The complex came from the simple—wait, wait—from NOTHING. So, that's the story you're going with? And no wonder why folks are all messed up in the head with who they are.

I've been at peace with the culture and all the crazy things out there—oh, sure this active rebellion against God is evil—but, I recognize that we are in something like a pre-Christian era, like in the time of Rome or Molech. And you can imagine my surprise when I heard John MacArthur say the same thing to John Piper in that video I posted the other day! So, when I hear parents offering up their kids at the altar of the bizarre, it makes sense because that's what I would expect from those who hate God.

I'm reminded of the words of Jesus:

If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

John 15:18-19, ESV

I got caught up with a "That's not right" mindset about our culture. And no, it's not right because it does not represent the values of God. But, their end is coming. Jesus in Mark 9:48 references this Old Testament passage:

And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.

Isaiah 66:24

And so the world celebrates Jesus' birthday in a handful days. They celebrate a baby...a baby sent to overcome their own father. Jesus says this:

...I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

John 8:42-47, ESV

It is curious that the world wraps up gifts for a holiday for someone for whom they refuse to love and would rather spend an eternity in Hell than be with Him.

Alas, I thought I would be employing Todoist to achieve what I have set out before me. I woke up with my eyes set with determination. I attached labels; I tooled with filters; and a whirlwind of projects filled my mind. I was ready. I slapped down my five bucks for the month AND...it failed me.

While the App Store had no qualms with sliding my money into its back pocket, Todoist threw up its hands and said, "You're a failure. You'll never amount to nothing!" I just might be paraphrasing there—I don't remember the exact wording of the error message, but I'm pretty sure that was it.

They do offer email support, so I bumbled through that...and I received a RESPONSE! A PERSON! I just might have value to them after all! Sure, there was a surprisingly level of helpdesk snark in the email, but I had "just a little of that human touch."

Ahh, ever so sadly, after that initial email from them, they went dark; I did not hear anything more from them after lunch. So, that evening around 8 PM, I figured that they are principally in business to make money—who am I—and they don't seem too concerned about making that money. Perhaps, it would be best for me to cut and run into the night. I mean, if their chief concern isn't concerning, they've got some holes to fix...in my heart.

Moving on...while I whipped up something in Excel with checkboxes and pulldowns for categories, quite honestly, I'm happy just to revert back to Stickies. Sometimes the more cloud we throw at something, the cloudier it gets.

The other day, I picked up a couple of selections from Logos for 2023. One was John Piper's Providence:

YouTube Link

You can be like me and buy it for $30 OR get it FREE from his website.

I also acquired from Logos The Complete Works of Stephen Charnock (5 vols). I picked it out for his The Existence and Attributes of God, but for $5 more, I got everything else. And yes, you can be like me and drop $25, OR you can get it FREE from Monergism.com..